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Head to Las Vegas for the 2022 Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium

Join hundreds of your fellow cardiovascular nurses and nurse practitioners at the Preventive Cardiovascular Nursing Association's (PCNA's) 28th Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium. We're excited to be holding the meeting in person at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel on March 24 to 26, 2022. Virtual attendance is available as well through our webcast. This 3-day program will cover the hottest topics in the field, including the following:

 

* Supplement Use in Cardiovascular Patients: What You Need to Know

 

* Contraceptive Pills, Hormone Therapies and Cardiovascular Disease Risks

 

* Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Review of the Current Data

 

* Heart Failure: Evidenced-Based Pharmacologic Therapies

 

* Assessing Cardiovascular Risk: Where Is the Data Now and Where Do We Go From Here?

 

* Spectrum of Chronic Kidney Disease and the Impact on Overall Cardiovascular Health

 

* Resistant Hypertension: Who Is at Risk? Detection, Evaluation and Treatment

 

* COVID-19 Long-Haulers: The Search for Answers

 

* Management of Atrial Fibrillation and Best Practices

 

* Maternal Mortality: All About Cardiovascular Disease and Prevention

 

* Health Equity

 

* Precision Medicine and Genetics

 

* Cardiovascular Health and cardiovascular disease (CVD) Risk in Sexual and Gender Minority Populations

 

* Renewal and Resilience for Healthcare Burnout

 

 

Learn more and register at https://pcna.net/symposium/.

 

Health Equity Summit

Your race can have a significant impact on the healthcare you receive and even your risk for dying from cardiovascular disease. How can we as providers make a difference?

 

The American Heart Association has declared structural racism as a cause of poor health and premature death from heart disease and stroke,1 recognizing that a person's race or ethnicity can increase a person's chance of experiencing a heart attack or stroke-or surviving it.

 

The intersecting threats of systemic racism, sexism, queerphobia, ableism, and xenophobia, along with modifiable global risk factors for cardiovascular disease (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia), significantly increase health disparities and are critical factors in patient outcomes. Social determinants of health-ranging from insurance coverage, stress, access to health food, and safe places for physical activity-can compound risks for cardiovascular disease and related comorbidity and mortality. These factors have been exacerbated by the COVID-19, which has disproportionately devastated marginalized and minoritized communities.

 

Moreover, a historical mistrust of healthcare institutions is grounded in longstanding inequitable access and unethical research practices not limited to the unauthorized use of Henrietta Lacks' cells, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and the early 20th-century eugenics movement. This deep mistrust of medical professionals and systems can be positively impacted through improved interactions with well-trained nurses and other clinicians with whom patients interact, as well as through advocacy efforts to improve systems that have failed to keep pace with the needs of all patients in reducing disparities.

 

As part of an ongoing commitment to addressing health equity issues, PCNA's 2021 Health Equity Summit, on November 2 and 4, 2021, will include 2 half-days of content and conversation about these important issues. This virtual event will include the following topics:

 

* Addressing Health Equity in Clinical Practice

 

* Systemic Racism and Its Impact on Our Patients

 

* Our Implicit Bias: In and Out of the Exam Room or Telehealth Visit

 

* Barriers to Modifying CVD Risk Factors: Cultural and Other Considerations

 

* Social Determinants of Health in Everyday Practice

 

 

More details can be found at pcna.net/event/health-equity-summit/.

 

Heart Failure Summit

The complexity of heart failure management is the focus of PCNA's Virtual Heart Failure Summit, on December 2, 2021. This engaging, interactive, guidelines-based program for nurses, nurse practitioners, and other providers engaged in working with patients with heart failure includes best practices, collegial connections, and inspiration to assist in clinical practices that improve patient outcomes and support patients and their families. As progression of heart failure varies from individual to individual, knowing about and applying strategies in both disease management and patient support can benefit both providers and their patients, families, and caregivers.

 

Summit sessions include the following:

 

* Heart Failure and the Social Determinants of Health

 

* New and Emerging Treatments for Heart Failure with Reduced and Preserved Ejection Fraction

 

 

More information can be found at pcna.net/event/heart-failure-summit-2/.

 

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Monograph

Despite being the most common genetic heart disease in the United States,2 with a prevalence estimated at 1 in 500 individuals (0.2%) worldwide,3 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) can be challenging to diagnose and manage. To provide clinicians with guidelines-related information, PCNA has created an interactive HCM Monograph, which can be completed at times convenient to you. The Monograph is a short study of HCM and includes both continuing education and pharmacology contact hours. Check out more information at pcna.net/HCM.

 

Be Smart With Your Heart: Smart Devices and Atrial Fibrillation

There are several smart electronic devices on the market today that can help indicate the presence of atrial fibrillation (Afib) or other abnormal heartbeats. A new handout developed by PCNA and the Heart Rhythm Society can provide your patients with answers to common questions about Afib and smart devices such as smartphones and watches. This free downloadable 2-page handout includes the basics of Afib and includes links to further information. Smart device questions addressed in the document include the following:

 

* How often should I check my heart with a smart device?

 

* How do I know whether my heart rate and rhythm are normal?

 

* What do I do with the information?

 

* When do I call a healthcare provider?

 

 

Find this and other Afib patient handouts at https://pcna.net/clinical-resources/patient-handouts/atrial-fibrillation-tools-a.

 

Telehealth Patient Education

Helping patients prepare for a telehealth visit (by phone or by video) increases the value of the encounter for both the provider and the patient. Preventive Cardiovascular Nursing Association's new resource, "Preparing for a Telehealth Visit," provides a step-by-step guide to aid patients in readying themselves for a virtual healthcare visit (available at pcna.net/clinicalresources).

 

Preventive Cardiovascular Nursing Association Spring Learning Series Returning in Person

The Preventive Cardiovascular Nursing Association is excited to announce that our chapter programs will be returning to in-person events starting spring of 2022. The Spring Learning Series will include a robust list of chapter events occurring across the country between April and June. Be sure to check your chapter's webpage and keep your eyes open for an email for an event in your area. To learn more about your chapter, visit the PCNA Chapter Webpages. Interested in volunteering with your chapter? Fill out the Volunteer Form and let us know!

 

REFERENCES

 

1. Churchwell K, Elkind MSV, Benjamin RM, et alAmerican Heart Association. Call to action: structural racism as a fundamental driver of health disparities: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2020;142:e452-e468. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000936. [Context Link]

 

2. Geske JB, Commen SR, Gersh BJ. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: clinical update. JACC Heart Fail. 2018;6(5):364-375. [Context Link]

 

3. Husser D, Ueberham L, Jacob J, et al. Prevalence of clinically apparent hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Germany-an analysis of over 5 million patients. PLoS One. 2018;13(5):e0196612. [Context Link]