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26 February 2010 Prescription Medication Adherence: What it Means for Heart Failure Patients Dr. John Rogers

4 December 2009 How comparative effectiveness research and other aspects of health care reform will affect you

Archived

• Clinical Trial Proves Effectiveness of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Slowing Heart Failure
  12 Aug 2009 | Dr. Arjun Sharma
  In June, global medical device maker Boston Scientific announced that its study of cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillation (CRT-D) slows the progression of heart failure when used as an early medical intervention in high-risk heart failure patients.
  
  Cardiac resynchronization therapy consists of a unique pacemaker that coordinates the functions of the left and right ventricle in patients with heart failure.
  
  The trial, known as the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (MADIT-CRT), compared these devices with basic defibrillators, which simply administer a shock when the heart stops. The study found that 24 percent of patients with a cardiac resynchronizer died or needed treatment for worsening heart failure within four years, compared to nearly 30 percent of patients with a defibrillator alone.
  
  What does this study mean for current ICD patients? And how might these results impact the future treatment of heart failure? Please join SCAA for an “Ask the Experts” discussion forum with a representative from Boston Scientific.
• Cardiac Rehabilitation: The Key to Living Again After Sudden Cardiac Arrest
  18 May 2009 | Leni Barry
  Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program that helps people recover from heart disease and other heart related conditions. Cardiac rehab programs continue to gain in popularity among patients and physicians due to their customized approach. So successful are their outcomes, that many hospitals and medical facilities across the country have established cardiac rehab programs. Leni Barry, a registered nurse who operates the Cardiac Rehab program at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland (just outside Washington, DC) will respond to your questions about cardiac rehabilitation in the next Ask the Experts session. If the thought of resuming physical activity after sudden cardiac arrest seems daunting or if you aren’t sure what a cardiac rehab program entails, this is one Ask the Experts session you won’t want to miss.
• Federal Preemption and Sudden Cardiac Arrest
  23 Feb 2009 | Christopher White
  Over the last two years, the U.S. Supreme Court has heard a number of significant cases regarding preemption — the Constitutional principle that says federal laws “trump” state laws when state and federal laws conflict. While this may sound like an obscure issue for SCAA members, it has the potential to be extremely significant and influence the cost and availability of certain medical devices as well as the types of lawsuits that patients may bring.
  
  Christopher L. White will be hosting SCAA’s “Ask the Experts” on this critical topic of federal preemption, and he will be answering your questions. White is the executive vice president and general counsel at the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed). In 2007, he was the first recipient of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Award for Leadership in the Advancement of Ethics in the Medical Device Industry.
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Sports
  3 Dec 2008 | Christine Lawless, MD

  Dr. Christine Lawless will be responding to your questions and issues regarding SCA screening, prevention, and emergency response for athletes and students. A member of the SCAA Medical Advisory Board, Dr. Lawless is the only physician in the United States to be dual certified in cardiology and sports medicine. She has a practice and consulting business in sports cardiology and currently serves as the team physician to the U.S. Figure Skating World Teams, and is a consulting cardiologist to Major League Soccer.

  For more information about SCA in sports, read the Fall 2008 issue of Power Points HERE.  You may pre-submit questions until November 26, 2008.
  

• The Disparity of Care in SCA
  11 Aug 2008 | Kevin Thomas, MD

  Dr. Kevin Thomas of the Duke University Medical Center will respond to your questions about issues regarding improving cardiac health care for women and minorities. Dr. Thomas was a cardiovascular fellow and was honored with the Ralph Snyderman, M.D., Graduate Medical Education Research Award while serving his residency at Duke. Since joining the Duke Medical staff, he has lead research in several areas related to the subject of health care disparities.

  For more information about SCA disparities, read the Summer 2008 issue of Power Points HERE.

• Adjusting to your ICD
  4 May 2008 | Howard S. Farkas, PhD
  Do you have an ICD, or know someone who has one? Do you want to know more about this study and adjustment issues that patients might deal with after receiving an ICD? Please join Dr. Howard Farkas in a live online discussion about his study related to ICD adjustment issues.

  For more information on ICD adjustment and Dr. Farkas's research, CLICK HERE.