St. Patrick Hospital To Host 26th Annual Rocky Mountain Valve Symposium

Is there a doctor in the house?

There will be physicians from all over the world in Missoula starting Thursday, as St. Patrick Hospital hosts the 26th annual Rocky Mountain Valve Symposium. Director of the International Heart Institute, Tim Descamps said the numbers of attendees each year continues to amaze.

"We have 75 physicians coming to Missoula to attend this three day conference," Descamps said. "It starts Thursday at 7:30 in the morning. We have a total attendance from outside of Missoula of 120, which includes industry supporters and nurses who are looking to be educated on this subject."

Descamps said there is a different emphasis every year for the Heart Valve Symposium.

"This year we're covering the percutaneous and minimally-invasive strategies for treating heart valve disease," he said. "The topic is addressed to both cardiac surgeons, cardiologists and anesthesiologists that all have a great interest in this technology and this topic."

The conferences will be in the Broadway building on the campus of St. Patrick Hospital, including labs that will instructing attendees on the latest in echocardiography and surgical techniques.