Overview

This Meeting on Demand™ Program features two complementary lectures that summarize the important pathophysiologic features of cardiac tamponade, constrictive pericarditis, and restrictive cardiomyopathy.  Drs. Morton Kern and James Goldstein discuss diagnosis of these conditions and then describe the hemodynamic findings observed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. They also discuss important related topics such as low pressure tamponade, radiation effects on the heart, and effusive constrictive pericarditis.

Click the Start Program button to begin learning about the basic hemodynamics of common pericardial diseases.

Target Audience

• Cardiologists
• Nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants

Important Dates

Date of Release:  September 2011

Term of Approval/Date of CME/CE Expiration: September 2012

Learner Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, the learner should be able to:

• Describe the important physiologic principles that underlie the hemodynamic findings observed in both cardiac tamponade and constrictive pericarditis in order to correctly interpret hemodynamic waveforms in patients with these conditions. 
• Differentiate constrictive pericarditis from restrictive cardiomyopathy in patients with unexplained right heart failure using findings obtained in the cardiac catheterization laboratory in order to obtain the correct diagnosis.  

Method of Participation and Claiming Credit

ACCF Meeting on Demand™ Programs feature captured lecture content, abstract summaries, and self-assessment questions. To be eligible for credit, you must attain a score of 70% or better on the self-assessment exams included in the activity.

Requesting AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credit™ or CE Credit for this Activity
To request credit, you must:

1. Read all text and view all slide and video presentations in the modules for which you wish to receive credit. 
2. Answer the Self-Assessment questions in each module for which you wish to claim credit. After you have answered all the questions in the module, click on the Exam Summary button. A Claim Credit button will appear on this page if you have achieved a passing score of 70% or better. If you did not achieve a passing score, please click the Reset Scores link and retake the exam. 
3. Click the Claim Credit button and answer the evaluation questions in the pop-up window. 
4. Enter the total amount of time you actually spent in the activity in the box provided. Please note that you may only claim once for each module in this activity. Click Submit. 
5. You will receive a message that your request has been submitted and a link to view your certificate. You may view and download the certificate when you receive the message, you may also view it at any time in the My Transcript section of My CardioSource.