CSANZ 2010—Adelaide

In mid August, I had the extreme pleasure of traveling “down under”—Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, Australia, to be exact. The journey was part business and part pleasure, but more importantly it was an unforgettable educational experience.

In July, 2009, I was contacted by Di Jackson via Brian Haluska and asked if I were interested in giving a talk in Australia. The answer was YES! The purpose of the trip was to attend the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). The CSANZ scientific sessions are similar to those of the American College of Cardiology in the US or the European Society of Cardiology in Europe, consisting of specified tracts based on disease, specialty, and clinical profession (physician, nursing, and allied health), all of which were open to all conference attendees.

The CSANZ annual meeting rotates throughout cities in Australia and New Zealand. This year’s event was supposed to be hosted by Melbourne, but due to a conflict with the Melbourne convention center, it was held in Adelaide. Adelaide is close to the southwestern coast of Australia, where there are beautiful rolling hills—a perfect spot for Australian vineyards and red kangaroos. We saw wild red kangaroos in the vineyards; they are huge and can hop as fast as we were driving!

Cardiac Imaging Council Satellite Symposium: The Right Tools for the Job was a multi-modality, all-day imaging session held prior to the official meeting. Each session incorporated a specific imaging modality. The first session was on cardiac CT, followed by echocardiography and cardiac MRI, with a wrap-up session on multi-modality imaging which compared and contrasted the modalities. The topics were well thought out, and the speakers were fantastic!

The Opening Ceremony had to be the most entertaining opener I have ever attended. It began with three indigenous performers who came out on stage and entertained the crowd. One played a long wooden instrument called a didgeridoo while the others danced and explained the ceremonial interpretations of each dance.

Prize Session— Allied Health & Technologists was a highlight contest of the 4 best abstract submission finalists. Prior to the presentations there was a keynote talk by the first invited international speaker for the allied health sessions. I was the keynote speaker, and the topic was “Time Traveling through Echo.” Then the primary author of each of the abstracts had 15 minutes to present his or her data. The topics were multi-disciplinary in content, well-delivered, and very difficult to judge (they were so good!). In fact, there was a tie for 1 ^st place, and the top two finalists split the prize. Abstract titles and authors were:

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  First Place— Who Benefits most from Carotid Intima Media Thickness? Brian Haluska

  
  
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  First Place— Differing Gender and Age Specific Trends in the Incidence of Coronary Events in Western Australia, 1996-2007. Lee Nedkoff

  
  
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  Runner up— Transthoracic Three Dimensional Echocardiographic Assessment of Right Ventricular Volume and Function in Patients with Congenital Disease is the Closest Correlate to Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Kathy Stedman

  
  
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  Runner up— Stationary Cycling is as Effective as Walking in Phase I Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Randomized Control Trial. Andrew Hirschhorn

The content of each presentation was compelling and impressive; all of the authors should be exceedingly proud of their work regardless of who won the prize.

There seemed to be an event every night. Friday night was the international faculty dinner hosted by the Leo Mahar and the Scientific Committee. The conversation, food and Australian wine were excellent!

The following night we attended the gala, an amazingly entertaining event with more fantastic Australian wine, good food, entertainment, and dancing. At the end of each day, local wine, fruit, and cheese were served in the abstract area, where notable abstracts were orally presented in areas sectioned off by topic.