Incorporating New Guidelines to Lower LDL-C and Reduce ASCVD Risk

Format: Webcourse

Credit(s): 1.00 (60 min)

Release Date: Oct 31, 2019

Expiration Date: Oct 31, 2020

Credit Type(s):

CME / AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

In late 2018, two new blood cholesterol guidelines were published. To increase the use of risk-assessment tools to identify patients at increased risk for ASCVD, the ACC released a guide to decision-making for primary prevention of ASCVD. The second, jointly published by a large number of societies including the AHA and ACC, updated the recommendations for managing blood cholesterol. This document provided strategies for primary prevention and secondary prevention of ASCVD and approaches for modifying therapy for patients not achieving LDL-C goals.

To achieve the AHA’s 2020 impact goals of improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20%, while reducing deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20%, clinicians need to incorporate these new guidelines into clinical practice. This activity will provide a review of these recent evidence-based recommendations, as well as information about non-statin agents recommended for use when patients are not at LDL-C goal.

AGENDA

Welcome and Introductions
Evaluating the Need for Primary Prevention
Managing LDL-C to Lower ASCVD Risk: Primary and Secondary Prevention
Q&A Session and Activity Roundup

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity is intended for cardiologists, internal medicine specialists, and other healthcare providers who manage patients who have hypercholesterolemia and are at a high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

This program is designed to address ACGME and NAM competencies, including delivering patient-centered care and practicing evidence-based medicine.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Evaluate the need for blood cholesterol management in the primary prevention of ASCVD by using tools recommended in the 2018 AHA/ACC guidelines
Develop individualized primary prevention strategies for patients with and without severe hypercholesterolemia using the 2018 cholesterol guidelines
Implement management plans for the secondary prevention of ASCVD using recommendations from the 2018 blood cholesterol guidelines
Use adjunctive non-statin therapy when secondary prevention with statins alone does not achieve 2018 blood cholesterol guideline goals

ACCREDITATION

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Boston University School of Medicine and Rockpointe. Boston University School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CREDIT DESIGNATION

Boston University School of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

FACULTY

Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA, FASH
Professor of Medicine
Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology
Tulane University School of Medicine
Tulane Heart and Vascular Institute
New Orleans, LA

Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA, FASH is Professor of Medicine and Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA. He received his medical degree from the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC and is board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, certified in the subspecialty of nuclear cardiology, and a specialist in clinical hypertension.

Dr. Ferdinand is past Chair of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention and prior Chief Science Officer and Chair of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC). He lectures nationally and internationally and conducted numerous trials in cardiovascular disease, lipids, and cardiometabolic risk, especially in racial/ethnic minorities. Dr Ferdinand’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of Clinical Hypertension, American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs, Clinical Lipidology, Cardiorenal Medicine, and Hypertension.

In 2004, Dr. Ferdinand received the Louis B. Russell, Jr. Memorial Award of the American Heart Association. In 2010, he received an award from the Congressional Black Caucus Health Trust for Journalism, as well as the Charles Drew Award for Medical Excellence from the National Minority Quality Foundation. In 2015, Dr. Ferdinand was inducted into the Association of University Cardiologists. He was awarded the Wenger Award for Medical Leadership in 2017 by WomenHeart and also the 2017 ABC Spirit of the Heart Distinguished Leadership Award. Most recently, he was the 2019 Xavier University recipient of the Champion Award for health equity.

Puja K. Mehta, MD, FACC, FAHA
Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology)
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA

Puja K. Mehta, MD, FACC, FAHA is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology at Emory University and the Director of Women’s Translational Cardiovascular Research at the Emory Women’s Heart Center (EWHC). She is board-certified in cardiology, and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

She attended undergraduate school at Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in applied biology. She earned her medical degree from Medical College of Georgia, and completed both her internal medicine residency and a four-year cardiovascular fellowship at Emory University. Dr. Mehta completed an additional year of specialized fellowship training in women’s heart disease at Cedars-Sinai’s Barbara Streisand Women’s Heart Center.

Dr. Mehta’s clinical interest is heart disease prevention, and behavioral approaches such as exercise, nutrition, and stress reduction for heart disease. Her research is NIH-funded and focuses on chest pain and microvascular dysfunction, and the role of mental stress in heart disease in women. She has presented her work at national cardiology meetings and has published more than 80 manuscripts in journals such as the Journal of American College of Cardiology, European Heart Journal, Circulation, and American Journal of Physiology. In addition to clinical care and research, she teaches medical students, residents, and fellows in the Emory School of Medicine.

DISCLAIMER

THIS CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FOR QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS. IN NO EVENT SHALL BOSTON UNIVERSITY BE LIABLE FOR ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN IN RELIANCE ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PROGRAM. IN NO EVENT SHOULD THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PROGRAM BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE. NO PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS BEING ESTABLISHED.

DISCLOSURE

This educational activity has been produced in adherence with the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Commercial Support, set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous.

Boston University School of Medicine asks all individuals, and their spouses/partners, involved in the development and presentation of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) activities to disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. This information is disclosed to CME activity participants prior to the start of the educational activity. Boston University School of Medicine has procedures to resolve all conflicts of interest. In addition, faculty members are asked to disclose when any unapproved use of pharmaceuticals and devices is being discussed.

FACULTY DISCLOSURES

The faculty and steering committee reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA, FASH: Consultant: Amgen, Sanofi

Puja K. Mehta, MD, FACC, FAHA: Nothing to disclose

Robert Eberhardt, MD, BUSM Course Director: Nothing to disclose

NON-FACULTY CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS

Non-faculty content contributors and/or reviewers reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

Terry Ann Glauser, MD, MPH; Blair St. Amand; Michael Burk; Elizabeth Drury; Natalie Sanfratello, MPH: Nothing to disclose

FDA DISCLOSURE

The contents of some CME/CE activities may contain discussions of non-approved or off-label uses of some agents mentioned. Please consult the prescribing information for full disclosure of approved uses.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

In order to view this presentation, your computer must have audio capabilities (working speakers or headphones) and must have an internet browser capable of playing an HTML5 video.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS AND OBTAINING CME CREDIT

There is no fee for this activity. To receive credit, participants must take the pre-test, view this CME activity in its entirety, and then complete the post-test, with a score of 80% or better, and evaluation. The estimated time for completion of this activity is 1 hour. To receive their certificates, participants must demonstrate mastery of the presented material via the post-test. Participants are allowed to take the post-test multiple times.