ACC Launches Valvular Disease Program With Hospitals in China

July 31, 2017—The American College of Cardiology (ACC) recently announced that the society is working with prominent hospitals in central and eastern China to launch a series of educational forums for physicians on valvular heart disease. The educational forums will address the growing burden of valvular heart disease in China, particularly for underserved patients that face barriers to health care services.

According to ACC, the trainings provide a comprehensive overview regarding the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of the common manifestations of valvular heart disease and focus on the latest updates to international guidelines-based patient care. The forums will also seek to improve coordination between different health care specialists who may treat patients with indications of valvular heart disease, including internists, general cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons. Valvular heart disease specialists from the ACC will join local Chinese speakers for lecture-style presentations and interactive discussions based on case studies.

The program is supported by Edwards Lifesciences Foundation’s Every Heartbeat Matters initiative, which aims to reach hundreds of health care professionals in Kunming, Yunnan Province; Wuhan, Hubei Province; and Fuzhou, Fujian Province. The initiative supports the effort to offer high-quality, readily accessible care for patients from underserved communities that may be at risk for developing valvular heart disease. In addition to the educational forums for clinicians, ACC presenters will be distributing patient education materials for each hospital to use with patients to ensure they have the latest information regarding risk factors and lifestyle modification strategies for valvular heart disease.

In the announcement, ACC President Mary Norine Walsh, MD, commented, “We are committed to working with our colleagues in China to implement this program in a way that achieves maximum impact for underserved patients in these areas and furthers the ACC’s mission to prevent cardiovascular disease and improve patient care on a global scale. By directly working with clinicians where they live and practice, we are aiming to change the culture around treating and preventing heart disease in China.”