Nicolas M Van Mieghem

Prof Van Mieghem initially intended to train as a cardiac surgeon but decided to specialise in interventional cardiology instead, following advice from a mentor. This decision was cemented when he read the first-in-human case report of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in Circulation by Alain Cribier in 2002. Prof Van Mieghem believes that great cardiologist genuinely cares for their patients. He names Gary Roubin, Dr Manu Malbrain and Professor Patrick Serruys among his mentors. 

Academic History

Prof. Nicolas M. Van Mieghem completed his medical training at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium), where he earned both his medical degree and his specialist degree in cardiology. During his time in Leuven, he developed a strong interest in cardiovascular medicine, particularly in the emerging field of minimally invasive cardiac interventions. After finishing his core medical and cardiology training, he pursued multiple advanced fellowships in interventional cardiology, beginning at the Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg in Genk, Belgium. Seeking broader expertise, he continued his fellowship training at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, where he gained extensive experience in percutaneous coronary and structural heart procedures within a high-volume U.S. centre. He later completed a prestigious structural heart fellowship at the Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center (Rotterdam, Netherlands), one of Europe’s leading institutions in transcatheter valve therapy.

Alongside his clinical training, Prof. Van Mieghem completed a PhD focused on transcatheter valve therapies, contributing early to the evidence base for aortic valve replacement via catheter-based approaches. His academic formation established him as a clinician–scientist with a strong foundation in both interventional practice and cardiovascular research methodology.

Career Overview

Prof. Van Mieghem began his senior clinical career at the Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, joining the Department of Interventional Cardiology in February 2010. In this role, he rapidly became involved in the centre’s expanding structural heart programme, performing complex percutaneous coronary interventions and helping to advance the adoption of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). His expertise and leadership in interventional cardiology led to his appointment as Clinical Director / Medical Director of Interventional Cardiology in 2014, where he oversaw clinical operations, guided innovation in catheter-based therapies, and contributed to the Thoraxcenter’s reputation as a worldwide leader in structural heart disease.

Throughout the 2010s, he played a central role in numerous international clinical trials involving transcatheter valve replacement and repair, mechanical circulatory support devices, coronary atherectomy platforms, and novel vascular access technologies. His research, procedural experience, and mentorship earned him a reputation as one of Europe’s foremost figures in structural heart interventions. In recognition of his clinical and academic contributions, he was appointed Full Professor of Interventional Cardiology at Erasmus MC on 1 September 2019. Today, Prof. Van Mieghem continues to lead cutting-edge interventional programmes, contributing to device development, trial leadership, and procedural innovation, while training the next generation of interventional cardiologists.

Prof Van Mieghem is currently on the ICR3 Editorial Board.

Recognition & Contributions

• Van Mieghem has published and co-authored over 350 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals — with some sources from his institutional profile citing “over 600 scientific papers”
• He is a Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (FESC) and also of the American College of Cardiology (FACC)
• He serves as a principal investigator and steering-committee member in multiple ongoing international clinical trials, evaluating various transcatheter valve technologies, mechanical circulatory support platforms, and coronary atherectomy devices
• His research and clinical efforts have significantly advanced transcatheter valve therapies (e.g., TAVI/TAVR)making them safer, more widely applicable, and helping expand their indications beyond high-risk surgical candidates

Areas of Speciality / Research Focus

• Transcatheter aortic valve implantation / replacement (TAVI/TAVR) & structural heart interventions
• Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), with emphasis on calcified coronary lesions and complex revascularization
• Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in high-risk or complex cardiac patients
• Novel large-bore vascular access closure techniques, including closure device development and vascular access management in structural interventions
• Imaging and pre-procedural planning techniques, including CT-derived 3D modeling and printing to facilitate structural heart interventions (e.g., mitral/tricuspid repair)

References

• https://media.pcronline.com/diapos/EuroPCR2024/122-20240514_1714_Room_252A_Van_Mieghem_Nicolas_1111100_%283476%29/Van_Mieghem_Nicolas_20240514_1700_Room_252A.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• https://www.eacts.org/organisation/nicolas-van-mieghem/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• https://esc365.escardio.org/person/229911?utm_source=chatgpt.com