Heart Failure and Ventricular Assist Devices
While the demand for heart transplantation has increased, the limited availability of hearts has remained constant. To bridge this gap, VADs are being used to enable patients to survive until a heart becomes available, or in some cases, to extend the lives of patients who do not qualify for a heart transplant. Managing patients on chronic VAD support requires regular patient follow-up and multidisciplinary care teams. This presentation will review management strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality in heart failure patients supported chronically with VADs and describe candidate selection, outpatient strategies to optimize device performance, complications that warrant close monitoring, heart failure management, and currently available devices.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to
- Review management strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality in heart failure patients supported chronically with VADs
- Describe candidate selection, outpatient strategies to optimize device performance, and complications that warrant close monitoring
- Provide an overview of the VADs currently available
Faculty Listing
Suzanne Chilcott, BSN, RN
Mechanical Circulatory Support Lead
Sharp Memorial Hospital
San Diego, California
Disclosures of Relevant Financial Relationships
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial SupportSM, OptumHealth Education requires all those involved in the development of activity content to disclose their relevant financial relationships. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if such person (or their spouse/partner) has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services are discussed in the activity content over which the individual has control.
OptumHealth Education ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.
Faculty Disclosure
Suzanne Chilcott, BSN, RN has reported the following:
Consultant: Thoratec
Activity Planners
Sarah Chart-Hart, RN
Senior Director
OptumHealth Education
Rebecca Gleason, RN, CCM
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education
Martha L. New, BSN, RN, CCTC
Transplant Case Coordinator
Optum
Anne M. Sendaydiego, PharmD
AMS Consulting, LLC
Louisville, Kentucky
V. Silverstein, MD
Eagle Creek Medical Communications
Durham, North Carolina
Activity Planner Disclosures
Ms Chart, Ms Gleason, and Ms New have indicated that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.
Drs Sendaydiego and Silverstein have indicated that they have no relevant financial relationships.
Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity.
For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.
Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:
- Completing the entire activity
- Completing the Pre- and Post-Activity Assessments, Activity Evaluation, and Application for Certificate of Credit forms
You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Get started by clicking “Begin” and viewing the “CE Info”; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save, or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found under “My Account”, “My Activities.”
Accreditation Statement
OptumHealth Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit Designation Statements
Physicians
OptumHealth Education designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Physician Assistants
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses
The participant will be awarded up to 0.75 contact hour(s) of credit for attendance and completion of supplemental materials.
Nurse Practitioners
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Case Managers
Please note: In accordance with the CCMC policy, learners are required to take a minimum of one full hour (60 minutes) of continuing education (CE) from the activity: “Transplantation: The Essentials of Solid Organ and Blood/Marrow Transplant Management” to be awarded CCMC credit.
Pharmacists
This activity is approved for 0.75 contact hour(s) ([0.075] CEU) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 0.75 contact hour(s). Unique Activity Number(s): 0860-0000-15-015-H01-P
Attendance
A certificate of attendance will be provided to learners upon completion of activity requirements, enabling participants to register with licensing boards or associations that have not been pre-approved for credits. To apply for credit types not listed above, participants should use the procedure established by the specific organization to which you wish you apply credit.
Method for Calculating CE Credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.
Provided By
This activity is provided by OptumHealth Education.
Commercial Support
There was no commercial support received for this activity.
Hardware/Software Requirements
To view this activity you will need Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox 3.0+ with Windows Media Player 9+, RealPlayer 12+, or Adobe Flash Player 9+. Be sure to disable your pop-up blocking software prior to the beginning of this activity.
Target Audience
This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of case managers, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, and other health care professionals who are interested in ventricular assist devices (VAD).
This activity consists of recorded presentations from "Transplantation: The Essentials of Solid Organ and Blood/Marrow Transplant Management" held in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 13-14, 2015.
Available Credit
- 0.75 ACPE - Pharmacists
- 0.75 AMA - Physicians
- 0.75 ANCC - Nurses
- 0.75 Attendance - General Attendance
- 0.75 CCMC - General - Case Managers