Case-finding starts with you.
Community pharmacists, family physicians, nurse practitioners and their teams see older adults far more often than any cardiology service does. Our education program gives you a practical, guideline-based approach to recognizing valvular heart disease and dyslipidemia — and a clear menu of places to send the people you identify.
Education sessions
Phase 1 (fall 2026): structured 60- to 90-minute sessions for community pharmacy teams — pharmacists, technicians and managers — across the Ontario–Quebec border region, and sessions for family physician and nurse practitioner groups in Prescott-Russell on detecting and managing dyslipidemia. Content is delivered by a cardiovascular specialist with an independent moderator. Sessions are non-promotional; no products are named or discussed.
Fall 2026 dates will be posted here as they are confirmed. In the meantime, register your interest using the form below.
By the end of a session, participants can
- Describe the epidemiology and natural history of valvular heart disease — most importantly aortic stenosis — and its burden in older adults.
- Recognize the clinical presentation and red flags, including murmur characteristics and warning symptoms.
- Explain the principles of proactive disease management and why early detection improves outcomes.
- Identify at-risk patients, with or without a primary care provider, and direct each to the appropriate door for assessment.
- Apply practical patient-conversation and case-finding techniques with confidence.
What the guidelines say
- ACC/AHA/Multisociety 2026 (dyslipidemia) — measure Lp(a) at least once in adulthood in every adult. This is the first US guideline to make universal Lp(a) measurement a Class 1 recommendation. Repeat testing is generally unnecessary.
- ACC/AHA 2026 — Lp(a) of 125 nmol/L (50 mg/dL) or higher is risk-enhancing, carrying roughly a 1.4-fold long-term risk of myocardial infarction or stroke; 250 nmol/L or higher carries at least a two-fold risk. Cascade testing of first-degree relatives is recommended when Lp(a) is elevated.
- ACC/AHA 2026 — apoB is measured selectively to refine residual risk, including where LDL-C or non-HDL-C appears at goal. Primary-prevention risk is now estimated with the PREVENT equations rather than the Pooled Cohort Equations.
- CCS 2021 (Canadian context) — screen all adults 40 and over with a lipid panel, with apoB or non-HDL-C as accepted alternatives to LDL-C, and measure Lp(a) once as part of initial screening.
- ACC/AHA valvular heart disease guidance — auscultate older adults for a suspicious murmur, and obtain echocardiography when one is identified. Echocardiography remains the confirmatory test.
Referral pathway
With the patient’s consent, direct them to the door they choose: their own provider, a walk-in clinic, the Quebec Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP) for unattached patients, a private clinic, or a partner clinical program. Where a partner program is used, the standard work-up is: referral → nurse-practitioner telephone assessment → in-person visit with full lipid profile (including apoB and Lp(a)), HbA1c and cardiac auscultation → echocardiography if a murmur is found → follow-up or specialist referral as indicated.
