MER Primary Care Conferences Cardiology & Pulmonology for Primary Care Apr 17-19, 2026

Description

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

+ Target Audience: cardiologists, primary care physicians, pulmonologists

+ Sample video: contact me for sample video

+ Information:

1. Overview

The “Cardiology & Pulmonology for Primary Care” is a conference organized by Medical Education Resources (MER), a non-profit organization. The event is scheduled to take place from April 17-19, 2026, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ.

2. Learning Objectives

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

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

• Discuss best practices for reading and interpreting EKGs.

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

• 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.

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

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

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

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

3. Target Audience

This program is targeted to office-based primary care providers and other health professionals with updates in primary care medicine.

4. Topics

Cardiology

• Work-up of Patients with Suspected CAD: Risk factor evaluation and risk assessment models; 2021 ACC/AHA Chest Pain Guidelines; 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).

• EKG and Clinical Correlation for Primary Care: A refresher of the clinical usefulness of EKG including discussion of challenging EKG readings.

• Hypertension: The 2025 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; Risk factors by new pooled equations.

• Cardiology Cases: Challenging case presentations in cardiology.

• 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.

• 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 in treatment and antiplatelet drugs; Issues related to the hospitalized patient with acute decompensated heart failure and readmissions.

• Primary Prevention of Cardiometabolic CVD: 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; Role of pooled equations for risk estimates.

Pulmonology

• 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.