Acute Coronary Syndromes: From the Emergency Department to the Coronary Care Unit to the Office

Program Description

This program explores the state-of-the-art treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), and analyzes the latest clinical trial results on new treatment options, while identifying particular patient characteristics that favor one treatment option over another. Participants will learn to recognize early symptom presentation, accurately diagnose ACS in their patients, and be able to make informed decisions when selecting the most appropriate treatment options in order to provide optimum management of ACS patients.

Faculty

DEEPAK L. BHATT, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI Chief of Cardiology, VA Boston Healthcare System Director, Integrated Interventional Cardiovascular Program Brigham and Women’s Hospital and VA Boston Healthcare System Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Senior Investigator, TIMI Study Group Boston, MA Read Biography Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI is Chief of Cardiology at VA Boston Healthcare System and Director of the Integrated Interventional Cardiovascular Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and VA Boston Healthcare System. He is also a Senior Investigator in the TIMI Study Group and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. After graduating as valedictorian from the Boston Latin School, Dr. Bhatt obtained his undergraduate science degree as a National Merit Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while also serving as a research associate at Harvard Medical School. He received his medical doctorate from Cornell University. He completed a Masters in Public Health with a concentration in clinical effectiveness at Harvard University. His internship and residency in internal medicine were performed at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and his cardiovascular training was completed at Cleveland Clinic. He also completed fellowships in interventional cardiology and cerebral and peripheral vascular intervention, as well as serving as Chief Interventional Fellow, at Cleveland Clinic, where he went on to spend several years as an interventional cardiologist and an Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Bhatt was listed in Best Doctors in America from 2005 to 2012. Dr. Bhatt’s research interests include preventive cardiology, as well as the optimal management of patients with ACS. He has authored or co-authored more than 500 publications, and is on several editorial boards. He is the editor of Essential Concepts in Cardiovascular Intervention and Guide to Peripheral and Cerebrovascular Intervention, as well as co-editor of the Handbook of Acute Coronary Syndromes. He was the international principal investigator for the CHARISMA and CRESCENDO trials and co-principal investigator of the CHAMPION and COGENT trials. He serves as the co-chair of the REACH registry, and is on the steering committees of several trials. He is the current Chair of the AHA-GWTG Science Subcommittee and the Associate Editor for Clinical Trials for ACC’s Cardiosource. Dr. Bhatt has been a visiting lecturer at a number of prestigious institutions throughout the world, and has been interviewed extensively by news agencies on topics ranging from premature coronary artery disease to the role of inflammation and genetics in heart attacks.

CHARLES V. POLLACK JR., MA, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, FAHA Professor and Chairman Department of Emergency Medicine Pennsylvania Hospital University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Read Biography Charles V. Pollack Jr., MA, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, FAHA is Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and is Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. From 1992-2001, Dr. Pollack served in various positions in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ, an urban, tertiary care teaching hospital affiliated with the Medical College of the University of Arizona and the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. He was Research Director from 1994 to 2000, and he chaired the department from 1997 to 2001. From 2000 through mid-2001, Dr. Pollack was also Director of Emergency Medicine at Arizona Heart Hospital. He graduated summa cum laude from Emory University in 1980 with bachelor’s degrees in history and chemistry and a master’s degree in the history of science and medicine, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Pollack earned his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Pollack has long been active in teaching and clinical research and is an international leader in emergency medicine. He is the only physician to have received the American College of Emergency Physicians’ highest national awards in both teaching and research; he also received the national teaching award from the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors. His primary research interests are in the management of thrombosis, both arterial (especially ACS) and venous (deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism), severe hypertension, and infectious disease emergencies. He has written more than 350 original research articles, chapters, and abstracts, and serves on the editorial boards of several journals and on the steering committees of multiple national and international trials. Dr. Pollack also lectures widely on many varied topics in emergency medicine.

Target Audience

This program is intended for preventive cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, emergency room physicians, internal medicine physicians, cath lab personnel, and other health care professionals involved in the acute treatment of ACS patients.

Educational Objectives

This program is designed to address the following IOM competencies: provide patient-centered care and employ evidence-based practice.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to demonstrate the ability to:

• Adopt ischemic risk assessment stratification strategies to choose the best course of action to manage patients with acute chest pain syndrome
• Assess and stratify bleeding risk after antiplatelet treatment is initiated
• Make treatment choices based on an understanding of the different mechanisms of action among antithrombotic agents, and on pertinent clinical trial results
• Analyze pharmacologic and clinical trial results of newer antithrombotic agents to determine how best to match treatment options with patients to achieve optimal clinical outcome

Accreditation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the Potomac Center for Medical Education and Rockpointe Corporation. The Potomac Center for Medical Education is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation Statement

The Potomac Center for Medical Education designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For questions regarding CME credit, the post-test, or evaluation, please email contact@potomacme.org

Disclosure Statement

The Potomac Center for Medical Education (PCME) adheres to the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Commercial Support, set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous.

All persons in a position to control the content of a continuing medical education program sponsored by the Potomac Center for Medical Education are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest to PCME as well as to learners. All conflicts are identified and resolved by PCME in accordance with the Standards for Commercial Support in advance of delivery of the activity to learners. Disclosures will be made known to the participants prior to the activity.

The content of this activity was vetted by an external medical reviewer to assure objectivity and that the activity is free of commercial bias.

The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA, FSCAI: Research: Amarin, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai, Ethicon, The Medicines Company, Medtronic, Sanofi-Aventis

Charles V. Pollack Jr., MA, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, FAHA: Consultant: Forest Laboratories, Merck

Non-faculty content contributors and/or reviewers reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

Barry Watkins, PhD; Bradley Pine; Blair St. Amand; Jay Katz; Dana Simpler, MD: Nothing to Disclose

FDA Disclosure

The contents of some CME activities may contain discussions of non-approved or off-label uses of some agents mentioned. Please consult the prescribing information for full disclosure of approved uses.

System Requirements

In order to view this presentation, your computer must have audio capabilities (working speakers or headphones) and must have an Adobe Flash Player. The Adobe Flash Player can be downloaded here.

Instructions for Participants and Obtaining CME Credit

There is no fee for this activity. To receive credit, participants must take the pre-test, view this CME activity in its entirety, and then complete the post-test and evaluation. To complete the evaluation online, choose the best answer to each question. The estimated time for completion of this activity is 1.0 hour. To receive their certificates, participants must demonstrate mastery of the presented material via the post-test.

Jointly Sponsored By

Potomac Center for Medical Education and Rockpointe

Supported By

Supported by an independent educational grant from Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and Lilly USA, LLC