APIA to broadcast live heart disease cases

Cardiologists and medical professionals will witness the biggest heart disease live case demonstration in Australian history at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Interventional Advances Conference (APIA), taking place 29 November to 2 December in Newcastle.

Delegates at the APIA conference will have the opportunity to learn about the latest techniques and equipment to treat heart disease and will observe experts treating patients via live feeds. Several procedures will be transmitted from six medical centres and hospitals around the world including Columbia Medical Centre and Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

Course Directors Dr Suku Thambar and Dr Rohan Jayasinghe believe the APIA Conference - the largest conference of this type to take place in the Australasia - will bring Australian cardiology in line with the rest of the world in terms of technological advancement and refinement.

"This conference will contribute to Australia's reputation as a hub of interventional cardiology research and education in the Asia-Pacific region," said Jayasinghe, who will be presenting on behalf of Lake Macquarie Private Hospital, Newcastle.

Thambar said that during the live cases there will be devices used for the first time including CT scans to guide angioplasty of chronic total occlusions and the Premere device to close patent foramen ovale.

Participating medical institutions include Mt Sinai, Columbia Medical Centre and Lenox Hill, New York; Western Hospital, Melbourne; Asan Medical Centre, Korea and Lake Macquarie Private, Newcastle.

Presenters will include Course Directors Dr Suku Thambar and Rohan Jayasinghe, Professor Rick Harper, Monash Medical Centre; Dr Frank Ulemann, Germany; and Dr Jonathon Tobis, United States.

The Asia Pacific Interventional Advances Conference will take place 29 November - 2 December 2005 at Newcastle Civic Precinct, Newcastle, NSW. It is organised by APIA (Asia Pacific Interventional Advances).