Learn About Hot Topics in Congenital Heart Disease Across the Continuum of Care

Thanks to recent advances in the medical and surgical care of patients with congenital heart disease, patients are living longer and require the full continuum of care from fetal diagnosis through adulthood. A distinctive virtual CME course offered by Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Children’s aims to extend the knowledge and experience of general practitioners and specialists throughout the continuum of care. The course will be live-streamed on Friday, September 11, 2020.

With the knowledge and experience of 11 expert clinician faculty from Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Children’s, the CME event is targeted to obstetricians, pediatricians, internal medicine, family medicine, cardiologists and other health providers caring for patients with congenital heart disease from fetal diagnosis through adulthood.

“The outcomes of both pediatric and adult patients with congenital heart disorders have improved substantially, thanks to innovations in imaging technology, research studies and surgical techniques,” says course co-director Hani Najm, MD, Chair of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery and Cleveland Clinic. “Yet these advances have been so numerous and rapid that it can be challenging for clinicians to keep up.”

“These challenges have informed the design of this course, which aims to improve attendees’ competence and skills in diagnosing congenital heart disorders and managing the disease across the lifespan,” adds course co-director Peter Aziz, MD, Sir Magdi Yacoub Endowed Chair, Director of the Inherited Arrhythmia Clinic and Interim Chair of Pediatric Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

From fetal diagnosis through adulthood

The course relies on a mix of formats — short lectures, case studies, moderated discussions and more on topics — including:

• Congenital heart disease and pregnancy, including fetal assessment.
• Innovative approaches to fetal and newborn care, including complex and game-changing fetal surgeries.
• Managing multiple comorbidities in pregnancy, including arrhythmias during pregnancy and pregnancy with severe heart failure.
• When (and how) to transition care from pediatric to adult care teams.
• Shared decision-making, and the ethics of caring for both mother and baby.

Participants will learn best practices in the care of patients with congenital heart disease, apply recent advances in medical and surgical management from the benign to complex quaternary care, and understand the future of fetal surgery in treating complex antenatal and perinatal congenital heart disease. Participants will be able to:

• Educate the general practitioner on the continuum of care for congenital heart disease.
• Identify appropriate counseling tactics to use with congenital heart disease patients related to contraceptive management.
• Review symptoms of significant congenital heart disease that could arise during the prenatal period.
• Demonstrate appropriate triaging of patients to receive tertiary and quaternary care.
• Anticipate medical problems in the post-fontan palliation patient, including liver disease.

Registration information and full course details are a a available here. Early-bird registration pricing ends Aug. 10.

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.