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

Sunday & Monday, March 14-15, 9:15 AM - 4:15 PMTuesday, March 16, 9:15 AM 12:45 PM Interventionalists, cardiac surgeons and general cardiologists will want to explore this multi-modality room, designed to support a variety of integrated surgical and endovascular procedures. This high-tech venue will allow you to get a first-hand lookand feelof the latest technologies.

Saturday, March 13, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM   Usually, when speaking about the cath lab of tomorrow, youd expect to hear about hybrid suites and high-definition 50-foot monitors. Not in this session, which might be better titled: New Practices in Our Cath Lab of Tomorrow.

Saturday, March 13, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM If you intend to be in town on Saturday, this session is a must. It will outline how you can help your patients better understand their treatment and careand potentially lead to improved compliance.

Compared with no screening, screening young athletes with a 12-lead ECG, coupled with cardiovascular-focused history and physical exams, can significantly reduce costs and add years of life, according to a study published in the March 2 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

U.S. cardiologists are experiencing a 36 percent cut in SPECT imaging reimbursement as part of the 2010 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). As a result, cardiology practices nationwide are trying to survive, while hoping that cardiology advocacy groups can persuade CMS that the dramatic cuts will potentially hurt patient care and increase healthcare costs in the long term.

While coronary CT angiography (CCTA) can assist in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), the radiation dose exposure  during an exam has been a problem. Using volume scans rather than helical scans has the potential to reduce dose by 91 percent, a study published in the March issue of Radiology found.