Five-Day Course in Cardiac Support Technology: A Comprehensive Overview of Mechanical Support of the Failing Heart
Date: The next course dates will be announced in the near future.
Location: Houston, Texas
Target Audience
Faculty
Registration Information
Contact Information
Course Description
Mechanical cardiac support is a rapidly increasing treatment for patients with advanced heart failure. Because of the special care required for patients who need cardiac support, we developed a course to train health care professionals in the use of the various cardiac support technologies. Through lectures, discussions, case presentations, and laboratory exercises, course participants will learn the best treatment options for their patients who require cardiac support.
The course will be delivered by staff from the Texas Heart Institute’s Center for Cardiac Support. The staff’s extensive experience in the field and the Texas Heart Institute’s state-of-the-art facilities provide a unique educational opportunity for participants.
During the 5-day course, participants will study 10 cardiac support systems that are now used worldwide for supporting patients with acute and chronic heart failure. Participants will learn about patient selection and implantation techniques for each system and about supportive medical care for patients. Anticoagulation assessment and management, echocardiography assessment, treatment of right heart failure, preoperative and postoperative medical management, and hospital discharge planning will also be discussed. The history and future of cardiac support technology will be introduced.
The following cardiac support systems will be discussed during the course:
Abiomed AB Ventricle - Abiomed BVS 5000
- HeartMate II
- HeartMate XVE
- HeartWare HVAD
- Impella 2.5 and 5.0 VAS
- Jarvik 2000 LVAS
- Levitronix Centrimag
- Micromed-Debakey VAD
- TandemHeart
To maximize learning, each course will be limited to the first 12 registrants. This course will be repeated quarterly or more frequently to accommodate all registrants.
Target Audience
Physicians, fellows, nurses, perfusionists, physician assistants, clinical engineers, industry representatives, and other health care professionals who care for patients with heart failure.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, participants should be able to —
- List the cardiac support systems that are intended for short-term use in patients with acute heart failure
- List the cardiac support systems that are intended for long-term use in patients with chronic heart failure
- Discuss the critical patient selection issues for each cardiac support system
- Discuss the pre-implant and post-implant medical care for patients supported by each system
- Describe all components for each cardiac support system
- Properly operate and troubleshoot problems for each cardiac support system (in the laboratory)
- List the major complications of cardiac support and discuss measures to avoid these complications
- Describe emergency or backup measures to be used in the event of a system failure
- Discuss the hemodynamic differences between support by a continuous flow pump and an intermittent flow pump.
Continuing Medical Education
The Texas Heart Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.
The Texas Heart Institute designates this educational activity for a maximum of 27 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
An evaluation form will provide each participant with the opportunity to review the speakers and their presentations, to assess how well the learning objectives were met, to indicate individual changes in knowledge, skills and/or attitude, to identify other educational needs, and to comment on any perceived commercial or promotion bias in the presentations.
Faculty
- Denton A. Cooley, MD
Founder, President-Emeritus, and Surgeon-in-Chief,
Texas Heart Institute
- O.H. Frazier, MD
Program Director
Chief, Center for Cardiac Support; Director, Cardiopulmonary Transplantation and Cardiovascular Surgery Research
Texas Heart Institute
- Paul Allison, MD
Hematologist; Director, Blood Bank
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital
- Roberta Bogaev, MD
Medical Director, Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation
Texas Heart Institute
- Reynolds Delgado, MD
Medical Director, Mechanical Support Devices in Heart Failure
Texas Heart Institute
- Igor D. Gregoric, MD
Director, Center for Cardiac Support; Associate Director, Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplant Research
Texas Heart Institute
- Biswajit Kar, MD
Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology
Baylor College of Medicine
- Mathias Loebe, MD
Assistant Professor, Heart Transplant and Assist Devices
Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital
- Kumudha Ramasubbu, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
Registration Information
Date: The next course dates will be announced in the near future
Program Location: Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital
Texas Medical Center
6770 Bertner Street
Room P0064
Houston, TX 77030
Fees: Fees include all course materials and breakfast and lunch each day. There will be a $50 non-refundable cancellation fee. Transportation and housing costs are the responsibility of the participant.
- Industry representatives $1200
- Physicians $ 800
- Perfusionists, nurses, and engineers $ 750
- Fellows-in-training* $ 600
*Fellows and residents must provide a statement from their program directors regarding their status.
Lodging
The Houston Marriott Medical Center, Best Western Plaza Hotel & Suites at Medical Center, Holiday Inn Houston Hotel & Suites-Texas Medical Center, and the Hilton Houston Plaza/Medical Center are all located within walking distance to the Texas Heart Institute. Other nearby hotels include Residence Inn by Marriott Houston Medical Center/Reliant Park and Rodeway Inn & Suites Medical Center.
Contact Information
Center for Cardiac Support
Atten: Kathy Vershave
6770 Bertner Avenue, MC 1-268
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: 832-355-9598
Fax: 832-355-8800
E-mail: scs@heart.thi.tmc.edu
Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital—the Denton A. Cooley Building is located at 6770 Bertner Avenue. The Institute is adjacent to 
