Newswise — NEW YORK – November 17, 2020 - The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) has announced that the 2021 Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) Summit will now take place as a virtual event called CTO Connect. It will take place online February 20-21, 2021.

The conference will feature live case transmissions performed by some of the world’s leading operators along with real-time analysis from world-class faculty members. Live and on-demand sessions will also highlight engaging case-based discussions, challenging cases, and the latest technical developments and refinements in CTO PCI.

“CTOs are typically the most challenging types of blockages to treat with an interventional procedure. However, significant progress has been made in recent years,” said Course Director Dimitrios Karmpaliotis, MD, PhD. Dr. Karmpaliotis is also Director of CTO, Complex and High Risk Angioplasty at the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

“We now have a better understanding of the disease as well as the types of patients who can benefit from the procedure,” Dr. Karmpaliotis added. “With advanced techniques and training, experienced practitioners of CTO PCI can achieve very high success rates. The techniques and technologies that will be demonstrated during CTO Connect are applicable to almost any other type of complex coronary artery procedure, so this course is valuable to all interventionists regardless of whether they will eventually engage in CTO PCI.”

“CRF remains committed to creating exceptional educational programs while ensuring the health and safety of all of our attendees,” said Juan F. Granada, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of CRF. “CTO Connect will provide attendees with high-quality education and training in the treatment of complex coronary artery disease, as well as unique opportunities to engage with colleagues and experts from around the world.”

Additional details on CTO Connect will be announced soon. For more information, visit https://www.crf.org/cto.

About CRF

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations specializing in interventional cardiology innovation, research, and education. CRF is dedicated to helping doctors improve survival and quality of life for people suffering from heart and vascular disease. For nearly 30 years, CRF has helped pioneer medical advances and educated doctors on the latest treatments for heart disease. CRF is comprised of the CRF Skirball Center for Innovation, CRF Clinical Trials Center, CRF Center for Education, CRF Digital, TCTMD, and Structural Heart: The Journal of the Heart Team. For more information, visit www.crf.org.

The CRF Center for Education trains interventional cardiologists and other healthcare professionals in advanced techniques and innovations at more than 50 educational meetings and conferences each year, including the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. For more information, visit www.crf.org/ced.

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