September Cardio Connections Summit Recap

PCNA’s September 2025 Cardio Connections Summit spotlighted cutting-edge topics that affect cardiovascular nursing. Disease-specific sessions on hypertension guidelines, ATTR-CM, LDL-C, and Lp(a) were complemented by information on how AI is reshaping nursing practice and decision-making.

You can catch up with the sessions and earn CE contact hours by using the links below. Sessions and related CE contact hours are available at no charge.

In Hypertension Reimagined: Applying the latest guidelines, Leslie L. Davis, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAANP, FPCNA, FAHA, shared what was new—as well as what is unchanged—in the recently updated guidelines for hypertension, and how best to assess, monitor, and manage patients with hypertension. Dr. Davis described how to properly measure blood pressure, and the use of risk calculators such as PREVENT to identify recommended lifestyle and medication management to help patients achieve the overarching blood pressure goal of <130/80 mmHg for adults.

James Norton, BSN, RN, presented The Role of AI in Cardiovascular Care. As individuals and organizations embrace the newest technology, James described how it can be used to help with risk assessment, diagnosis, monitoring, and testing in the care of patients at risk for, or with, CVD. James used a cardiac amyloidosis case study to exemplify how to use AI in practice, and shared the importance of the impacts of privacy, data, and algorithmic biases, and the ethics surrounding the use of these cutting-edge tech tools.

The session Breaking the Chain: Targeting LDL-C to Stop Atherosclerosis in Its Tracks, presented by Susan Halli Demeter, DNP, FNP-BC, CLS, FNLA, FPCNA focused on applying current cholesterol guidelines and strategies to optimize diagnosis and management, including for patients at very high-risk include high Lp(a). Using a lens of shared decision-making, Susan described how lower LDL levels are better, that various strategies can be used effectively to reach these goals, and that lifelong risk can be decreased if LDL-lowering is initiated earlier in the disease trajectory.

In addition to the CE sessions described above, the virtual summit also included a presentation sponsored by Medtronic on the sex-specific differences in aortic valve stenosis. The faculty described how women are underrepresented in clinical trials, underdiagnosed and undertreated with regards to aortic stenosis. Recognizing differences in anatomy and physiology can aid healthcare professionals in utilizing effective management strategies for all patients, with the goal of improved outcomes.

The final non-CE session of the event, sponsored by Abbott Laboratories, covered how remote hemodynamic monitoring can be utilized in the effective management of patients with heart failure (HF). While patient-reported weight gain and other symptomology has been used historically to identify worsening HF, remote monitoring can slow HF progression by providing insights into worsening pulmonary artery wedge pressure before any symptoms appear.

PCNA is grateful to the sponsors of the Sept. 2025 Cardio Connections Summit: Bridge Bio Pharma, Inc., Medtronic, Merck & Co, Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Abbott Laboratories.