The International Arrhythmia Winter School symposium, once regarded as a regional meeting, has been transformed into an internationally-attended symposium by Founder and Chairman Dr. Eugene Crystal, Director of Arrhythmia Services at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Over 135 delegates participated at the 5th Annual Winter Arrhythmia School at Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, Canada.
This year s symposium was particularly successful, as it incorporated some of the best teachers in the field of cardiac electrophysiology.

Every annual event is graded through a rigorous evaluation process in order to determine the teaching objectives for subsequent events. In addition, when planning for a new cardiac arrhythmia symposium, it was particularly important to create an agenda based on topics that had not been fully explored by the Heart Rhythm Society, Europace, or Cardiostim. Therefore, we chose to focus on a smaller group size and highly interactive teaching model.
To enhance the overall learning experience, we brought together medical allied professionals (APs), industry field specialists from numerous manufacturers, and leading Canadian and international experts in cardiac arrhythmias. Device therapies and programming specifics were also extensively discussed during the device workshops, with a primary focus on new programming concepts that could be brought back to the clinic. We incorporated discussions and hands-on teaching sessions of various CRM devices: presenting case studies, programming and troubleshooting strategies.

In addition, the International Arrhythmia Winter School carried an extensive review of invasive cardiac electrophysiology. With the increased occurrence and complexity of atrial and ventricular arrhythmia procedures, our attendees examined tailored approaches to these procedures. Different mapping and ablative technologies were also explored and compared in unbiased and professional discussions.
In general, the International Arrhythmia Winter School offered an excellent opportunity to improve knowledge in invasive cardiac electrophysiology, ablation and device therapy. A particular emphasis was put on hands-on presentations, which addressed the practical issues in daily clinical work that are frequently not addressed in cardiology congresses. There was also ample time for discussion and interaction, which revealed the different attitudes and opinions about daily practice decisions such as indications for ICDs (e.g., in the elderly, renal failure, dilated cardiomyopathy), ablation of asymptomatic WPW, or CRT.