SCAI: Society for Cardiovascular Angiography Scientific Sessions

The session opened up with a discussion of the emerging field of renal denervation therapies as presented by Juan F. Granada, MD, a cardiologist at the Skirball Center for Cardiovascular Research in New York.

One of the most important aspects of a successful catheterization involves decision of access entry point. Several presentations covered case studies with different entry points.

One of the most talked about subjects at the SCAI 2013 meeting was the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC). There are great economic and potential implications associated with the designations of appropriate or inappropriate for specific diagnostic procedures and treatments.

Manesh Patel, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Duke University began by presenting a talk entitled, Appropriate Use Criteria: The Reasons, Methods, Intended, and Unintended Consequences. He first pointed out that Medicare expenditures on imaging have doubled between 2000 and 2006.

This session was perfect for the SCAI conference. Two opposing investigators were pitted against each other to debate 2 distinctly different treatment modalities. At the end of the debate, the physicians in the audience voted in live time in favor of 1 of the 2 treatments.

Dramatic changes in medical payment and economics began with the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Cardiologists weighed in on how this law is expected to impact upon their treatment decisions and business economics.

Sudden cardiovascular events are often preceded by embolus. The latest technologies for detection of emboli were showcased in a presentation by Emannouil S. Brilakis, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center. Dr Brilakis presented Intra-coronary Infrared Spectroscopy to Predict Embolization Risk During PCI.

In the multi-part presentation entitled The Quality Mandate: Understanding New Regulatory Policies and Quality Superheroes, Robert Yeh, MD, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), started the first session by reporting on the changing epidemiology of today's cardiovascular disease patient.

Lyndon Box, MD, is a cardiologist and contributor to the SCAI tool kit working at the University of Florida, Jacksonville. He opened up the session on quality and safety tools by discussing his most recent experience after accepting a position as the director of a new catheterization lab.