Session Summary: The rapid spread of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, has affected all aspects of medical care, including advanced heart and lung disease and cardiothoracic transplantation. Clinical presentation, current epidemiology, therapeutic options, critical care, support devices and donor management will be included among the aspects of patient care explored in this session. Additionally, first-hand experiences from the frontlines of the pandemic will be presented.
Moderators: Saima Aslam, MD, MS and Lara Danziger-Isakov, MD, MPH
Welcome
Stephan Ensminger, MD, Phil, University of Lubeck, Lubeck, Germany
President's Message
Stuart Sweet, MD, PhD, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA
Pathogenesis, Clinical Presentation, Epidemiology in Transplantation
Erika D. Lease, MD, FCCP, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
The common pathogenesis, clinical presentation and current knowledge of epidemiology in cardiothoracic transplantation will be discussed.
Therapeutic Options
Michael Shullo, PharmD, WVU Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA
Therapeutic options for treating COVID-19 and the inflammatory response to infection that are specific to cardiothoracic transplantation and pulmonary vascular disease including drug-drug interactions and emerging therapeutics will be discussed.
Critical Care in COVID-19
Marta Farrero Torres, MD, PhD, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Critical care remains the backbone for supporting critically ill patients. Challenges and techniques specific to COVID-19 will be addressed.
MCS/ECMO in COVID-19
Daniel J. Goldstein, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
The unique challenges of ECMO and MCS in COVID-19 therapy will be discussed.
Pandemic from the Front Lines
Luciano Potena, MD, PhD, Bologna Academic Hospital, Bologna, Italy
A presentation of the COVID-19 pandemic from the frontline perspective will include lessons learned during the pandemic. Further, the issues of lifting restrictions once a plateau or decline in cases is reached will be explored.
Donor Evaluation in CT Transplant
Christian Benden, MD, FCCP, Swisstransplant, Berne, Switzerland
Managing donors in an uncertain time with emerging testing options to balance risk to recipients and healthcare workers while maintaining transplant operations will be discussed.
Ethical Considerations for CT Transplant and VAD Programs in COVID-19
Are Martin Holm, MD, PhD, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Discuss how the resource allocation ethics associated with the COVID-19 pandemic intersect with the ongoing ethical challenges associated with the care of patients with end stage heart, lung and pulmonary vascular disease (including heart and lung transplant and mechanical circulatory support).
Learner Notification
COVID-19: Challenges in Advanced Heart and Lung Disease and Cardiothoracic Transplantation Enduring Material
Date of CE Release: May 15, 2020
Date of CE Expiration: May 13, 2021
Location: Online
Acknowledgement of Financial and/or In-Kind Commercial Support
No financial or in-kind commercial support was received for this educational activity.
Satisfactory Completion
Learners must listen to each self-directed audio recording while following along with the visual slides and complete an evaluation form to receive a certificate of completion. You must participate in the entire activity as partial credit is not available.
If you are seeking continuing education credit for a specialty not listed below, it is your responsibility to contact your licensing/certification board to determine course eligibility for your licensing/certification requirement.
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 enduring material activity for 1.50
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses and Pharmacists

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Amedco LLC and the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation. Amedco LLC 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. team.
Credit Designation Statement – Amedco LLC designates this enduring material activity for 1.50 contact hours for nurses and .25 knowledge-based contact hours for pharmacists.
NOTE to Pharmacists: The only official Statement of Credit is the one you pull from CPE Monitor. You must request your certificate within 30 days from when you complete the activity to meet the deadline for submission to CPE Monitor.
Transplant Coordinators Credit
As a designated Approved Provider by the American Board for Transplant Certification (ABTC), the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grants up to 1.5 Category 1 Continuing Education Points for Transplant Coordinators (CEPTCs) for this offering. CEPTC Approval Number: 221-02.
Nurse Practitioners
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) recognizes the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as approved accreditors and allow reciprocity for AANPCP continuing education credit.
Learning Objective - After Attending This Program You Should Be Able To
Explain how COVID-19 impacts the aspects of care surrounding your patients as it relates to current epidemiology, therapeutic options, critical care, support devices and donor management.
Disclosure fo Conflict of Interest
The following table of disclosure information is provided to learners and contains the relevant financial relationships that each individual in a position to control the content disclosed to Amedco. All of these relationships were treated as a conflict of interest, and have been resolved. (C7 SCS 6.1-‐6.2, 6.5)
All individuals in a position to control the content of CE are listed below.
First Name |
Last Name |
Commercial Interest:Relationship |
Saima |
Aslam |
Nothing to disclose |
Christian |
Benden |
Vertex Pharmaceuticals:Speakers Bureau,Vertex Pharmaceuticals:Scientific/Medical Advisory Board Member,Astellas Pharma Switzerland:Travel grant (ESOT Meeting 2019 in Copenhagen),Mallinchrodt Pharmaceuticals:Speakers Bureau,MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme AG:Scientific/Medical Advisory Board Member |
Jenny |
Clark |
Nothing to disclose |
Lara |
Danziger-Isakov |
Roche:Research Grant Site Principal Investigator,Ansun BioPharma:Research Grant Site Principal Investigator,Chimerix:Research Grant Site Principal Investigator,Merck:Research Grant Site Principal Investigator,Astellas:Research Grant Site Principal Investigator,Shire:Research Grant Site Principal Investigator,Merck:Consultant |
Stephan |
Ensminger |
Nothing to disclose |
Marta |
Farrero |
Nothing to disclose |
Daniel |
Goldstein |
Abbott Inc:Research Grant Site Principal Investigator,Abbott Inc:Surgical proctor and educator |
Are Martin |
Holm |
Nothing to disclose |
Erika |
Lease |
Nothing to disclose |
Sheryl |
Morgan |
Nothing to disclose |
Susie |
Newton |
Nothing to disclose |
Luciano |
Potena |
Novartis:Speakers Bureau,Sandoz:Speakers Bureau,One Lambda:Speakers Bureau,Abbott:Speakers Bureau |
Gregory |
Schultz |
Nothing to disclose |
Michael |
Shullo |
Nothing to disclose |
Stuart |
Sweet |
Nothing to disclose |