Baptist Health South Florida will host the Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care 43rd Annual Echocardiography and Structural Heart Symposium on Oct. 2-3 at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel, bringing together leading cardiovascular specialists to explore the latest advances in cardiac imaging, valvular heart disease and structural heart interventions.

The two-day symposium, directed by Elliott Elias, M.D., medical director of cardiac and structural imaging at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, will feature nationally and internationally recognized experts in echocardiography, cardiovascular imaging, interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery. The program is designed for physicians, sonographers and other medical professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of structural heart disease and will range from foundational echocardiography principles to advanced imaging and emerging treatment strategies.

“As the treatment of structural and valvular heart disease continues to evolve, advanced imaging has become increasingly important in helping us understand a patient’s condition and determine the most appropriate treatment strategy,” said Dr. Elias. “This symposium allows clinicians to learn from one another, examine challenging real-world cases and strengthen the collaboration between imagers, cardiologists, surgeons and other members of the heart team. Ultimately, that collaboration helps us make better, more individualized decisions for our patients.”

Among this year’s topics are echocardiographic assessment of heart valve disease, 3D imaging, strain imaging, cardiac CT and MRI, transesophageal echocardiography and the use of multimodality imaging to guide structural heart procedures. Faculty will also examine emerging approaches to aortic, mitral and tricuspid valve disease, including transcatheter valve repair and replacement, as well as the evolving roles of surgical and transcatheter therapies.

Presenting faculty include:

• Ashok Kumar Coimbatore Jeyakumar, M.D., director of aortic disease for Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care, will participate in a featured debate examining the surgical landscape of tricuspid valve disease and when surgery remains the appropriate treatment. Dr. Jeyakumar will also provide surgical commentary and participate in multidisciplinary discussions involving complex aortic valve disease and structural heart interventions.
• Bradley Taylor, M.D., chief medical executive at Christine E. Lynn Heart & Vascular Institute and chief of cardiac surgery for the Palm Beach Region, will present “Aortic Regurgitation Through the Eyes of a Surgeon: When Is It Time to Operate?” Dr. Taylor will also participate in an interactive discussion examining real-world cases in which structural heart therapy has failed and physicians must determine the best approach to aortic valve rescue.
• Elliott Elias, M.D., medical director of cardiac and structural imaging at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute and director of the symposium, will provide opening remarks and moderate multiple sessions focused on echocardiography, right-heart imaging, valve disease and complex clinical cases.
• Socrates Kakoulides, M.D., chief imaging officer of Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care, will present “When Hypertrophy Isn’t HCM: A ‘Strained’ Case That Changed the Diagnosis” and “When the Diagnosis Isn’t Obvious: A Multimodality Approach to a Challenging Case.” His presentations will examine how advanced cardiac imaging can help physicians navigate complex cases when the diagnosis is not immediately apparent.
• Tom Nguyen, M.D., system chief executive of Baptist Health Heart & Vascular Care and chief medical executive of Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, will participate in featured debates examining surgery versus transcatheter treatment for mitral and aortic valve disease, including durability, lifetime management and how physicians can determine the most appropriate treatment strategy for each patient.

“We have more options than ever before for treating patients with complex valve disease, and that makes thoughtful, multidisciplinary decision-making even more important,” said Dr. Nguyen. “The question is no longer simply whether we can perform a particular procedure. We need to consider which treatment will provide the best result for that individual patient, both now and over the course of their lifetime. Bringing surgeons, interventional cardiologists and imaging specialists together to have those conversations is one of the great strengths of this symposium.”

Registration and additional information are available at CMEOnline.BaptistHealth.net/Echo-Symposium.