Get Credit for Attending!
The annual CTO Plus: Complex CTO & Higher Risk PCI™ conference in New York brings together global leaders in Interventional Cardiology to address critical challenges in treating higher-risk patients with complex coronary artery disease and chronic total occlusions (CTO). Despite advancements in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), practitioners face gaps in their ability to consistently apply the latest procedural strategies, techniques, and technologies in their daily practice. Mastery of these skills is essential to effectively manage complex clinical and anatomic scenarios, such as calcified lesions, left main and bifurcation disease, hemodynamic instability, and cardiogenic shock. Addressing these gaps requires clinicians to stay current with evolving practices and develop expertise to optimize patient outcomes.
CTO Plus 2026 will address these gaps by offering sessions that focus on both advanced interventional techniques and the latest evidence-based approaches. The conference will emphasize skill development through live case demonstrations conducted by leading and emerging operators, with real-time expert commentary and analysis from a distinguished faculty. This format fosters a practical understanding of cutting-edge strategies and innovations, empowering participants to enhance their clinical practice and patient care.
By the conclusion of CTO Plus 2026, participants should be able to:
- Evaluate the appropriateness of PCI for patients with complex and high-risk coronary artery disease, incorporating clinical and anatomical considerations.
- Analyze the pathobiologic and clinical factors influencing the treatment of high-risk coronary lesions, including chronic total occlusions (CTOs), calcified lesions, left main and bifurcations, as well as complex patient, subsets such as those with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and cardiogenic shock.
- Discuss advancements in operator techniques, guidewire technology, and novel devices that have enhanced the success rates of CTO and complex coronary interventions.
- Demonstrate advanced guidewire techniques for antegrade and retrograde CTO crossing and the application of adjunctive devices in both CTO and non-CTO complex PCI procedures.
- Incorporate the use of coronary physiology and intravascular imaging to guide clinical decision-making and optimize procedural and long-term outcomes.
- Apply cutting-edge techniques and evidence-based strategies to enhance procedural success while mitigating risks and complications.
- Interventional cardiologists
- Endovascular specialists
- Clinical cardiologists
- Catheterization laboratory nurses
- Cardiovascular technologists
- Health care professionals with an interest in chronic total occlusion
- Researchers and scientists in interventional cardiology
In accordance with accredited continuing education directly provided by CRF®, all planners, faculty, authors, moderators, and facilitators with control over activity content are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. CRF® is required to provide this information to learners before the start of an activity.
Discussion of off-label product usage is made at the sole discretion of the faculty. Off-label product discussion and usage are not endorsed by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation® or the conference directors of this activity.
All of the relevant financial relationships listed have been mitigated.
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation® is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation® designates this live activity for a maximum of TBD AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the number of CME credits claimed for the activity.
Successful completion of this CME activity enables the participant to earn up to TBD MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirements of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification program.
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirement(s) of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM/ABTS/ABS credit.
Documentation of awarded credit is provided for registered attendees in exchange for completed activity evaluations. CME, MOC, and Certificate of Attendance can be claimed through the CRF® Events App (available via the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store) or the CRF® CME Portal.
As a CME provider accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), CRF® is committed to ensuring balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all its sponsored programs. Commercial support from industry does not influence educational content, faculty selection, and/or faculty presentations, and therefore, does not compromise the scientific integrity of the educational activity.
The CRF® independent reviewers are Grzegorz L. Kaluza, MD, PhD; Gary S. Mintz, MD.
- Grzegorz L. Kaluza, MD, PhD — Grant Support/Research Contract - Terumo Medical Corporation; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Edwards Lifesciences; Reflow Medical; Shape Memory Medical; Occlutech; Lungpacer; InnovHeart; Ancora Heart; Dura Biotech; Mitria; InQB8; Ethicon; R3 Vascular; Puzzle Medical; ReCardia; VivaSure; Magenta Medical; Thubrikar Aortic Valve; Acotec Scientific; Microbot; Philips; Zoll; Cook Medical; Medtronic; ReValve Medical; Orchestra Biomed; MicroVention; Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Retriever Medical; Siemens Healthineers; Trisol Medical; IntraTech; Abbott; Bayliss Medical; Dropshot Therapeutics; Abiomed; Autonomix; UltraVet; Meacor; JensCare; Mitre Medical; 3D Systems; TheraHeart; Tonic Medical; M2SP LLC; MagPad LLC; Relief Cardiovascular; Cresilon; Synchron; PECA Labs; Solaris; VST Bio; Cagent Vascular; SirTex.
- Gary S. Mintz, MD — Consultant Fee/Honoraria/Speaker's Bureau - Boston Scientific Corporation; Abbott; Philips; SpectraWave.
- Please complete the daily CTO Plus 2026 session evaluations on the CRF® Events App (available via the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store) or at the CRF® CME Portal.
- Claim credit commensurate with the extent of your participation in the activity.
- After completing the evaluation summary, your Continuing Medical Education (CME) or Certificate of Attendance will be generated on the screen for you to save or print.
- Alternatively, by request, we can email your documentation to you. Please send your request to [email protected].
Why is CME important?
In addition to engaging in continuous professional development to increase knowledge, competence, performance, or patient outcomes, physicians need CME credit to maintain their licensure. Maintenance of Licensure is a process by which licensed physicians periodically provide, as a condition of license renewal, evidence that they are actively participating in a program of continuous professional development. Evidence of participating in CME activities (i.e., providing documentation of a CME Certificate) helps satisfy this requirement.
Who is eligible?
CRF® awards AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ to all practicing MDs and DOs physician learners. All MD/DOs are eligible to receive a CME Certificate that documents the successful awarding of credit, after fulfilling the requirements for an activity. This includes completing a CME evaluation, which asks about the effectiveness of the activity, its impact on the learner, and also requests the number of credits the physician is claiming for their participation. Non-physician learners (residents, allied health professionals, nurses, etc.) receive a Completion Certificate, which can be presented to their respective credentialing boards to document successful completion of a CME activity.
What kind of content qualifies for CME?
As the ACCME states, “the content of CME is broad, in order to encompass continuing educational activities that assist physicians in carrying out their professional responsibilities more effectively and efficiently.” Topics that span professional practice, including clinical care, professional development (such as effective leadership skills), quality improvement, and so on are eligible for accreditation.
Why are some sessions designated as CME while others are non-CME?
To allow participation by highly qualified and knowledgeable individuals whose industry conflicts may preclude them from CME-designated session.
How do I calculate my credit?
An hour of educational programming = 1 CME credit. For “Other” formats (i.e. blended learning or hybrid formats where a portion is self-directed learning) when estimating how many CME credits your educational activity may qualify for, consider the average amount of time that it would take a learner to complete.
Can I obtain CME credit for live streaming?
Yes, log-in to the CME portal at cme.crf.org and use the same email address you’ve registered for the conference with as the username.
Can I obtain a certificate of attendance (COA) without completing an evaluation?
No, but you can bypass the first step (evaluate/claim), then proceed to the second step to complete the general evaluation and submit.
How do I earn MOC points?
CRF® offers American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification, American Board of Surgery (ABS) Continuous Certification, and American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) Maintenance of Certification for select sessions, designed within the MOC framework. During sessions offering MOC points, you must actively participate and complete the short session evaluation.
Who can claim MOC points?
Any appropriately badged meeting registrant can attend MOC-accredited sessions, but only diplomates are eligible to claim MOC points.
How do I claim MOC points?
Claim your points in the CRF® CME portal. First, complete the online evaluation form for each session. Then you will need to enter your diplomate number, birth date, and state license number. Your MOC points will be registered and transferred to your respective Boards. You can claim your MOC points only once for each eligible session.
After submission, when will I see my MOC points in my physician portal?
It may take up to 72 hours for your MOC points to be posted. Also check to be sure that you entered your correct diplomate number, birthdate, and state license number. Incorrect entries will create a significant delay in processing your points.
For inquiries about CME, MOC, or Certificate of Attendance, or to claim credits for a previous conference, please contact us at [email protected].