Eighth Symposium on
Cardiac Arrhythmias:
New Pharmacologic and
Interventional Strategies

presented by
Texas Heart Institute
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Houston, Texas
  Online registration is now closed. Registration will be available at the event.

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.

This symposium 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.

Target Audience
The audience for the symposium includes cardiologists with an interest in electrophysiology and internists with an interest in cardiology.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of the symposium, participants will be able to—

• Summarize recent findings regarding treatment of atrial fibrillation.
• Describe the etiology of ventricular tachycardia in a structurally normal heart and noncontact mapping as an adjunct to catheter ablation.
• Define new developments in the care of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
• Summarize advancements in therapy for patients with heart failure.
• Describe the indications for implantation of single and dual-chambered implantable cardioverter defibrillators.
• Explain the pharmacotherapeutic management of patients with supraventricular arrhythmias.
• Understand the mechanisms of action of antiarrhythmic medications for their safe and effective use.
• Discuss the molecular basis of congenital disorders of heart rhythm.
• Understand the multiprogrammable features of modern implantable cardioverter defibrillators and ways to avoid inappropriate shock delivery.
• Learn how to identify patients who will respond to biventricular pacing.

View program (PDF) for schedule details and the list of speakers.