Prof. Eric Eeckhout

Prof. Eric Eeckhout is one of Europe's most respected interventional cardiologists, with a career spanning over three decades at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland. He graduated in medicine from Brussels Medical School in 1984 and began his fellowship at CHUV in 1991, rising to become the Director of the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory in 1999, a position he held for 25 years before completing his tenure at CHUV in 2024. Throughout his career, Prof. Eeckhout has been instrumental in advancing the field of interventional cardiology, with expertise spanning coronary artery disease interventions, structural heart procedures, and transcatheter valve therapies. He holds a Professorship of Faculty Medicine and Biology at the University of Lausanne, reflecting the academic dimension of his distinguished career. He founded the ECC (European Complications Congress) in Lausanne in 1998 — a meeting dedicated to complications in percutaneous cardiovascular medicine, which from 2001 evolved into a joint Mayo Clinic-CHUV congress. He also co-authored the definitive EAPCI-PCR textbook of interventional cardiology, first published in 2012.

Prof. Eric Eeckhout graduated in medicine from Brussels Medical School in 1984, completing his basic training in general and interventional cardiology before joining the University Hospital CHUV in Lausanne in 1991 for his fellowship. He earned his PhD through research that contributed original insights to interventional cardiology. His foundational training in Belgium and subsequent fellowship in Switzerland equipped him with a broad European perspective on cardiovascular medicine. He became Head of Interventional Cardiology at CHUV in 1999 and served in that leadership role for 25 years. As a Professor at the University of Lausanne, he contributed significantly to the training of cardiologists and held leadership positions in European cardiology educational programmes. He was actively involved in the annual ESC Congress programme committee for eight years and was instrumental in the Euro-PCR meeting as a faculty member and organiser. He co-edited the landmark EAPCI-PCR textbook on interventional cardiology, a comprehensive reference for European interventional cardiologists.

Prof. Eric Eeckhout's interventional cardiology expertise covers the full spectrum of percutaneous cardiovascular procedures. In coronary intervention, he is proficient in complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for multivessel disease, bifurcation lesions, chronic total occlusions, and calcified coronary disease. In structural heart disease, he has experience in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), mitral valve interventions, left atrial appendage occlusion, and atrial septal defect closure. His specific interest in managing complications during catheter-based cardiac procedures led him to found the ECC congress, underscoring his expertise in recognising and safely resolving procedural complications. Prof. Eeckhout also contributed to pharmacological research in interventional cardiology, evaluating antithrombotic strategies and drug-eluting stent technologies. His academic publications, textbook contributions, and conference leadership have established him as a foundational figure in European interventional cardiology.

Prof. Eric Eeckhout has extensive experience consulting international patients at CHUV Lausanne, one of Switzerland's foremost university hospitals and a world-class centre for cardiology. He consults in French, English, and Dutch, making him accessible to patients from across Europe and beyond. Switzerland offers internationally recognised standards of care and CHUV Lausanne is fully equipped with state-of-the-art catheterisation laboratories and imaging facilities. International patients seeking consultation for complex coronary artery disease, structural heart conditions requiring TAVI, or second opinions on interventional cardiology treatment plans should bring coronary angiography reports, echocardiography and CT results, recent stress test data, and medication histories. Lausanne is easily accessible by air via Geneva Airport and has excellent accommodation and transport infrastructure for visiting patients. CHUV's international patient coordination services assist with appointment scheduling, documentation preparation, and communication with referring cardiologists.

Prof. Eric Eeckhout has received numerous distinctions recognising his leadership in European interventional cardiology. He co-authored the EAPCI-PCR textbook of interventional cardiology, the definitive European reference in the field since its first publication in 2012. He founded the ECC (European Complications Congress) in 1998, which became a joint Mayo Clinic-CHUV international congress from 2001. He was a long-standing member of the ESC Congress Programme Committee for eight years, shaping the world's largest cardiology congress. CHUV and the University of Lausanne have recognised his 33-year career contribution to academic cardiology and his role in building CHUV's international reputation in interventional cardiology. He has received honorary lectureships at major cardiology meetings including Euro-PCR and ESC.