At the completion of this course, the participants will be better prepared to:

Dr. Flume’s Lectures

Bronchiectasis: No longer an orphan disease

• Describe the epidemiological statistics regarding the diagnosis of bronchiectasis
• Review the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis of various etiologies
• List the known causes of bronchiectasis
• Discuss the therapies used to treat patients with bronchiectasis using cystic fibrosis as the paradigm

Differentiating Asthma from COPD: Update Based on the Guidelines

• Discuss the recently published Asthma and COPD guidelines
• Describe the diagnostic techniques used in the evaluation of the patients with asthma and COPD
• Review the treatment options for patients with asthma and COPD

How to Evaluate the Breathless Patient

• List the causes of dyspnea
• Describe the neurophysiologic mechanisms associated with dyspnea
• Describe the diagnostic tests used to evaluate the patient with dyspnea

Pneumonia 2008

• Describe the current classifications of pneumonia
• List the bacterial pathogens associated with the various types of pneumonia
• Review the published guidelines regarding the treatment of patients with pneumonia

Dr. Martens’ Lectures

HPV and Cervical Cancer Screening: Is the Pap Smear Dead?

• Implement the Pap smear screening guidelines to women in their practice
• Discuss with patients the risk of serious cervical disease despite a normal Pap smear

Osteoporosis: An Update for the Clinician

• Incorporate the new risk-based guidelines for osteoporosis treatment in your practice
• Review new osteoporosis treatment therapy available in the past year

Hormone Replacement Therapy and Cardiovascular Health: When to start, when to stop

• Identify patients that may benefit from HRT and those who will be at increased risk for cardiovascular events

Vaccines and Women’s Health:  All You Need to Know

• Examine the risks and benefits of new vaccines on both female and male health
• Establish safeguards to avoid vaccinating reproductive age women who may become pregnant

Dr. Fisher’s Lectures

MRSA Infections – Old Scourge in the Hospital, New Plague in the Community?

• Distinguish between the traditional hospital-acquired MRSA and the community-acquired MRSA organisms
• Identify patients in the emergency departments or clinics whose skin and soft tissue infection is most likely caused by MRSA
• Select an appropriate management strategy for known or suspected community-acquired MRSA infections

Endocarditis Prophylaxis 2008 – Finally Less Complicated!

• Identify the patients with the greatest lifetime risk of an adverse outcome from endocarditis
• Identify the procedures which cause bacteremia by organisms most likely to cause endocarditis
• Apply the simplified guidelines and plan antibiotic prophylaxis for the most appropriate patients undergoing the most risky invasive procedure

Office Recognition and Management of Common Fungal Infections

• Distinguish morphologically the following fungi: Candida spp, Cryptococcus neoformans, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Sporothrix schenckii, Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Pityorsporum orbiculare, dermatophytes and other moulds
• Distinguish patients in the clinic most likely to have a fungal infection instead of a bacterial infection
  Select an appropriate management strategy for patients with proven or suspected fungal infections

Antibiotic Use – Just for the Chosen Few or for Almost Everybody?

• Confidently decide to withhold the use of an antibacterial agent when the patient in question is likely suffering from a non-life-threatening viral syndrome
• Distinguish patients in the clinic most likely to have a viral infection instead of a bacterial infection
• Select an appropriate management strategy for patients with viral syndromes as well as those with proven or suspected bacterial infections

Dr. Basile’s Lectures 

Hypertension 2008: An Update Based on the “New” evidence

• Understand that to achieve recommended BP goals, most patients require 2 or more antihypertensive agents, which can be delivered in a fixed-dose combination often started as initial therapy.
• Understand the results of the ACCOMPLISH study and how they impact initial Fixed-Dose Combination Therapy
• Understand the role of the Direct Renin Inhibitor, Aliskerin, and the Beta blocker with the ability to vasodilate, nebivolol.

Dyslipidemia: What to do with non-HDL once LDL is at goal

• Assess the evidence behind outcome improvement in clinical trials utilizing statin-based therapy.
• Define the goals for LDL-C reduction in order to improve CV outcomes.
• Understand the role of non-HDL-C in the treatment of patients with dyslipidemia as defined by ATP-III.

Heart Failure 2008: An Evidence-Based Update

• At present, there is no evidence that one particular agent is best at improving outcomes in those with heart failure with preserved EF.
• At present, an ACE/BB has the highest priority for use in systolic heart failure (HF with reduced EF). The BB used affects outcome.
• In the ACE intolerant patient, using an ARB with a BB improves outcome in those with HF and reduced EF.
• The role of Isosorbide/Hydralazine in the African-American patient with advanced heart failure will be discussed.