STS News, Spring 2018 -- Clinical trials in durable mechanical circulatory support (MCS), the use of these devices in children, and challenges to the paradigm of durable continuous-flow rotary pumps are just a few of the topics that will be explored at the 2018 STS Intermacs Meeting.
With the addition of the STS Intermacs Database as the fourth component of the STS National Database (see Winter 2018 issue of STS News), the Society is continuing a tradition by planning a 1.5-day conference that will be held May 11-12 in Rosemont, Illinois, near O’Hare International Airport.
The meeting is designed not only for STS Intermacs Database participants, but also for anyone involved in the care of heart failure patients, including cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, nurse specialists, and other members of the multidisciplinary health care team.
“The meeting will be informative and enlightening,” said Robert L. Kormos, MD, Chair of the STS Intermacs Database Task Force. “We’ll provide snapshots of research performed with Intermacs data, discussion of controversial topics, debates, and presentations on new technology that’s still in development.”
The program begins Friday afternoon, May 11, with experts reviewing quality of life measures, as well as discussing data input and data use for the STS Intermacs Database. Presentations will cover isolated durable right ventricular assist devices (VADs), de novo aortic insufficiency on left VAD support, continuous-flow VADs in pediatric patients, VAD implants for children with congenital heart disease, and biventricular assist devices in children. In addition, a focus will be placed on how to use Intermacs data for quality improvement and developing quality measures in one’s institution. The Friday session ends with poster abstract presentations and a wine and cheese reception.
On Saturday, the meeting will begin with an outline of where the STS Intermacs Database is going in the future and details of new initiatives, such as data requests for research purposes. Other sessions will cover clinical trials in durable MCS, adverse events, MCS in the pediatric population, engineering better pumps and electronics, and new MCS devices.
| View the full agenda and register for the meeting at sts.org/intermacsmeeting. |