Mayo Clinic Talks

Popular treatment options fail to recognize AF as a consequence of other problems and instead attempt to treat atrial fibrillation as if it were the problem itself. Dr Jim Seward joins Dr Chet Rihal to share his approach to preventing and treating AF. What role can ACE inhibitors and ARBs play?

Dr Veronique Roger joins Dr Bernard Gersh to review the latest data and share insight into what is now termed an epidemic. They examine the diversification of cases, the thorny issue of hospital readmissions, differences between multimorbidities and comorbidities, how to address end-of-life care, and why it's essential to establish a holistic approach to HF.

Dr Vuyisile Nkomo is joined by Dr Joseph Dearani for an update on the latest information pertaining to surgical valve repair—which valves fare best, why repair is better than replacement, novel surgical approaches, where to have repair done and risks, and the role of imaging in successful surgery.

What's the latest on the surgical treatment of thoracic aortic disease? Dr Juan Bowen catches up with Dr Alberto Pochettino on issues such as safety of surgical procedures and when to refer a patient for surgery, as well as an update on aortic-valve procedures and a review of technical advances in the field.

Thanks to important improvements in care, more than 85% of people with congenital heart disease are surviving well into adulthood. What is the best method to continue caring for these patients? Dr Joseph Dearani joins guest host Dr Naser Ammash to review treatment options and the healthcare professionals best suited to implement them and discuss the ideal of an integrated approach to care..

Trends in the US (and the developed world) point to a radical change in the patterns of acute MI—as shown by both a decrease in CV mortality and STEMI. Epidemiologist Dr Veronique Roger joins Dr Bernard Gersh to review these patterns, what factors are causing them, and why they are dissimilar in developing countries.

Where do things stand with hormone-replacement therapy? Dr Sharon Mulvagh joins Dr Bernard Gersh to shine light on the notoriously complicated data including the HERS, WHI, KEEPS, and DOPS trials and show why the trial results are not as contradictory as they might appear.

Despite more than 40 years of research, our understanding of this field remains limited. Dr Douglas Packer joins the show to discuss the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation in regard to the targets for radiofrequency ablation, how the procedure has changed in the past 15 years, and what complications are associated with the procedure. How will the CABANA trial contribute to the discourse?

Dr Bernard Gersh asks Dr Samuel Asirvatham about the syndromes that categorize patients who have ventricular tachycardia in the absence of structural heart disease and what the treatment options—including ablation—are for these patients.

Guest host Dr Margaret Redfield discusses the basics of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as bridge to transplant, destination therapy, and bridge to recovery with leading heart-failure surgeon Dr Soon Park. What role are LVADs playing in HF at the moment and what does the future hold?