SCAI Publishes Structural Heart Disease Core Curriculum

September 13, 2010—The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) announced the publication of a core curriculum consensus document for the treatment of structural heart disease, which was authored by Ted Feldman, MD, et al. The American College of Cardiology has also endorsed the curriculum. An introduction to SCAI's Structural Heart Disease Council, the structural heart disease core curriculum, and results of a survey of physicians and training directors on structural heart disease procedures were published simultaneously online ahead of print in SCAI's Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions and in the Journal of the American College Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.

According to SCAI, the structural heart disease core curriculum defines training and credentialing requirements along with program standards for practitioners who perform interventional structural heart disease procedures. With the rapid advancement of interventional treatments for structural and congenital heart disease during the past 10 years, SCAI identified a need—confirmed by the survey results—for uniformity across structural heart disease training programs as well as specific credentials and standards for practitioners who treat structural heart disease with interventional techniques. SCAI's survey of 107 interventional cardiologists in the United States indicated that a lack of comprehensive training programs prohibits many practitioners from treating structural heart disease.

SCAI stated that its Structural Heart Disease Council will work to increase awareness of structural heart disease therapies as treatment options while advocating for patients' improved access to interventional therapies. The council also hopes to increase the opportunities for mentorship and career advancement in structural heart disease-related fields, and partner with organizations that promote the use of interventional structural heart disease therapies.

“The primary goal of the core curriculum is to provide patients with the highest level of care and treatment available,” commented Dr. Ruiz, lead author of the core curriculum. “The core curriculum will serve training centers and practitioners dedicated to growing their knowledge and skill base for structural heart disease interventions and provide a forum to discuss the latest treatment advancements for structural heart disease to advance and improve patient care.”

The core curriculum outlines specific training recommendations and skill requirements for certification as a structural heart disease practitioner, including:

• Superb basic catheterization skills with the ability to achieve unusual types of vascular access and manipulate various catheters, balloons, and other devices
• The ability to competently handle potential complications resulting from interventional treatment
• A knowledge base and interventional skills for a variety of complex structural heart diseases, including appropriate device selection, imaging needs, stenting techniques, managing complications and acute and long-term postprocedural care

“As structural heart disease procedures advance and become increasingly common, it is essential that practitioners acquire the right set of skills and knowledge base,” added Dr. Feldman, who is SCAI's past president and chair of SCAI's Structural Heart Disease Council. “Patient care will benefit from those who acquire the skills and training outlined in the core curriculum document.”

Additionally, specific guidelines for adequate structural heart disease training centers include:

• A structural heart center composed of integrated and dedicated faculty members from various specialties, including anesthesiology, pediatrics, surgery, and radiology, among others
• Staff and faculty dedicated to mentorship
• Sufficient patient volume with a variety of patient case levels
• Hybrid procedure rooms, sophisticated imaging equipment, and simulation technology
• Formal didactic sessions, ongoing mentorship opportunities, weekly medical-surgical structural heart disease conferences, inpatient and outpatient consultation services, and clinical follow-up