Board Review and Clinical Procedures

Monday - Friday, October 27 - 31, 2008
Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe Hotel, Teaneck, NJ

This Cardiothoracic Surgical Critical Care program is dedicated to further advancing knowledge and expertise in the complex field of cardiothoracic surgical (CTS) critical care. It is designed to bring together those who provide care for CTS patients in a setting which facilitates dialogue and the sharing of ideas and expertise. Topics highlight the challenges of the multiple disciplines involved, resulting from the unique physiological changes and complications that occur with cardiothoracic surgery. The program is organized by body systems, as all are affected by cardiothoracic surgery. CTS critical care requires a detailed knowledge of multiple medical and surgical disciplines and extends across paramedical disciplines such as nursing, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, speech therapy, extra-corporeal perfusion, interventional radiology and pharmacology. Practitioners include not only physicians, but nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, perfusionists, nutritionists and pharmacists. The new technologies available for CTS critical care provide the potential for more accurate diagnosis and decision making. Similarly, the new pharmaceuticals have the potential for greater specificity and greater potency. This program details the extension of the inherent precision of CT Surgery from the operating room to the Critical Care Unit. Effective decision making and modern technology will increase precision, effectiveness, safety and overall patient comfort.