Panasonic Sponsors SHAPE Symposium on Cardiovascular Imaging of Asymptomatic
Atherosclerosis – Coronary Calcium and Carotid IMT

 

The SHAPE Prevention Summit 2009 Focuses on Screening of the Asymptomatic Population: From Guidelines to Legislation to Practice

 

“Our job is far from done. We must now embark on educating both physicians and patients on what to do with the results of the test. No diagnostic test saves life; it is the therapeutic interventions after testing that makes the difference.”

“The passage of the first preventive cardiovascular screening bill can open a new path in preventive cardiovascular care, the implications of which can go beyond Texas.”

 

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) October 18, 2009 — The passage of the first Heart Attack Preventive Screening Bill in Texas (HB1290) has created a great interest among physicians and patients to learn more about heart attack preventive screening. The Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE), which supported passing the law, is an organization guided by world renowned cardiovascular specialists, researchers, patient volunteers, and preventive healthcare advocates who are drawn together by the vision of eradicating heart attacks. In continuing its educational activities, the SHAPE organization will be holding its 18th educational event in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association.

 

SHAPE and its predecessor, the Association for Eradication of Heart Attack (AEHA), have held 17 symposia to raise awareness of education and research for early detection of the vulnerable patient, i.e. the individual at risk of sudden heart attack in the near future. For the upcoming SHAPE symposium the main focus of the discussions will be screening for early detection and treatment of asymptomatic atherosclerotic patients. This year’s symposium is particularly significant since it comes after the passage of the first preventive cardiovascular screening act, which was passed in Texas. Thus, SHAPE Task Force members and distinguished cardiovascular specialists will also embark on educating physicians to practice careful and responsible implementation of comprehensive heart attack risk assessment and reduction strategy as mandated in the preventive screening cardiovascular law.

 

“This is a monumental legislation that can become a bold milestone in the history of eradicating heart attacks in decades to come,” said Dr. Morteza Naghavi, founder of SHAPE, and Chairman of the SHAPE Task Force who testified at the Texas House of Representative. “Our job is far from done. We must now embark on educating both physicians and patients on what to do with the results of the test. No diagnostic test saves life; it is the therapeutic interventions after testing that makes the difference.”

In the early spring of 2010, the first preventive cardiovascular screening act is poised to go into effect in Texas. The legislation will require reimbursement of up to $200 for either a non-contrast computer tomography (CT) scan measuring coronary artery calcification, commonly known as calcium scoring exam, or ultrasonography measuring carotid intima-media thickness and plaque. It will benefit men, between ages 45 and 75, and women, between ages 55 and 75, who are at intermediate risk of a heart attack according to their Framingham Risk Score.

 

“The passage of the first preventive cardiovascular screening bill can open a new path in preventive cardiovascular care, the implications of which can go beyond Texas,” said Dr. P.K. Shah, Director of Cardiology at Cedars Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, a principal member of the SHAPE Task Force and an active member of the American Heart Association.

 

The SHAPE symposium will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Rosen Plaza at 7-9 PM, November 15, 2009. The event will be co-hosted with the Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging and Prevention (SAIP) and is solely sponsored by Panasonic Corporation. Click here to view agenda.

Register now at www.shapesociety.org and receive a complimentary Panasonic BP Monitor.

The death of K. Dun Gifford, Mediterranean diet advocate

 

Agenda:

 

Opening: Morteza Naghavi, M.D.,
Update on the Texas Heart Attack Preventive Screening Law

Moderator: Roger Blumenthal, M.D.

Faculty Panel: Daniel Berman, M.D., Erling Falk, M.D., Ph.D., Harvey Hecht, M.D., Sanjay Kaul, M.D., Khurram Nasir, M.D., John Rumberger, M.D., Ph.D., and Leslee Shaw, Ph.D.

Focus: Screening for Early Detection and Treatment of Asymptomatic Atherosclerotic Patients

SHAPE Preventive Screening: Treatment Should Depend on Atherosclerosis Rather than Risk Factors of Atherosclerosis
Erling Falk
30 minutes

Carotid IMT Screening
Daniel H. O’Leary
30 minutes

Coronary Calcium Screening
Matthew Budoff, M.D.
30 minutes

Latest in Carotid IMT: Operator-Independent Measurement using Automated Frequency Domain Analysis
Steve Feinstein, M.D.
30 minutes

Open Floor Discussion

Closing: Roger Blumenthal, M.D.

 

About SHAPE

 

Originated from the Texas Medical Center in Houston, the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE) is a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Morteza Naghavi, a former faculty of the Texas Heart Institute and the University of Texas in Houston. The mission of SHAPE is to promote education and research related to mechanism, prevention, detection, and treatment of heart attacks. The organization is committed to raising public awareness about recent revolutionary discoveries that opened exciting new avenues to prevent heart attack. SHAPE’s mission is to eradicate heart attacks in the 21st century. Additional information is available on the organization’s Web site at shapesociety.org or call 1-877-SHAPE11

 

About SHAPE Task Force

 

Chairman: Morteza Naghavi, M.D. Editorial Committee: Prediman K. Shah, M.D. (Chief); (alphabetic order): Raymond Bahr, M.D., Daniel Berman, M.D., Roger Blumenthal, M.D., Matthew J. Budoff, M.D., Jay Cohn, M.D., Erling Falk, M.D., Ph.D., Ole Faergeman, M.D., Zahi Fayad, Ph.D., Harvey S. Hecht, M.D., Wolfgang Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., Daniel Lane, M.D., Ph.D., Morteza Naghavi, M.D., John Rumberger, M.D., Ph.D., Allen J. Taylor, M.D. Writing Group: Erling Falk, M.D., Ph.D. (Coordinator); (alphabetic order): Juhani Airaksinen, M.D., Dan Arking, Ph.D., Juan Badimon, Ph.D., Raymond Bahr, M.D., Daniel Berman, M.D., Matthew J. Budoff, M.D., Jay Cohn, M.D., Jasenka Demirovic, M.D., Ph.D., Pamela Douglas, M.D., Ole Faergeman, M.D., Zahi Fayad, Ph.D., James A. Goldstein, M.D., Harvey S. Hecht, M.D., Victoria L.M. Herrera, M.D., Sanjay Kaul, M.D., M.P.H., Wolfgang Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., Robert A. Mendes, M.D., Morteza Naghavi, M.D.; Tasneem Z. Naqvi, M.D., Ward A. Riley, Ph.D., Yoram Rudy, PhD, John Rumberger, M.D., Ph.D., Leslee Shaw, Ph.D., Robert S. Schwartz, M.D., Arturo G. Touchard, M.D. Advisors (alphabetic order): Arthur Agagston, M.D., Stephane Carlier, M.D., Ph.D., Raimund Erbel, M.D., Chris deKorte, Ph.D., Craig Hartley, Ph.D., Ioannis Kakadiaris, Ph.D., Roxana Mehran, M.D., Ralph Metcalfe, Ph.D., Daniel O’Leary, M.D., Jan Nilsson, M.D., Gerard Pasterkamp, M.D., Ph.D., Paul Schoenhagen, M.D., Henrik Sillesen, M.D., Ph.D.