CANADIAN ADULT CONGENITAL HEART NETWORK


	News & Event Archive Dr. Erwin Oechslin, President`s Message - Spring 2010 2010-04-10 CCS 2009 Consensus Conference on the Management of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease is published! The Canadians pioneered the development of... + read more What you missed from the 2009 Patient Conferences 2009-05-09 View the Presentations: Adult Congenital Heart Disease - Tsunami by Erwin Oechslin, MD, FRCPC, FESC Heart Failure by Dr.... + read more ACHD Guidelines Submitted! 2009-05-04 First of all, I congratulate Dr. Candice Silversides for her great job putting the entire document together. This was tremendous... + read more Poster Award for CACH Network! 2009-04-03 The CACH Network Poster entitled "A Contemporary Perspective on Eisenmenger Syndrome in Adults: A Multicentre Study" has received the Poster... + read more -------------------------------------------------- Sign-Up for Updates First Name Last Name Email Address Click here to unsubscribe			PRINT ARTICLE Dr. Erwin Oechslin, President`s Message - Spring 2010 Date: 2010-04-10 CCS 2009 Consensus Conference on the Management of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease is published! The Canadians pioneered the development of guidelines on the management of adults with congenital heart disease. In 1996, CACH Network members and a panel of national and international experts were the first group to publish guidelines for the management of adults with CHD under the leadership of Gary Webb and Michael Connelly. Since the publication of the 2001 CCS guidelines (updated 1996 guidelines), there have been significant advances in the understanding of the late outcomes, genetics, and medical and interventional therapy in this growing population of adults with congenital heart disease. The complete document has been revised and updated under the leadership of Candice Silversides (Toronto) and Judith Therrien (Montreal) and consists of four manuscripts. As president of the CACH Network, I express my sincere thanks to Candice Silversides and Judith Therrien for their leadership on this project and acknowledge the contributions of the section editors (Ariane Marelli, Luc Beauchesne, Annie Dore, Marla Kiess, Omid Salehian), authors of the different chapters and of the national and international experts who critically reviewed the document. The international panel members have given this document an international flavor. The CCS 2009 Consensus Conference on the Management of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease is posted in the International Guidelines section and all articles are available as PDF-files. The Executive Summary is published (Can J Cardiol 2010, 26:143-50). The articles regarding specific lesions are published on line and the full articles can also be viewed at www.canjcardiol.com or www.pulsus.com. A PowerPoint slide set of the CCS 2009 Consensus Conference can be viewed by clicking here. CACH Network as Associate Organization with the CCS CACH Network applied for Affiliate Membership being an Associate Organization with the CCS last year. This application process takes approximately six months and we should have a reply soon. CCS Meeting 2010 in Montreal CACH Network was invited to propose a pre-arranged session. The proposed session entitled ‘Pregnancy and Heart Disease – Tough Questions’ was accepted and the potential speakers are being invited by the CCS. International Society of Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ISACHD) Dr. Barbara Mulder, Amsterdam (NL) is the new ISACHD President. The Executive Committee also includes regional representatives to better reflect the global mission of ISACHD. Please visit www.isachd.org and *join ISACHD* if you are not yet a member. The annual fee is USD 95.00 for physicians/surgeons, USD 60.00 for nurses and USD 35.00 for fellows in training. Among many other benefits, you will get (optional) subscription to the International Journal of Cardiology at the reduced rate of USD 141.00. The more members, the stronger the global ISACHD family! Bill 178 Passed the Second Reading at the Ontario Legislature MPP Dr. Helena Jaczek, Oak Ridges-Markham (Ontario) introduced a private member’s bill in May 2009. This Bill 178, an act to proclaim *February 14th in each year as Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Day, passed the second reading at the Ontario Legislature on November 26, 2009 and has been sent to Social Policy Committee. There was a 50 (!) minute debate about congenital heart disease at the Ontario Parliament on November 26, 2009 and five Parliament Members delivered distinct statements and recognized congenital heart disease as a major challenge for the society that deserves greater attention. “Our investment has to go beyond improving survival: we must invest in research, patient care and education so that congenital heart disease survivors do not face premature death, so that long-term complications can be treated in a timely fashion and these survivors can live in good health and enjoy a good quality of life”, was one of the statements. John MacEachern, President of the Canadian Congenital Heart Alliance (CCHA) made MPP Dr. Helena Jaczek aware of the growing population of congenital heart disease survivors and the increasing needs, which are not met. She then took the initiative to improve awareness of congenital heart disease in the Ontario Parliament. Thanks John, for lobbying for the patients’ and physicians’ needs. The father of one of my patients is also a Member of the Ontario Legislature who acts as an advocate for congenital heart disease issues. Networking and lobbying will help increasing awareness of congenital heart disease and – let’s hope – introducing February 14th as Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Day. I hope, Bill 178 bill pass the third reading soon. Other provinces are invited to follow. If you know a member of a Provincial Parliament, or if you know one of your regional representatives, please ask him/her for support to increase awareness of CHD. This is an area where politicians raise their profile among the congenital heart disease survivors: there are more than 100,000 adults with congenital disease across Canada. Networking and lobbying will strengthen our power. Congenital Heart Alliance* Congenital Heart Alliance (CCHA) is a registered charitable organization made up of patients with a congenital heart defect, their friends, families, and the medical community. CCHA is a Canadian organization, but their main activities have been focused on Ontario because the organization was founded in Ontario and most of the members are from this Province. However, CCHA is a NATIONAL organization and I encourage all CACH Network Centres to encourage their patients to join CCHA. John MacEachern, President of the CCHA will be happy to open chapters in other Provinces: a Maritime chapter has been opened. Help our patients, they are our best advocates! Erwin Oechslin, MD, FRCPC, FESC President, CACH Network