Endorsed Documents

The SCAI Expert Consensus Statement: 2016 Best Practices in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory has received an Affirmation of Value by the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology.

The Executive would like to report that our Association has endorsed a document produced in collaboration with the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). The Executive determined that an Affirmation of Value be given to the document titled 2015 SCAI/ACC/HFSA/STS Clinical Expert Consensus Statement on the Use of Percutaneous Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices in Cardiovascular Care.

Our seat on the SCAI documents committee offers us an opportunity to cooperatively create and/or endorse documents that are deemed to be of value for our Canadian interventional community. If you have any specific questions regarding this document or process please don’t hesitate to contact Dr. Warren Cantor who represents CAIC-ACCI interests on the SCAI Documents committee.

Kevin McKenzie
Executive Director

Clinical Documents

CAIC-ACCI & SCAI conducted discussions through which clinically relevant interventional cardiology documents could be endorsed by both organizations. The Executive is pleased to announce that CAIC-ACCI has secured a seat on the SCAI clinical documents committee and Dr. Warren Cantor (Southlake Regional Health Center) will represent CAIC-ACCI interests. As the collaboration progresses other CAIC-ACCI members will be afforded the opportunity to serve on this committee!

As a member of the SCAI documents committee Dr. Cantor will liaise with the Executive to define clinical documents, either currently being written or slated for consideration, CAIC-ACCI will consider for endorsement.

• When CAIC-ACCI is approached by an organization (e.g. SCAI, CCS) with an opportunity to endorse a set of guidelines, expert consensus statement or similar clinical document, the following process will be employed:
• The executive will select three (3) reviewers, with appropriate expertise, from the membership who will critique the document and offer comments. An expectation of all reviewers will be to provide feedback within a two-week time frame.
• Reviewer’s written feedback and potential edits will be collated and considered by the Executive committee. The final endorsement decision rests with the Executive and a vote will be held where a ⅔ majority is required for ratification.

Once ratified, the endorsed clinical document will be posted on the CAIC-ACCI website. If interested in serving as a clinical document reviewer please contact the CAIC-ACCI Executive Director.

SecondsCount.org Patient Website

SCAI has invested significantly to develop a website where Operators can direct patients for credible information. Appreciating that the SecondsCount.org content is primarily packaged for a US audience, much of the disease-based knowledge may be of value to Canadian patients.

SCAI is in the process of updating content on the SecondsCount.org website with a transition to include more video and visual content. The Executive is very please to announce that Dr. Mina Madan (SunnyBrook Health Sciences Center) and Dr. Ian Billingsley (Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Center) will represent the CAIC-ACCI Membership on this SCAI Committee. If you have interest in serving on the SecondsCount.org committee and helping shape patient content please contact the CAIC-ACCI Executive Director.

Emerging Leader Mentorship (ELM) Program

Dr. Anita Asgar and Dr. Marc Jolicoeur, both from the Montreal Heart Institute, will complete their two-year Emerging Leader Mentorship (ELM) program in 2015. As reported previously this prestigious program emerged from a formal partnership between the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).  Program participants (up to 10 per two-year cycle) work closely with a mentor and are exposed to a wide range of experiences designed to accelerate research, presentation, teaching and leadership competencies; the ELM program is ultimately designed for operators who are early in their career and this developmental opportunity remains accessible to our Canadian community. The application process for the next ELM Fellows’ class will commence in the fall of 2014. If you have interest in better understanding the significant opportunity this program offers, or have interest in applying, please don’t hesitate to contact either Anita or Marc directly. Further information can also be found on the SCAI website.