Asan Medical Center (AMC), the teaching hospital of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, located in Seoul, said Tuesday that it has been ranked as the world’s top institution in interventional cardiology by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).

Interventional cardiology includes stent procedures for cardiovascular diseases such as angina and myocardial infarction.

The 2024 Scientific Excellence Top 10 (SET-10) rankings were revealed at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference held from Oct. 27-30 in Washington, D.C., a major event in interventional cardiovascular medicine attended by around 10,000 heart specialists from over 100 countries.

Leading U.S. hospitals Mount Sinai Health Sytem and Mayo Clinic followed AMC, ranking second and third, respectively.

AMC’s Heart Institute has also been named Korea’s top hospital for cardiology and heart surgery for five consecutive years by Newsweek’s global hospital rankings in September. The institute achieved another milestone with nine studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), a feat AMC described as “remarkable” given that most top Korean heart centers publish just one NEJM study per year.

With over 200,000 outpatients and 60,000 inpatients annually, AMC said its heart institute has a distinguished history of pioneering cardiac procedures. In 1997, it became the first institution worldwide to treat left main coronary artery disease using percutaneous coronary intervention, establishing a new global standard. 

The institute also leads in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for aortic valve stenosis, having completed 2,000 TAVI procedures with a 99 percent success rate—a “notable achievement,” according to AMC, given that most patients are over 80.

AMC added that its reputation attracts international medical professionals and patients alike, hosting 1,500 doctors and 4,000 patients from 40 countries over the past decade.

“We are honored to lead in cardiology research alongside global leaders like Mount Sinai and Mayo Clinic,” said Professor Park Seung-jung of the AMC Heart Institute. “Our goal has been not only to improve survival rates but to enhance the quality of life for our patients.”

Professor Park Duk-woo, who represented AMC at TCT 2024, added, “Despite challenges like Covid-19, our dedication to clinical research and patient care has led to substantial outcomes. We remain committed to advancing global standards in cardiac research and treatment.”