Newswise — WHAT:The CTO Summit 2016 is a two-day course featuring the latest research and state-of-the-art technologies for chronic total occlusions. The agenda is now available online at: http://www.crf.org/cto/the-conference/agenda.

This year’s conference will emphasize advanced techniques, evidence-based medicine, and live case transmissions featuring the world’s leading experts in CTO stenting. Sessions showcasing the latest research on CTOs will focus on procedural outcomes, registry updates, and new stent technologies. Among the highlights are:

The EXPLORE Randomized TrialJose P.S. Henriques, MDAcademic Medical Center

European Registry UpdateGeorgios Sianos, MDAHEPA University Hospital

Progress CTO Registry UpdateEmmanouil S. Brilakis, MDVA North Texas Health Care System and UT Southwestern Medical Center

OPEN CTO Registry UpdateJames Sapontis, MDMonashHeart

Successful Compared to Failed CTO PCI: New Data From a Large Korean RegistrySeung-Whan Lee, MDAsan Medical Center

A Japanese Registry Update: J-PROCTOR 2Etsuo Tsuchikane, MDToyohashi Heart Center

UK CTO RegistryWilliam M. Wilson, MDRoyal Melbourne Hospital

BVS in CTO’s: A Look at the FutureYaron Almagor, MDShaare Zedek Medical Center

WHY:A complete blockage in the coronary artery lasting more than three months, or chronic total occlusion (CTO), has historically been one of the most challenging types of blockages to treat with an interventional procedure. This meeting is aimed at helping interventional cardiologists treat CTOs. With advanced techniques, leading practitioners of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can achieve success rates greater than 90%.

WHEN: February 25-26-2016

WHERE:New York Marriott Marquis1535 BroadwayNew York, NY

WHO:The course directors for the CTO Summit 2016 are: J. Aaron Grantham, MDUniversity of Missouri Kansas City and Mid America Heart Institute

Dimitri Karmpaliotis, MD, PhDNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

Martin B. Leon, MDNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

Jeffrey W. Moses, MDNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

Masahiko Ochiai, MDShowa University Northern Yokohama Hospital

Gregg W. Stone, MDNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

Gerald S. Werner, MDKlinikum Darmstadt HOW TO REGISTER:Media may apply for registration by emailing [email protected]. For those unable to attend in person, reporters are eligible for access to Virtual CTO which provides live and on-demand viewing of the meeting sessions.

About CRFThe Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to helping doctors improve the survival and quality of life of people suffering from heart and vascular disease. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit www.crf.org.