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A Diverse, Stimulating Agenda
Clinical research is not the only topic of interest at TCT 2017.
Aside from the Late-Breaking Clinical Trials and First Report Investigations, TCT 2017 presents opportunities for attendees to gain insights from those in interventional cardiology and other fields. Here are some highlights.
Q&A With Tom Hanks
On Monday, Oct. 30, at 8:15 p.m., Tom Hanks, two-time Best Actor Academy Award winner, will participate in a question-and-answer session. He has starred in more than 40 films and has also served as a director. His production company, Playtone, has produced several award-winning television series. Attendees can submit questions to Hanks by emailing info@crf.org.
Innovation Sessions
On the mornings of Monday, Oct. 30, Tuesday, Oct. 31, and Wednesday, Nov. 1, there will be comprehensive sessions devoted to innovations in interventional cardiology. Topics include advanced diagnostics and robotics, TAVR innovation and 3-D printing, endovascular innovations, transseptal and tricuspid technologies, emerging coronary technologies and chronic total occlusion devices, primary PCI management and infarct-size reduction technologies, and interventional heart failure and structural heart interventions.
On Tuesday, Oct. 31, representatives from eight ventures will participate in the “Shark Tank” Innovation competition, in which they will attempt to convince a panel of technological, medical and financial experts to fund their concept. Technologies showcased will include a novel transcatheter mitral valve replacement technology, a data analytics project, a soft robotic cardiac assist device for patients with HF, an endovascular neuromodulation therapy for HF, an implantable peritoneal ultrafiltration system for treatment of fluid overload, a real-time vascular bleeding detection catheter, an interventional blood-flow reversal therapy for patients with critical limb ischemia and a lower-cost heart valve technology.
Didactic Tracks
One of the staples of TCT, the didactic sessions facilitate learning and discussion about new technologies, techniques and data, with participation by some of the foremost experts in interventional cardiology.
Among the topics covered will be interventional therapies for hypertension, left atrial appendage closure, radial access and intervention, above- and below-the-knee interventions, bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, transcatheter aortic and mitral valve therapies, aortic disease, cardiogenic shock, management of atrial fibrillation in patients with ACS and PCI, interventional HF therapies, patient foramen ovale closure and CTOs.
FDA Town Hall Meetings
There will be two FDA Town Hall meetings, one at 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30, and one at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Topics include the impact of regulation on 40 years of PCI and 15 years of TAVR, harnessing real-world evidence, diversity in clinical trials, early feasibility studies, regulatory perspectives on metallic DES and bioresorbable scaffolds, expansion of the TAVR patient population, mitral and tricuspid repair and replacement devices, percutaneous circulatory support devices and device-based hypertension treatments.
Live Cases
Extremely popular with attendees, live cases with detailed explanations and discussions will be streamed into the Main Arena at various times. Cases will be simulcast from Aurora, Colorado; Bonn, Germany; Detroit; Leipzig, Germany; Los Angeles; Milan; Miami; Nanjing, China; New York; São Paulo; and Taipei, Taiwan.
Featured Clinical Research
On Tuesday, Oct. 31, at noon, 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m., findings from various interventional cardiology studies will be presented to editors from respected journals such as Circulation, the European Heart Journal and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Learn the Technique Lunches
On Monday, Oct. 30, at noon, attendees will be able to attend a series of case reviews followed by roundtable discussions. Topic areas include acute infarct angioplasty and cardiogenic shock, below-the-knee access and intervention, complex adult congenital intervention, CTO antegrade and retrograde re-entry techniques, LAA occlusion tips and tricks, left main and bifurcation interventions, transradial access complications and venous disease and ablation.
Hot Topic Lunches
For those who are not content to take it easy during lunch, a series of brief debates and discussions are on the menu at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The fascinating and at times controversial topics include evidence and practice mismatches in PCI and TAVR, out-of-the-box ideas and experiences, chronic kidney disease and contrast nephropathy, complex coronary and structural dilemmas, peripheral drug-coated balloon technologies and outcomes and revascularization decisions for patients with diabetes.