In this educational program the use of RAASi in the management of patients with COVID-19 is discussed in three parts.

This course consists of the following:

• A scientific perspective on COVID-19, ACE2 and RAAS inhibition - Prof. Jan Danser, PhD – Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• A clinical perspective on COVID-19, ACE2 and RAAS inhibition - Prof. Murray Epstein, MD – Miami, FL, USA
• COVID-19, ACE2, and RAAS inhibition: What are the implications for practice? - Prof. John Deanfield, MD – London, UK and profs. Danser and Epstein

After watching these three videos, the learner should be able to:

• Describe the properties and function of ACE2
• Recall the magnitude of the target population at risk when RAS blockers are discontinued
• Understand the consequences of discontinuation of RAS blockers
• Recall what is known about the effect of different drug classes of RAS blockers in COVID-19
• Describe what is needed for better management of COVID-19 patients

Expert faculty

• John Deanfield is Professor of Cardiology at University College London (UCL) and Consultant Cardiologist at the Barts Heart Centre (BHC) London UK. He is the Director of the National Centre for Cardiovascular disease Prevention and Outcomes (NCCPO) at UCL, and Chairman of National Institute for Cardiovascular (CV) Outcomes Research (NICOR).

• Jan Danser is Professor of Pharmacology and head of the Division of Pharmacology within the Pharmacology and Vascular Medicine Sector of the Department of Internal Medicine at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

• Murray Epstein, M.D., is emeritus professor of medicine at the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.

Target audience

This educational activity is designed for cardiologists in secondary care and other healthcare professionals with an interest in treating CVD patients.

CME accreditation

This online course is accredited by the European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology (EBAC) for 1 hour of external CME credit.

Through an agreement between the European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert EBAC External CME credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Information on the process to convert EBAC credit to AMA credit can be found on the AMA website. Other health care professionals may obtain from the AMA a certificate of having participated in an activity eligible for conversion of credit to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Funding

Funding for this educational program was provided by an unrestricted educational grant from Vifor Pharma and Novartis.