Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital
Offers Two Cardiovascular Symposia
HOUSTON (January 15, 2007) -- The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is hosting two continuing medical education programs in February. “The Eighth Symposium on Cardiac Arrythmias: New Pharmacologic and Interventional Strategies” will be held February 17 at the Houstonian Hotel. Texas Heart Institute and Brigham & Women’s Hospital will co-host “Inflammation in Atherosclerosis: Thirty Years of Exploration in Basic and Clinical Science” on February 23 and 24 at the Conference Center at Harvard Medical.
For normal heart rhythm, there must be an orderly propagation of electrical impulses throughout the myocardium. When this orderly progression is disrupted for any reason, potentially lethal cardiac arrhythmias can result. In the United States alone, 9 million people have heart failure or structural heart disease, both of which can result in electrophysiological changes that make the heart more vulnerable to electrical instability and resultant cardiac arrhythmias.
The Eighth Symposium on Cardiac Arrythmias will focus on recent findings regarding common problems facing physicians who treat patients with cardiac arrhythmias. The faculty will discuss evaluation and treatment of patients with supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, including pharmacologic therapies and the use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators and biventricular pacing. The molecular and cellular basis of conduction disturbances will also be discussed with the goal of providing insights into the fundamental mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias and the identification of appropriate targets for antiarrhythmic therapy.
Interactive case presentations will provide clinicians and faculty the opportunity to discuss specific treatment challenges and to learn methods that will be useful in their practices. The audience for the symposium includes cardiologists with an interest in electrophysiology and internists with an interest in cardiology.
Specifically, the symposium will enable participants to:
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Summarize recent findings regarding treatment of atrial fibrillation.
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Describe the etiology of ventricular tachycardia in structurally normal heart and noncontact mapping as an adjunct to catheter ablation.
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Define new developments in the care of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
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Summarize advancements in therapy for patients with heart failure.
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Describe the indications for implantation of single and dual-chambered implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
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Explain the pharmacotherapeutic management of patients with supraventricular arrhythmias.
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Understand the mechanisms of action of antiarrhythmic medications for their safe and effective use.
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Discuss the molecular basis of congenital disorders of heart rhythm.
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Understand the multiprogrammable features of modern implantable cardioverter defibrillators and ways to avoid inappropriate shock delivery.
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Learn how to identify patients who will respond to biventricular pacing.
Texas Heart Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Texas Heart Institute designates this educational activity for a maximum of 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Our knowledge of atherosclerosis has undergone a radical transformation in the past 30 years. Originally considered a bland accretion of lipids accompanied by a proliferation of smooth muscle cells, atherosclerosis is now widely recognized as an arterial disease with an inflammatory nature. The clarification of the role that inflammation plays in atherosclerosis helps us to understand how multiple risk factors, ranging from hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and smoking to aging, initiate and promote the progress of atherosclerotic plaques. Insights gained into the multifactorial etiology of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory disease have led to the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of this disease. New discoveries of anti-inflammatory medicines enable physicians to target modalities directed at preventing its dreaded consequences—acute vascular syndromes. The “Inflammation in Atherosclerosis” symposium aims to link cutting-edge laboratory research with evolving clinical translation. Faculty will emphasize the basic mechanism as well as clinical problems frequently encountered by today’s cardiologist.
The intended audience includes physicians with an interest in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis; physicians and scientists engaged in basic and clinical research of atherosclerosis; and professionals of the biotechnology and medical industry
At the conclusion of this symposium, participants will have gained significant knowledge in the following areas –
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Pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and the biomarkers of inflammation.
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Role of inflammation in plaque fissuring/rupture and thrombosis in acute coronary syndromes.
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Comparison of various therapeutic approaches in acute coronary syndromes.
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Benefit of anti-inflammatory therapies in combination with newer antiplatelet and antithrombotic agents in acute coronary syndromes.
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Evaluation and management of established and emerging coronary risk factors.
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Appropriate selection of diagnostic tests in evaluation of cardiac patients.
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Role of aggressive lipid-lowering therapy for primary and secondary prevention.
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Controversies and new therapies for management of high-risk patients.
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Evaluation and management of cardiac disorders in patients with highly inflammatory, rupture-prone plaques.
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Review of various established practice guidelines for cardiovascular disorders.
Texas Heart Institute designates this educational activity for a maximum of 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Participants can register for both symposia online at www.cme.texasheart.org.
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The Texas Heart Institute, founded by world-renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Denton A. Cooley in 1962, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative and progressive programs in research, education and improved patient care. Together with its clinical partner, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, it has been ranked among the top ten cardiovascular centers in the United States by U.S. News & World Report’s annual guide to “America’s Best Hospitals” for the past 16 years. The Texas Heart Institute is also affiliated with the University of Texas (UT) System, which promotes collaboration in cardiovascular research and education among UT and THI faculty at the Texas Heart Institute and other UT components. For more information about the Institute, please visit www.texasheart.org.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System comprises the flagship St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas; St. Luke’s Community Medical Center–The Woodlands, opened in 2003; St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, a charity devoted to assessing and enhancing community health, especially among the underserved; and Kelsey-Seybold Management, LLP, overseeing 21 area clinic locations. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart Institute, founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD, and is consistently ranked among the top 10 cardiology and heart surgery centers in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Affiliated with several nursing schools and two medical schools, St. Luke’s serves as the primary adult teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine. St. Luke’s was the first hospital in Texas named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, and the Health System has been recognized by FORTUNE as among “100 Best Companies to Work For” and by Houston Business Journal as a top employer in Houston. For more information about St. Luke’s, please visit www.stlukestexas.com.
