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2011 PCNA Annual Symposium Preview

Program Co-Chairs:

 

Suzanne Hughes, MSN, RN

 

Joyce Ross, MSN, CRNP, CS, CLS

 

On behalf of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association, we are pleased to invite you to join us for the 17th Annual Symposium to be held March 10-12, 2011, at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Participants can earn up to 17 CE credits, including 8 hours of pharmacology.

  
(L-R) Joyce Ross, Ad... - Click to enlarge in new window(L-R) Joyce Ross, Adina Gutstein, Angela Stewart, Lori Neri, and Judith Schipper reconnected at the 2010 Annual Symposium.

We are proud to offer another innovative program including state-of-the-science keynote addresses, plenary sessions, and roundtable discussions from nationally and internationally renowned faculty. The entire program promises to offer outstanding presentations designed to educate and inspire a renewed passion for the important work you do each day.

 

More than 700 cardiovascular specialists and 25 speakers will gather to share best practices and empower one another to improve cardiovascular health.

 

At this year's annual symposium, you will benefit from reduced travel expenses including inexpensive flights to Orlando, free airport shuttle, free parking, 4-diamond resort at a discounted rate, free roommate finder service, discounts on Walt Disney World park tickets, and many complimentary meals provided. Single-day registration options are available to accommodate budget and time constraints.

 

Cutting-edge sessions will include:

 

* Implementing Heart-Healthy Dietary Recommendations James M. Rippe, MD

 

* The 2011 Guide to the Guidelines Sidney C. Smith, Jr, MD and Kathy Berra, MSN, ANP-BC

 

* Role of the Cardiovascular Clinician in the Obesity Epidemic Stephen Daniels, PhD, MD, MPH and Laura Hayman, PhD, RN

 

* Genomics and CVD Risk: Clinical Application of the Science Donna K. Arnett, PhD, MSPH

 

* Instant Recess: Building a Fit Nation 10 Minutes at a Time Toni Yancey, MD, MPH

 

* Challenges in the Prevention and Management of Atrial Fibrillation

 

* Stroke Prevention: The Obvious and the Not So Much Thomas G. Brott, MD

 

* Optimizing Dyslipidemia Therapy

 

* Emerging Markers of CVD Risk Paul M. Ridker, MD, MPH

 

* Pharmacologic Management of CVD: 2011 Update Janet Long, MSN, ACNP, CLS and David Parra, PharmD, BCPS

 

* Exercise Prescription: Developing and Implementing a Safe and Effective Plan Barbara Fletcher, MN, RN and Gerald F. Fletcher, MD

 

* Pulling out All the Stops: Smoking Cessation Strategies Nancy Houston Miller, BSN

 

* Evidence-Based Practice: Paving the Route to Quality Outcomes Lola Coke, PhD, APRN-BC, CNS

 

* Negotiating Health Behavior Change Through Motivational Interviewing Denise Ernst, PhD

 

* Heart Disease and Depression: Understanding the Reciprocal Relationship James A. Blumenthal, PhD

 

* Use It So You Don't Lose It: What the Older Patient Needs in Addition to Aerobic Activity Steven J. Keteyian, PhD

 

* Can We Fine-Tune CVD Risk Prediction? Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM

 

* Hypertension: Combining Public Health and Clinical Strategies to Address a "Neglected Disease" Keith C. Ferdinand, MD

 

* Empowerment Through Service Laura Schwartz

 

 

Whether you have attended a PCNA Annual Symposium in the past or if you are a "first-time" attendee, we are confident that this symposium will exceed your expectations and that you will find it valuable to your clinical practice, academic, or research career.

 

Visit http://www.pcna.net to learn more about this symposium and to register.

 

PCNA Marches to the Hill to Prevent Childhood Obesity

On Tuesday, September 22, 2010, PCNA Board Members and staff met with their state senators and congressional representatives to discuss the prevention of cardiovascular disease and childhood obesity. Several bills were addressed, including Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act, HEART for Women Act, Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.) Resolution, and the Johanns Amendment.

 

In addition to talking with state senators and representatives, PCNA joined forces with the Partnership for Prevention to host a legislative caucus entitled, "Eliminating Childhood Obesity: Developing National Consensus on a Prescription for Change," in Washington, DC. More than 100 legislative representatives and individuals whose work is central to childhood obesity attended.

 

The caucus opened with a presentation by Ursula Bower, PhD, MPH, Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Bower explained that obesity among US children and adolescents has more than doubled since 1963. The consequences of childhood obesity are immediate and include psychosocial problems and risk for cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. A study by Freeman et al, published in Pediatrics 2009, stated that 87% of obese adolescents became obese adults.

 

Joseph Thompson, MD, MPH, Arkansas Surgeon General, Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas Colleges of Medicine and Public Health, and Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity, presented, "The Role of Public Policy in Obesity Prevention." Dr. Thompson began his presentation with a set of slides that showed (over a 15-year period) the age-adjusted percentage of US adults who were obese or who had a diagnosis of diabetes.

 

He also noted that 75% of young Americans aged 17-24 cannot join the military because they are overweight. A group of retired military officials are now calling on Congress to pass child nutrition legislation.

  
Dr. Laura Hayman pre... - Click to enlarge in new windowDr. Laura Hayman presented during PCNA's September 22 caucus entitled, "Eliminating Childhood Obesity: Developing National Consensus on a Prescription for Change" in Washington, DC.

Laura Hayman, PhD, RN, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Nursing in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Director of Research at "GoKids" Boston, and PCNA Board Member, explained that racial/ethnic minority and low-income children bear an excess burden of obesity and its comorbidities. Thirty percent of obese children have dyslipidemia and hypertension, whereas 15% of obese children have adult-onset type 2 diabetes. Dr. Hayman stated, "3.1 million nurses in the US are central and essential for effective implementation of both individual and public health approaches to prevention and management of childhood obesity" and that data indicate "an urgent need for both individual/clinical and population-based/public health approaches to prevention and management of childhood obesity."

 

Hayman explained that obesity results from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. The cornerstone of prevention and management of childhood obesity is healthy lifestyle behaviors, with emphasis on physical activity and dietary intake. "Behavior matters and is influenced by such contexts as the family, school, and community."

 

During the caucus, Dr. Hayman encouraged support for reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Bill, which was passed by the Senate and designed to improve the food and physical activity environments in schools, and support for implementation of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" Campaign.

 

PCNA invites you to become involved in the legislation that encourages prevention efforts, such as childhood obesity. Visit PCNA's Advocacy page found at http://www.pcna.net/national/advocacy/index.php to find out how you can make a difference!

 

Summers Receives Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing Clinical Practice Award

Deborah Summers, MSN, ACNS-BC, CNRN, CCRN, FAHA, was honored with the 2010 Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing Clinical Practice Award, which was presented at the annual Council dinner held during the American Heart Association's (AHA's) Scientific Sessions 2010 in Chicago, IL, in November. This award is sponsored by the AHA Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA).

 

This award recognizes excellence in cardiovascular (CV) nursing clinical practice. Award nominees must have spent at least three-fourths of their career in CV nursing with a minimum of 10-15 years in CV nursing practice. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate delivery of outstanding patient care by contributing above and beyond basic job requirements.

 

Ms. Summers is an advanced practice nurse and Clinical Stroke Program coordinator for Saint Luke's Brain and Stroke Institute in Kansas City, MO. Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Summers is a nationally recognized speaker and author on stroke related topics. In November 2009, Ms. Summers was presented with the Stroke Manuscript of the Year Award from the AHA/American Stroke Association's (ASA's) Council on Cardiovascular Nursing.

 

Ms. Summers is active among many professional organizations including the ASA, AHA, and American Association of Cardiac Care Nurses. She is a stroke fellow of the ASA and serves on its Stroke Professional Education Subcommittee of the Council on Stroke. She has served as the cochair of several AHA state-of-the-art stroke nursing symposia held in conjunction with the annual International Stroke Conference and worked with her local AHA to initiate development of the Bi-State Stroke Consortium, which was developed to improve the clinical care of stroke throughout Kansas City.

 

Ms. Summers' ongoing commitment to research is demonstrated by her participation in more than 20 research studies.

 

On behalf of PCNA, congratulations to Ms. Summers on this recognition, and thank you for your dedication to the prevention of heart disease.

 

National Organizations Prepare for Heart Month 2011

National organizations prepare for February's "Heart Month" activities by releasing new education, guidelines, and other campaigns to raise awareness about heart disease, its impact on our society, and treatment.

 

Women Heart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease has developed the "Heart Healthy Action Kit. This kit contains helpful educational information including topics such as: How the heart works, Six steps to a healthy heart, Questions to ask your doctor, and Knowing your heart attack warning signs. Go to http://www.WomenHeart.org to download this educational resource for use in your clinic with patients.

 

The new American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care was released on November 2, 2010, along with the 2010 AHA and American Red Cross Guidelines for First Aid. Highlighted in the CPR guidelines are important changes that include:

 

* the order of CPR now being C-A-B (compressions, airway, breathing) instead of A-B-C for everyone except newborns;

 

* "look, listen, and feel" is no longer recommended;

 

* compressions for adults should be performed at a rate of 100 per minute with at least a depth of 2 inches (instead of up to 2 inches);

 

* "All rescuers, regardless of training, should provide chest compressions to all cardiac arrest victims. Trained individuals should do mouth-to-mouth, utilizing proper devices";

 

* emergency cardiac treatments no longer recommend routine atropine for pulseless electrical activity/asystole, cricoid pressure (with CPR), or airway suctioning for all newborns (only in an obvious obstruction).

 

 

For complete details of these guidelines, visit http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/vol122/18_suppl_3/.

 

PCNA Recognizes Heart Failure Awareness Week, February 13-19, 2011

For the last 48 years, February has been recognized as American Heart Month. This campaign raises public awareness of heart disease as the No. 1 killer of Americans. Because of this heightened awareness, the rate of death from heart disease over the last 4 decades has declined. However, of those patients who survive cardiac insult, many progress to symptomatic heart failure. The American Heart Association's 2006 statistic figure of 5 million persons with heart failure has increased to 5.8 million in 2010. To punctuate heart failure's increasing prevalence, Congress has declared Heart Failure Awareness Week, February 13-19.

 

The care provided by health care professionals in acute heart failure is essential, yet it is the ability of the heart failure patient to practice activities of self-care that is crucial to the prevention of future exacerbations and progression of the disease. The goal of self-care is to promote patients' ability to manage their disease and lead normal, active lives. Self-care includes self-maintenance and self-management, which begins with an understanding of the treatment plan and a strategy for following this plan. Additionally, early recognition of symptoms promotes early intervention that can prevent exacerbation.

 

Lifestyle changes including a low-sodium diet and medication regimen can be overwhelming to manage, although both are cornerstones for self-care management of heart failure. Patients need to develop new habits that also include weight control, quitting smoking, and maintaining physical activity. The support of health care providers, family, friends, and all caregivers can all be instrumental in fostering the confidence in the comprehensive lifestyle changes required in self-care management of heart failure.

 

Because hospital discharge is a patient's initiation to self-care, the education at this juncture requires complete verbal and written instructions, as well as evaluation of the patients' ability and confidence to follow these recommendations. Tools to assist patients in managing their disease are especially helpful. National organization websites including the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (http://www.aahfn.org), the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (http://www.nhlbi.org), and the Heart Failure Society of America (http://www.hfsa.org) have excellent educational materials useful for educating the public and health care professionals alike about heart failure and the self-care measures that can assist patients to manage their disease and to maintain quality of life outside the hospital.

 

The Clinician's Guide to Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Adults: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (AHA)

Health care professionals who work with cardiovascular and pulmonary patients often order cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CXT). The primary purpose of CXT is to determine the ventilatory gas exchange measurements during exercise and the patient's response to exercise. These measurements and how to perform CXT are often not completely understood by health care professionals. Therefore, this new guideline was written to provide a comprehensive, all-inclusive document that includes the physiology of ventilatory gas exchange; interpretation of CXT results at rest, during exercise, and during recovery; and how to calibrate CXT equipment, perform CXT safely, and bill for reimbursement.

 

There are a variety of ways that CXT testing can be performed including use of treadmill or stationary cycle ergometer equipment. There are also a number of testing protocols that include a variety of stage-to-stage increments or treadmill elevation ramp protocols. These involve elements of time between stages and increases in treadmill/cycle speed and treadmill incline. The selection of the appropriate protocol and equipment is very important to the best test outcome and results. The guideline provides detail for these protocols.

 

Cardiovascular nurses and exercise physiologists play a key role in monitoring during CXT testing and recovery with electrocardiography and monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate. The goal of CXT is to have the patient exercise to his/her maximal effort, and the nurse or exercise physiologist serves as coach to encourage the patient to perform to his/her highest exercise capacity.

 

Safety during CXT is of utmost importance as the potential for adverse events, especially in high-risk patients, increases. This guideline provides the resources to ensure that the proper supervision and monitoring are provided during each test.

 

CXT is used to determine the level of gas exchange that occurs and provides data to assist in the planning of exercise prescriptions.

 

CXT results include the maximal aerobic capacity (V[spacing dot above]O2 max or peak V[spacing dot above]O2), ventilatory threshold, respiratory exchange ratio, and minute ventilation, in addition to vital signs and electrocardiographic readings. This guideline describes common findings in cardiovascular and pulmonary disease populations (heart failure, unexplained dyspnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and skeletal muscle fiber myopathies) and provides detail to develop exercise prescriptions for these patients. Research on emerging applications for CXT in new populations (eg, congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension) is discussed.

 

In summary, this comprehensive guideline is the "go-to" resource for health care professionals who need to understand CXT. Its content provides easily understood physiological terms and the needed information to conduct CXT safely and develop exercise prescriptions based on CXT results. A copy of the guidelines can be accessed at http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/122/2/191 or from the AHA website at http://www.americanheart.org.

 

Section Description

The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing is the official journal of the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. PCNA is the leading nursing organization dedicated to preventing cardiovascular disease through assessing risk, facilitating lifestyle changes, and guiding individuals to achieve treatment goals.