August 03, 2022

CAST-AF 2022!

33 minutes

Show Notes - All Things Afib - CAST-AF 2022 with Dr. Bradley Knight

So many legends in the AFib world are excited about the upcoming Catheter and Surgical Therapies for Atrial Fibrillation (CAST AF) Conference happening at the end of August in Chicago. Here to speak with me about some of the sessions is my esteemed guest Dr. Bradley Knight, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern at Northwestern Medicine.

We’ll discuss some of what you’ll see and hear at this world-class conference, happening Friday and Saturday, August 26-27 at the Radisson Blu Aqua in Chicago, IL. The talks scheduled are only 10-15 minutes each, with plenty of time built in for questions and discussion after each section. From AI to PFA, wearables, and other forward-looking AFib topics, presenters and technology, register now to attend and get intense, high-yield information, theories, and technology that you can put into practice the very next day you return to work!

Dr. Knight is the Chester C. and Deborah M. Cooley Distinguished Professor of Cardiology at Northwestern University, and has been the Director of the Heart Rhythm Program at the BCVI, since November 1, 2009. He earned his BS in Public Health/Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and his MD at the Ohio State University. After completing his training in Medicine, Cardiology, and Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Michigan, he joined the Michigan faculty in 1997. He later served as the Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Chicago from 2002 to 2009.

As the Medical Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology at Northwestern Medicine, Dr. Knight remains clinically active with a broad range of clinical and research interests in the field of Heart Rhythm Disorders. These interests range from catheter ablation for complex arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, to fundamental issues related to the basic mechanisms of various types of arrhythmias, and the use of imaging in the electrophysiology laboratory to guide ablation procedures and device implantation. He is involved in several multi-center clinical trials that are evaluating novel ablation tools and implantable devices, including the cryoballoon for pulmonary vein isolation, the totally subcutaneous implantable defibrillator, and left atrial appendage occlusion devices. He has coauthored over 300 scientific papers and is on the editorial board of several high-impact medical journals. He has served on the ABIM CCEP Exam Writing Committee for ten years, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology (JCE) and EPLab Digest.

All Things Afib is hosted by me, Dr. Armin Kiankhooy. As a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, my focus is on advanced treatments for heart and lung failure and minimally-invasive surgical treatments for atrial fibrillation such as the Hybrid Maze procedure. You can find me on staff at Adventist Health Heart and Vascular Institute in St. Helena California.

Discussion points:

This may be the best conference happening in the world today

Focus on interventional therapies

Structure of the conference, short and intense for high-yield information

The collaborative methods in practice at Northwestern

Hot Topic: Pulse Field Ablation and it’s many advantages

Talking tech: Devices and wearables

The new approaches - using anticoags, closing the left atriral appendage, LAOS III and reducing stroke risks

Training programs at Northwestern – new opportunities

The differences in training from only ten years ago are staggering

Resources:

Dr. Bradley Knight LinkedIn