Practical Cardiology for Everyday Practice

Darcy Adin, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology),
Small Animal Hospital Chief Medical Officer, Clinical Professor of Cardiology,
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida
Dr. Darcy Adin also serves as the Assistant Dean of Small Animal Hospitals and directs the Open Heart Surgery Program. She received her DVM from Cornell University in 1996. She completed a cardiology residency at the University of California, Davis in 1999, with ACVIM board certification in Cardiology in 2000. Dr. Adin has held positions in both academic and private specialty practice. Her clinical research focuses on the investigation of diuretic treatments and neurohormonal modulation of congestive heart failure.  

Seminar Day-Thursday, September 11th

Practical Cardiology for Everyday Practice

8:30 am-9:00 am
Onsite attendees: Registration and Continental Breakfast
Online attendees: Log into WebEx

9:00 am-10:00 am-Approach to Cardiology in Clinical Practice
Referral to a cardiologist is not always an option for dogs and cats with heart disease. This lecture will focus on the information that can be gleaned from a detailed physical examination and history, and the use of patient profiling to guide limited diagnostic testing. Specific treatment options, prognoses and anesthetic considerations for common congenital and acquired cardiac diseases that might be encountered in the general practice or shelter setting will be discussed. 

10:00 am-11:00am-Using Cardiac Biomarkers in Clinical Practice
Cardiac biomarkers are increasingly being used to screen dogs and cats for heart disease and can add information regarding severity, prognosis and response to treatment.  This presentation will discuss the physiologic basis for the use of NT-proBNP and cardiac troponin I testing in dogs and cats as well as the appropriate use of these tests. Case material will be used to discuss interpretation of cardiac biomarker values in light of different clinical situations as well as ways in which management and diagnostic plans may be affected by test results.

11:00 am-11:10 am-Break

11:10 am-12:10 pm-Advances in the Medical Management of Heart Failure in Dogs
This presentation will focus on new and established approaches to the management of congestive heart failure in dogs and cats. New research data surrounding diuretics, pimobendan, and RAAS-inhibitors will be discussed and integrated into a practical, tailored management strategy for clinical patients. Approach to the difficult or refractory CHF patient will also be touched upon, with focus on improving the quality of life as much as possible for veterinary patients with heart failure.

12:10 pm-1:00 pm-Lunch

1:00 pm-2:00 pm-Cardiology Emergency Pearls
Urgent case scenarios involving cough, dyspnea and collapse will be utilized to discuss the approach in general practice to cardiac emergencies. Specific goals will be the differentiation of cardiac from non-cardiac causes of cough, stage-specific treatment of heart disease, diagnosis and acute management of congestive heart failure, as well as diagnosis and treatment of various causes of collapse including pulmonary hypertension, arrhythmias and pericardial effusion.

2:00 pm-2:10 pm-Break

2:10 pm-3:10 pm-Cardiac Arrhythmias During Anesthesia: Diagnosis and Management
Cardiac arrhythmias can be exacerbated or caused by anesthetic medications, and can contribute to patient instability or even death. This presentation will focus on the thorough evaluation for underlying cardiac disease prior to anesthesia and careful selection of anesthetic medications which are essential actions to reduce the risk for anesthesia-associated arrhythmias.  Strategies for the prompt identification and treatment of clinically important arrhythmias during anesthetic procedures will be discussed.  

3:10 pm-3:20 pm-Break

3:20 pm-4:20 pm-Managing Feline Arterial Thromboembolism
Feline arterial thromboembolism (FATE) is a devastating complication of heart disease in cats.  The objectives of this presentation are to understand the prevalence and risk of FATE, the underlying diseases and risk factors that predispose to it, clinical recognition, treatment options and prognosis.  We will also touch on addressing some of the complications that can occur in cats with FATE. 

The Academy Seminar is Generously Sponsored by