Welcome Address

We have great pleasure welcoming you all to the ESC Congress 2008 in Munich. The ESC Congress is a unique forum where the world’s medical professionals meet with colleagues to exchange ideas and information in the field of cardiovascular medicine. Given the excellent programme we are confident that our congress will provide you with the very best in science and education.

 This year’s highlight theme is cardiovascular imaging. The exponential development in technology has resulted in the rapid integration of cardiovascular imaging into clinical cardiology. It is now unthinkable to manage patients with cardiovascular disease without the use of echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, magnetic resonance imaging or the most recent addition to the diagnostic armamentarium, cardiac CT. The latest technological developments will be discussed in Munich and particular emphasis will be placed on how and when to use which imaging modality in daily patient care.

Once again the scientific programme as a whole has all the ingredients to make the congress a great success. The latest news in science will be presented at the Hot Lines and the Clinical Trial Updates and several of these sessions will be followed by specific “Meet the Trialists” symposia. Groundbreaking technological developments in the fields of imaging and intervention will be showcased in the FOCUS sessions, some of which will feature live action from clinics via satellite. In reaction to your feedback from last year we have expanded the range of practical How-To, Meet and Read with Experts sessions, they will continue to provide clear take-home messages for the practicing clinician. Also of huge interest is the series of sessions dedicated to the presentation and discussion of the newest ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines. The ESC Associations Track allows each of the 5 ESC Associations to present us with the most important data from their own congresses. Industry will make valuable contributions to the congress, consult this document to discover more about the Satellite Symposia, Workshops, EBAC Accredited Educational Programmes and exhibits.  

Abstract submission has once again exceeded all expectations. With an acceptance of 3532 from nearly 10 000 abstracts submitted, the very significant original research programme will be composed of oral contributions, posters, moderated posters and the Young Investigators' Awards sessions. On Wednesday morning the State-of-the-Art and Featured Research Track will include a keynote lecture by an expert followed by the four highest ranked oral presentations on that specific topic. 

Basic science is a key component of the ESC programme. The Basic Science Track is driven by the ESC Council for Basic Cardiovascular Science and will be presented in a bench-to-bedside format. Focus will not only be on the translational aspect of basic science but also on highly specific basic science research. A selection of some of the best contributions within this track will be highlighted in The Science Hot Line. Tradition dictates that the congress ends with the Highlight Session on Wednesday morning, be sure to catch this session featuring reminders of the very best moments of the five day event. Another novelty this year will be the incorporation of the Awards Ceremony into this grand finale, yet another reason to stay on until Wednesday lunchtime.

We wish you all a fun and fruitful ESC Congress 2008 and urge you to also find some time-out to enjoy the cultural and social highlights of Munich.