30 May 2024 | Adventist Health in Glendale One of First to Implant Heart Device On May 16, interventional cardiology specialists at Adventist Health Glendale in Glendale, California, United States, successfully performed their first TriClip procedures using the Abbott TriClip transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) system. Full story at the Adventist Review website. Antillean Adventist University []
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. Heart disease is usually thought of as a disease of modern times, but a new study of ancient mummies expands evidence that humans have suffered from the condition for thousands of years across the globe.
The findings of the Global HORUS Study, published in the European Heart Journal, suggests humans have an innate predisposition to atherosclerosis, or a build-up of plaque in the arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke.
Researchers analyzed the CT scans from 237 adult mummies from around the world and found definite or probable atherosclerosis, marked by calcifications in the artery walls, in more than 37%.
The mummies were from seven different cultures spanning over 4,000 years and included ancient Egyptian, lowland ancient Peruvians, ancient highland Andean Bolivians, 19th century Aleutian Islander hunter-gatherers, 16th century Greenlandic Inuits, ancestral Puebloan, and Middle-Ages Gobi Desert pastoralists.
While previous research has found atherosclerosis in ancient mummies, the HORUS Study is the largest systematic study of the condition in ancient human remains across multiple eras and geographies.
We found atherosclerosis in all time periodsdating before 2,500 BCEin both men and women, in all seven cultures that were studied, and in both elites and non-elites, said Randall Thompson, MD, lead author of the study and cardiologist at Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute. This further supports our previous observation that it is not just a modern condition caused by our modern lifestyles.
Researchers note that although the frequency of the disease in the group studied may be surprising, especially since the estimated mean age of 40 is young by todays standardsmost cases were consistent with early disease that is often found incidentally on CT scans of modern patients.
This study indicates modern cardiovascular risk factorssuch as smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and poor dieton top of the underlying, inherent risk natural to the human aging process may increase the extent and impact of atherosclerosis, Dr. Thompson said. This is why it is all the more important to control the risk factors we can control.
Pointing out the studys limitations, including a varying degree of preservation and the impact of the mummification process on tissue, researchers note they were very conservative in assessing the presence of atherosclerosis while analyzing the scans.
Read the full article Atherosclerosis in Ancient Mummified Humans: The Global HORUS Study in the European Heart Journal.
About Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute is part of Saint Lukes Health System, which serves the West Region of BJC Health System, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States. The Heart Institute, a teaching affiliate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, is one of the distinguished cardiovascular programs in the country. Its legacy of innovation began more than 40 years ago when it opened as the nations first freestanding heart hospital. Since then, the Heart Institute has earned a global reputation for excellence in the treatment of heart disease, including interventional cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, imaging, heart failure, transplant, heart disease prevention, cardiometabolic disease, womens heart disease, electrophysiology, outcomes research, and health economics. Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute cardiologists offer personalized cardio-oncology care, where our experts diagnose and treat heart conditions in patients who have been or are being treated for cancer.
With more than 100 full-time, board-certified cardiovascular specialists on staff, Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute offers one of the country's largest heart failure and heart transplant programs, has the largest experience with transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the Midwest, and is a global teaching site for the newest approaches in coronary revascularization. The Heart Institute's cardiovascular research program encompasses clinical areas as well as centers of excellence and core laboratories. It continues to serve as one of the four Analytic Centers, along with Duke, Harvard, and Yale, for the American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry.
Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute is ranked 47th in the nation for Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery by U.S. News & World Report and is the third hospital in the U.S. to achieve the Comprehensive Cardiac Center certification from The Joint Commission.
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Lindsey Stich,lstich@saintlukeskc.org
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May 28, 2024 Yoga focused on breathing, meditation, and relaxation is linked with symptom improvement in patients with heart failure, according to research presented at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1
Patients who practiced yoga on top of taking their medications felt better, were able to do more, and had stronger hearts than those who only took drugs for their heart failure, said study author Dr. Ajit Singh of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India. The findings suggest that yoga can be a beneficial complementary therapy in patients with heart failure.
Heart Failure affects vast numbers of people more than 64 million globally2 and can have devastating impacts on quality of life, with patients feeling tired and breathless, and being unable to participate in their usual activities. While previous studies have shown the short-term benefits of yoga in patients with heart failure,3,4this study provides new information about the long-term effects.
The study enrolled patients aged 30 to 70 years with heart failure from the cardiology outpatient department of Kasturba Hospital in Manipal, India. All participants had undergone a cardiac procedure within the past six months to one year and were taking guideline-recommended heart failure medications. Patients with severe symptoms were excluded.5
The study included 85 patients. The average age was 49 years and 70 (82%) were men. In a non-randomized fashion, 40 patients were assigned to the yoga group and 45 patients were allocated to the control group. All participants continued taking guideline-recommended heart failure medications throughout the study.
Experienced faculty in the hospitals Department of Yoga demonstrated pranayama (yogic breathwork), meditation, and relaxation techniques to patients in the yoga group.6Participants were supervised for one week and then advised to continue self-administered yoga at home once a week for 50 minutes. Patients spoke to an instructor after each home session to check progress.
At baseline, six months, and one year, the researchers assessed heart structure and function in the yoga and control groups using echocardiography. The measurements included the ability of the heart to pump blood (left ventricular ejection fraction), and assessment of right ventricular function. The researchers also examined blood pressure, heart rate, body weight, and body mass index. Symptom burden and the ability to do ordinary activities such as walking and climbing stairs were assessed using the New York Heart Association classification system.
Compared to the control group, the yoga group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in all measurements at six months and one year relative to baseline.
Dr. Singh said: Patients who did yoga had healthier hearts and were more able to carry out ordinary activities such as walking and climbing stairs than those who only took medications. Patients with heart failure should speak to their doctor before starting yoga and should then receive training from an experienced instructor. Prescribed medications should be continued as before. Yoga may be unsuitable for heart failure patients with severe symptoms, who were excluded from our study.
For more information: http://www.escardio.org
Find more ESC24 conference coverage here
1The abstract Impact of yoga therapy on long-term outcomes in heart failure patients using functional and echocardiographic parameters will be presented during the session Chronic heart failure - treatment 16 which takes place on 12 May 2024 at 16:00 WEST at Moderated ePosters 2.
2Savarese G, Becher PM, Lund LH,et al. Global burden of heart failure: a comprehensive and updated review of epidemiology.Cardiovasc Res. 2023;118(17):3272-3287.
3Pullen PR, Thompson WR, Benardot D,et al. Benefits of yoga for African American heart failure patients.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(4):651657.
4Pullen PR, Nagamia SH, Mehta PK,et al. Effects of yoga on inflammation and exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure.J Card Fail. 2008;14(5):407413.
5The study enrolled patients with New York Heart Classification III or less. Those with class IV were excluded.
6Instructions were given on pranayama techniques, including: 1) ujjayi pranayama (5 minutes), which involves breathing with both nostrils and is sometimes called ocean breath; 2) anuloma viloma pranayama (5 minutes), meaning alternate breathing with each nostril; 3) shitali pranayama (5 minutes), which involves inhaling through a curled tongue and exhaling through the nose; 4) sitkari pranayama (5 minutes), which involves breathing through the mouth with a hissing sound; and 5) bhramari pranayama (5 minutes), a humming breath practice known as bee breath. After the pranayama techniques, participants were asked to do soham meditation (10 minutes) involving repetition of the word ohm. Finally, participants performed shavasana, also called corpse pose, in the supine position. Shavasana-1 (5 minutes) involved focusing on the breathing movement, and was followed by shavasana-2 (10 minutes), in which participants relaxed their body part by part.
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May 30, 2024 Arecent studypublished in the European Heart Journal highlights the significant enhancements that the Kosmos ultrasound system, developed by EchoNous, brings to cardiac evaluations for chemotherapy patients. This AI-powered device enables even non-expert ultrasound users, such as junior oncologists and nurses, to accurately and swiftly assess left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a crucial indicator of heart health and a critical measure to monitor in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Dr. Dimitri Dionysopolous, one of the study's authors, highlighted the Kosmoss significant impact: With very little training, oncology staff can accurately measure a patient's heart function in real-time. Our study revealed that the measurement process is very fast, taking less than 10 minutes from start to finish, which could dramatically change how we implement care in practice.
Kosmos, equipped with AI algorithms Trio and Kosmos Auto EF, guides users through the scanning process, making it easier to learn and enabling precise cardiac and abdominal imaging, along with more efficient LVEF calculations. This system, which produces high-quality echocardiographic images at the point of care, is a testament to the potential of AI in healthcare.
This is a tremendous result that fits into many conversations happening around healthcare right now, said Graham Cox, CEO at EchoNous. Healthcare organizations desperately need to enable less trained medical staff to perform ultrasound exams, and this study shows that its feasible with Kosmos and its AI capabilities.
In the study involving 115 patients, cardiologists performed traditional echocardiography and compared it with scans that oncology staff, including senior oncologists, residents, and nurses, performed using the Kosmos ultrasound system. The findings demonstrate that non-ultrasound experts can effectively use Kosmos, achieving diagnostic accuracy between 89 to 94 percent among different operators. These promising results suggest a future where Kosmos could be widely used by oncology staff, leading to faster clinical workflows and enhanced care for cancer patients.
EchoNous will be showcasing the potential of Kosmos at the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting from May 31 to June 4. Attendees are invited to visit our booth to learn more and chat with us.
For more information:www.echonous.com
UltraSight and EchoNous Partner to Enable More Accessible Cardiac Ultrasound for Patients
FDA Clears Fully Automated Cardiac Ultrasound Solution to Measure 2D and Doppler
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The World Heart Federation (WHF) is honoring Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, President ofMount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospitaland Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, with its Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024. This top honor recognizes his remarkable contributions to the WHF mission, and to the entire cardiovascular disease community for his dedication to combating this disease worldwide.
The WHF will present Dr. Fuster with this award on Saturday, May 25, during the World Heart Summit in Geneva, Switzerland.
I am proud of this award, particularly because it represents Mount Sinais worldwide scientific contributions and dedication to advancements in the cardiovascular field, says Dr. Fuster.
Dr. Fuster is a pre-eminent leader in cardiovascular medicine. His contributions to the field, and to prevention and treatment of heart disease globally, are unparalleled. Dr. Fuster was named Director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai in 1994, became Director of Mount Sinai Heart at its establishment in 2006, and held that position until the end of 2022. He built what is now known as Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital into one of the worlds leading centers for cardiovascular care, cardiac surgery, and advanced research. Dr. Fuster is also General Director of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC).
Dr. Fuster also helped develop a cardiovascular polypilla single pill that includes three medications typically taken separatelythat is effective in preventing secondary adverse cardiovascular events in people who have previously had a heart attack. Dr. Fuster and his team showed that the polypill reduces cardiovascular mortality by 33 percent in this population. This medication was recently included by the World Health Organization in itsList of Essential Medicinesand is pending Food and Drug Administration approval in the United States.
His research into the origin of cardiovascular events, which has contributed to improved treatment of heart attack patients, was recognized in 1996 by the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research, the highest international award given by Dr. Fusters native Spain. In June 2011 he was awarded the Grand Prix Scientifique of the Institute of France for his translational research into atherothrombotic disease. Recently, he was named a Prince Mahidol Award Laureate in Thailand for his lifelong contribution to the field of medicine, and in 2022, the American College of Cardiology instituted the Valentin Fuster Award in Science and Innovation, which will be given to a single physician annually for the next 14 years.
Dr. Fuster has also received the highest awards for research from the four leading cardiovascular organizations: the American Heart Association (Gold Medal and Research Achievement Award), the American College of Cardiology (Living Legend and Life Achievement Award), the European Society of Cardiology (Gold Medal), and the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (Research Achievement Award). In May 2014, King Juan Carlos I of Spain granted Dr. Fuster the title of Marquis for his "outstanding and unceasing research efforts and his educational outreach work."
Mount Sinai is a World Leader in Cardiology and Heart Surgery
Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital at The Mount Sinai Hospital ranks No. 1 in New York and No. 4 globally according to Newsweeks The Worlds Best Specialized Hospitals. It also ranks No. 1 in New York for cardiology, heart, and vascular surgery, according to U.S. News & World Report.
It is part of Mount Sinai Health System, which is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. We advance medicine and health through unrivaled education and translational research and discovery to deliver care that is the safest, highest-quality, most accessible and equitable, and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,400 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweeks The Worlds Best Smart Hospitals and by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals and Best Childrens Hospitals. The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals Honor Roll for 2023-2024.
For more information, visithttps://www.mountsinai.orgor find Mount Sinai onFacebook,TwitterandYouTube.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our timediscovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweeks The Worlds Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals and by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals and Best Childrens Hospitals. The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll for 2023-2024.
For more information, visithttps://www.mountsinai.orgor find Mount Sinai onFacebook,TwitterandYouTube.
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Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious Award From World Heart Federation - Mount Sinai
May 10 2024 This Week in Cardiology Medscape
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Penn State Health Spring Ridge Outpatient Center
When the Berks Cardiology team at Penn State Health Spring Ridge Outpatient Center went to work April 30, they were shocked to discover water pouring down from the ceilings and flooding three stories worth of hallways and exam rooms. The damage caused by a water heater that had burst overnight was so extensive and severe that staff first thought the facility in Wyomissing would be closed for several days or longer. But through quick response and actions by many Penn State Health teams, those fears proved unnecessary.
May 10, 2024Penn State Health The RITE Stuff
Within an hour, the Facilities team was on-site, turning off the water and electricity to the building and quickly evacuating staff. By early afternoon, a contracted restoration company had placed temporary walls on two floors where exam room and offices were most affected.
Meanwhile, Information Services, Emergency Management, Infection Control, Facilities, Security and Operations were in constant communication throughout the day, holding several huddles. Minimizing disruptions for patients was paramount. Penn State Health Medical Group staff contacted more than 300 patients who had appointments scheduled at Berks Cardiology on April 30 and May 1 to offer appointments with their same providers. The appointments were scheduled for May 1 at four other Medical Group locations in Berks County.
Berks Cardiology reopened partially to staff and patients on May 1. And the very next day just two days after the water heater burst the practice was fully back online.
Several Berks Cardiology employees temporarily lost their work spaces to the water damage, but Penn State Health Administration, Spring Ridge Family Practice and St. Joseph Medical Center have welcomed them to work at those sites as long as necessary.
Keeping Berks Cardiology running for our patients throughout this recovery was truly a team effort and a wonderful demonstration of our Penn State Health values, said Ruth Gundermann, interim administrative and operational lead, Penn State Health Medical Group. So many teams jumped into action to ensure that the impact of the flooding to our patients was minimal. Everyone involved deserves our heartfelt gratitude.
If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email the Penn State College of Medicine web department.
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May 9, 2024 The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) today released a new clinical guideline for effectively managing individuals diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The guideline, according to a written statement shared here, reiterates the importance of collaborative decision-making with patients who have HCM and provides updated recommendations for the most effective treatment pathways for adult and pediatric patients.
Incorporating the most recent data, this new guideline equips clinicians with the latest recommendations for the treatment of HCM, said Steve R. Ommen, MD, FACC, medical director of the Mayo Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic and chair of the guideline writing committee. Ommen added, Were seeing more evidence that patients with HCM can return to their normal daily lives with proper care and management.
Updated recommendations in the guideline reflect recent evidence about HCM treatment and management including new forms of pharmacologic management; participation in vigorous recreational activities and competitive sports; and risk stratification for sudden cardiac death (SCD) with an emphasis on pediatric patients.
The guideline includes recommendations for adding cardiac myosin inhibitors, a new class of medication for patients with symptomatic obstructive HCM who do not get adequate symptom relief from first-line drug therapy. Symptomatic obstructive HCM is a type of HCM where the heart muscle is restricted. Cardiac myosin inhibitors are the first FDA-approved class of medication to specifically target the thickening of the heart muscle instead of treating the symptoms, however, they are monitored under the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program, which may create additional steps and time for both the clinician and the patient. Clinicians require special training to prescribe the medication, and patients require regular screenings.
These new drugs offer an alternative for patients who have failed first-line therapy and either want to delay or possibly avoid more aggressive options, Ommen said. With this guideline, were providing clinicians with point-of-care guidance about effectively using this first-in-class, evidence-based treatment option and improving their patients' quality of life.
HCM is an inherited cardiac condition most often caused by a gene mutation that makes the heart muscle too thick (hypertrophy), which impairs its ability to adequately pump blood throughout the body. HCM affects approximately 1 in every 500 individuals; however, a significant portion of cases remain undiagnosed because many people do not exhibit symptoms. Occasionally, the first time HCM is diagnosed is after a sudden death. People who do have symptoms may experience episodes of fainting, chest pain, shortness of breath or irregular heartbeats.
In addition to medication treatment, growing evidence is showing that the benefits of exercise outweigh the potential risks for patients with HCM. Low to moderate intensity recreational exercise should be part of how HCM patients manage their overall health. For some HCM patients, competitive sports may be considered in consultation with HCM clinical specialists.
Recommendations for physical activity continue to evolve with research, Ommen said. As part of a healthy lifestyle, patients with HCM are now encouraged to engage in low-to-moderate intensity physical activities. Were seeing how vigorous physical activities can be reasonable for some individuals. With shared decision-making between the clinician and the patient, some patients may even be able to return to competitive sports.
Poorly managed HCM may lead to many complications including SCD. The new guideline includes recommendations for assessing and managing the risk of SCD by establishing clear risk markers. Guidance for integrating risk markers with tools to estimate an individual patients SCD risk score is recommended to aid in the patient/clinician shared decision-making regarding implantable cardioverter defibrillator placement, incorporating a patients personal level of risk tolerance and specific treatment goals including quality of life.
Several recommendations in the new guideline extend to pediatric patients. A specific pediatric risk stratification for SCD is emphasized, with risk calculators specific to children and adolescents and stressing the importance of HCM centers with expertise in pediatrics. The new guideline extends exercise stress testing recommendations to include children diagnosed with HCM to help determine functional capacity and provide prognostic feedback.
The 2024 AHA/ACC/AMSSM/HRS/PACES/SCMR Guideline for the Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is published simultaneously today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, JACC, and American Heart Association's journal, Circulation.
In addition to the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the guideline was written in collaboration with and endorsed by the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Pediatric & Congenital Electrophysiology Society, and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.
More information: http://www.acc.org, http://www.heart.org
Related content:
Part 1: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: One on One with a Cardiovascular Research Leader
Part 2: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Focus
Part 3: Award-winning Researcher Shares Update on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Work and Value of Mentoring
ONE ON ONE WITH CHRISTINE SEIDMAN, MD, FACC, ON HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY
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"We submitted an application to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the governing body that certifies physicians across the country. In January of 2024, the House of Cardiology came together, saying, it's time to make a new board separate from the American Board of Internal Medicine. The new board of cardiovascular medicine cardiologists would be governed by cardiologists to assess that we are all competent clinicians taking care of patients," Kuvin explained.
Key organizations driving this initiative include the ACC, American Heart Association (AHA), Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). While there has been talk about braking off from the ABIM to create a cardiology board for years, serious discussions have been ongoing since 2019. Those discussions culminated with the official ABMS submission earlier this year.
One of the biggest reasons these groups want to create an independent cardiology board is the constant complaints from cardiologists about how the ABIM manages certification and recertification. Kuvin and the societies supporting the movement for an independent board said the requirements of the ABIM do not match the needs of cardiologists, are too complex and can lead to some cardiologists being left uncertified.
Central to the proposal is the concept of tailoring certification and continuing education to the needs of cardiologists throughout their careers. Kuvin outlined a vision for a streamlined, competency-based approach that prioritizes practical application over traditional examination formats.
"This isn't just about passing tests," he remarked. "It's about ensuring that cardiologists possess the knowledge and skills essential for delivering high-quality patient care."
Kuvin said the misalignment between cardiology and ABIM policy has led to several fights over the years. A good example of this took place in August 2023, when SCAI issued a new statement urging the ABIM to rethink its maintenance of certification (MOC) policies. SCAI said some of its members have seen their privileges threatened and even revoked despite passing the necessary exams and reporting procedural volumes as required. According to the SCAI statement, ABIM has linked certification status with yearly MOC participation in a way that could potentially have a negative impact on patient care.
The two organizations have previously worked together to ensure cardiologists have more options when working to meet MOC requirements, but SCAI said ABIM changed course by requiring interventional cardiologists to complete their assessment through a very complex process, achieve 100 self-assessment points every five years and perform a predetermined number of procedures every five years, all to keep ABIM certification for the full 10-year window. Failing to meet these requirements can lead to a loss of certification.
This situation unacceptably exacerbates the interventional cardiology workforce shortage and threatens to directly impact the care of patients suffering life threatening cardiovascular emergencies, according to an SCAI statement at the time. It is the position of SCAI that the ABIM must immediately abandon its complex practice and stop mixing nonparticipation in MOC with not certified status.
SCAI said its members must be protected from ABIMs pattern of making changes to the certification process. Simple and credible rules are advisable, while a labyrinth of regulations is both unfair and unjustified, the group concluded.
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The ACC has also had disagreements with internal medicine experts making certifications decisions for cardiologists instead of experts in cardiology.
"We felt the best way for cardiologists to be certified they are competent would be by measures that other cardiologists would ascribe to them. Essentially, we wanted to make certification qualifications relevant to the cardiology practice," explained former ACC President Hadley Wilson, MD, executive vice chair of Atrium Health Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, in an interview with Cardiovascular Business last fall. "We believed that was no longer possible through just being grouped with internal medicine, and we felt like cardiovascular medicine is its own distinct specialty. In fact, about 50% of cardiology division programs in the country are either completely separate from internal medicine divisions or at least separate financially. And that number of independent cardiology departments that are separate, distinct entities just continues to grow."
The fact that several large cardiology groups are rallying support demonstrates the widespread endorsement for the board initiative.
"Cardiology has evolved into its own specialty. We need a board that reflects the unique training pathways, competency statements, and technological advancements inherent to cardiovascular medicine," Kuvin emphasized.
The ABMS has opened its public comment period and will collect comments until July 24. The comment submission form can be found here.
More information about the proposed board is available here.
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The push for an independent cardiology board continues - Cardiovascular Business