"The turnout, the enthusiasm and the level of sophistication at this conference were all more than I expected."
"To have more than 450 participants at this conference is just phenomenal and it’s going to get bigger and bigger as we go on."
The feedback from the participating physicians was immediate and positive. Even before it was over, many were enthusiastic about doing it again next year in an even bigger, better way. By all accounts, The Wisconsin Heart Hospital’s educational conference for cardiologists on the subject of CT (Computerized Tomography) Angiography was a major success. More than 450 cardiologists jammed the Crystal Ballroom of the Hilton City Center in Milwaukee on April 29-30 for a unique learning experience entitled, "CT Angiography for the Cardiologist." This exciting, non-invasive technology is used to detect cardiovascular disease in its earliest stages. The conference was sponsored by The Wisconsin Heart Hospital and was co-sponsored by American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and the Wisconsin and Illinois Chapters of the ACC.
CT Angiography is an exam that uses X-Rays to visualize blood flow in arterial vessels throughout the body, from arteries serving the brain to those bringing blood to the lungs, kidneys, arms and legs. CT combines the use of X-Rays with a computerized analysis of the images. CT has many uses including the examination of the coronary arteries to detect and quantify obstructive lesions. This yields similar results to cardiac catheterization with conventional invasive coronary angioplasty.
"I think what we all sense is an excitement that, with all the things that come and go and all the new ideas that pass, this one is going to stick and it will have a major impact on the everyday practice of cardiology," said Samuel Wann, M.D., M.A.C.C. of The Wisconsin Heart Hospital. "People need to know that coronary heart disease or blockage of the arteries taking blood to the heart muscle is still the most common cause of death in this country. Although we have made much progress, there are many things we need to do. We need to identify it earlier and with safer methods that can identify lines of therapy. CT Angiography does all of those things. It’s relatively noninvasive, relatively harmless and can be more widely applied to lots of people who ordinarily wouldn’t have a heart catheterization or other, more invasive and potentially harmful diagnostic procedure."
Dr. Wann was co-director of the conference along with Gregory S. Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.C., clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. The conference featured a distinguished teaching faculty of some of the top cardiologists in the nation and also featured a live television feed with an actual CT Angiography patient procedure.
Among the teaching faculty at the conference was Dr. Michael Poon, Director of Cardiovascular Medicine and Integrated Imaging at the Cabrini Medical Center in New York. "For a technology that is only a year and a half old to have such a high turnout is gratifying to those of us who have been working in this field for the last two years." Said Dr. Poon, "Because the interest in this area is so great, you see people coming here because they have no experience and they want to learn. I really need to congratulate Sam Wann and Greg Thomas for inviting some of the most brilliant speakers in this country and to have such informative breakout sessions for beginners who need to get their hands on the work station and work with experts. This conference was a big success. CT Angiography introduces a whole, new change in the paradigm of how cardiologists view coronary artery disease. For years, we’ve been relying on tests like stress testing coronary angiograms to diagnose a condition that is pretty advanced. For the first time, we have a modality that can detect early atherosclerosis and this is what gets so many people excited about this technology. Now we can perhaps prevent the consequences of heart attacks and unstable angina. If you can diagnose this disease early, you can treat it early and prevent the occurrence of all the complications of coronary artery disease."
Coronary heart disease is the most common form of heart disease, the leading cause of death for Americans. According to the American Heart Association, about 1.1 million people suffer heart attacks in the United States every year. Of these, about 515,000 will die including approximately 250,000 who will die before they can reach a hospital.
"We’re going to find the disease much earlier and much more accurately," added Tracy Q. Callister, M.D., F.A.C.C., Director of the Tennessee Heart and Vascular Institute. "We’ve used tools and technologies that were developed in the 1960s and we have not had any major change. Most of those tools found the disease in its advanced stages when patients were near heart attacks and needed surgery. This ability to accurately detect it in the early and middle stages, when we can clearly ward off heart attack, death and even the need for surgery is going to be a revolution."
Many of the conferees began arriving in Milwaukee on Thursday evening April 28 to take advantage of the opportunity to tour the facilities at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital. The conference also featured numerous breakout sessions in which the physicians were able to get individualized CT Angiography instruction.
With the buzz already starting for the 2006 conference, Dr. Wann thanked those who came to Milwaukee for this year’s event, adding, "Come back again in April. We’ll have more seats, more room, more breakout sessions and more speakers."
Cardiologists from all over the United States attended a special reception at The Wisconsin Heart Hospital on Thursday evening April 28. Following greetings and refreshments, many of the physicians took tours of the hospital with Beth Liebhardt, R.N. and Mary Beth Resimius, Director of Business Development. (Photos by Tom Andrews)
Cardiologists from all over the country jammed the Hilton City Center in downtown Milwaukee April 29-30 for an extraordinary educational conference entitled, "CT Angiography for the Cardiologist." The conference, sponsored by The Wisconsin Heart Hospital, the American College of Cardiology(ACC) and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), focused on cutting edge CT imaging for earlier diagnosis of heart disease. (Photos by Tom Andrews)