Hurricane Ike Threatens, but the 9th Annual New Cardiovascular Horizons Conference Goes On

The Cardiovascular Institute of the South held the 9th Annual New Cardiovascular Horizons and Management of the Diabetic Foot and Wound Healing Conference at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, from September 10-13, 2008. The audience at this annual multidisciplinary meeting was varied, including members from all the following recognized disciplines of the healthcare industry: • Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners • Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons • Cardiovascular and Endovascular Specialists • Cardiovascular Registered Nurses • Cath Lab Registered Nurses • Cath Lab Specialist Assistants • Certified Radiology Practitioner Assistants • Clinical Nurse Specialists • Diabetic Specialists • Family Practice Physicians • Internal Medicine Specialists • Interventional Cardiologists • Interventional Radiologists • Licensed Specialist Assistants • Physician Assistants • Podiatrists • Registered/Licensed Radiologic Technologists • Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialists • Registered Nurses • Registered Radiology Assistants • Venous Specialists • Wound Care Specialists The co-chairmen of this conference, one of the most prestigious southern-style invasive and interventional cardiovascular conferences, attracting over 1,700 participants, were Drs. David E. Allie and Craig M. Walker. Certified meeting planner Dana Rigdon and her team of planners set up one of the most prestigious southern-style invasive and interventional cardiovascular conferences for 2008. Although many registered lecturers and participants cancelled due to the possible threat of Hurricane Ike (the third most destructive hurricane to ever hit the United States) coming ashore in New Orleans, attendance at the conference was still excellent. In fact, the weather surprised everyone, with merely some wind and off-and-on light rain on the first two days. The conference began with the presentation of the first Certificate of Accreditation as a Heart Failure Institute to two representatives from the King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, Kentucky (Figure 1). King’s Daughters Medical Center is the first in the United States to achieve this accreditation. Dr. Tony Joseph, CEO, The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium, Columbus, Ohio (www.thacinc.com) was introduced by Dr. David Allie, who was assisted by Dr. Craig Walker. The New Cardiovascular Horizons 2008 Achievement Award was presented to Mr. John E. Abele and Mr. Pete M. Nichols, MBA, for their contributions to the development of medical devices used worldwide in invasive and interventional medical suites to study and treat cardiovascular disease (Figure 2). Both men are the co-founders of the Boston Scientific Corporation. Mr. Abele’s acceptance speech included a brief synopsis of how his two brothers and him had finally located the World War II submarine their father commanded as a U.S. Naval officer, on the ocean floor at 3,000 feet off the coast of the distal island of the Aleutian Islands in 2007. Mr. Abele and his siblings spent the past few years looking for the submerged vessel. John and his brothers were small boys in 1942 when their mother received a telegram about the loss of the submarine, the USS Grunion, with all men aboard. He shared high-definition photos of the watercraft, which showed several significant cracks in the hull. Sessions of interest and live cases were too numerous throughout the conference to fully mention here; they included critical limb ischemia live cases and summit, the 3rd Annual Global Endovenous & Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Summit, and sessions focusing on diabetes, wound care, use of CTA and peripheral vascular disease. One delightful highlight focusing exclusively on allied health professionals was the Society of Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP) Board Review Courses for the Cardiovascular Credentialing International’s (CCI) globally recognized Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) certification examination. The moderator was Marsha Holton, BS, CCRN, RCIS. In addition to Ms. Holton, the team consisted of Chuck Williams, BS, RPA, RCIS, RT(R) (CV)(CI), CPFT, CCT, FSICP, Jeff Davis, and Kenneth A. Gorski, RN, RCIS. Presenters focused on the following areas of interest: ➢• Cardiovascular Anatomy and Physiology • Coronary Artery Anatomy and Angiography ➢• Hemodynamics and Calculations I ➢• Hemodynamics and Calculations II • Patient Care and Assessment ➢• Cardiac Catheterization Equipment and Procedures ➢• Interventional Techniques ➢• Cardiovascular Disease Process ➢• 12-Lead ECG Identification of Myocardial Infarction ➢• Radiology and Radiation Safety ➢• Pharmacology ➢• Legislative Update (Care Bill) Another enhancement of the multidisciplinary event was the New Cardiovascular Horizon’s Cath Lab Tech and Nurse Symposium – Be the “Best Team You Can Be” program, held on Saturday morning. Leaders were Marsha Holton and Kenneth A. Gorski. Their team consisted of Chuck Williams, Dr. Peter Fail, Dr. Sameer Mehta, Glenn Martin, RT(R) (CV), Michael C. Guiry, RPA-C, Regina Deible, RN, BSN, and Dr. Ron Smalling. These multidisciplinary health and medical specialists presented excellent discussions on: ➢• Avoiding Vascular Access Complications ➢• Best Patient Management from “Door-to-Door” ➢• The “Best Teams” Require Personal and Professional Development ➢• The “Best” of the “Best”- The Role of Advanced Level Training in the Cath Lab as “Physician Extenders” ➢• Cath Lab Catastrophe and Crisis Management ➢• Drug-Eluting Stents (DES) and SYNTAX — Role in Treating the Patient with Multi-Vessel Coronary Arterial Disease (CAD) ➢• Good Teams Start with Good Leadership ➢• Interventional Treatments of Structural Heart Disease ➢• ST Elevation Myocardial Infarctions (STEMI) and Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) ➢• Staff Retention in the Cath Lab Is A Prerequisite for “Best Teams” ➢• Thrombus Management in the Cath Lab ➢• Treating Vascular Access Complications Due to the weather, the always-anticipated Mardi Gras Parade became an inside gala event in the main ballroom area of the hotel, where hundreds of meeting guests and family members met for the dinner festivity. People-loaded, hand-pushed, “miniaturized floats” arrived in the ballroom area on the fifth floor of the hotel, escorted by a pair of city of New Orleans motorcycle-mounted law enforcement officers. In closing, the conference could not have occurred without the gracious support of over 100 vendors and the Cardiovascular Institute of the South; the following societal organizations cohesively provided more than 1,700+ participants with one of the most extraordinary cardiovascular continuing educational events of 2008: • Alliance of Cardiovascular Professionals (www.acp-online) • American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.com) • American Professions Wound Care Association (www.apwca.com) • Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc (www.abcardio.org) • Cardiovascular Orientation Programs (marshasicp@aol.com) • Indo-American Society of Interventional Cardiology (www.isicmd.com) • Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition (www.padcoalition.org) • Society of Cardiovascular Computerized Tomography (www.scct.org) • Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (www.sicp.org) • The Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium (www.thacinc.com) • University of Louisiana at Lafayette (www.louisiana.edu) • Vascular Disease Foundation (www.vdf.org) • Wound Ostomy and Continence Society (www.wocn.org) • Wound Summit Outreach, Inc (www.savealegsavealife.com) Plans are forthcoming for the International Society of Medical Imaging Physician Specialists, Inc. (www.ismipsi.com) to hold their First Annual Educational Symposium in association with the Cardiovascular Institute of the South in 2009. This conference, supported by the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, will provide the most extensive set of board review courses ever presented for allied health professionals and medical specialists who wish to take the advanced technical examinations offered by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (www.ardms.org), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (www. arrt.org), Cardiovascular Credentialing International (www.cci-online.org), and/or any international certification organization. It will cover invasive and interventional cardiology, radiology and sonography pathways. Workshops will include ACLS recertification, angio-simulator training and sonography hands-on training. Visit the Cardiovascular Institute of the South at https://www.newcvhorizons.com to find out about the 10th Annual New Horizons and Management of the Diabetic Foot and Wound Healing Multidisciplinary Conference — New Orleans 2009. Plans include setting up the anniversary conference outside the annual hurricane season that plagues the southern coastal states. Finally, as we consider the very nature and intent of this multidisciplinary conference, it is important to consider the following question. Should we walk alone in our specialties when giving patient care, or should we climb the steps together as a worldwide team and provide the highest quality and continuity of patient care to our cardiovascular patients around the globe? Note: Photos were furnished by Amber Gruhlkey with permission from the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, Lafayette, LA. The photo of the steps is used with permission from Jarrod Allen Williams, San Diego, CA {www.jarrodphoto.com).

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