Category Archives: Transradial Approach

AimRADIAL Masterclass V + FFR Workshop in Budapest

budapest_palaceOn September 22-23, 2016, the 5th Advanced International Masterclass on the Transradial Approach will be held in Budapest, Hungary. And this year, AimRADIAL will be preceded on September 21 by a one-day comprehensive workshop covering all aspects of Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) from the basic principles and set-up in the cath lab, to the differences between FFR, iFR, and CFR, a comprehensive review of the clinical study data so far, and finally a look at future modalities, like FFR-CT (although the title of that talk by Dr. Nick Curzen is “FFR-CT: the future is now“). Continue reading

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Filed under Angiograms, Cardiac CT, FAME I / FAME II, FFR, Global Trends, iFR, Medical Education, Meetings & Conferences, Patient Experience, Transradial Approach

InterZENtion: Transradial PCI as an Art

Transradial Coronary Interzentions by Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij

Transradial is one of the big buzzwords in interventional cardiology these days. In the United States practitioners recently have been discovering its advantages and have been learning how to perform it successfully. Utilization of transradial in the U.S. has jumped from 2% to almost 25% in less than a decade. In Europe, Japan, India, and China, transradial has been used for years and in most of those regions adoption runs from 50-90% of all catheter-based procedures. In Japan, and now in Europe, a specialized group of physicians has been pushing the limit of what can be done via the wrist artery, using “slender” procedures and equipment, with systems using 3, 4 and 5F sized catheters.

But the heart (pun intended) of this revolution in catheter-based access goes back over two decades to the pioneering work done by Dr. Ferdinand Kiemeneij, rightly dubbed “the father of transradial intervention.” You can read my interview with Dr. Kiemeneij here, but more importantly, you can and should and must read his brand-new hot-off-the-press book, “Transradial Coronary Interzentions,” available on Amazon. Continue reading

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Filed under Europe, France, Global Trends, Innovators, Japan, Medical Education, Patient Experience, Patients, Transradial Approach

AimRADIAL Masterclass IV in Liverpool

Next week, on September 17-18, 2015, the 4th Advanced International Masterclass on the Transradial Approach will be held in Liverpool, England and, if you already perform or want to start using the wrist approach to diagnostic or interventional procedures, you need to attend. Where else will you be able to spend two-days with the most expert and experienced radial practitioners in the world?

I went to the last two AimRADIAL courses in New York City and Chicago and witnessed something I hadn’t really seen since the early days of angioplasty: a relatively small meeting (i.e. less than 300) attended by the pioneers of the procedure, cardiologists who have the largest experience in the radial approach, talking among themselves and trading their latest findings and techniques with each other, and sharing this information with the newer generation of physicians in attendance.It felt like an actual community! Continue reading

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Filed under Global Trends, Medical Education, Meetings & Conferences, Transradial Approach

Radial Revolution in the U.S.

Seton Medical Center

Seton Medical Center

It was over a dozen years ago that I saw my first transradial PCI. I had booked a photo shoot with Dr. Felix Millhouse at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, California, to get some shots for our web site. I did one case and was told that Dr. Millhouse was doing an urgent PCI in cath lab #2. So I went over to shoot it, but by the time I got to the lab, I was too late. I saw a man with his arm extended off the table. And Dr. Millhouse was removing his gloves. “Sorry,” he said. “We’re all done.” Continue reading

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Filed under Business & Industry, Global Trends, History, Transradial Approach

AimRADIAL Masterclass Comes to Chicago

   On October 23-25, 2014 the 3rd Advanced International Masterclass on the Transradial Approach will be held in Chicago and, if you already perform or want to start using the wrist approach to diagnostic or interventional procedures, you need to attend. Where else will you be able to spend two-and-a-half days with the most expert and experienced radial practitioners in the world?

I went to the very successful AimRADIAL course in New York City last fall and witnessed something I hadn’t really seen since the early days of angioplasty: a relatively small meeting (i.e. less than 300) attended by the pioneers of the procedure, cardiologists who have the largest experience in the radial approach, talking among themselves and trading their latest findings and techniques with each other, and sharing this information with the newer generation of physicians in attendance.It felt like an actual community! Continue reading

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Filed under Global Trends, Innovators, Meetings & Conferences, Patient Experience, Transradial Approach

Frontiers in Interventional Cardiology Symposium

If you’re an interventional cardiologist, Fellow, or in the allied health fields, and you aren’t able to make it to Washington for the five-day-long TCT meeting, you can get a quick dose of the latest and greatest in a single day on Saturday, September 20, in Short Hills, New Jersey.

Titled “Frontiers in Interventional Cardiology,” this symposium is presented by the Morristown Medical Center, part of the Atlantic Health System, and features a stellar international faculty, including Maurice Buchbinder, George Dangas, Eberhard Grube, Raoul Bonan, and Stephen Ellis. A range of contemporary topics are on the agenda, including a transradial talk by pioneer Olivier Bertrand, discussions about catheter-based treatments for mitral and aortic valve disease, and even a brief talk about Google Glass in the cath lab by Morristown Medical Center’s Jordan Safirstein, who also runs the annual MARS radial course at Morristown Medical Center

Course co-directors are Drs. Maurice Buchbinder, Barry Cohen and Robert Kipperman.  Time is short so register soon. Admission fees range from free (for Fellows) to $125 for physicians, with several levels in-between. You can register for the course online, or call 1-800-247-9580.

Did I mention that Fellows are free? #TakeAdvantageOfFreeCoursesWhileYouCanFellows

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Filed under Meetings & Conferences, Stent, Transradial Approach

SCAI and CRF Training Programs in Transradial PCI

Radial DiagramThe next few months offer some unique training opportunities for the U.S. interventional cardiologist regarding the transradial approach to catheterization, angioplasty and stent implantation via the wrist artery.

In just two weeks the annual meeting of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) begins, and on the first afternoon there will be a two-part symposium devoted to the Transradial Approach. From 1:00pm to 5:30pm on Wednesday, May 28, SCAI will hold a series of presentations and discussions led by pioneers in the transradial approach. Continue reading

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Filed under Meetings & Conferences, Transradial Approach