GP Symposium 2019

GP Symposium Programme - Saturday 19^th October 2019

Waipuna Conference Centre, Mt Wellington

Conversations about Cardiology Cases:

"Cardiology in the home or hospital?"

Workshops: Repeated Sessions: 0735 – 0820am , 0825 – 0910am

• ECGs: David Heaven / Nezar Amir
• Syncope – when to worry: Warren Smith

Most syncopal events have a benign cause, but when should we worry. This session will help highlight the red flags and identify who should be referred for urgent assessment

• The 7 ages of man: murmurs – When to worry?: Ross Nicholson / Arthur Coverdale 
• Occupational cardiology: Cara Wasywich / Boris Lowe

Of itself being diagnosed with a cardiac condition can cause enough worry for an individual. The impact on their ability to work is often not appreciated. Restrictions may be placed on driving / flying or diving. We often have a legal obligation to advise on this. The session will review current recommendations that we must be aware of and our responsibility

• Exercise prescription in cardiology: Ivor Gerber / Eleanor Natrass

Exercise is a key part of any primary preventative program, and often a therapeutic part of a treatment program once cardiac disease is identified. This session will recommendations for exercise in patients with cardiac disease – who we should restrict and who can be unrestricted + how to assess who is safe to push themselves

 

BREAK (0910-0920)

Main sessions :

 

 

Introduction and admin: 9:20 - 0930

Heart failure : 9:30 to 10:45: Chair: Ted Clarke

• Diagnosis and non pharmacological treatment  Rob Doughty / Nezar Amir (0930-1000)

Heart failure remains a clinical diagnosis with investigations supporting it and helping identify aetiology / guide on Rx + assess response to treatment. Non pharmacological therapy is an important part of management of any disease. This session will review how we diagnosis heart failure in 2019 and the importance of lifestyle measures in management

 

• What is optimum medical therapy for heart failure? Tom Pasley / Tim Sutton (1000 – 1030)

We are all familiar with diuretics, ACEi inhibitors / ARBs , β-blockers and MRAs (mineralocorticoid antagonists) and their importance in heart failure management, but what is “optimum medical treatment” in 2019. What new agents are available and where do they fit?

 

• Questions and answer session: Presenters and Cara Wasywich (1030-1045)

 

MORNING TEA (1045 – 1115)           

 

Arrhythmias: 11:15 to 1245: Chair: Jim Stewart

Atrial fibrillation

• Who should be considered for referral cardioversion and when: acute or delayed? Andrew Martin / Jith Somaratne (1115 – 1145)

When a patient presents with AF how to we decide who should be rate controlled and who should we treat with a rhythm control approach. If pursuing a rhythm control approach who should be referred acutely for cardioversion and who for a delayed one. This session will address these issues

 

• Which anticoagulant? Which, who, when and for how long  Ruvin Gabriel / Jamie Voss (1145 - 1215)

Choosing the right anticoagulant strategy for any individual with AF is the most important aspect of their management. But no pill / aspirin / warfarin or NOAC? And which NOAC? This session will review the role each has to play in management and guide on choice / duration and monitoring of each agent

 

• Devices and their reports  David Heaven (1215 - 1235)

More and more patients have implanted cardiac devices (pacemakers / ICDs) that generate reports with diagnostic information – this may relate to arrhythmias, or even fluid status. On top of this the usage of smart technology with heart rate monitoring or even single lead ECG technology is increasing rapidly, providing patients with information. This session will cover how to interpret a pacemaker report and what are the key factors to miss, along with some discussion of managing the flood f smart technology information

 

• Questions and answer session: with presenters (1235 - 1245)

 

 

LUNCH TIME SESSION (1245 to 1345)

INTRA education session (1300 – 1330)

 

Prevention: (1345 – 1545) Chair: Peter Ruygrok

• Aspirin – what is its current place? Ralph Stewart / Anthony Kueh (1345-1415)

The place of aspirin in preventative cardiology is constantly changing. There is no question of its role in secondary prevention, but what are the current recommendations for 2019 – this session will review who should be on aspirin for primary prevention

 

• Statins at in the young and the old- who and when: Fiona Stewart / Jen-Li Looi (1415 - 1445)
  • Statin therapy is for life or is it? When should a statin be started in the young? And at what point does it become just another pill, often as part of polypharmacy. This session will cover statins in the young, with attention to familial hypercholesterolaemia, and prescription / continuation vs deprescription in the elderly
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• Hypertension: Malcolm Legget / Wil Harrison (1445 - 1515)

 

• Debate  “Everyone should have a Calcium score at the age of 50”

(1515 – 1545)

 

Pro: Colin Edwards Con: Chris Ellis

• 10 minutes for presentation of the case and 3 minutes for rebuttal
• Q & A Audience Participation

 

 

Closing remarks: 1545 – 1600         (Malcolm Legget)