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Miami Valves 2024 Showcases Innovations in Structural Heart and Cardiovascular Care – InventUM
By: Richard Westlund | February 28, 2024 | 10 min. read |
Article Summary
- Miami Valves 2024 welcomed renowned leaders in cardiovascular research and clinical care to Miami for a three-day conference organized by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
- The conference featured more than 90 presentations and 60 abstracts, a three-day main program on advances in structural heart disease and symposiums on advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and nursing care.
- In a presentation, Dr. Carlos Alfonso said computer simulations and artificial intelligence have the potential to improve patient cardiovascular outcomes and decrease overall health care costs.
Renowned leaders in cardiovascular research and clinical care shared their knowledge and experiences at Miami Valves 2024, the 10th annual international structural cardiology conference hosted by the International Medicine Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
“Interventional and structural cardiologists are doing miraculous things to treat a variety of diseases,” said Miami Valves Director Eduardo de Marchena, M.D., professor of cardiovascular medicine and associate dean for international medicine at the Miller School. “It’s exciting to get leaders in their fields who share and discuss their research on what can be done to treat complex cases, while always thinking about what comes next.”
International Array of Cardiology Experts
More than 380 professionals from the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Europe attended Miami Valves 2024. The conference was endorsed by the Latin American Society of Interventional Cardiology (SOLACI) and supported by a dozen exhibitors and several unrestricted educational grants, including one from UHealth—University of Miami Health System.
“This is an amazing conference,” said Yiannis S. Chatzizisis, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Miller School. “This is a unique opportunity for professionals to see the latest and most-innovative therapies and devices in structural heart and coronary artery disease to help us achieve better outcomes for our patients. It’s also a great teaching opportunity, as our fellows learn how to tackle challenging cases while expanding their networks.”
The conference featured:
- More than 90 presentations and 60 abstracts
- A three-day main program on advances in structural heart disease
- Symposiums on advances in percutaneous coronary intervention and nursing care
- Workshops on complex electrophysiology cardiac imaging and advanced heart failure
- Hands-on workshops on pulmonary embolism catheter care
- How-to training on several devices
“As a cardiac surgeon, I want to understand the advances in interventional and imaging cardiology,” said Joseph Lamelas, M.D., professor and chief of cardiothoracic surgery at the Miller School. “Our patients benefit from a collaborative approach that incorporates advances in our fields.”
John Lasala, M.D., Ph.D., a renowned interventional cardiology and structural heart disease specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was honored with the 2024 Miami Valves Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his research, clinical and teaching accomplishments. He gave a presentation on his 34-year career, “From Utility Baseball Player to Structural Interventionalist: A Life’s Journey,” adding that he still enjoys sports and is a consultant to the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.
“Miami Valves is a great way to catch up on what’s happening with valvular disease,” he added. “It’s large enough to get the latest information yet small enough that you can talk individually with other professionals.”
Advances in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
Dr. de Marchena kicked off Miami Valves 2024 with a recap of recent advancements in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as well as other interventional procedures.
“We have seen an explosion in TAVR, which now accounts for 62% of all aortic valve replacement procedures and is being performed in over 800 U.S. centers,” he said. “Cerebral protection devices may reduce the risk of stroke, and we use them in about 60% of cases here, far more than the national average.”
Other advances include the incorporation of tissue technology to block calcium buildups as well as new aortic and mitral valves.
“Tricuspid was once the forgotten valve but now is being approached with many transcatheter technologies, and important trials are underway,” said Dr. de Marchena. “On February 2, during our meeting, the first transcatheter valve for the tricuspid valve was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We are hoping for many more approvals in the coming years.”
Eberhard Grube, M.D., from University Hospital Bonn, Germany, said there will be accelerated innovation of TAVR platforms and accessory devices, including aortic valve remodeling technology. He added that clinicians may need to treat moderate aortic stenosis before damage occurs to other areas of the heart.
“For lifetime management of aortic disease, the patient needs to be part of the discussion,” Dr. Grube said. “Our goal is to achieve the promise of one valve replacement for life.”
Additional highlights from the conference included:
- Saibal Kar, M.D., director of structural heart disease interventions and clinical research at Los Robles Health System, giving a video lecture on advances in transcatheter edge-to-edge repair devices
- Nicolas Van Mieghem, M.D., Ph.D. director of interventional cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, talking about “TAVR and the Young,” referring to patients younger than 75. “TAVR should be the first choice for these aortic stenosis patients, who tend to be low risk,” he said. “This is the next frontier of TAVR and it’s very exciting.”
- Presenters from Latin America including Fábio de Brito, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., from University of São Paulo Medical School in Brazil, relaying the case of a 77-year-old woman who was treated with an investigational valve for severe aortic stenosis before participating in a SOLACI discussion on the “Best Cases from the Americas.”
Treating Mitral Annular Calcification (MAC)
Renu Virmani, M.D., president of the CVPath Institute, gave a presentation on mitral annular calcification, noting that the incidence was greater in women than men.
“MAC goes hand-in-hand with renal disease, and it is not an easy condition to treat surgically,” she said.
Following her talk, Dr. Lamelas spoke on surgical approaches to MAC, which has been identified in two, 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummies. He outlined options for repairing or replacing the mitral valve in the presence of significant invasion of calcium.
“Imaging is very important to determine the extent of calcium involvement,” he said. “Current recommendations call for these patients to be treated by surgeons who perform more than 50 mitral valve cases a year. We are proud that our university is one of the 22 mitral valve repair reference centers in the United States.”
Cardiovascular Medicine Symposiums, Workshops and Sessions
Carlos E. Alfonso, M.D., associate professor of cardiovascular medicine and medical director of the Miller School’s Advanced PCI and CTO Program, moderated the PCI symposium and discussed highly specialized techniques to treat complex coronary CTO (chronic total occlusion).
“We had a great session with experts discussing complex PCI and CTO procedures,” Dr. Alfonso said. “During the complete PCI symposium, we covered the spectrum of coronary disease, discussing a variety of topics including strategies and emerging technology for treatment of acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock, as well as non-occlusive coronary disease.”
In his presentation and workshop on optimizing coronary bifurcation disease interventions, Dr. Chatzizisis said optimal outcomes involve careful imaging of the patient’s anatomy, stent design and stent techniques.
“Computer simulations and artificial intelligence have the potential to help us plan our procedures, improve outcomes and lower overall health care costs,” he said. “They can also help our trainees master their interventional skills.”
Michael Dyal, M.D., Miller School assistant professor of medicine, discussed how intravascular ultrasound imaging can help guide PCI interventions, and Nikolas Spilias, M.D., Miller School assistant professor of interventional cardiology, spoke about when and why complete coronary revascularization should be performed.
In a separate session, Drs. Chatzizisis and Spilias were joined by Maria Delgado-Lelievre, M.D., founder and director of the Comprehensive Hypertension Center, in a discussion of new renal denervation interventions that decrease hypertension by ablating the arterial nerves near the kidneys.
“This is a safe procedure with an ‘always on’ effect on lowering blood pressure,” said Dr. Spilias.
Heart Failure and Electrophysiology
Assistive devices are helping patients with heart failure when medical therapy isn’t enough, according to Luanda Grazette, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine at the Miller School and director of the UHealth Advanced Heart Failure Program. She moderated a Thursday workshop on heart failure.
“We have come a long way with medications in three decades, adding years of life to older patients with heart failure,” she said. “Even though drugs do a great job in improving survival, they can hit a ceiling, where assistive devices are needed.”
On Friday, Jeffrey Goldberger, M.D., professor of medicine, moderated a workshop on cardiac electrophysiology with Raul D. Mitrani, M.D., professor of clinical medicine and director of clinical cardiac electrophysiology; Litsa Lambrakos, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and Alex Velasquez, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, all from the Miller School.
Dr. Mitrani said the workshop highlighted important advancements in the field of cardiac electrophysiology.
“Participants learned about new extravascular defibrillators and the advantages of physiologic pacing,” he said. “The importance of risk-factor modification, including research from UHealth, was emphasized.”
“In keeping with the theme of the conference, the EP symposium focused on the novel approaches to atrial fibrillation ablation and pacemaker/defibrillator device implantation,” added Dr. Goldberger.
He presented leading-edge Miller School research showing how stagnant catheter ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation can be dramatically impacted by the new paradigm of adjunctive medical therapy with GLP-1 agonists, a popular novel drug therapy approved for diabetes and weight loss.
Nursing and New Cardiovascular Innovations Symposiums
Stephanie Moss, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., UHealth executive director, clinical operations, and Shay Lamelas, A.P.R.N., UHealth nurse practitioner, moderated the Nursing Symposium on Saturday.
“When treating heart diseases, post-operative care is essential for good outcomes,” said Lamelas. “Our nursing team supports surgical and interventional treatments, so patients can continue to survive and thrive.”
Moss, who spoke on technological advances in heart failure, said panelists and attendees were highly engaged during the workshop.
“There was also a strong effort into fostering inclusivity and diversity at the conference, and the opportunity to network was invaluable,” she added.
On the last day of the conference, Dr. de Marchena led a morning symposium on new investigational devices for the treatment of valvular and coronary disease. The three-hour session featured 16 presentations on devices being studied from all over the world, including two developed by Miller School cardiology faculty.
Finally, a panel heard oral presentations and recognized the conference’s abstracts. The 25 best abstracts will be published in the journal, US Cardiology Review.
Tags: cardiology, cardiovascular, Cardiovascular Division, Dr. Alex Velasquez, Dr. Carlos Alfonso, Dr. Eduardo de Marchena, Dr. Jeffrey Goldberger, Dr. Joseph Lamelas, Dr. Litsa Lambrakos, Dr. Luanda Grazette, Dr. Maria Delgado-Lelievre, Dr. Michael Dyal, Dr. Raul Mitrani, Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis, Miami Valves 2024
MIAMI — Two men have been arrested in connection with an armed home invasion robbery in Miami last month in which investigators say masked suspects entered a home, pointed a gun at a victim and repeatedly demanded money before searching the residence.
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Miami police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Earl Gerry Baldwin and 21-year-old Zakis Kawone James, both of Miami-Dade.
According to arrest reports, officers responded to the home on April 4 after the victim reported that two masked men had entered the residence and robbed him at gunpoint.
The report states that he victim told investigators he was in the kitchen when two men wearing ski masks entered through an unlocked front door.
Police said shortly after, one of the intruders allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded cash, repeatedly asking, “Where’s the money?” as the two men searched the home.
Investigators said the gunman took the victim’s iPhone 16 Pro Max while both suspects searched bedrooms for money. The victim told police the suspects also asked about his younger brother before continuing their search.
According to the reports, the gunman kept the victim at gunpoint while the other suspect ransacked rooms throughout the home. After failing to find any money, the men left the victim inside his mother’s bedroom, closed the door and fled, investigators said.
Authorities said the victim then ran to a neighbor’s home and called police.
Detectives said surveillance footage obtained from nearby locations showed a silver Chevrolet Trailblazer parked near the home before the robbery.
According to the reports, video showed two suspects exiting the SUV and walking toward the residence before entering the home. Minutes later, the pair were seen running from the property and getting back into the vehicle, which drove away.
Investigators said license plate reader data identified the SUV and showed it traveling through Miami shortly after the robbery. Historical reader data and GPS records linked the vehicle to a residence in the 700 block of Northwest 65th Street, according to the reports.
Detectives said additional surveillance footage later captured Baldwin inside the SUV while wearing clothing matching what was seen during the robbery.
Investigators said they also identified him during a separate contact on May 15 and later obtained cellphone records and location data that allegedly placed his phone in the area of the robbery and traveling with the SUV before and after the crime.
According to James’ arrest report, detectives identified him through surveillance footage, a resident database search and facial recognition software.
Investigators also obtained surveillance footage showing James making a purchase at a Walmart in Miami Gardens after the robbery using a debit card in his name, the report states.
Police said cellphone data associated with James’ phone also placed him at the robbery scene and traveling with the SUV throughout the day.
On Thursday, detectives executed a search warrant at the Northwest 65th Street residence and took both men into custody, according to the reports.
Baldwin was transported to the Miami Police Department’s robbery office, where he was advised of his Miranda rights and invoked them, according to his arrest report.
James waived his Miranda rights and provided a statement to detectives, according to his arrest report. Details of the statement were redacted from the publicly released report.
Jail records show both men are each facing one count of armed robbery with home invasion.
As of Friday, both were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where their bonds were listed as “to be set.”
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Miami, FL
Ex-Miami Heat player Terry Rozier facing additional bribery charges in sports gambling sting
Federal prosecutors have indicted ex-Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on additional charges in connection with a sports gambling sting, alleging he took a hefty bribe to exit a game early in March 2023.
Rozier, 32, was charged Thursday in a superseding indictment in Brooklyn federal court with bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. Superseding indictments are used when prosecutors want to change or add new charges to an existing criminal case.
Rozier has denied participating in the gambling scheme, and has been fighting to have the case dismissed after pleading not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges in December. His attorneys argue in part that the government’s theory of the case — that he prevented sportsbooks from making informed decisions about accepting certain bets — runs afoul of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the federal wire fraud statute.
The new indictment “just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous — new charges, new theories, but all just an effort to make something stick,” Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, wrote in an email to The Associated Press.
Rozier was arrested in October along with former NBA player Damon Jones, who pleaded guilty last month for his role in schemes to defraud major sportsbooks including DraftKings and FanDuel. Others charged in the case include sports bettor and influencer Marves Fairley, who pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy, bribery and other federal charges in connection with gambling schemes targeting basketball games in the U.S. and China.
Rozier remains free on $3 million bond. The case has kept him off the court this season.
The new indictment alleges that Rozier not only defrauded sportsbooks, but also the NBA and the team he was playing for at the time, the Charlotte Hornets.
Rozier is accused of conspiring with gamblers to leave a game early, citing a lingering lower leg injury, so they could cash in on more than $250,000 in bets that his points, assists and other totals would be lower than what the sportsbooks had set as betting lines.
Not all of the bets were successful because Rozier collected four rebounds, which was more than the betting line, the superseding indictment said. As a result, after the game, Rozier and his co-conspirators negotiated a discount on his bribe, cutting it from $100,000 to about $70,000, the superseding indictment said.
The new indictment against Rozier was filed within hours of the guilty pleas by Fairley, who goes by the name “Vezino Locks” on Instagram. As part of his plea, Fairley admitted to prosecutors’ allegations that he used insider information to get an edge when betting on NBA, NCAA and Chinese Professional Basketball League games — including paying Rozier’s longtime friend $100,000 in exchange for a tip that Rozier was going to leave a game early.”
Fairley’s attorney Eric Siegle said his client “deeply regrets and is ashamed of his conduct.”
“By publicly acknowledging his guilt and conduct today, Marves is taking the first step toward atoning for his wrongful conduct and to starting his ‘second half’ on the right foot,” Siegle said. ____ Associated Press reporter Michael R. Sisak contributed from New York. Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.
One good season can set the standard of what the Miami Hurricanes can be for the future under Jai Lucas.
Lucas nearly broke many single-season records as a first-year head coach, but that didn’t stop him from learning from mistakes that could have helped him improve the following season. However, he has three returning players, so it is a brand new team for the upstart head coach.
Yeah, for me it’s like coaching a whole new team,” Lucas said on an appearance on the “Hoops HQ” basketball podcast. “I think something that goes into the past is you have something that fits, and you just try to rinse and repeat. That’s kind of how a lot of programs are built. But now with this portal era, you don’t know what you’re going to get every year. My team looks completely different than before, so I had to build it differently.”
Lucas dove into some of his transfer targets and why they fit well with the Canes, starting with his new star point guard, Acaden Lewis.
“It started with being able to get a really good point guard,” Lucas said. “We had one last year in Tre Donaldson, and that’s where Acaden came into play. Having somebody you feel can run the team, but also has the ability to take over games. Watching his stuff in the portal and doing the analytics, he’s one of the best point guards in the country pound for pound with what he’s able to do and how he’s able to create.
“Like I talked about earlier, we had a prior relationship that went back to when I was at Duke and we recruited him there. So it was kind of an easy recruitment once the portal opened and I was able to talk to him.”
Lewis is complemented with the Canes new star defensive anchor Somto Cyril.
“Then I wanted a big, and that’s where Somto came in,” Lucas continued. “He played for a coach who is on staff now, Eric Pastrana, at Georgia, so that was kind of the relationship built there.
However, the biggest missing link from last season was shooting and depth. Lucas got that and loves how his team feels and looks heading into the summer.
“Once we got those two pieces along with Shelton and Dante, who we had coming back, the one thing I knew we missed last year and needed this year was shooting. That’s where Nick Dorn, Brent Bland, DeShawn Goode, and some of these other guys who will be high level complementary pieces came into play with our foundational pieces like Acaden, Shelton, Dante, Somto, those guys.
“Then we wanted to get more depth than we had last year where we played about six or seven. I wanted to be able to play eight plus, maybe nine this year. So we focused on that, focused on the shooting, but also wanted to have size. Nick’s size at 6 foot 7 and his ability to shoot, and what he did at Elon and then having it transfer over to what he was able to do in a Power Five conference, I felt was a fit for what we want to do here.”
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