Release Date: October 4, 2011
Expiration Date: October 4, 2013

Angiography remains the standard arterial imaging study used to diagnose peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is one of the most commonly used radiologic techniques to assess the vasculature and has been the standard of reference to evaluate lower extremity arterial disease. This fluoroscopy technique has also demonstrated value in imaging vascular occlusions other than PAOD such as arterial stenoses, pulmonary embolism, and arteriovenous malformations. Other techniques have been utilized or investigated in vascular diagnostics, and each patient requires individualized consideration of appropriate techniques to determine optimal medical and/or surgical intervention. There remains a need to educate practitioners on the evidence concerning the appropriate use of contrast agents utilized in DSA. Also, there is a need to promulgate optimal methods by which DSA is utilized, including increased use of protocols.

This program will discuss the safety and tolerability of contrast media currently used in DSA. The current evidence base in the field will also be applied to suggest methods to optimize the use of catheter-based DSA to identify PAOD. Additionally, strategies by which DSA protocols can be integrated into daily clinical practice will be discussed.

CME Information and Pretest – 5 minutes
Review Webcast – 80 minutes
Posttest and Evaluation – 5 minutes
 

This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of radiologists, interventional radiologists, interventional cardiologists, vascular surgeons, technologists, nurses, and all health care practitioners involved in the management of patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease.

Physicians
Quintiles Medical Education, Inc., is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.

Quintiles Medical Education, Inc., designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For more information about the physician accreditation of this activity, please contact Tom Bregartner at QME@quintiles.com.

Nurses
Global Education Group is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Colorado Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This educational activity for 1.5 contact hours is provided by Global Education Group. Nurses should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.

For information about the nursing accreditation of this program, please contact Global at 303-395-1782 or inquire@globaleducationgroup.com.

Technologists
This activity is approved by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT).

This activity is approved by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) for 1.0 Category A continuing education credit.

Estimated time to complete this activity: 90 minutes.

This activity has been reviewed for relevance, accuracy of content, and fair balance by CME Peer Review, LLC.

Participants should read the educational objectives, view the Webcast in its entirety, and complete the evaluation and posttest. The posttest consists of a series of multiple-choice questions.

Upon completion of this activity as designed and achieving a passing score of 75% or greater on the posttest, participants will receive a certificate of credit awarding AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, contact hour, or Category A continuing education credit. All other health care professionals will receive a certificate of completion.

There is no fee to participate in this educational activity.

Gilles Soulez, MD Professor of Radiology CHUM - University of Montreal Montreal, QC Canada

Jonathan S. Reiner, MD Professor of Medicine Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory George Washington University Medical Center Washington, DC

Policy on Disclosure
Quintiles Medical Education, Inc., and Global Education Group adhere to the ACCME Essential Areas and Policies, including the Standards for Commercial Support, regarding industry support of CME. Disclosure information is provided during the planning process to ensure resolution of any identified conflicts. Disclosure of faculty and commercial relationships, as well as the discussion of unlabeled or unapproved use of any drug, device, or procedure by the faculty, will be disclosed to learners.

Global Education Group Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Global Education Group (Global) requires instructors, planners, managers, and other individuals and their spouse/life partner who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified conflicts of interest are thoroughly vetted by Global for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies mentioned in the materials or used as the basis for content, and appropriateness of patient care recommendations.

The planners and managers reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity:
Jackie Dawson, MSN, Amanda Glazar, PhD, and Michael Perlmutter, MS, PharmD, have no significant financial relationships to disclose.

Faculty Disclosure
The faculty participating in this activity has reported the following:
Gilles Soulez, MD, has no significant financial relationships to disclose.
Jonathan S. Reiner, MD, has received an honorarium from Bracco Diagnostics Inc.

Off-Label Usage
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Quintiles Medical Education and Global Education Group do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of any organization associated with this activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

CME Peer Review, LLC, Conflict of Interest Resolution Statement
Reviewers are required to disclose all relevant relationships with any commercial interest to CME Peer Review, LLC, prior to being accepted as a reviewer. Reviewers are required to update such information, are vetted and are determined to be free of conflict of interest prior to conducting each activity content evaluation.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Quintiles Medical Education, Inc., Global Education Group, or Bracco Diagnostics Inc. Please review complete prescribing information of specific drugs or combination of drugs, including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.

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