The first of them deals with the difficult issue of the management of endocarditis, putting emphasis on new recommendations about antibiotic prophylaxis, which is still a divisive issue among the international community. The indications for surgery are also discussed, and here for the first time recommendations will be given about the precise timing of intervention, separating emergency surgery from urgent surgery, and elective interventions. 
The second set of guidelines is on syncope and is a joint effort with a number of other scientific societies. They walk us through the heterogeneous clinical features of syncope, proposing a new classification with risk stratification and therapeutic options, and ending with such organisational aspects as the development of syncope management units.
The update on the management of pulmonary hypertension is also a joint effort – now between the ESC and the European Respiratory Society. These guidelines provide clinicians with a new definition of pulmonary hypertension and concentrate mainly on pulmonary arterial hypertension. This document provides guidance on diagnostic strategy and gives advice about the potential use of therapeutic advances.
And for the first time, ESC Guidelines on Perioperative Cardiac Care
New ESC Guidelines have been developed on a very important practical aspect of our practice, the management of cardiac risk in non-cardiac surgery. In these new guidelines, which were produced in conjunction with the European Society of Anaesthesiology, recommendations will be proposed for a step-wise approach to risk stratification, including the use of invasive and non-invasive tests. Therapeutic indications are then discussed, including pre-operative treatment and peri-operative management including anaesthesia.
Focus on ESC Guidelines at ESC Congress 2009
During the congress there will be a Symposium on guidelines, during which the chairman of each task force will present the new guidelines and an overview of the four documents. In addition, each new set of guidelines will be presented in more detail during a specific session where experts will develop the most important points. Finally, several FOCUS Cardiology Practice and Meet the Expert sessions will provide an opportunity to discuss the guidelines in a more interactive fashion.
We do hope that these numerous opportunities to hear about the ESC guidelines will encourage you to read the final documents in more detail – they are online and will be published very shortly in the European Heart Journal. These new guidelines are also available in the very popular “pocket guidelines” format and in electronic form for PDAs, to be distributed during the congress.
We hope that you enjoy the ESC Congress and the new ESC Guidelines!
Alec Vahanian - Chairman Practice Guidelines Committee
Hopital Bichat, Paris, France
New! Download your ESC Guidelines onto your iPhone - for free!
The following ESC Guidelines are now available for download:
- Acute Myocardial Infarction - STEMI
- Heart Failure
- Infective Endocarditis
- Pulmonary Embolism
Download your copies of the ESC Guidelines for iPhones here!