The 31st annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET) [1] kicked off this week in Hollywood, Florida, where more than 800 physicians and other healthcare professionals from around the world are receiving practical and hands-on education about the latest endovascular approaches, techniques and technologies. At the annual meeting, new types of procedures and treatments for cardiac and vascular disease – such as aortic aneurysms, balloon angioplasty and stenting, and peripheral artery disease (PAD) – are often presented for the first time by international faculty renowned as experts in their field.
“For three decades we have been providing clinicians with premier endovascular education,” said Barry T. Katzen, M.D. [2], founder and chief medical executive of Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute [3]. “Innovative thinking, determination and dedication to excellence are hallmarks of our great field, and we recognize that clinician education must continually change as the needs of patients and the healthcare landscape change,” Dr. Katzen added. Dr. Katzen created the ISET forum in 1989.
(Video: Barry T. Katzen, M.D, founder and chief medical executive of Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute discusses the importance of education, innovation and using a multidisciplinary approach when treating complex cardiovascular cases.)
The educational topics and offerings available to this year’s symposium attendees includes:
• Late-breaking trials and new information. A significant number of new research is being presented at ISET for the first time in the United States, and some are even making their worldwide debut.
• Medical management of vascular disease. While ISET programming remains largely technology- and innovation-driven, this year it also covers a basic, yet critically important component of extreme vascular disease. Critical limb ischemia (CLI), in particular, is one severe illness becoming an epidemic. The incidence of amputations is a devastating problem worldwide, so reducing amputation rates and deaths from it and other vascular diseases is critical.
• Live surgical procedures from around the world. A fundamental goal of ISET is to leave attendees with important information they can take back and use immediately at their own hospitals and medical institutions – no matter where in the world they are located. This year ISET welcomed the addition of live surgical cases from sites in Houston, Tennessee and Germany.
• Interactive case presentations. Another exciting enhancement this year is the use of advanced video technology to provide a “virtual” view into rooms where endovascular procedures are performed. Broadcast from Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, this year’s interactive presentations help the audience feel like they’re in the procedure suite, giving a real-time look at leading physicians’ methods and techniques. Showcasing the “how to” parts of innovative cardiac and vascular treatment procedures this way enables physicians to feel more comfortable about going back and perhaps performing a “first” innovative procedure of their own in their community.