This talk will review the new ACC-AHA Hypertension guidelines and emphasize what’s old, what’s new, and what has changed.

Heart failure (HF) affects 5.7 million men and women in the United States, with 915,000 new cases occurring annually and a resultant 1,000,000 hospitalizations, which translates into an annual estimated cost of over $30 billion dollars. Mortality with this condition is high, approximately 50% at five years. Implementation of the advances in management of heart failure have the potential to improve patients' quality of life, reduce the need for hospitalizations, reduce total medical costs, and prolong survival. This lecture will review the current evidence-based, guideline recommended diagnosis and management of heart failure. The essential roles of evidence-based heart failure medications, device therapy, patient education, and disease management will be discussed.

The epidemiology of acute coronary syndromes has changed dramatically in the past few decades, with lower overall incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) -- particularly ST elevation MI -- and improved survival after an incident MI. The diagnosis and classification of MI is challenging, particularly in the era of sensitive troponin assays. Clinicians must be aware of the frequent occurrence and causes of troponin elevations from conditions other than MI. Following diagnosis, risk stratification for patients with non-ST elevation ACS is critical to making prudent decisions and selecting among the multitude of different options for invasive and medical therapies. When considering potent antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapies, it is of paramount importance to also consider bleeding risk. Primary care clinicians play a critical role in determining the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy, ensuring appropriate use and adherence to evidence-based medical therapies, and addressing lifestyle factors that can help prevent or modify the course after an ACS event.

Get your questions answered by expert faculty in Cardiology. You ask: we listen. You will learn practical solutions to common clinical challenges and tips to apply the latest knowledge in practice.

This talk will discuss venous anatomy, the pathophysiology of venous disease and the modern treatment of venous insufficiency and varicose veins. Special attention is also given to the treatment of venous ulceration, as well as issues related to venous disease and the elderly.

Sudden cardiac death of a young athlete is a rare but devastating event. The pre-participation exam consists of a history and physical, however the sensitivity of this is poor. This talk will review the evaluation recommended by the American Heart Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Family Physician, as well as the more controversial widespread screening with electrocardiogram and limited focus cardiac ultrasound.

This talk will emphasize new guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention, highlighting the big three risk factors: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. The talk will also discuss controversies and commonalities, and offer practical tips for implementing the guidelines.

This talk will review data on the current diagnosis and management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Participants will learn about the scope of the clinical problem, the pathophysiology of ACS, and diagnostic strategies and cardiac markers as well as receive updates on clinical trials data, guideline recommendations, and management strategies. In particular, the speaker will focus on acute management and Class I recommended long-term therapies in the current guidelines that reduce the risk of recurrent events and mortality.

Until the advent of the COMPASS trial, secondary prevention in patients with peripheral artery disease consisted of either aspirin or clopidogrel monotherapy. A new era is emerging in which, by adding low-dose DOACs to low-dose aspirin, medical therapy may reduce the need for major vascular surgery or endovascular procedures. In this Video Webcast, the faculty will discuss the latest evidence, indications, and guideline-based utilization of dual antiplatelet therapy. In addition to an in-depth look at PAD therapy, participants in this session will receive insights on the latest in secondary prevention options for ESUS and a review of proper dosing for long-term anticoagulation to prevent recurrent events in patients with venous thromboembolic disease.

This session will review a number of clinically relevant trials/topics recently presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in March 2017, including updates in the management of patients with hypercholesterolemia, heart failure, valvular heart disease, arrhythmias, and more.

Heart disease affects men and women in different ways. In women, symptoms of burgeoning heart disease are often more insidious, but when a heart attack strikes, it is more lethal than it is in men. Roughly 25 percent of men will die within a year of their first heart attack, but among women, 38 percent will die. Women are twice as likely as men to have a second heart attack within 6 years of their first one, and women are twice as likely as men to die after bypass surgery. Yet after a heart attack, women’s hearts are more likely to maintain their systolic function—their ability to contract and pump blood from the chambers into the arteries. According to C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, Director of the Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, this suggests that heart disease manifests differently in women, affecting the microvasculature (small blood vessels) instead of the macrovasculature (major blood vessels) as it does in men.