In cooperation with our esteemed academic partner, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Open Medical Institute conducts a seminar on the topic of Pediatric Cardiology once every three years. The course took place for the sixth time in 2021, under the academic leadership of CHOP, from January 19-21. This year, the course was held virtually for the first time as an OMInar.
Course director Dr. Chitra Ravishankar is well acquainted with the program, as she was a faculty member in 2015. The same is true for Austrian co-course director Dr. Ina Michel-Behnke (Medical University of Vienna), who co-directed the course in 2018. The high-level faculty was completed by Dr. Christine Falkensammer, Dr. Daniel Zimpfer and Dr. Christopher M. Janson. Dr. Falkensammer, originally from Innsbruck/Austria and currently working at CHOP, was a faculty member in previous years. Dr. Zimpfer (Medical University of Vienna) and Dr. Janson (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) participated in the seminar for the first time this year, and we were delighted to welcome them to our OMI team.
This year’s schedule covered the following topics:
- TOF and Truncus Arteriosus
Christine Falkensammer, MD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
- Fetal Echocardiography: Diagnosis and Management
Christine Falkensammer, MD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
- Assessment and Treatment of Arrhythmias
Christopher M. Janson, MD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
- Shunt Lesions: VSD, ASD and More
Ina Michel-Behnke, MD, PhD (Medical University of Vienna)
- Interventions in Congenital Shunt Lesions
Ina Michel-Behnke, MD, PhD (Medical University of Vienna)
- Heart Failure in non-CHD – Therapeutic Options
Ina Michel-Behnke, MD, PhD (Medical University of Vienna)
- Cardiac Emergencies – Rescue Procedures
Ina Michel-Behnke, MD, PhD (Medical University of Vienna)
- Single Ventricle Heart Defects: Introduction
Chitra Ravishankar, MD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
- Fontan Circulation: Short- and Long-Term Outcomes
Chitra Ravishankar, MD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
- Aortic Valve Stenosis – Surgical Options
Daniel Zimpfer, MD (Medical University of Vienna)
34 fellows from 24 different countries were invited to participate in the OMInar, 11 of whom had already attended an OMI Seminar in the past. For this year’s fellows Dr. Vedran Stojanovic from North Macedonia and Dr. Miroslav Elek from Bosnia and Herzegovina the course was a „virtual reunion“, as they had the opportunity to meet each other in person during the OMI Seminar in General Pediatrics in 2015 in Salzburg. The highly engaged fellows and their insightful questions allowed for a very interactive OMInar with lively discussions between and amongst both fellows and faculty.
In my practice, I focus on cardiomyopathies and I will definitely use the knowledge I gained during this OMInar to modify the medical treatment of some of my patients. After listening to the lecture about fetal echocardiography, I would like to learn it and perform it in my country.
I am sure that my participation in the OMInar will lead to some changes in my practice habits. This OMInar made me more confident and convinced me that if I need help with anything concerning my clinical practice, I will be able to get it from some of the most experienced centers and physicians. In the future, I hope I will not hesitate to contact some of the other fellows as well.
In my country, there is a need for treatment protocols and follow-ups for patients with congenital heart disease and acquired heart disease. Learning from the faculty and from other fellows at the OMInar gave me the necessary motivation to continue my problem-solving efforts and increase my treatment quality.
Several rare cases and situations that we discussed during the OMInar taught me how to solve the problem if something similar were to occur in my home country. Also, it was very interesting to me that the two successful and prestigious centers have such a different approach in some clinical dilemmas, but successfully resolve them in different ways.
The concept of maternal hyperoxygenation during fetal cardiac examinations was new to me. From a technical perspective, it is actually a very simple technique. We will consider introducing it in our procedures for pregnant women in Czech Republic.
The fellow’s engagement could also be seen in the number of submitted case reports: 29 participants provided a clinical case prior to the event, 12 of which were chosen by the course directors and presented during the live event. These cases can be accessed via the OMI Case Library, which also contains all excellent cases from previous OMI Seminars and OMInars.
We are already looking forward to the next OMI Seminar in Pediatric Cardiology in 2024.