Cardiologists and heart surgeons meet for 'Controversies and Advances' ...( LOS ANGELES (September 25 2007) Ste...)

LOS ANGELES (September 25, 2007) Stem cell therapy for cardiac regeneration and the controversial issue of medicine and the media will be the focus of the keynote addresses at the seventh annual Controversies and Advances in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease conference. Conducted by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Oct. 4 and 5, the conference is co-sponsored by the California Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, the California Chapter of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Promedica International CME.

Professional differences of opinion often have stood between heart surgeons and cardiologists, and recent innovations in minimally invasive medical procedures have done nothing to reduce the friction. The ongoing debate as to whether it is better to replace and repair aortic and mitral valves surgically or to manage them medically is just one example. And when considering treatment options for Atrial Fibrillation, the choices are even more diverse should the physician opt for minimally invasive surgery, drugs or a catheter treatment" And then there is the highly controversial stent issue drug-eluting vs. bare metal which is better"

This major symposium one of the very few that brings together both cardiologists and heart surgeons will directly explore the controversies and latest medical and surgical advances in an open forum. Many subjects will be addressed in debate formats. Others will be lectures presented by highly respected leaders in their fields.

Lawrence K. Altman, M.D., author of the book Who Goes First" The Story of Self-Experimentation in Medicine and a member of the New York Times science news staff since 1969, will be one of two keynote speakers. Altman, senior medical correspondent at the Times, has published an average of 100 scientific stories a year and writes the column Doctors World. His remarks will focus on medicine and the media.

A clinical professor at New
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