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The American Heart Association (AHA) has selected numerous physician-scientists from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center to present their clinical research at the AHA's Scientific Sessions 2004. The four-day conference began this weekend at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Below are some of the studies being presented:

Low Volume Programs and Bypass Surgery Outcomes

Drs. Eric Rose and Craig Smith will make a presentation showing that the volume of cardiac surgery cases does not impact coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) mortality, a benchmark for quality outcomes. Their study finds that attention to infrastructure, personnel, and institutional partnerships can enable low volume programs to achieve good quality outcomes.

Dr. Rose is surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and chairman of the department of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Smith is chief of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and the Calvin F. Barber professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Preliminary Findings on New Non-Surgical Treatment for Mitral Valve Repair

Dr. Hal S. Wasserman will present results of the EVERST I study demonstrating the safety of the Evalve percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair system to treat mitral regurgitation. His findings show that experience and technique improvements have decreased the length of the procedure.

Dr. Wasserman is associate director of the Interventional Cardiology Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and associate clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Quality-of-Life Findings for Children Undergoing Congenital Heart Surgery

Dr. Welton M. Gersony will make a presentation on quality-of-life findings of children who undergo the Fontan procedure to treat congenital heart disease. He found that a better quality of life (based on the Child Health Questionnaire), including increased ability to exercise, was associated with a higher ventricle mass-to-volume ration.

In a separate presentation, Dr. Daphne T. Hsu will show that children who undergo the Fontan procedure to treat congenital heart disease have sub-optimal results from the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) survey, despite the children's self-rated "good" health. The lower physical HRQOL scores are correlated to medical factors and lower psychosocial scores correlated to socio-demographic and behavioral factors.

Dr. Gersony is director of the Pediatric Cardiovascular Center and Director of Pediatric Cardiology at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and the Nadas professor of pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Hsu is attending pediatrician at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and professor of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeon.

Northern Manhattan Study of Metabolic Syndrome & Endothelial Dysfunction

Drs. Ralph L. Sacco and Shunichi Homma will present results of their Northern Manhattan study. In the study of 807 participants who had cardiac studies testing the responsiveness of their blood vessels they found that people with poor blood vessel response and metabolic syndrome were at increased risk of a heart attack, stroke or vascular death. The metabolic syndrome includes the following vascular risk factors including elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, obesity and dyslipidemia.

Dr. Sacco is director of stroke and critical care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and associate chairman of neurology and professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr. Homma is attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center and the Margaret Milliken Hatch Professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

New Minimally Invasive Device to Treat Pediatric Ventricular Septal Defects

Dr. William E. Hellenbrand will present data from a Phase I clinical trail on transcatheter closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects (PMVSDs) using Amplatzer membranous VSD occluders.

Dr. Hellenbrand is director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and clinical professor of pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Majority of Women at High Risk for Heart Disease Go Undiagnosed Under Existing Guidelines

Dr. Lori Mosca will present findings of a study showing that of those women at high risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in a managed-care environment, only 12 percent met the AHA's guidelines for lipid levels over a three-year period.

Dr. Mosca will also present results of a study finding that intervention improved women's ability to correctly categorize their personal coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. The study also documented the preferred methods to communicate risk by age and ethnicity.

Dr. Mosca is director of preventive cardiology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.