Registration open for 2024 Houston Shock Symposium


By Roman Petrowski, Office of Communications

Houston Shock Symposium

The Center for Advanced Cardiopulmonary Therapies and Transplantation and UTHealth Houston Heart and Vascular will host the Sixth Annual Houston Shock Symposium, March 22-24 at Royal Sonesta Hotel Houston Galleria (2222 West Loop South).

The 2024 Houston Shock Symposium’s theme is Elevation through Innovation.

 The symposium aims to have world-renowned experts in the field of shock discuss current topics and challenging cases, share their expertise, and advance knowledge to a broad audience of providers. To contribute to this advancement, the symposium is designed for cardiologists, advanced heart failure cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, intensivists and critical care physicians, nurses, perfusionists, residents and fellows, advanced practice providers, and medical staff interested in the physiology, diagnosis, and management of shock.

The three-day event includes nine sessions featuring national and international experts in the field of shock. Additionally, the symposium features case and poster presentations, as well as the Training and Education in Advanced Cardiovascular Hemodynamics (TEACH) II Course. The TEACH II program provides clinicians with in-depth knowledge about cardiac pathophysiology and the hemodynamics of mechanical circulatory support. Having completed TEACH I, attendees will already have been exposed to the basic concepts of cardiovascular physiology and will have seen how the subjects taught in the TEACH I program impact their clinical practices.

The keynote speaker for the 2024 Houston Shock Symposium is Mariell Jessup, MD, emeritus professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine and the chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association. She served as the chief scientific officer of the Leducq Foundation from January 2017 through August 2018 before moving into her role at the American Heart Association.

Jessup practiced heart failure and transplant cardiology for 30 years at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she served in a variety of administrative roles, including medical chief of the Heart and Vascular Program and clinical chief of Cariology. She has been a long-time volunteer of the AHA and was a member of the board of directors of the national AHA, and president from 2013-14.

The Houston Shock Symposium also features a skills lab, which offers hands on training on all aspects of mechanical circulatory support device therapies. This year, the Skills Lab will focus on:

  • Axial Flow Pumps
  • Counterpulsation
  • Rotodynamic Pumps
  • Large Bore Access
  • ICE and Transseptal Puncture
  • Large Bore Access Closure
  • ECMO Cannulation and Initiation
  • Bovine Heart Coring for LVAD Placement

Additionally, the symposium will feature Shock Jeopardy, a fun twist for this year’s event. Participants will engage in a dynamic and interactive session where they can test their knowledge, compete with peers, and enhance their understanding of shock-related topics in a fun and challenging format. Competing teams will be from UTHealth Houston and UTMB; Baylor College of Medicine and Houston Methodist; the University of Nebraska and Creighton University; and Thomas Jefferson University, Northwell Health, and Pittsburgh University.

Registration for the Houston Shock Symposium is free for all attendees.