THE 5TH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE CONFERENCE IN DUBAI DISCUSSES NEW GUIDELINES IN THE FIELD OF CARDIOLOGY

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance, and President of Dubai Health Authority, and supported by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, the 5th Annual Case Based Approach to Controversies in Cardiovascular Disease Conference concluded today in Dubai, UAE. The conference, in collaboration with Emirates Cardiac Society, was organized by Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic from USA. 

Mr. Abdullah Bin Souqat, Executive Director of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences said, “The uniqueness of this conference is that speakers present all topics in a ‘real world’ case-based format, which encourages participation and debate among the faculty and attendees. We have realized that a number of delegates return every year to attend the conference, and a share of attendees came from different countries, an evident that Dubai is a hub for medical conferences that attract delegates from across the globe. Sheikh Hamdan Award for Medical Sciences is committed to continuously to support this conference, and other unique medical conferences in Dubai. We are honored that the conference is under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the patron and supporter of continuing medical education in the UAE. I would like to thank Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic from USA for their dedication and support in organizing this robust educational activity every year for our medical community.” 

“We’re very excited about the value the case-based approach brought to this conference,” said Joseph Maalouf, M.D., course director and cardiologist at Mayo Clinic. “The ideal situation for medical professionals is to observe new treatments first-hand at the patient’s side or in an operating theatre. We can’t do that in a conference setting, so we did the next-best thing, which is to take these medical professionals through a real case involving a real patient and let them share the patient experience and understand, evaluate and ask questions about the treatment provided.”

Venu Menon, M.D., staff cardiologist in cardiovascular imaging and director of the coronary care unit at Cleveland Clinic’s Heart & Vascular Institute said, “Decision-making in the setting of complex clinical cases is challenging. Atypical cases do not have textbook answers and listening to how experienced clinicians handle these problems provides a unique educational opportunity. During the conference, I have presented complex valvular heart disease cases aiming for the audience to learn by the clinical discussions that ensued.”

Oussama Wazni, M.D., staff physician in cardiac electrophysiology and pacing at Cleveland Clinic commented, “We discussed new strategies to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation patients including new anticoagulants and left atrial appendage occlusion. By the end of the conference, the attendees leave with new knowledge and often a new perspective in managing common but often complex patient scenarios they encounter on a daily basis.”

Prevention experts at the conference spoke about the role of a new agent to reduce LDL cholesterol in patients at risk of heart diseases. There was much anticipation surrounding these new drugs and the faculty provided details on which patients can benefit from this treatment.

Experts also presented results from the newest trials in the area of structural heart disease and provided attendees with the most recent data surrounding patient selection and outcomes. There was also a productive discussion on the complications following interventions for these patients. New information and guidelines on stroke prevention in the setting of atrial fibrillation was also provided. 

Today included case presentations about unexplained chest pain, pregnant women with heart problems, and aortic bioprosthetic thrombosis, and concluded with a satellite symposium on developments for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. 

Course directors and speakers came from Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic in USA, in addition to some prominent physicians in the cardiovascular field from the UAE. Over 300 delegates attended the conference, which was accredited for 14 Continuous Medical Education hours from UAE University and was managed by InfoPlus Events LLC.