Congenital Heart Disease Conference Promises to Impress

Shone’s complex is a curious constellation of congenital defects affecting the left side of the heart. Variations can include coarctation of the aorta, mitral stenosis and valvular and subvalvular aortic stenosis.

Symptoms, treatments and outcomes can vary widely, and the appropriate approach is not always straightforward. For this reason, Shone’s complex was chosen as the focus of the Second Annual Advances in Pediatric & Congenital Heart Care Summit, Nov. 9-11, 2017, at Cleveland Clinic.

Can’t-miss topics

Cleveland Clinic Children’s Pediatric Cardiology Chair Elizabeth Saarel, MD, has programmed an exciting, informative lineup of topics and speakers. Subjects cover all aspects of Shone’s over a patient’s lifespan, from diagnosis in utero through survival into adulthood, and include:

• Debates on catheter vs. surgical intervention for mitral valve disease, aortic valve disease and aortic arch disease
• Quality metrics in healthcare related to Shone’s
• Whether the left ventricle can be bypassed to create a one-ventricle heart
• Extracardiac problems common to Shone’s complex patients

In addition, a 30-year-old patient with Shone’s will kick off the conference by talking about living with the disease and undergoing multiple surgeries. “Her story will serve to remind us that we are treating individuals, not just a complex medical problem,” says Dr. Saarel.

Distinguished speakers

Physicians and surgeons from Cleveland Clinic Children’s and other leading children’s hospitals who specialize in the care and treatment of congenital heart defects will present topics and lead debates and panel discussions. The faculty will include:

• James Lock, MD, Cardiologist-in-Chief Emeritus, Chairman of the Department of Cardiology at Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School
• Stephen Sanders, MD, cardiologist, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Cardiac Registry at Boston Children’s Hospital
• Roberta Williams, MD, cardiologist, from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
• William G. Williams, MD, former University Chair of Cardiac Surgery and Division Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the Hospital of Sick Children in Toronto and current director of the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society data center
• Eugene Blackstone, MD, Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgeon who co-founded the Congenital Heart Surgeons’ Society with Dr. Williams

Additionally, Sir Magdi Yacoub, professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London, will serve as a keynote speaker. He will discuss his experience providing surgery for congenital defects in underserved areas of the Middle East.

Call for abstracts

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts for presentation at the conference. Abstracts can be uploaded to ccfcme.org/pediatric-congenital17.

Register now!

The Second Annual Pediatric and Congenital Heart Care Summit: Navigating Shone’s Complex is appropriate for all physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, sonographers and other allied health professionals who treat patients with congenital heart disease. The activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

For more information or to register, visit ccfcme.org/pediatric-congenital17.