This year’s AHA Scientific Sessions in Anaheim, CA provided the cardiology community with a number of important trials. Large clinical studies have the possibility to directly impact clinical practice. In the subspecialty of electrophysiology, there was an important trial with significant relevance to physicians who implant or provide perioperative care for patients with pacemakers/ defibrillators … Read more
AHA17 introduced the new and controversial blood pressure measurement guidelines during its annual conference in Anaheim, CA, raising skepticism among the masses. However, before I get into what the new recommendations are, let’s review how blood pressure measurements were initially established. Historically, over the last century blood pressure was unstudied by the scientific and clinical … Read more
Nearly 2 weeks after AHA Scientific Sessions 2017, I’m back at home, sipping coffee on a chilly Sunday morning and thinking about Anaheim. The larger-than-life convention center, the numerous and packed sessions, and the built-in-a-day pharma fueled exhibit halls. Working backwards, I remember fitting in a lunch sponsored by Amgen, given by Dr. Alan Brown, … Read more
My family goes through the same motions every Thanksgiving: Mash the potatoes. Carve the turkey. Hang the “house divided” flag above the front porch and howl at figures on television colliding bodies over a wayward pigskin. This Thanksgiving weekend coincided with the greatest college rivalry football games of the year for us. My mom attended … Read more
In reflecting on my time at the 2017 AHA Scientific Sessions, I can summarize my thought process about the new AHA Hypertension Guidelines as a complete 180. When I first heard about the guidelines, my inner monologue went something like this: “I don’t need to pay attention to these guidelines – they don’t affect me or … Read more
Approach a large national meeting like it’s a Target run. You know the scenario – you go into Target to get just one thing and leave with 10 items you didn’t know you needed. Likewise, you can go to a scientific meeting thinking your priority is to get CME, or to network, or to share … Read more
American Heart Association Annual Scientific Session consists of hundreds of talks from a wide range of presenters including students, post-doctoral scholars, and faculties at different levels. Seating in various #AHA17 sessions makes me think about what William Yeats, one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature, said years ago: “I always think great speakers convince … Read more
Kicking off the #AHA17 session on Closing the Gap on Disparities: Practical Strategies and Implementation, Dr. Michelle Albert out of UCSF fits an astonishingly large amount of information into a succinct 15-minute talk on Improving Cardiovascular Risk in African Americans. She alludes to her research on psychological stress in the context of cardiovascular well-being being … Read more
At large meetings like the AHA Scientific Sessions, the pediatric presence is usually smaller and less ubiquitous than our adult counterparts. For trainees and junior faculty, it can be intimidating to navigate for the first time, but the CVDY Early Career Networking Luncheon is a great way to ease into it. Not only do you … Read more
I was in medical school when the JAMA paper came out that reported superiority with sodium bicarbonate IV fluids over normal saline in preventing contrast-induced acute kidney injury. This was a Big Deal. Kidney injury is associated with prolonged hospital stays and increased risk of death. I recall carefully making a note of the exact … Read more