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.

Matthew Summers, MD, FACC, program director for structural heart, Sentara Heart Hospital, Norfolk, Virginia, explains how his center used a new transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) 3D CT planning software to better identify patients who are at high risk of complications. The software also enables the heart team to test the best placement of various valves to create a procedure plan tailored for each patients unique anatomy.

3D software helps cardiologists plan ahead for TAVR complications

Serious complications are rare after TAVR, but they can be catastrophic or fatal when they do occur. The care team at Sentara Heart Hospital found that bringing in new 3D software made it much easier to plan ahead for such issues. 

iad Ali, MD, DPhil, director of the DeMatteis Cardiovascular Institute and director investigational interventional cardiology, St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center, explains how coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) offers a shift in cardiac care and interventional cardiology because of the information it offers on plaque burden and ischemia based on fractional flow reserve CT (FFR-CT). #TCT #YesCCT

CCTA becoming an essential tool for interventional cardiologists

Ziad Ali, MD, explains how coronary computed tomography angiography is creating a major shift in cardiac care.

Andres Cordova, MD, cardiology fellow, University of Vermont Medical Center, explains a study of registry and outcomes data on the use of Impella hemodynamic support in elderly STEMI patients with cardiogenic shock.

Impella use fails to improve mortality in elderly patients

The Impella CP heart pump is being used more and more to treat cardiogenic shock, and the benefits are clear. For many older patients, however, the technology seem to fall short. 

Transcatheter treatment of tricuspid valve disease has rapidly evolved over the past two years, giving physicians new tools to address a condition long considered under treated due to limited procedural options and complex anatomy. Ryan K. Kaple, MD, FACC, FSCAI, director of the structural and congenital heart program at Hackensack University Medical Center, spoke top Cardiovascular Business about recent advances and his center's real-world experience.

Key trends in transcatheter tricuspid valve repair and replacement

The interventional treatment of tricuspid valve disease has evolved in recent years thanks to new research and critical FDA approvals. Cardiologist Ryan Kaple, MD, reviewed this trend for a new video interview.

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.