Greetings from the President

The Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT) is the largest and leading society in Japan dedicated to catheter intervention for cardiovascular disease. CVIT’s predecessor was founded as a research group in 1985, and developed into two organizations, the Japanese Society of Interventional Cardiology (JSIC), and the Japanese Association of Catheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (JACCT). In 2009, these two organizations merged into CVIT. CVIT consists of more than 12,000 members, including interventional cardiologists, technicians, nurses, and other medical workers.
Interventional cardiology has made rapid progress in the past 30 years. We cover a wide range within this field, including not only coronary artery disease, but peripheral artery disease, and structural heart disease as well. Our mission is to improve the prognosis of cardiovascular disease by promoting advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, and the development of an academic culture. To achieve this mission, CVIT, as the leader in this field, engages in negotiations with the Japanese government, ensuring safe treatment as well as academic development.
We have a certified board system for medical specialists, which includes a practical examination. In addition to training high-level specialists, we also provide guidance to training facilities. Other educational activities include an annual scientific meeting, and recently, an online CVIT-TV program which broadcasts weekly to our members. Live demonstrations have been a major contributing factor to the development of this field, and CVIT supports the development of safe and educational live demonstrations.
We have successfully completed establishing a registry for all PCI cases, called the J-PCI Registry, and we have completed the J-EVT and J-SHD registries as well. We have published important scientific papers based on these registries, and this data would become the basis of medical policies in Japan. Our journal, CVIT, is a high-quality peer-review journal, and will soon be making an impact in the field. We are committed to continuing our involvement in the development of interventional medicine in Japan.
CVIT is actively working on the development, education, and issues regarding catheter intervention in Japan. Please feel free to contact us.

Ken Kozuma, MD, PhD
President, Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT)