The Geriatric Cardiology Section was approved by the College’s Board of Trustees in April 2011, to inform, educate and equip ACC members with the skill-set required to react judiciously to the expected patient demographic shift. |
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The pertinent goals of the new Geriatric Cardiology Section include the refinement and dissemination of care-giving standards for older cardiac patients that elevate emphasis and proficiency on aging and its cardiovascular implications throughout the College. Likewise, the Geriatric Cardiology Section expects to play an important role in helping define excellent cardiovascular care for an aging population prone to heart disease in the context of challenging healthcare financial limitations.
The ACC’s Council on Cardiovascular Care for Older Adults (CCCOA) was established in October 2009 to serve as an expert advisory resource for the College’s leadership and programs as they relate to the science and practice of cardiovascular medicine as it applies to the geriatric population.
Mission of the CCCOA and the Geriatric Cardiology Section
The Council and Section shall consider all matters related to cardiovascular care-giving in relation to aging and treatment of older adults. Such matters include: clinical practice strategies and guidelines with respect to primary and secondary prevention, management across the full spectrum of cardiovascular diseases (including diagnostics, percutaneous coronary intervention, surgical interventions, device therapy, and medical therapy), government and third-party payer relationships, research and funding, training and continuing medical education, ACC publications, better synergy between cardiologists and the care team (i.e., primary care physicians, hospitalists, allied caregivers), and to provide the Board of Trustees with regular opinions concerning developments in the field. The Council shall advise the leadership of the College on aspects of aging in relation to cardiovascular health, disease and treatment.
Council Members 2011-2012
Daniel E. Forman, MD, FACC, Chair
Jonathan Afilalo, MD, M.Sc
Karen P. Alexander, MD, FACC
Ralph G. Brindis, MD, MPH, FACC
Joseph C. Cleveland, MD, FACC
Magali P. Disdier, PharmD, PhD, BCPS
Charles R. McKay, MD, FACC
Michael W. Rich, MD, FACC
Nanette Kass Wenger, MD, MACC
Susan J. Zieman, MD, FACC
Council & Section Initiatives
The Council on Cardiovascular Care for Older Adults has identified several initiatives for 2011 and beyond, in an effort to promote the field of geriatric cardiology and to engage members in the area. Member volunteers are needed to lead section initiatives including:
- Chapter Outreach
- Gaps in the Guidelines
- Geriatric Cardiology eNewsletter
- Geriatric Cardiology Clinical Collection on CardioSource (Content Editor)
- Geriatric Cardiology Education/Training
- International Collaboration
- Palliative Care
- Public Policy/Advocacy
- Research
Please contact Kelli Bohannon if you are interested in becoming involved with any of the aforementioned initiatives.
The Essentials of Cardiovascular Care in Older Adults (ECCOA) curriculum is available to ACC Fellows in Training on CardioSource.org as part of the ACC In-Service (ACCIS). ECCOA is a case-based learning curriculum, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, spanning topics including pharmacology, physiology, syncope, heart failure and prevention. The curriculum was developed in response to national mandates to improve the understanding and care of older adults put forth in ACGME post-graduate training guidelines and Cardiology Fellowship Guidelines. This online education program also uses pre- and post-tests to enable trainees and program directors to track progress. Drs. Karen Alexander, Susan Zieman, Andrew Miller and Michael Rich were ECCOA’s principal organizers, and the program will continue to evolve in new directions under the auspices of CCCOA with objectives to provide the entire ACC membership and allied caregivers access to this content.
In 2011, the Council on Cardiovascular Care for Older Adults received a grant from the Association of Specialty Professors (ASP), to revise and disseminate the ECCOA curriculum to all members of the ACC. The goal of this effort is to provide cardiovascular professionals with access to trusted information regarding the treatment of elderly patients; thus enhancing their ability to deliver patient-centered and effective care to older adults.
The materials listed below include annotated slide sets and case studies by topic area. These materials are suitable for use in lecture/discussion format, e.g. for Medical Grand Rounds, Nursing/Advanced Practice Care Rounds, and non-CME/CE seminars for physicians and non-physician providers. Additional topics areas will be available in the coming months.
Please contact Kelli Bohannon with questions about ECCOA and its educational objectives.
Geriatric Cardiology Section Resource Library
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health and aging: trends in aging: United States and worldwide. MMRW Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2003;52:101– 6.
He W, Sengupta M, Velkoff VA, DeBarros KA. 65_ in the United States: 2005. Current Population Reports, P23-209. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 2005.
Alexander KP, Newby, LK, Cannon, CP, et al. Acute coronary care in the elderly, part I: non ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndromes: a scientific statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology: in collaboration with the Society of Geriatric Cardiology. Circulation 2007;115:2549–69.
Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans, Board on Health Care Services. Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2008.
Chaves PH, Kuller LH, O’Leary DH, Manolio TA, Newman AB, Cardiovascular Health Study. Subclinical cardiovascular disease in older adults: insights from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Am J Geriatr Cardiol 2004;13:137–51. 24.
Rich MW. Heart failure in the 21st century: a cardiogeriatric syndrome. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2001;56:M88–96.
Forman DE. Diagnostic testing in the elderly: it is great, but it’s not the whole story. Am J Geriatr Cardiol 2007;16:340 –2.
Chaves PH, Kuller LH, O’Leary DH, Manolio TA, Newman AB, Cardiovascular Health Study. Subclinical cardiovascular disease in older adults: insights from the Cardiovascular Health Study. Am J Geriatr Cardiol 2004;13:137–51.
Also please feel free to check out our Geriatric Cardiology Clinical Collection: specific pertinent content selected by members of the ACC's Council on Cardiovascular Care for Older Adults (CCCOA).
Contact Us
Please contact Kelli Bohannon or 202-375-6635 with any questions, comments, or interest in getting involved.