Fun in the Las Vegas Sun: The 1st Cath Lab Digest Annual Symposium on Cardiovascular Care (ASOCC)

Thursday Evening, June 6th: ASOCC Education Begins Dr. Richard Myler of San Francisco, California, officially opened the symposium with his keynote lecture, You want to put a catheter where and do what!?!. Dr. Myler took us on a walk through time as he presented a brief look into the history of interventional cardiology. His presentation was one that was very personal, discussing his relationships with the founding fathers of interventional cardiology. Dr. Myler was part of a group of physicians who were both mavericks and great scientists, highly motivated by their passion for their work. Imagine looking at family photos and listening to stories of how the gang would sit in Andreas Gruentzig’s apartment in Switzerland creating catheters. It was incredible! Sharing the stage with Dr. Myler was another dear friend and colleague, Dr. Gumpanart Gum Veerakul of Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Veerakul spoke on how physicians, nurses, and technologists are improving the standard of care in Thailand through education and the formation of a society known as the Thai Cardiovascular Invasive Society (TCIS). Joining Dr. Veerakul were three nurses from Bangkok, each having taken the Invasive Registry (RCIS) Exam. These nurses made a trip halfway around the world to continue their education. We are very grateful to Gum and his colleagues for making the trip! Friday, June 7th: 1st Full Day of Sessions This was the first full day of sessions. Dr. Terry Ferguson of the Texas Heart Institute (Houston, Texas) kicked off the day with a PowerPoint presentation containing visual effects that would make George Lucas jealous. His talk focused on the Pathophysiology of Acute Coronary Syndromes and what happens when a plaque ruptures. Two members of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City also gave cutting-edge talks. Dr. Gregg Stone video-conferenced his presentation from New York on data he recently published regarding the CADILLAC trial, in which he was the principal investigator and author. Additionally, Dr. Alexandra Lansky presented the 9-month data on 400 patients in the SIRIUS trial. These data were presented several days prior to ASOCC in Paris, giving our participants a very early look at this late-breaking data. Dr. Lansky stated that the data she presented are very good news for drug-eluting stents and the quest to eradicate restenosis. Sue Apple, DNSc, RN, from Washington Hospital Center, debated with Tom Maloney from Memorial Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville, VA, on the controversy of medical versus interventional management of unstable angina and non Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI). The physicians teamed up with the nurses and technologists as Friday’s program continued with presentations: Pain management; Emergency care; Cath lab complications; Innovations in surgical technology; and Arrhythmia management. During the symposium, there was plenty of delicious food and drink for all. Participants were free to meet with the program sponsors during breaks. Representatives were available to answer questions about products, displayed the latest and greatest their company had to offer, and some representatives even held raffles for prizes. After a full day of learning, festivities began Friday night with a reception hosted by the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP). Members of the SICP Board of Directors (Roger Siegfried, Darren Powell and Marsha Holton) greeted participants. Cath Lab Digest (and publisher HMP Communications) also held a symposium party later that evening, where attendees ate, drank, danced and had a great time. Party-goers chatted and relaxed, and made plans to take advantage of the Las Vegas nightlife with fellow colleagues. Saturday, June 8th: Combining the Serious & the Practical Saturday morning started off with a bang “ literally. Joel Zeff, actor, writer and award-winning comedian, started the day with his hilarious interactive program, The Strength of Laughter. Joel stole the show with his amazing sense of humor and timing the participants who volunteered to assist him in the sketches were great sports. We learned about openness and flexibility to change, how to create positive and supportive environments, taking risks, being spontaneous, and having fun every day. Non-stop laughter was a great way to wake up and clear our minds for the more serious topics that followed. The clinical portion of the symposium concluded with talks on peripheral and cerebral vascular interventions, and set the stage for innovations in imaging technology. Will diagnostic imaging be a thing of the past? It’s not as far-fetched as it may sound. While listening to Will Quinn (GE Medical Systems) and Bob Donahue (AGFA Healthcare), we came to appreciate the major advances in image acquisition, image management, networking and telecardiology. The main sessions concluded with hands-on workshops where participants learned about hemostatic closure and brachytherapy devices. Saturday afternoon brought a mini-course focusing on how to manage business relationships. Jerry Don Williams (Baylor University Medical Center), Chris Nelson (Sentara Southside Hospitals) Voncile Hilson-Morrow (Washington Hospital Center), and Tom Maloney (Merck & Co.) all shared their expertise. Specific topics included product procurement, contract negotiations, site visits, and career opportunities. Many symposiums focus on clinical work, but very few actually take a look behind the scenes, so this portion of the ASOCC program was very well-received. Participants representing all corners of the world, such as Thailand, Australia, Canada, and many U.S. cities, had very favorable comments about the first Cath Lab Digest Annual Symposium on Cardiovascular Care. The fact that this program was designed BY cath lab staff to meet the needs of cath lab staff speaks for itself. Due to the overwhelming success and attendance at this year’s program, a second annual program is in the making to be held in Las Vegas next year. Plans are for an even bigger and better event. Cath Lab Digest will be announcing the dates soon  don’t miss next year’s ASOCC! Final Note: A special thank you and congratulations is extended to Chris Nelson for the countless hours he spent coordinating the program. His dedication to the cath lab profession is greatly respected and valued. HMP Communications, publishers of Cath Lab Digest, and all of the sponsors also deserve a big thank you for their continued support of professional advancement through continuing education.

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