The purpose of this Core Competency Course is to provide a concise review of clinical knowledge and outline
of the essential professional skills for candidate assessment and longitudinal support for mechanical circulatory
support patients. This course should serve programs providing mechanical circulatory support with a tool to
review their standards of care, develop protocols, and implement guidelines established in management of
mechanical circulatory support patients.
The course consists of six plenary sessions; in the first session, the current state of mechanical circulatory
support systems is reviewed, followed by the challenging task of adequate patient selection and preoperative
preparation including proper assessment tools of right ventricular function. In the third session, all surgical
aspects and alternative approaches of assist device implantation are addressed, followed by immediate postoperative care related issues and management of right ventricular insufficiency. The fifth session addresses
the preparation strategies for proper and safe patient transition to home. In the final session, adequate management
of device related long term complications are presented.

Target Audience
While all members are invited to enroll, this course is primarily designed to benefit clinicians and allied
professionals who are in the early stages of their careers, are in training and/or are part of a new program,
or desire an update on the current state of the field. The information presented covers core competencies
and is intended to provide a strong foundation of the overarching principles of mechanical support, rather
than a detailed update for those who are already proficient experts in the field.

Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, participants will have improved competence and professional performance
in their ability to:
1. Explain how to risk stratify patients with advanced heart failure in order to assess MCS surgical risk
and optimally time mechanical circulatory support (MCS) implantation.
2. Discuss the medical and social factors which impact patient outcomes during short- and long-term MCS.
3. Recognize the various types of MCS support available for patients with advanced single or biventricular
heart failure and the technological differences that may impact pump selection and patient/device
management.
4. Identify MCS implantation techniques and patient/pump management during the index admission
intensive care unit and inpatient general care periods.
5. Describe how to manage patients and the MCS during outpatient long-term support with an understanding of interventions that can reduce patient- and device-related adverse events during MCS.
6. Diagnose and manage common clinical dilemmas and adverse events encountered after MCS.

Topics: 

- SESSION 1 REVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF MCS
- SESSION 2 PATIENT SELECTION
- SESSION 3 SURGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
- SESSION 4 POSTOPERATIVE CARE
- SESSION 5 TRANSITION TO HOME
- SESSION 6 LONG TERM MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS AND COMPLICATIONS
- COURSE SUMMARY AND ASSESSMENT

Release Date : April 10, 2018