A Change of Heart (Care Practices): Recognizing and Managing Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy

Jointly provided by

  

Support for this activity has been provided through an educational grant from Pfizer, Inc.

Release date: 2/28/2019

Expiration date: 2/28/2020

Estimated time to complete: 1 hour

Overview

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), once considered rare, may be more prevalent than thought. Diagnosing this condition can be a challenge, as early symptoms are often attributed to aging and later, more severe, symptoms can mimic the symptoms of other conditions such as heart failure (HF) and aortic stenosis. This can be particularly problematic, as several treatments common to these conditions are contraindicated for patients with ATTR-CM. Moreover, clinicians may not be aware that advances in noninvasive methods, such as cardiac magnetic resonance and bone scintigraphy, can provide definitive diagnostic results and have largely supplanted the historic gold standard for ATTR-CM diagnosis, endomyocardial biopsy.

This activity examines strategies for reducing the threshold for clinical suspicion of ATTR-CM, particularly in patients diagnosed with HF and atrial fibrillation who have inconsistencies in their presentations of these conditions, and provides current clinical evidence supporting the effectiveness of noninvasive diagnostic methods and emerging treatments for the management of patients with ATTR-CM.

Faculty

Rodney H. Falk, MD—Program Chair
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

Grace Lin, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Medical Director, Heart Failure Service
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Mathew S. Maurer, MD
Professor of Medicine
Arnold and Arlene Goldstein Professor of Cardiology
Columbia University Irving Medical School
New York, New York

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of primary care providers, cardiologists, and other health care professionals involved in the management of patients who have or are at risk for ATTR-CM.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

  • Identify signs and symptoms (including early warning signs and red flags) that, in conjunction with other comorbid cardiac conditions, should raise suspicion of ATTR-CM
  • Outline the noninvasive diagnostic paradigm for ATTR-CM
  • Evaluate emerging data on treatment advances for patients with ATTR-CM

Accreditation and Credit Designation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Purdue University College of Pharmacy and RedMedEd. Purdue University College of Pharmacy is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Purdue University College of Pharmacy designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure

According to the disclosure policy of the Purdue University College of Pharmacy, all faculty, planning committee members, and other individuals who are in a position to control content are required to disclose any relevant relationships with any commercial interests related to this activity. The existence of these interests or relationships is not viewed as implying bias or decreasing the value of the presentation. All educational materials are reviewed for fair balance, scientific objectivity and levels of evidence. Disclosures are as follows:

Rodney H. Falk, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Advisory Board: Pfizer
Consultant: Akcea Therapeutics, Alnylam, Eidos Therapeutics
Grants/Research Support: Eidos Therapeutics
Principal Investigator for a Drug Study: Akcea Therapeutics

Grace Lin, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Advisory Board: Boston Scientific
Consultant: Prothena

Mathew S. Maurer, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Advisory Board: Akcea Therapeutics, Alnylam, Eidos Therapeutics, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer
Grants/Research Support: Pfizer, Prothena
Principal Investigator for a Drug Study: Alnylam, Eidos Therapeutics, Pfizer

Purdue University College of Pharmacy
Brian Overholser, PharmD, Associate Professor, Purdue University, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

RedMedEd
Denise C. LaTemple, PhD, Director of Scientific Services, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Yvette Murley, PhD, Medical Director, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Kristen Petro, Director of Operations, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Jonathan S. Simmons, ELS, Senior Managing Editor, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Karen Smith, Creative Director, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Karen Tenaglia, Project Manager, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Unapproved Product Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration. RedMedEd, Purdue University College of Pharmacy, and Pfizer do not recommend the use of any agent outside the labeled indications.

Disclaimer

The information presented in this activity is for continuing medical education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician regarding diagnosis and treatment of a specific patient’s medical condition.

The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of RedMedEd, Purdue University College of Pharmacy, or Pfizer. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Method of Participation

There are no fees to participate in the activity. Participants must review all activity information, including the learning objectives, disclosure statements, and content. To receive CME credit for participation, participants must complete the posttest (achieving a passing grade of 75% or greater) and program evaluation. Certificates can be printed immediately.

For questions regarding CME credit, contact Purdue University College of Pharmacy at Pharmacy-CECR@purdue.edu.

For technical questions related to this activity, please contact RedMedEd at (610) 251-6841 or education@redmeded.com.

Hardware/Software Requirements

  • Apple iPad or iPad mini (iOS 8 or higher) with an Internet connection
  • A computer with an Internet connection
    • Internet browser (PC): Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 or higher, or Firefox 26 or higher
    • Internet browser (Mac): Google Chrome, Firefox 26 or higher, or Safari 5 or higher
    • Additional software: Adobe Flash Player and/or an HTML 5-capable browser is required for video or audio playback; Adobe Acrobat Reader may occasionally be required

Privacy

This website is managed by RedMedEd, and RedMedEd’s printed privacy policy applies to this site. CME credit for this activity is provided by Purdue University College of Pharmacy. If you register for CME credit for this educational activity, RedMedEd will forward relevant personally identifiable information to Purdue University College of Pharmacy so that records can be maintained concerning any credits issued to you. Aggregated data concerning registrations, posttests, and evaluations may be shared, but RedMedEd will not knowingly share any personally identifiable information. Purdue University College of Pharmacy may use the information you provide on this site to contact you about your CME credit or other relevant educational activities provided through Purdue University College of Pharmacy. For more information, contact Pharmacy-CECR@purdue.edu.

Copyright

© 2019. This CME-certified program is held as copyrighted by Purdue University College of Pharmacy and RedMedEd. Through this notice, Purdue University College of Pharmacy and RedMedEd grant permission of its use for educational purposes only. These materials may not be used, in whole or in part, for any commercial purposes without prior permission in writing from the copyright owners.