Cedars-Sinai 19th Annual Women and Ischemic Heart Disease Symposium 2025

Women’s Cardiovascular Health, MINOCA, INOCA, SCAD & Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction

Overview

The Cedars-Sinai 19th Annual Women and Ischemic Heart Disease Symposium 2025 is a specialized cardiovascular medicine program dedicated to advancing the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of ischemic heart disease in women.

Held on April 11, 2025, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, this symposium addresses critical sex- and gender-specific differences in cardiovascular disease that continue to impact diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for women worldwide.

The program focuses on emerging evidence and contemporary management strategies for conditions that disproportionately affect women, including:

• MINOCA (Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries)
• INOCA (Ischemia with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries)
• Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction (CMD)
• Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD)
• Heart Failure in Women
• Cardiovascular Disease During Pregnancy
• Sex Differences in Stroke
• Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Young Women

Through expert lectures, debates, case-based discussions, and multidisciplinary collaboration, participants gain practical strategies for improving cardiovascular outcomes in female patients.

Course Features

• 1 Conference Video
• 7 Educational PDFs
• Women’s Cardiovascular Health Focus
• Evidence-Based Clinical Updates
• MINOCA & SCAD Reviews
• Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction Education
• Heart Failure in Women Sessions
• Pregnancy-Related Cardiovascular Disease Updates
• Expert Faculty Discussions
• Case-Based Learning

Target Audience

Specialties

• Cardiology
• Emergency Medicine
• Endocrinology
• Internal Medicine
• Family Medicine
• Preventive Medicine

Healthcare Professionals

• Cardiologists
• Emergency Physicians
• Endocrinologists
• Internists
• Family Physicians
• Preventive Medicine Specialists
• Nurse Practitioners
• Physician Assistants
• Nurses
• Cardiovascular Care Providers

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, participants will be able to:

• Assess cardiovascular risk in women using contemporary risk assessment approaches.
• Recognize limitations of traditional cardiovascular risk tools in younger women.
• Evaluate women presenting with suspected INOCA and MINOCA.
• Differentiate invasive and non-invasive diagnostic pathways for coronary microvascular dysfunction.
• Identify sex-specific differences in stroke prevention and management.
• Manage cardiovascular disease during pregnancy and postpartum periods.
• Apply contemporary treatment strategies for SCAD and MINOCA.
• Recognize the relationship between coronary microvascular dysfunction and HFpEF.
• Improve multidisciplinary management of women with ischemic heart disease.
• Implement evidence-based therapies that improve outcomes in female cardiovascular patients.

Core Topics Covered

MINOCA (Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries)

A major focus of the symposium is contemporary management of MINOCA.

Topics Include

• Diagnostic evaluation
• Pathophysiologic mechanisms
• Imaging approaches
• Coronary functional testing
• Risk stratification
• Emerging therapies

Faculty review evolving evidence regarding this frequently under-recognized condition in women.

INOCA (Ischemia with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries)

The conference explores the growing clinical importance of INOCA.

Covered Areas

• Ischemia without obstructive CAD
• Symptom evaluation
• Coronary vascular dysfunction
• Diagnostic pathways
• Management strategies
• Long-term prognosis

Participants learn practical approaches to women who experience ischemic symptoms despite normal coronary angiography.

Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction (CMD)

Dedicated sessions address diagnosis and treatment of CMD.

Topics Include

• Coronary microvascular disease
• Coronary flow reserve assessment
• Functional coronary testing
• PET imaging
• Cardiac MRI applications
• Invasive physiology testing

Special debates compare:

• Invasive diagnostic strategies
• Non-invasive diagnostic approaches

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD)

SCAD remains one of the most important causes of myocardial infarction in younger women.

Covered Topics

• SCAD pathophysiology
• Clinical presentation
• Acute management
• Follow-up care
• Recurrence prevention
• Case-based reviews

Faculty discuss contemporary approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in Women

The symposium highlights challenges in identifying cardiovascular risk among women.

Topics Include

• Risk prediction models
• Young women and cardiovascular disease
• Under-recognition of risk
• Prevention strategies
• Lipid management
• Emerging biomarkers

Special attention is given to limitations of traditional risk calculators.

Pregnancy and Cardiovascular Disease

The program reviews cardiovascular conditions associated with pregnancy.

Covered Areas

• Pregnancy-associated cardiovascular risk
• Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
• Pregnancy-related heart disease
• Long-term cardiovascular consequences
• Maternal risk assessment
• Prevention strategies

Faculty emphasize early identification of women at elevated cardiovascular risk.

Heart Failure in Women

Dedicated sessions focus on female-specific aspects of heart failure.

Topics Include

• HFpEF in women
• Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT)
• Advanced heart failure therapies
• Ventricular assist devices (VADs)
• Heart transplantation
• Sex-based differences in outcomes

Stroke Prevention & Management

The symposium reviews sex-related differences in cerebrovascular disease.

Covered Topics

• Stroke prevention
• Atrial fibrillation in women
• Sex-specific stroke risk factors
• Diagnostic considerations
• Treatment disparities
• Secondary prevention

Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction and HFpEF

A unique aspect of the program explores the relationship between CMD and HFpEF.

Topics Include

• Microvascular dysfunction
• Diastolic dysfunction
• HFpEF pathophysiology
• Women’s heart failure syndromes
• Diagnostic approaches
• Emerging therapeutic strategies

Why This Course Stands Out

✔ Dedicated entirely to women’s cardiovascular health

✔ Strong focus on ischemic heart disease in women

✔ Comprehensive coverage of MINOCA and INOCA

✔ Advanced discussions on coronary microvascular dysfunction

✔ Extensive SCAD education

✔ Pregnancy-related cardiovascular disease updates

✔ Heart failure and HFpEF in women

✔ Evidence-based prevention strategies

✔ Multidisciplinary clinical perspective

✔ Highly relevant to contemporary women’s cardiology practice

 Topics:

*Note: these are continuous video recordings during the conference, they include individual lectures mentioned in the Detail section below

April 11 Full Live.mp4
Agenda.pdf
Debate- CVD Risk Assessment Tools are Effective in Young Women.pdf
Debate- Invasive Diagnosis is Better than Noninvasive approach to CMD.pdf
Heart Failure in Women, from GDMT to VAD to Transplant.pdf
Identifying Cardiovascular Risk in Pregnancy.pdf
Keynote Lecture- Understanding and Treating MINOCA in 2025.pdf
Sex Differences in Stroke Management & Prevention.pdf

* Detail:

Friday, April 11, 2025