CTSNet Video Roundtable – Undertreated Valve Disease and the Role of Valve Clinics

At the 2013 STS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, CA, CTSNet had the opportunity to host an exciting Video Roundtable with important perspectives on how valve clinic programs can assist in combating undertreated valvular heart disease by employing system-wide, quality-driven protocols within a hospital. The Roundtable panelists discuss how valve clinics—in adherence to widely accepted, evidence-based guidelines—help facilitate the treatment of patients with severe heart valve disease, who might otherwise go untreated. Additionally, the panelists focus on how a multidisciplinary team, working in a valve clinic program, can assist in ensuring that patients with any form of heart valve disease are appropriately identified, diagnosed, and provided with the necessary treatment.

Former STS President Mike Mack, MD, moderated the Roundtable. Also participating were Tim Foley, MSN, a nurse practitioner from Las Vegas, NV; German Larrain, MD, a cardiologist from Wausau, WI; Chris Malaisrie, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Chicago, IL; and Wilson Szeto, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon from Philadelphia, PA. All of the panelists are experts on the nuances of establishing and running successful heart valve clinic programs.

This Roundtable was made possible by the generous support of Edwards Lifesciences.