Vol. 24, No. 2

The new Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit takes place during ACC.06 this year. The meeting offers comprehensive coverage of the exciting, innovative field of interventional cardiology by using innovative programming techniques, says i2 Summit Co-chair Ted Feldman, M.D., F.A.C.C. The programming makes extensive use of electronic media. Attendees will be able to IM questions and discussion points during live case presentations, participate in a computer-based Interventional symposium and experience e-formatted poster sessions. The innovative program style fits what Feldman calls “the most exciting field anyone could be involved in.”

All members of the Cardiac Care Team will find something of value at i2 Summit. The Nurse/Tech Spotlight Symposium at i2 takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, March 12, at the Georgia World Congress Center. The focus is on integrating the latest interventional science into practice, and content is designed for nurses and technologists who work alongside physicians on clinical and genetic research, emerging invasive technologies, and surgical advances. Content covers novel tools and procedures, management of interventional complications, current debates and real world issues. The session is also approved for CEs, RNs, LPNs, LPVNs and NPs.

Watch the top Late-Breaking Clinical Trials on the big-screen TVs, discuss the newest research in your therapeutic area or recruit new candidates, all in the comfort of one of the large-scale community rooms being featured at ACC.06 and i2 Summit, says ACC.06 Co-chair James H. Stein, M.D., F.A.C.C. Even more exciting is the new approach toward Oral Abstracts, which will be set in a smaller, more intimate setting, enabling attendees to interact more with the presenters and allowing for more discussion of the findings.

Also special this year at ACC.06 will be the electronic abstracts available in Electrophysiology and Imaging. Attendees will be able to log-in from computer terminals and see images such as a beating heart and various procedures as part of an exciting, new self-directed learning format. E-abstracts is an online multimedia delivery system that offers a wide choice of display enhancements, including the viewing of digital medical imagery such as photos, movies, and PowerPoint slides. E-abstracts also offer the ability for viewers to interact with the “online presenter” by submitting an email, thereby increasing viewer engagement and interactivity with the system.

Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit 2006 promises to be a groundbreaking event for interventional cardiology — and for non-cardiac interventions. VIVA@i2 brings the interactive learning attendees have experienced at the Las Vegas VIVA event to Atlanta for i2. VIVA@i2 will cover the most exciting areas of non-cardiac vascular disease, including diagnosis and treatment of carotid, renal, aortic and lower extremity arterial and aneurysmal disease. Using the unique educational tool, Laptop Learning™, attendees will be able to ask questions from their own seats, review PowerPoint presentations at their own speed, scroll through pertinent medical literature, delve into more detail about devices and view the latest patient education materials on vascular medicine. VIVA taped cases will include Carotid Artery Stenting, Renal Artery Intervention, Iliac Artery Intervention and Infrainguinal Artery Intervention.

Join Newt Gingrich at ACC.06 as he talks about the critical value of electronic health records (EHRs). The former Speaker of the House is the founder of the Center for Health Transformation, a collaboration of leaders dedicated to the creation of a 21st Century Intelligent Health System that saves lives and saves money. His remarks will focus on the keys to health transformation: patient safety and patient outcomes; information and communication technology; a system and culture of quality; and individual knowledge, responsibility, and power to choose. Other panelists include: Dr. Pat Breaux, M.D., F.A.C.C.; Dr. Allen Taylor, M.D., F.A.C.C.; and Dr. Mike Mirro, M.D., F.A.C.C. They will address lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and present case studies on how the military and other physicians are using EHRs today. The session, “The Vanishing Patient: Hurricane Katrina and the Critical Value of EHR,” is scheduled for Monday, March 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

ACC.06 and i2 Summit 2006 feature a lot of material, but two sessions need your special attention: the ACC.06 and i2 Summit Opening Session: Presidential Address, Keynote Address, and Meetings Preview, 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, March 11 and the Closing Meeting Highlights Session, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 14. ACC President Pamela S. Douglas, M.D., F.A.C.C., opens both meetings in a session that will also feature the Simon Dack Lecture, “Genomic Medicine: The Future of Cardiovascular Disease,” by Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., director, NHLBI, and the Presidential Citation Award winner and Donald Berwick, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

The Meeting Highlights Session for both ACC.06 and Innovation in Intervention: i2 Summit 2006 will feature the best from both sessions. It’s a way to catch up with the hottest science news that has taken place throughout the meeting. Be sure to be there to wrap up both meetings on Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Georgia World Congress Center.