JJ Bax: 'Heart failure is the highlight of ESC Congress 2007' 

Heart failure, the highlight of this year’s Congress

Heart Failure, the 2007 highlight, has become one of the most important clinical issues in our daily practice. The prevalence of heart failure has exponentially increased, while simultaneously the therapeutic possibilities have tremendously expanded.

In close collaboration with the Heart Failure Association of the ESC, a total of 37 sessions has been dedicated to heart failure and are presented in the format of clinical seminars, symposia and debates. These sessions will cover the entire spectrum of the disease, ranging from epidemiology to clinical practice and novel therapeutic options in the field of medical therapy, device therapy and advanced cardio-vascular surgery.

In main sessions the state-of-the-art in diagnosis and therapy will be presented. Four FOCUS sessions will address practical issues in the diagnosis and management of heart failure patients. In “meet with the experts” sessions case presentations will be followed by interactive discussions guided by internationally recognised experts who will refer to existing and new guidelines.

 State-of-the-Art and Featured Research Track, a new congress feature

New this year is the State-of-the-Art and Featured Research Track, which consists of sessions including a keynote lecture by an expert in the field, combined with the four oral presentations of the highest ranked abstracts on a specific topic.

Live FOCUS sessions

Apart from the heart failure highlight, practical skills and knowledge will be shared with the audience in the FOCUS sessions with live transmissions from various locations in Europe. In the imaging and intervention FOCUS sessions, technical skills and newest technological developments are combined.

Non-invasive imaging

In view of the rapid progress in the field of non-invasive imaging, the number of the “Read with Experts sessions” has been expanded. In these case-based sessions, the novel imaging techniques such as cardiac MRI and MSCT are demonstrated. Also, the integration of all different imaging modalities in clinical practice (a disease-based approach) will be addressed.

Special sessions

A variety of special sessions is included in the programme, including sessions dedicated to the newest Guidelines and the latest results from the Euro Heart Surveys.

Associations’ news

The latest news from the ESC Associations will be presented in the five "Association Tracks", and based on the worldwide epidemic on obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, special sessions related to these topics have been included, together with sessions dedicated to peripheral vascular disease.

Hot Line Sessions and Clinical Trial Updates

We expect exciting results from new trials in our Hot Line sessions as well as in our Clinical Trial Update sessions with important implications for our daily practice.

Basic science

Another important component of the ESC programme is basic science, organised as part of the “Basic Science Track”, headed by the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Science. The sessions will be presented in bench-to-bedside format, focusing on the translational aspect of basic science while highly specific basic science research will also be presented.

Exciting new abstract-based data

The amount of abstracts submitted reached almost 10,000 this year and based on a careful and objective review process the most exciting new scientific data will be presented in our clinical and basic science oral sessions or (moderated) posters and in our Science Hotline.

Young Investigator Awards

The most promising young scientists will compete in the five Young Investigator Awards on basic science, clinical science, thrombosis, population sciences, and coronary pathophysiology and microcirculation.

The ESC Annual Congress is the highlight of the medical cardiological calendar and will allow us not only to learn and participate in areas of cardiology that either interest us or affect our day to day practice, but also uniquely will expose us to new and other exciting areas of our specialty; for those of us who do not have much exposure to basic science, this will be a unique opportunity for us to have a small taste of what is to come. Finally, and equally important, the Annual Congress allows us to renew acquaintances and make new friends at this gathering of cardiologists from all over the world.

We welcome you to Vienna!