Overview

This symposium will comprehensively cover the latest clinical and experimental breakthroughs in the percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease. Those attending will be exposed to the latest clinical trial data on current and second-generation drug-eluting stent device-based therapies. Controversies, including resistance and selection, of antiplatelet therapy as adjunctive treatment with percutaneous intervention will be discussed along with the use of imaging tools and how to manage complex lesions. Utilizing both didactic and case-based presentation, attendees will be exposed to the latest clinical and evidence-based medicine options to optimize patient outcomes in the treatment of coronary artery disease.

Traditionally, valvular heart disease has been treated with surgical repair or replacement. Over the last several years, however, there have been important advances in concepts, tools, techniques, and patient selection for treatment of valvular heart disease using nonsurgical procedures. Transcatheter valve intervention offers the potential to reduce procedural morbidity, mortality, and costs of surgical valve replacement or repair while accelerating patient recovery. Percutaneous aortic valve replacement is being utilized in Europe in high-risk surgical patients, and the first pivotal randomized trials of transcatheter mitral valve repair and aortic valve replacement will be presented in 2012, ushering in the global era of transcatheter valve therapeutics.

This workshop offers an in-depth review of the diagnostic and therapeutic options for treatment of valvular heart disease using updated guidelines and clinical experience, unique opportunities for hands-on anatomic learning in a cadaveric lab, and in-depth discussions of percutaneous valve development from device concept to preclinical and clinical investigation and to regulatory approval and clinical application.

CME Accreditation and Designation

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation designates this live activity for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

Utilize evidence-based research data to aid in the selection of the most appropriate stent for each individual patient
Identify differences of various drug-eluting stents, including second generation stents, and explain their absolute and relative effectiveness, safety, durability, and potential toxicities
Integrate the use of IVUS, FFR, and OCT into clinical practice
Analyze the differences in antiplatelet agents to guide the selection of the most appropriate therapy for each individual patient
Describe the strategies available to treat complex lesions

Target Audience

This symposium is designed for interventional, invasive, and general cardiologists and other physicians with interests in interventional vascular medicine.

Activity Evaluation

Evaluation by questionnaire will address content, presentation, possible bias, and future educational needs.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its sponsored educational programs. Commercial support from industry does not influence educational content, faculty selection, and/or faculty presentations, and, therefore, does not compromise the scientific integrity of the educational activity.

Discussion of off-label product usage and/or off-label product use is made at the sole discretion of the faculty. Off-label product discussion and/or off-label product use is not endorsed by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation or the conference directors for this activity.

Faculty participating in continuing medical education activities sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation are required to disclose to the program audience any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the content of their presentation(s). Faculty not complying with this policy are not permitted to participate in this activity.