Sophia Antipolis, France – 1 Sept 2020. “ESC Congress 2020 was an event like no other – the best ground-breaking cardiovascular science in an entirely digital experience,” said Professor Marco Roffi, Chair of the ESC Congress Programme Committee.
“For the first time in history, healthcare professionals around the world had the same, immediate access to knowledge shared at the leading cardiovascular meeting.”
With a record-breaking audience of more than 125,000 delegates from 213 countries, ESC Congress 2020 provided four days of live and on-demand scientific presentations covering the full spectrum of cardiovascular medicine. The 13 Hot Lines showcased the most highly awaited clinical trial results, and scientists from over 80 countries presented their research in more than 4,000 abstracts. Japan led the way with the most abstracts. At the latest count, 28 studies were simultaneously published in prestigious journals.
“The meeting was virtual, but the discussions were real,” said Professor Roffi. “The studio in Amsterdam hosted dozens of key opinion leaders on site, while Hot Line trial presenters connected live from around the world. Questions submitted by audience members were addressed in the discussions. The scientific exchange continued in the online forums and on social media.”
“Despite the challenges that COVID-19 has posed on the conduct of clinical trials, ESC Congress launched the results of major studies bringing innovation to the field of cardiology,” said Professor Silvia Priori, Chair of the ESC Congress Programme Committee. “In addition to the Hot Lines, 43 late breaking clinical trials were available daily throughout the playlist and on-demand programme.”
“Many of these studies have implications for clinical practice,” said Professor Priori. “Notably BRACE CORONA, which found that antihypertensive therapy can be continued in COVID-19 patients. EAST-AFNET 4 provides important results that will impact the management of the increasing number of patients with atrial fibrillation.”
“I’m also excited about EXPLORER-HCM, which meets an unmet need for patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,” said Professor Priori. “For patients with chronic coronary disease, LoDoCo2 discovered how to repurpose an old drug, thereby providing innovation at an affordable cost. Among the new ESC Guidelines were the first ESC Guidelines on Sports Cardiology and Exercise in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.”
“ESC Congress 2020 was a great success,” said Professor Casadei. “It was good to see so many health professionals joining us for the first time from all over the world and the highest-ever proportion of female professionals following the meeting. More than half of participants were under 40 years of age. Critically at this time, we were reminded that cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer worldwide and that as a community we continue to make great strides to improve the lives of our patients.”
ESC Congress generated extensive international press coverage. Some of the more popular stories for the general public were:
- Long naps may be bad for health
- DAPA-CKD trial meets primary endpoint in patients with chronic kidney disease
- EMPEROR-Reduced meets primary endpoint in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
- Spit in a tube to diagnose heart attack
ESC Congress 2020 is closing its doors, but ESC staff are already preparing ESC Congress 2021 from 28 August to 1 September 2021.
See you next year!
ENDS
Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.