Huay Cheem Tan
In less than 50 years, Singapore has established itself as a centre for cardiovascular excellence. With a population of approximately 5.5 million people, great attention has been paid to the creation of our healthcare and emergency healthcare system and, today, Singapore has the third highest life expectancy in the world with an average lifespan for both males and females of 84.6 years. Within the realm of interventional cardiology, Singapore has long been seen as a leader in Asia in the adoption of percutaneous technologies. The first balloon angioplasty was performed in 1984 in our country by our pioneering interventionalist Richard Ng in 19 patients. The first drug-eluting stent implantation in Singapore and Asia occurred during the 11th Singapore LIVE Course in 2002. Asia’s first percutaneous aortic valve replacement was performed in Singapore in 2009.