A career spent making complex intervention more reliable.
Dr. Shuvanan Ray is Director and Chief of Cardiology at Fortis Hospital, Anandapur, Kolkata, and one of eastern India's experienced interventional cardiologists. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has performed in excess of 20,000 interventional procedures, with a particular focus on the complex coronary cases that many find most challenging.
Areas of expertise
Dr. Ray's clinical work centres on interventional cardiology — treating narrowed and blocked arteries through catheter-based techniques rather than open surgery. His particular strengths lie in the more demanding areas of the field.
- Left main coronary intervention — blockage of the artery that supplies the largest share of the heart muscle.
- Chronic total occlusion (CTO) — reopening arteries that have been completely blocked over time.
- Calcified coronary disease — treating hardened, calcium-laden arteries, often using rotational atherectomy.
- Bifurcation lesions — treating blockages where an artery divides, using the Nanocrush technique he developed.
- Imaging & physiology-guided PCI — the use of IVUS and FFR to size, place and confirm stents with precision.
- Peripheral, carotid & renal intervention — treatment of narrowed arteries beyond the heart, alongside balloon valvotomy and device therapy for heart failure.
The Nanocrush technique
Bifurcation lesions — blockages that occur where one coronary artery branches into two — are among the more difficult problems in interventional cardiology, because both branches must be kept open. Dr. Ray developed the Nanocrush stenting technique as a refined approach to these cases, reflecting a career-long interest in making complex intervention more reliable and reproducible.
Teaching & international proctoring
Dr. Ray is a certified international proctor in rotational atherectomy — a procedure that uses a high-speed rotating burr to remove hard calcium from arteries before stenting. As a proctor, he trains and supervises other cardiologists in the technique, in India and abroad. It is a role given to relatively few, and it places him among the cardiologists that other cardiologists learn from.
Training & qualifications
Academic achievements
A record of distinction through medical training, from pre-medical examinations to postgraduate honours.
- 1979Silver, College of Medicine
- 1978Rakhal Das Silver Medal for Medicine
- 1977Government Scholarship for Merit
- 1975First Certificate of Honours in Anatomy
- 1973–75Prosector of Anatomy
- 1972Passed Pre-Medical Examination in the First Division
- 1971Awarded National Scholarship for Merit
Later, in 1992, Dr. Ray stood first in the DM (Cardiology) examination at the University of Calcutta.
Authorship, live cases & recognition
Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Ray is the author of a cardiology textbook (second edition, 2017) and has performed live cases as invited faculty at major national cardiology conferences, including Cardiological Society of India (CSI) and National Interventional Council (NIC) meetings. His Nanocrush technique for bifurcation stenting has been recognised internationally, including at the European Bifurcation Society meeting, and in 2015 he received the India Live award for Best Coronary Case. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in interventional cardiology.
Approach to care
Dr. Ray's practice is built on a straightforward belief: that even the most complex cardiac problem can be explained in plain language, and that a patient who understands their condition is better placed to take part in their own care. He combines technically advanced intervention with an emphasis on prevention — helping patients manage risk long before it becomes an emergency.