Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among Filipinos, with numbers still rising over the last decade. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, recorded deaths specifically from ischemic heart diseases rose from 74,134 in 2016 to 122,339 in 2025.
An ischemic heart disease, also called coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease, is a condition wherein coronary arteries narrow or become blocked, restricting the critical supply of blood to the heart muscle. When the blood flow is completely cut off, heart muscle cells die, causing a heart attack.
Dr. Jessore Isidro, a cardiologist of 18 years, understands this alarming mortality rate from ischemic heart diseases in the country. Nonetheless, he firmly believes in the power of prevention and clinical precision to help address cardiovascular care challenges.
For him, the future of cardiovascular care lies in innovation, excellence, and compassionate, evidence-based care-core values he has championed and practiced at Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) since joining in 2009.
Understanding precision and cardiac catheterizationDr. Isidro first joined Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) in in 2009 shortly after completing my training in Interventional Cardiology at the UP Philippine General Hospital. Then, his goal was simple: “. . . to provide the best care I could to every patient, use the skills I had been given responsibly, and, make a meaningful difference in their lives,’ he told Philstar.com in an interview.
Little did he know that the very same year would turn pivotal not just for his career, but for the hospital as a whole, with the establishment of its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.
‘One of our greatest achievements has been building a cardiovascular center that consistently delivers safe, timely and high-quality care through teamwork, innovation and continuous improvement,’ Dr. Isidro said.
Cardiac catheterization itself is a minimally invasive procedure used to identify blockages within the coronary arteries. It allows cardiologists to deliver a highly accurate diagnosis and, ultimately, provide targeted options for treatment.
A process, in which precision is a requirement. Dr. Isidro shared, ‘To me, precision is more than a technical accuracy; it is making the right clinical decision for the right patient at the right time, with every detail focused on achieving the best possible outcome.’
Today, the interventional cardiologist chairs what has become one of the country’s busiest cath labs, capable of imaging high-volume complex and challenging interventions with excellent outcomes.
He elaborated, ‘The MDH Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory has steadily evolved from a growing interventional facility into one of the country’s leading cardiovascular centers. We have expanded our services, embraced advanced technologies, managed increasingly complex cases and built a highly skilled multidisciplinary team.’
Such growth is crucial for a country with only 33 cardiac catheterization laboratory facilities issued with a Certificate of Compliance, according to data from the Freedom of Information website.