MER Primary Care Conferences Cardiology & Pulmonology for Primary Care Jun 26-28, 2026

Description

+ Include:  videos + file sub vtt, size:  GB

+ Target Audience: internists, primary care physicians, cardiologists, and pulmonologists

+ Sample video: contact me for sample video

+ Information:

1. Overview

• Conference Name: Cardiology & Pulmonology for Primary Care.

• Organizer: Medical Education Resources (MER), a non-profit organization.

• Date: June 26-28, 2026.

• Location: The Westin Nashville in Nashville, TN.

2. Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program, participants should be better able to:

• Implement lifestyle changes as well as lipid and cholesterol guidelines for the prevention of CAD.

• Explain current concepts in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension.

• Describe the work-up, risk assessment and test selection of patients with suspected CAD.

• Utilize case-based learning to develop treatment plans for cardiovascular conditions.

• Implement treatment strategies reflective of recent guidelines and current evidence based medicine for heart failure.

• Describe current diagnostic and treatment approaches to arrhythmias and atrial fibrilation.

• Describe current diagnostic approaches and the role of drug therapy to the patient with acute chest pain.

• Utilize case-based learning to develop treatment plans for cardiovascular conditions.

• Diagnose and manage patients with asthma.

• Design treatment strategies reflective of current evidence-based medicine for common respiratory infections.

• Describe the current therapeutic management of COPD.

• Discuss diagnosis and screening strategies as well as treatment plans for lung nodules and lung cancer.

3. Target Audience

This program is targeted to office-based primary care providers and other health professionals with updates in primary care medicine. Best for internists, primary care physicians, cardiologists, and pulmonologists.

4. Topics

Cardiology (June 26 & 27, 2026)

• Primary & Secondary Prevention of CAD: Definitions; AHA/ACC and other lipid guidelines updates; HDL Cholesterol: The good cholesterol?; Metabolic syndrome and/or obesity; Who needs treatment and how much; The role of lifestyle changes, exercise and cardiac rehabilitation; Drug therapy updates; Risk calculation.

• Hypertension: The 2017 AHA/ACC Hypertension Guidelines; The 2024 ESC Guidelines for hypertension; Approaches to treatment thresholds and goals; Choices for initial and combination therapy; Resistant hypertension; Treating special populations: diabetics, the elderly, patients with renal failure.

• Work-up of Patients with Suspected CAD: Risk factor evaluation and risk assessment models; Test selection including ECG, echo, nuclear and newer imaging modalities (including discussion of appropriate use criteria–AUC); The usefulness of CT scanning; The role of bio markers and EBCT; Suspected CAD in special populations (women, diabetics, the elderly).

• Heart Failure: Etiologies and stages of heart failure; ACC/AHA Heart Failure Guidelines; Heart failure with reduced EF (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved EF (HFpEF); Determining patients for referral using biomarkers, eg NT Pro BNP; Treatment options: ACE inhibitors, ARBS, ARNI, beta blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, SGLT2i; The role of devices (ICD and/or CRT) in treatment and antiplatelet drugs; Issues related to the hospitalized patient with acute decompensated heart failure and readmissions.

• Arrhythmias: Types and symptoms of arrhythmias; Approach to the patient: when to treat, when to refer, when to admit; Evaluation of the patient with palpitations; Atrial fibrilation: the use of anticoagulants indications, CVA risk scores, warfarin vs newer oral anticoagulants, controlling heart rate vs rhythm; Ventricular and other arrhythmias: when are they serious.

• Acute Coronary Syndromes: The Patient with Acute Chest Pain: Diagnosis and initial evaluation in the primary care setting, urgent care clinic and emergency department; Initial workup, treatment, and follow-up; Diagnosing and treating ST segment elevation and non-ST segment elevation MIs; The role of drug therapy–primary vs adjunctive to PCI; Follow up after acute coronary syndromome.

• Cardiology Cases: Challenging case presentations in cardiology (covered across two sessions).

Pulmonology (June 27 & 28, 2026)

• Asthma: The medical impact of asthma; fundamental role of inflammation, with possible scarring and irreversible loss of lung function; practical points of diagnosis; goal setting management based on levels of severity; risk factors for mortality and treatment in the acute setting; management options for the difficult to control asthmatic patient.

• Controversies in the Treatment of Common Respiratory Infections: Acute and chronic bronchitis; pneumonia (community versus hospital-acquired); role of the Pneumonia Severity Index score in determining indication for hospitalization; cost-effective use of antibiotics; clinical significance of drug resistance; guidelines for management.

• COPD: Definition; pathophysiology; early detection and intervention; risk reduction; management update including new modalities (including lung volume reduction surgery) and the role of inhaled corticosteroids and domiciliary oxygen.

• Lung Cancer Screening & Pulmonary Nodules: Appropriate use of the new lung cancer screening recommendations; Fleischner Society guidelines and American College of Chest Physician Lung Cancer guidelines; approach to definitive evaluation and management strategies.