Case Moderators

Patricia Chang, MD, MHS, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Hannah Copeland, MD, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
Heather Ross, MD, MHSc, FRCP (C), FACC, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Luciano Potena, MD, PhD, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Case Discussants

Luke Burchill, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
Maria Crespo Leiro, MD, Hospital Universitario a Coruna, La Coruna, Spain
Marta Farrero Torres, MD, PhD, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Steven Tsui, MD, FRCS, Papworth Hospital NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK

The HFTX Master Class is designed for clinicians with higher levels of expertise in advanced heart failure and transplantation (completed the core curriculum course on HFTX and/or primary practice in advanced heart failure management (≥ 5 years)). The course format is intended to generate highly interactive discussion among experienced users of these technologies, in order to tackle the most complex nuances of managing these complex patients. Rather than didactic lectures, this course will employ the concept of “convergent discussion” composed of small groups. Faculty moderators and case discussants will engage the audience by focusing on areas with gaps in knowledge and absence of consensus in the field. The case-based format will allow moderators and discussants to use real-world complex situations in order to lead the group through active audience participation towards specific answers designed to address the practice gaps and learning objectives.

1. Transplant clinicians lack the immunology expertise required to effectively integrate the results of HLA antibody testing into patient management.
2. The diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cardiac allograft rejection are evolving, and transplant clinicians face difficulties in incorporating newer diagnostic modalities such as MRI, molecular diagnostics, and newer immunosuppressive agents into current algorithms.
3. Specific approaches to optimize the matching of donor hearts to the most appropriate recipients are not well delineated for clinicians.
4. With the availability of multiple combinations of immunosuppressive agents, some transplant clinicians lack the expertise required to select the most effective agents for different subgroups of patients and to individualize immunosuppression to prevent or minimize long-term complications.

This course has been developed for cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, nurses, advanced practice providers, and allied health professionals with at least 5 years of experience in the field of heart transplantation/advanced heart failure or who have attended a prior ISHLT core competency course in advanced heart failure and cardiac transplant medicine. While all members are invited to enroll, Master Classes are primarily designed to be of benefit for health care and allied professionals who are beyond the training stages of their careers. This may be professionals who are seeking additional proficiencies, who wish to understand current areas of controversy, or who desire an update on the current advanced topics of the field. The information presented is intended to provide insights beyond core competencies established in the specialty.

After completion of this Class, participants will have improved competence and professional performance in their ability to:
 

1. Identify the risk of HLA sensitization on cardiac rejection and outcomes, management strategies for sensitized patients pre-transplant and approach to heart transplant recipients with antibody-mediated rejection.
2. Understand perioperative strategies for (a) assessing extended-criteria (marginal) heart donors and optimizing outcomes after transplantation and (b) identifying type and severity of primary graft dysfunction (PGD), including donor, procedural and recipient risk factors for PGD; signs of PGD during reperfusion and challenges with weaning off cardio - pulmonary bypass.
3. Evaluate the candidacy of adults with congenital heart disease for heart transplant, incorporating prognostic testing, and relative contraindications to transplant in this high-risk population. Develop insights into mechanisms of late graft dysfunction, including (a) role of CAV and rejection, (b) diagnostic strategies including IVUS, OCT and MRI, and (c) treatment strategies including modification in immunosuppression and decision for re-transplant.

Physicians
Accreditation Statement - The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation Statement - ISHLT designates this live activity for a maximum of 4.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Offered in the morning and repeated in the afternoon. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco and the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation. Amedco is jointly accredited by the American Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Designation Statement – Amedco LLC designates this live activity for a maximum of 4.25 contact hours for nurses. Learners should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Current guidelines state that participants in CME activities must be made aware of any affiliation or financial interest that may affect the program content or a speaker’s presentation. Planners, Faculty and Chairs participating in this meeting are required to disclose to the program audience any real or apparent conflict(s) of interest related to the content of their presentations or service as Chair/Planner. Please refer to the Participant Notification document for a list of all disclosures. Additionally, all speakers have been asked to verbally disclose at the start of their presentation if a product they are discussing is not labeled for the use under discussion or is still investigational.