Biography

On February 2, 2002 it is the 65^th birthday anniversary of Vikentiy Pekarskiy, a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Russian Federation, an eminent representative of the Russian medicine and one of the founders of the Siberian school of cardiosurgery and arrhythmology.

From his student years the research work of Vikentiy Pekarskiy was devoted to topical questions of cardiosurgery, arrhythmology and pathophysiology of extreme conditions. The characteristic features of all his works were their novelty and practical importance. He always tried to apply the results of his experiments and theoretical developments in clinical praxis. Examples of this are a new method and device for estimation of operative hemorrhage volume, improvement of old and development of new methods of rheumatic carditis diagnostics. His solutions in the field of pacing, where his theories, experiments, results of clinical trials and development of new methods and devices were deeply intertwined, were truly ingenious. For example, while introducing the method of decremental pacing into clinical praxis he investigated the intrinsic nature of cardiac rate, arrhythmia effect on hemodynamics, myocardium metabolism and possibility of rate correction with pacing. In 1972 the results of this work were summarized in his thesis for a Doctor's degree and his monograph and were presented at the international congress in Holland.

From 1974 to 1980 Vikentiy Pekarskiy dedicated a large series of his works to the development of assist circulation methods in conjunction with pacing and open-chest mechanical cardiac massage that were fundamentally new approaches to cardiac resuscitation.

In 1980 Vikentiy Pekarskiy already heading the general surgery department at the Tomsk Institute of Medicine became a head of the cardiac arrhythmias and pacing department at the recently established Research Institute of Cardiology of the Tomsk Scientific Centre. The institute became a main scientific and methodical center dedicated to arrhythmia treatment and pacing in Siberia and Far East. In the same 1980 Vikentiy Pekarskiy was elected a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of USSR.

Probably the most fruitful period of his life was from 1980 to 1994. During this time he took out 25 inventor’s certificates and published 186 works including 5 monographs. The breadth of his scientific interests, which included the development of surgical methods of myopathy patients treatment and an original self-contained electric stimulator of the gastrointestinal tract, was truly surprising. Under the direction of Vikentiy Pekarskiy in 1981 the method of intracardiac electrophysilogic study was introduced into Russian clinical praxis and mechanisms of different tachycardias and arrhythmias were studied and then in November 1982 the first in Russia transvenous electropulse destruction of the AV junction was performed that gave rise to the wide application of catheter methods of radical cure of various tachycardia and tachyarrhythmia patients. From 1985 Vikentiy Pekarskiy had been conducting comprehensive investigations of automated cardioversion defibrillation and managed to achieveq the leading results in Russia. Thanks to his investigations Tomsk is known as the city where the method of Russian automated defibrillation was conceived.

One can hardly imagine how it is possible for one man to do so much. In 1988 Vikentiy Pekarskiy became a scientific chief of the cardiovascular surgery department newly established at the Tomsk Research Institute of Cardiology and made an important contribution to further development of the department. From its first steps the department was on a level with the leading cardiosurgery centers of Russia and within a short period of time a wide range of cardiosurgery interventions for congenial and acquired heart diseases, ischemic disease, cardiac arrhythmias and other cardiovasculatory pathologies was mastered under his direction. The results of his investigations were broadly presented in domestic and foreign journals and talks in Russia, Japan, USA, Great Britain, Germany and other countries. His last two years Vikentiy Pekarskiy searched after the solution of the problems of myocardium revascularization at X-syndrome, diffuse lesion of coronary arteries and dilated cardiomyopathy, in electrostimulating cardiomyoplasty. In fact, Vikentiy Pekarskiy pioneered the development of a permanent biomechanical heart contraction-assisting device for treatment of serious types of cardiac insufficiency.

Being a talented scientist, a brilliant organizer and teacher Vikentiy Pekarskiy always remained a highly experienced cardiosurgeon and performed unique cardiovascular operations. He was a founder of the Siberian school of cardiovascular surgery and the current cardiosurgery center.

In 1993 Vikentiy Pekarskiy was elected a full member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Russian Federation. Two years before he was elected a trustee of the board of the International Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology Society in Washington. The world community acknowledged his being a world-renowned scientist. From 1992 he was a member of the presidium of the Russian Association of Cardiovascular Surgeons and the editor of the "Cardiosurgery, organ and tissue transplantation" section of the Big Medical Encyclopedia.

It is impossible to talk about Vikentiy Pekarskiy in the past tense. His work, disciples, books and patients, he devoted all his life to, remain after him. Vikentiy Pekarskiy will always be an impressive example of a doctor, a scientist and a man.