Introduction

International Healthcare Center (IHC) is a center dedicated solely to the care of patients at Samsung Medical Center (SMC), one of South Korea’s leading hospitals. IHC opened in September 1995 and is the premier medical clinic for resident expatriates and patients in Korea.
Our center acts as the care coordination center for patients. We as primary care physicians are experts in you and are focused on your personal health needs and wellness goal. To satisfy patients’ needs and preferences in delivery of best health care, we offer a wide range of services inside our clinic including general adult and pediatric medical care, personalized wellness examinations, and urgent-care visits. We also coordinate expedited referrals to more than 800 specialists in 40 departments of SMC.

Specialized treatment

■ Specialized Centers

Heart Center

1. Coronary Artery Team

Our coronary artery team is one of five professional departments that have embracedadisease-centered approach to medical care. We offerone-stop service, ensuring our patients receive prompt and convenient care.Our coronary artery disease team consists of nine interventional cardiologists, three surgeons and 100 medical staff members who are trained todiagnose a range of heart diseases, including angina, unstable angina and myocardial infarction.

2. Arrhythmia Team

SMC’sArrhythmia Team specializes in the examination and treatment of cardiac arrhythmia, anabnormality in the rhythm of the heartbeat. In addition, the Arrhythmia Team provides accurate diagnosis and treatment even for patients with syncope of unknown etiology by inserting animplantable cardiac event recorder.Our specialized clinic provides systematic health management even after patientsare treated with artificial pacemakers and other medical devices. We offercustom-tailoredtreatmentdelivered by medical professionalswho have passed the International Board of Heart Rhythm Exam.

3. Valve Team

The Valve Teamdiagnosesa range ofvalvular diseasesusing transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography and cardiac catheterization, allowing us to make the right treatment decisions based on the particular condition of the patient. We also perform interventional procedures such as the percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty and surgical procedures such as valvular reconstruction and prosthetic valve replacement.

4. Congenital Heart Disease Team

A board-certified pediatric cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, cardiac radiologist, cardiac anesthesiologist, cardiac pathologist, specialized nurses and engineers specialized in heart diseases collaborate with other experts to provide ideal treatment forpatients with congenital heart diseases.

5. Heart Failure/Transplantation Team

Our team provides systemic management of patients with heart failure to ensurepatients receive the right treatment at the right time. We have all conventional surgical options such as coronaryartery bypass, valve repair and replacement, ventricularaneurysm repair and so on. Furthermore, our team has been implanted durable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) in patients who are not able to have heart transplantation or waiting for heart transplantation. We have a lot of experiences of heart transplantation. Our dedicated team approach will offer the best medical and surgical options in advanced heart failure patients.

6. Ventricular Arrhythmia Clinic

The Ventricular Arrhythmia Clinic specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias that arise from the left and right ventricles. Unlike atrial arrhythmias, ventricular arrhythmias can cause sudden cardiac deaths, sobothaccurate diagnosis and effective treatment areessential. Our hospital is the first in Korea to maintain a specialized clinic to treatboth patients with ventricular arrhythmias and patients at high risk for sudden cardiac death.

Diagnostic tests

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

Holter electrocardiogram (ECG)

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Seven-day event recording electrocardiogram (ECG)

Exercise electrocardiography

Head-up tilt test

Cardiac electrophysiology (most accurate test for the final diagnosis of arrhythmias)

Test of artificial pacemaker

Latest treatment methods

Radio Frequency Catheter Ablation (3D imaging equipment)

Artificial pacemaker

Cardiac resynchronization implantation

Direct current cardioversion

Left atrial appendage occlusion (patients with atrial fibrillation)

Other Resources

Hearti is an Internet site launched to help patients and families with congenital heart diseases share information,opinions and experiences. The congenital heart team of theHeart Vascular Stroke Instituteparticipates in Hearti to help provide hopeto other sufferers even if they aren’t our patients.

■ Latest Major Medical Achievement

Stroke Center

Stroke Teams

1. Acute Stroke Team (Ischemic and Hemorrhagic)

Our acute stroke team consists of four neurologists, two neuroradiologists, and three neurosurgeons, providing 24/7/365 service for prompt and comprehensive management during the acute phase of stroke. We maintain 11 beds in the stroke unit for patients with acute strokes, which are overseen by specialized personnel 24 hours a day

2. Neurointervention Team

3. Stroke Surgery Team

4. Stroke prevention team

We offer one-stop service, ensuring our patients receive prompt and convenient care. Our outpatient stroke prevention team operates special clinics, such as (a) Cerebral aneurysm clinic, (b) Moyamoya disease clinic, and (c) Cervical artery stenosis clinic.

Major areas of treatment

Specialties : Ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, vascular malformation, cervical artery stenosis, moyamoya disease, treatment of sequelae and complications from stroke such as vascular stroke, drug therapy and education for secondary prevention of stroke

Strengths

The STROKE CENTER maintains an acute treatment team, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for patients with acute cerebral artery diseases such as acute stroke, rupture of cerebral aneurysms, and cerebral hemorrhage. Additionally, with our state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms, we can provide high-quality treatment to patients with complex lesions through hybrid surgical techniques. We are working to overcome intractable strokes through translational research on new treatment methods such as cutting-edge radiological techniques, genetic diagnosis, and stem cell treatment.

Latest treatment methods

Development of diagnostic techniques for stroke through cooperation between the neuroimaging center and the department of laboratory medicine

Groundbreaking reduction of operative time by using a minimally invasive approach.

Recent trends in clinical research

Conducted research and clinical trials on stem cell therapy through the SMC Cell-Regenerative Medicine Center (SMCRMC).

Conducted clinical trials on cutting-edge treatment methods through the SMC Clinical Trial Center (CTC).