19 February, 2016
Dr. Marta Sitges: “It is important to find the best treatment for each patient”
The protagonist of today’s video on Our professionals is Dr. Marta Sitges , cardiologist at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and barnaclínic +, and specialist in cardiovascular imaging. Dr. Sitges is also responsible for the Work Group in Sports Cardiology and chief of the non-invasive cardiologic diagnostics section, as well as a researcher of Arrhythmias, Cardiac Resynchronization and Cardiac Imaging at IDIBAPS.
Their main dedication is centered on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system using non-invasive imaging techniques. As she herself says, this means that they don’t insert “catheters or any other instrument into the patient”. Imaging techniques include: ultrasound (basic and advanced), magnetic resonance imaging, scan and the conventional physical stress test.
“The best treatment option for each patient”
The type of patient visiting her section presents common symptoms that are caused by different heart diseases. Dr. Marta Sitges’ role is to diagnose the cause of these symptoms and, along with the rest of the team, choose the best treatment option for each patient in particular. Dr. Sitges highlights, “The same disease can have different treatment options”, and warns that “this is important, and that medicine is evolving more and more in the personalization of treatment for each patient”. In the barnaclínic + Cardiology Diagnostics section they are working to this objective, the quest for the best choice of treatment personalized for each case.
“We must advance much more in the molecular diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases”
In recent years the diagnosis of heart and vascular system diseases has seen many advances. However, for Dr. Marta Sitges, “we still have to go much further in the molecular diagnosis of these diseases.” According to the cardiologist, we need to do further research in order to find out what really causes cardiovascular diseases.
“A wide range of means and professionals which offer all the alternative treatments”
According to Dr. Sitges, as regards the treatment, “spectacular progress” has been made. She gives surgery as an example where: “Interventions which before involved opening, suturing and leaving scars, can now be done in a minimally invasive way”. This type of technology, explains Dr. Sitges, is not available in all centres. She recognizes the fact she has been “lucky” as she works in an environment that allows her to offer a “wide range of treatment options for each disease “, in addition to working with a team of professionals “capable of offering all treatment alternatives that exist today”.