Sunday, March 14, 8:39 AM - 8:52 AM   In this state-of-the-art imaging symposium, Joao A. Lima, MD, from John Hopkins University will elucidate how cardiac MR can help EPs before and after procedures. Lima penned a state-of-the-art paper on this topic back in 2004 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Since the publication of that article, many technological advances have taken place regarding MRI and Lima has been at the forefront of that field. Attendees will surely learn how to best use cardiac MR to enhance procedural success and patient safety. 

The field of electrophysiology (EP), particularly pertaining to ablations, has been reported to be growing faster than coronary interventions, and there are no signs that it will slow down. While the volume of coronary cath procedures has remained somewhat flat over the past year, EP labs have been expanding and adding new technology. For this reason alone, it behooves attendees at ACC.10, which begins on Saturday, March 13, to take in some of the exciting EP lectures being presented at the conference.   One of the biggest topics in EP is whether transcatheter ablation should be the first-line treatment over anti-arrhythmic drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). First results of the pilot CABANA study, being released in a late-breaking clinical trial session, could potentially indicate a new direction for this debate (see below for session details).READ MORE

Electrophysiology (EP), as a subspecialty, is coming into its own. Electrophysiologists have access to more capital than in the past, and with a 10 to 15 percent annual market growth, it is one of the fastest growing sectors within cardiology. Vendors have taken notice and are focusing on technology and designs that cater specifically to EP docs.

Cardiovascular Business invited some of the most prominent physicians in the field of electrophysiology to talk about the current and future state of the subspecialty.

St. David’s HealthCare, along with Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia, hasdeveloped the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) at St. David’sMedical Center in Austin.

As cardiology evolves, one crucial subspecialty may be growing in demand far beyond the industry’s present ability to provide highly trained, dedicated technicians: electrophysiology.