Cardiology experts from Canada and around the world will gather in Montreal next week to attend the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC), the largest gathering of cardiovascular and allied healthcare professionals in the country. The Congress draws hundreds of speakers highlighting innovations in cardiovascular science, disease prevention, treatment and recovery. This year, CCC is taking place at the Palais des congrès de Montréal from Thursday, October 24 to Sunday, October 27, and just like last year, The Beat will have a front row seat for all the action. Our editorial team will be on-site to document some of the latest beats from one of Canada’s longest running medical meetings.
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Looking Back: Past Coverage from CCC 2018
Here’s a look back at some of our most recent coverage from last year’s CCC, held in Toronto.
High School Student’s Study Promising for Yogis
Soon-to-be doctor Ashok Pandey, a then 11th grade student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, was the youngest investigator to present at the Congress last year in Toronto. He introduced his research into the effects of yoga on global cardiovascular risk to a room full of doctors more than three-times his age.
"There is very little research looking into the effects of yoga overall on cardiovascular health."
– Ashok Pandey.
Read the story and watch our short video interview.
Do Standard Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs Fail Patients with Atrial Fibrillation?
Dr. Jennifer Reed, a scientist in the Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation and Director of the Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health Laboratory at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, presented compelling research into the impact of cardiac rehabilitation on changes in quality of life, mental health and cardiometabolic health indicators in patients with or without persistent or permanent atrial fibrillation. The study revealed that patients with AF do achieve improvements in quality of life, but not to the same extent as those without.
“If you don’t have atrial fibrillation, you achieve significantly greater gains in quality of life. If you’re a heart disease patient without AF you will benefit to a greater degree with regards to quality of life than a patient who has this condition.”
– Dr. Jennifer Reed.
Read the story and watch our short video interview.
A Retrospective Look for a Brighter Future for First Nations’ Heart Health
First Nations people are believed to experience high rates of ischemic heart disease, a leading cause of death in Canada, and an important topic of discussion among last year’s Congress attendees. Dr. Annette Schultz, a principal investigator with St. Boniface Hospital Research Centre, addressed how increased access to angiograms may lead to improved outcomes for Indigenous populations.
“We need to look at the system and how the system is now failing First Nations [people] when it comes to heart disease.”
– Annette Shultz.
Read the story and watch our short video interview.
Closer to the Heart: Why Proximity Matters for Improved Cardiac Rehab
Cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention programs are recommended for patients with cardiovascular disease, however participation in these programs is believed to be alarmingly low. Dr. Joseph A. Ricci of Scarborough and Rouge Hospital said access to rehabilitation is limited because patients have multiple barriers to attendance. Dr. Ricci said programs are too often not offered close enough to home, and that a re-imagined model might produce favourable outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease.
“The problem we faced was to increase access to the services that would save patients’ lives, provide the service close to home by a professional workforce and ‘de-medicalize’ it so patients are comfortable and stay in the program.”
– Dr. Joseph A. Ricci.
Read the story and watch our short video interview.
Is CABG Better than Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?
Dr. Louise Sun, a staff anesthesiologist in Division of Cardiac Anesthesiology at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, presented her research into the differences in long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) compared to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as strategies for treating patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.
“We found CABG definitely led to better outcomes over the long term compared to PCI.”
– Dr. Louise Sun.
Read the story and watch our short video interview.