Our professionals

Dr. Ignacio García Bolao
Head of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
Department Cardiology Specialist
Area of Expertise: study and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
Professional career
Graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Navarra Faculty of Medicine(1989).Cardiology Specialist and carried out his training at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (1994).
He was awarded his doctorate (1994) in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Navarra, with a distinctive "Cum Laude" qualification.
In 1996, he subspecialised in Cardiac Electrophysiology in the Arrhythmias Unit at the Hospital Clinic, Barcelona.
He was qualified in Cardiac Stimulation and Cardiac Electrophysiology by the Spanish Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology.
He has been the head of the Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery Department at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra since June 2009.
He has developed the Electrophysiology and Arrhythmias Unit at the Clinic.
RESEARCH AREAS
- Member of Editorial Board for “Heart & Circulation” magazine
- Member of Editorial Board for Clinical Cardiology magazine, Spanish Cardiology Magazine
- Member of Reviews Board for: American Journal of Cardiology, Spanish Cardiology Magazine, Europace, Mexican Cardiology Archives
- Communications Reviewer: European Congress of Cardiology (ESC), National Congress of Cardiology (SEC)
- Member of Reviews Board for European Society Cardiology Abstracts
- Accreditation in Cardiac Pacing & Intracardiac defibrillators, European Society of Cardiology. 2005.
- Accredited in Invasive Cardiac Electrophysiology from the Spanish Society of Cardiology 2006
- Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology.
- Member of Technical Commission for the Evaluation of I+D+i Projects (cardiovascular diseases unit) at the Carlos III Health Institute, 2010-present.
- Member of the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee for Respond-CRT Clinical Trial of the SonRtip Lead and Automatic AV-VV Optimization Algorithm in the PARADYM RF SonR CRT-D (RESPOND CRT) NCT01534234
- Proctor Watchman Left Atrial Occlusion Device
- Proctor Therapy for cardiac resynchronization, Boston Scientific
- National Registry Coordinator for Ablation with Catheters (2006-2010)
- National Coordinator for EORP-AF Long Term registry (European Society of Cardiology)
AREAS OF INTEREST
- Cardiac Electrophysiology: diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
- Diagnostic cardiac electrophysiological studies
- Ablation using conventional radiofrequency substrates
- Ablation with complex arrhythmic substrates
- Atrial Fibrillation Ablation (>400 procedures as lead surgeon, including experience with point-to-point radiofrequency, PVAC, Cryoablation and nMarq)
- Fluoroscopic guidance (including NavX Velocity, Carto 3 and Noga systems)
- Implantation and follow-up care for cardiac pacemakers
- Implantation and follow-up care for implantable automatic defibrillators
- Implantation and follow-up care for cardiac resynchronization therapy devices (>500 first implant procedures as lead surgeon)
- Percutaneous extraction of electrodes (radiofrequency, femoral approach, Evolution system) and percutaneous auricle closure (Proctor Watchman system)
Activity
As an educator
Associate/Titular professor at the University of Navarra Faculty of Medicine since 2010.
Accredited as Titular professor at the University by the National Agency for the Evaluation of Quality of Teaching 2009.
Accredited for two terms research by the National Evaluation Commission for Research Activity.
As a researcher
He has written more than 130 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals (52 in international journals). More than 130 conference papers (73 in international conferences). More than 90 invited presentations at conferences, including invited presentations at the Heart Rhythm Society, Europace and Cardiostim.
Principal investigator in more than 38 national and international projects, including several international multicentre trials and competitive calls such as FIS (Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias) projects.

Scientific organizations
- Associate member of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.
- Numerary Member of the Spanish Society of Cardiology.
- Member of the Electrophysiology and Arrhythmias Section of the S.E.C.
- Member of the Pacemaker Section of the S.E.C.
- Member of the Section of Heart Failure and other therapeutic alternatives of the S.E.C.
- Member of the Vasconavarra Society of Cardiology.
- Member of the Cardiac Electrophysiology Society since 1998.
- Member of the International Society for Holter and Non-Invasive Electrocardiology since 1998.
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Vasconavarra Society of Cardiology (2002-7).
- Secretary of the Basque-Navarre Society of Cardiology from 2002-2007.
- Member of the European Heart Rhythm Association since 2004.
- Member of the Board of Directors of the Arrhythmia Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (2006- 12).
- FESC. Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology.
Latest scientific publications
- A rare case of unusual scar in atrial fibrillation ablation: The "Yin-Yang" left atrium Dec 4, 2022 | Magazine: Journal of Arrythmia
- Remote heart failure management using the HeartLogic algorithm. RE-HEART Registry Sep 1, 2022 | Magazine: Revista Española de Cardiología