---

Download the Brochure

Sign-up for email updates

Download the 2019 presentations
*you will require the password provided at the program

---

Target Audience

GPs, Internists, Cardiologists, Nurses, Students, and Residents.

Learning Objectives

By attending this activity, participants will be able to:

• Describe up-to-date management of anticoagulation and its reversal, atrial fibrillation, acute coronary, syndromes, congestive heart failure, risk management and reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, peripheral vascular disease, and valvular disease.
• Incorporate a practical evidence-based approach to challenging clinical situations in their practices. 
• Understand implications, indications and interpretation of common cardiac diagnostic tools. Participate in a heart team approach to complex cardiac pathology.
• Examine the interaction of cardiovascular disease and gender.

Accreditation Statement

McMaster University, Continuing Health Sciences Education Program (CHSE) is fully accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education (CACME) to provide CFPC Mainpro+ and RCPSC Maintenance of Certification (MOC) study credits for Continuing Medical Education.

This activity is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by McMaster University, Continuing Health Sciences Education Program for up to 11.75 MOC Section 1 hours.

Through an agreement between The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and The American Medical Association, physicians may convert Royal College MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Information on the process to convert Royal College MOC credit to AMA credit can be found at:
www.ama-assn.org/go/internationalcme.

*Each healthcare provider should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

Planning Committee:

James Velianou, MD, FRCPC - Co-Chair                  

Associate Professor 

Division of Cardiology 

Department of Medicine 

McMaster University 

 

Richard Whitlock, MD, PhD, FRCSC - Co-Chair       

Professor 

Division of Cardiac Surgery 

Department of Surgery 

McMaster University 

 

Emilie Belley-Côté, MD, PhD, FRCPC - Co-Chair                            

Assistant Professor

Division of Cardiology

Department of Medicine

McMaster University

 

Jeff Healey, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FHRS                       

Director of Arrhythmia Services

Hamilton Health Sciences 

Senior Scientist and PHRI Chair in Cardiology Research 

Population Health Research Institute 

McMaster University 

 

Eva Lonn, MD, FRCPC, FACC                                      

Professor 

Division of Cardiology 

Department of Medicine 

McMaster University 

 

Madhu Natarajan, MD, MSc, FRCPC, FACC                      

Professor 

Division of Cardiology 

Department of Medicine 

McMaster University 

 

Sheilah Laffan 

CHSE Program Manager 

Continuing Health Sciences Education 

McMaster University 

 

Carol Stewart, CMP 

CHSE Lead Coordinator 

Continuing Health Sciences Education 

McMaster University

---

 

FRIDAY - SESSION SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

NOAC reversal agents in single-payer systems: can we afford the airbag? 

Deborah Siegal

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Identify an approach to NOAC-related bleeding
• Assess the need for reversal or hemostatic therapies 
• Evaluate the literature for reversal and hemostatic therapies
• Discuss the cost-effectiveness of reversal agents and other strategies

 

OAC and the cardiac surgery population

Richard Whitlock

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Discuss evidence around DOAC efficacy and safety with focus on the surgical population
• Review the interruption, bleeding and reversal in the surgical population
• Highlight challenges and unresolved issues in the surgical population

 

Atrial fibrillation:  The bigger part of the iceberg

Jeff Healey

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review indications for anticoagulation in AF with a focus on updates in the CCS guidelines
• Identify patients with atrial arrhythmias that may not need anticoagulation

 

One year after my MI; what now? Long-term antiplatelet/anticoagulant considerations 

Shamir Mehta

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review evidence and guidelines for antiplatelet therapy post myocardial infarction
• Evaluate evidence and indications for long-term anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy post myocardial infarction

 

Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation:  How will we have to update our approach   

Jeff Healey

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Discuss population-based screening for atrial fibrillation
• Understand novel predictors for AF occurrence
• Summarize medical and interventional strategies for rate and rhythm control

 

Approach to ventricular tachycardia: medical ablation or device    

Gabe Acosta

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Outline the initial approach to a patient with ventricular tachycardia
• Describe indications for ICD 
• Discuss evidence for ventricular tachycardia ablation and characteristics of candidates

 

Device infections: Prediction, Prevention and Processes

William McIntyre

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Outline risk factors for, prevalence and outcomes of cardiac electronic device infection  
• Describe the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cardiac electronic device infection  

 

Interactive ECG session

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Discuss the approach to complex ECGs
• Describe ECG criteria for common cardiac pathologies

 

The Pericardium:  Approach to Pathologies

Craig Ainsworth

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review approach to echocardiographic and clinical assessment for pericardial diseases
• Identify echocardiographic and clinical characteristics for pericardial constriction

 

New heart failure management approaches that improve outcomes

Eva Lonn

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review guideline indicated therapies in heart failure management
• Gain understanding of newer therapeutic approaches in heart failure management

 

Closing the gap during hospitalization and beyond:  What works?   

Harriette Van Spall

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Describe evidence that supports use of guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT) in HFrEF
• Describe strategies to initiate, titrate, and monitor GDMT inHFrEF        
• Review healthcare services that improve outcomes in HFrEF

 

Palliative Care in the heart failure patient

Sabria Kanani:

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Understand what a palliative approach to care is and how to apply it to patients with heart failure
• Symptom management in heart failure

 

Diabetic therapies for cardiovascular patients: what all doctors need to know  

Ally Prebtani

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Describe evidence behind diabetes therapies & CV outcomes
• To have an approach to multifaceted therapy in preventing CV complications in diabetes
• Review the different classes of drugs in diabetes and their role

 

Bariatric Surgery: Is it just for show?

Mehran Anvari

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review the health consequences of morbid obesity
• Understand the indications for the surgical treatment of obesity
• Review the evidence supporting bariatric surgery 

My patient has a stroke with unknown source: now what?   

Mike Sharma

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Define cryptogenic stroke and identify the characteristics of patients with this stroke subtype
• Describe the diagnostic approach to patients with stroke of unknown source
• Initiate preventive therapy for patients

 

McMaster Late Breaking Trials - The COMPLETE Trial

Shamir Mehta

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review the rationale for and results of the COMPLETE trial
• Recognize the role of non-culprit lesion PCI in patients with STEMI
  
  

McMaster Late Breaking Trials – Hope IV trial

JD Schwalm

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review the rationale for and results of the HOPE IV trial
  
  

Keynote Controversy Debate:  Why do we need Diversity & Equity Strategies in Medicine and Cardiology   

Sonia Anand and William Harper

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Describe the current issues regarding gender inequities and lack of diversity in medicine
• Explore solutions to increase diversity in leadership 

 

---

 

SATURDAY - SESSION SPECIFIC LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

Cardiac CT: Who and for what?

Natalia Pinilla

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Describe the utility of coronary CT imaging for patients with suspected coronary artery disease
• Discuss other indications for cardiac CT
• Highlight possible limitations of cardiac/coronary CT

 

PFO, to close or not to close; what is the answer?

Madhu Natarajan

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review the epidemiology of PFO and PFO-related complications 
• Describe guideline recommendations for PFO closure 
• Discuss catheter-based strategies for PFO closure

 

Carotids needing intervention should be stented - Pro

Brian Van Adel

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Evidence for carotid revascularization
• Indications for carotid stenting
• Review sample cases

 

Carotids needing intervention should be stented - Con

John Harlock

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Discuss the indications for carotid revascularization 
• Review the evidence in favor of a surgical approach to carotid disease
• Contrast the outcomes of surgical and catheter based carotid revascularization

 

All aortic stenosis patients should have TAVR - Pro

All aortic stenosis patients should have TAVR - Con

Tej Sheth/André Lamy

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review indications for aortic valve replacement 
• Discuss the management of low-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis 
• Highlight situations where surgical aortic valve replacement should be favored
• Contrast early complication rates and long-term outcomes with TAVR versus SAVR

 

Achieving worry-free surgery

Emilie Belley-Côté

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Describe a historical perspective on major paradigm shifts that have improved surgical safety
• Describe the role of the new Division of Perioperative Care

 

Common issues and complications after cardiac surgery: What Cardiologists, Internists and Primary Care Physicians need to know

Saurabh Gupta

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review the clinical presentation and management of frequent complications after cardiac surgery 
• Identify which complications require a surgical assessment 

 

Optimizing your patient before surgery: Blood matters 

Linda Pickrell

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Review current evidence based practices to optimize hemoglobin levels prior to surgery.
• Discuss current interdisciplinary strategies at HHS to identity at risk pre-operative cardiovascular patients

 

Complex Case Review: The Heart Team in Action!

By the end of this session learners will be able to:

• Identify the type of cases that require a heart-team approach
• Describe the nature of multidisciplinary discussions occurring during heart team rounds