Overview

In this activity, Dr. Patrick O’Gara provides perspective on clinical decision making around asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, emphasizing the following key points: 

1. Severe, asymptomatic aortic valve stenosis is associated with a low annual risk of sudden cardiac death, but a high rate (10-20% per year) of developing symptoms and requiring valve replacement surgery. 
2. Reduced event-free survival has been associated with higher aortic valve gradient, BNP level, and more aortic valve calcification. 
3. Adverse left ventricular remodeling (hypertrophy, fibrosis) due to severe aortic stenosis may influence long-term outcome, even after aortic valve replacement.

Click the Start Program button to begin learning about managing asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Target Audience 

• Cardiologists, cardiology fellows, and surgeons
• 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:

• Identify indications for aortic valve replacement surgery in asymptomatic patients with aortic valve stenosis.

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.