American College of Cardiology

Subscribe today and each month you'll be able to listen to ACCEL on studio-quality audio CDs and/or Online MP3 files. Leading cardiovascular specialists speak directly to you, sharing their expertise and insights on the most important issues of the day. Listen while you fly to a meeting, drive to work, or exercise. ACCEL is completely spontaneous, often controversial, and always stimulating.

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Formats -CD (includes access to online MP3 format) -Online MP3
ACCEL delivered outside of North America, add for postage: $30 (1 year), $60 (2 years)

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Earn up to 3.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits per issue (must be a subscriber at the time of publication).

Looking for a specific interview or researching a topic? Reference the easy-to-use index of past ACCEL interviews. Many ACCEL issues as far back as 2001 are available for $25 per issue. Call 800-253-4636, ext. 694 or 202-375-6694 for availability and to place your order.

About CME Credit for ACCEL
The American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The ACCF designates this educational activity for a maximum of 42 Category 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ACCEL does not provide extensive training or offer certification in the field of cardiology.

ACCF Learner Bill of Rights
As an ACCF participant you have the right to expect:

• Content that promotes improvements in quality in healthcare
• Content that is valid, reliable and accurate
• Contributions based on the best scientific evidence available
• Balanced presentations, free of commercial bias
• Disclosure of relationships with industry
• Disclosure of off label usage

Each contributor has attested to provide the above. Please evaluate the activity for its effectiveness in meeting the identified need and accomplishing the above bill of rights.

About ACCEL
This educational activity consists of audio interviews, accessible via CD, and online self-assessment questions. While offering the CME credits noted above, ACCEL is not intended to provide extensive training or certification in the field.

Target Audience
ACCEL is intended for all health care professionals who practice/study cardiovascular medicine.

Learning Objective
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be familiar with many of the recent advances in cardiovascular medicine.

ACCF’s DISCLOSURE/CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY
It is the policy of the American College of Cardiology that audiences for any ACCF programs, products, policies, services and scientific publications (“activities”) must be informed, prior to their participation, of ACCF’s and individual ACCF contributors’ relevant relationships with commercial interests in any proprietary entity producing health care goods or services (with the exception of nonprofit or government organizations and non-health care related companies). Contributors will include directors, planners, reviewers, moderators, speakers, faculty and authors and editors of programs, products, services and publications. All such contributors must disclose relevant relationships to ACCF annually in accordance with the policies and procedures described in this statement. ACCF will identify and resolve all conflicts of interest prior to a contributor’s participation in the program, product, policy, service and/or scientific publication.

ACCF’s policy also incorporates adherence to the following guidance:

1. American Medical Association’s (AMA) Opinion 8.061, “Gifts to Physicians from Industry” (adopted December 1990) and Opinion 9.011, “Ethical Issues on CME” (adopted by the AMA in December 1993 and updated June 1996).
2. Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s (ACCME) “Standards for Commercial Support.”
3. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) “Principles to Guide the Relationship Between Graduate Medical Education and Industry.”
4. American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation, “Unit Operations Criterion.”

The ACCF very much appreciates the time, talent, and many contributions made by members of ACCEL’s Editorial Board. Please note that while Editorial Board members suggest topics for interviews, they do not have influence over the interviews that are selected for publication each month. To view the full list of the ACCEL Editorial Board members’ conflicts of interest, visit http://www.acc.org/accel_disclosures.htm

Disclaimer
The questions and answers for ACCEL CME are designed to stimulate thinking and motivate readers to further research. Answers are based on the best judgment of the author at the time the question was written. New knowledge, insights, and perspectives may cause the reader to disagree with an author’s answer. The American College of Cardiology Foundation encourages thoughtful discussion and consideration of each question’s answer.

Notice About Off-Label Use
ACCEL may include discussion of drugs or devices, or uses of drugs or devices, that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or have been approved by the FDA for specific uses only. The FDA has stated that it is the responsibility of the physician to determine the FDA clearance status of each drug or device he or she wishes to use in clinical practice.

ACCF is committed to the free exchange of medical education. Inclusion of any discussion in this program, including discussion of off-label uses, does not imply an endorsement by ACCF of the uses, products, or techniques presented.

Copyright
ACCEL is copyrighted by the American College of Cardiology Foundation through the Library of Congress and thereby reserves all rights of duplication and distribution of the information contained in ACCEL. Use of the ACCEL CDs for purposes other than individual or small group study is prohibited. The College does not hold itself responsible for statements made by any contributor. Statements or opinions expressed in ACCEL reflect the views of the author and do not represent official policy of the American College of Cardiology Foundation, unless otherwise stated.