Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT)

The Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference is the Cardiovascular Research Foundation's (CRF) annual scientific symposium and the largest conference focused on interventional cardiovascular medicine. TCT includes seminars on all areas of intervention cardiology, structural heart, vascular in interventions, peripheral artery disease, and other procedures in the cath lab.

Samir B. Pancholy, MD, chief interventional cardiologist, Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, discusses the differences in the business models for office based labs (OBL) vs ambulatory surgical centers (ASC) and choosing the right model cardiovascular and vascular procedures. #TCT #SCAI #OBL #ASC

Cardiologist highlights key differences between OBLs and ASCs

Current payment policies have health systems and physicians all over the country looking to learn more about these two business models. 

Advances in calcified coronary plaque modification are increasingly centered on intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) because the technology reduces complications such as vessel trauma and perforation associated with traditional high-pressure balloons or atherectomy techniques. Cardiovascular Business spoke with Samin K. Sharma, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital Cardiovascular Clinical Institute, recently about the advances in IVL. #IVL #TCT

Exploring major trends as IVL keeps evolving

Intravascular lithotripsy is expected to see even wider adoption when lower-profile catheters are introduced and device costs start to drop, explained Samin Sharma, MD.

Ryan Madder, MD, Program Director, Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, William Beaumont University Hospital, Corewell Health East, and Michael Abiragi, MD, cardiology fellow, Frederik Meijer Heart and Vascular Institute, Corewell Health West in Grand Rapids, explain a study showing a small number of high dose cases contribute the majority of staff dose, especially STEMI.

STEMI cases bring high doses of radiation to the cath lab

“We're so focused on quickly taking care of the patient ... we may be forgetting about radiation safety,” one researcher explained. 

Sunil Rao, MD, director, interventional cardiology, cardiac catheterization laboratory, NYU Langone Heart, professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, discusses the heart team approach in the context to determining what is best for the patient in terms of bypass surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention.

Heart teams playing a major role in coronary revascularization decisions

Sunil Rao, MD, discusses the heart team approach in the context of deciding what is best for the patient between bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention.

Mirvat Alasnag, MD, FACP, FACC, FSCAI, FSCCT, director of catheterization laboratory and research, King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah-Saudi Arabia, Ditrector of TCT Middle East, and member of Society of Cardiovascular CT (SCCT) Education Committee, explains how the society it translating its educational content into other languages to help a wider international audience of clinicians. SCCT is working to expand its international membership and this is a big part of that strategy.

SCCT expands CCTA education overseas

SCCT has made it a priority to help clinicians from all over the world learn more about CCTA as the modality continues to transform patient care. 

Sunil Rao, MD, MSCAI, director, interventional cardiology, cardiac catheterization laboratory, NYU Langone Heart, professor, Department of Medicine, the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, explains the prevalence, trends and predictors of same day discharge after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) data for non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) in clinical practice from the NCDR-CathPCI Registry.

Same-day discharge after PCI for NSTE-ACS is on the rise

Sunil Rao, MD, told Cardiovascular Business that same-day discharge is still relatively rare for these patients, but it appears to be growing more common over time. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have played a key role in the development of this trend.

Nirat Beohar, MD, director, cardiac catheterization laboratory, medical director of the structural heart disease program, Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, and a professor at the Columbia University Division of Cardiology, explains the financial landscape of the cath lab, what is ahead, and why cardiologists need to become more business savvy. #TCT

The business of cardiology is changing—and cath labs are working to keep up

Financial literacy is no longer optional for physicians. “If you're not financially viable, you can't function,” explained Nirat Beohar, MD. “The business education is probably just as important as learning a new procedure.”

Mirvat Alasnag, MD, FACP, FACC, FSCAI, FSCCT, director of catheterization laboratory and research, King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah-Saudi Arabia, director of TCT Middle East, and member of Society of Cardiovascular CT (SCCT) Education Committee, outlines why coronary CT angiography (CCTA) imaging will likely be a paradigm shift in cardiology, and where the gaps remain to gather more clinical evidence.

CCTA continues to transform cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology

Mirvat Alasnag, MD, spoke to Cardiovascular Business about CCTA's growing influence in cardiology.