Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly

Background and objectives of the meeting

The growing elderly population worldwide represents a major challenge for care-givers, healthcare providers and politicians.

Due to the life-long exposure to cardiovascular risk factors and the age-related comorbidities, cardiovascular diseases in elderly patients have a high prevalence and are frequently complicated, thus deserving a multifactorial approach.

Major problems to deal with are: paucity of scientific evidence from dedicated clinical trials, a narrow therapeutic window for most of the recommended therapies, frailty and cognitive deterioration, all affecting quality of care and outcome.

This meeting will appraise the burden of ageing in real life and the opportunity to revisit cardiovascular research, as well as pharmacological and interventional treatments in the elderly, with a final focus on quality of life and patient’s priorities.

Programme 

View the biographies

Day 1 - 12 May 2021 - 14:00 - 16:45 CET: 

• 14:00 - 14:05 - Welcome and introduction - Chairpersons
• 14:05 - 14:15 - Introductory talk: How to define and measure ageing? by Dr Maddalena Lettino; Dr Isabelle Richard-Lordereau, Amgen
  
  SESSION 1 - THE BURDEN OF AGEING IN REAL LIFE
• 14:15 - 14:25 - Co-Morbidities and Risk Factors in the Ageing Population by Prof. Frank Visseren
• 14:25 - 14:35 - Benefits of Primary Prevention/Lifestyle in the Elderly by Dr Deirdre E. O’Neill
• 14:35 - 15:15 - Discussion
• 15:15 - 15:45 - Break
  
  SESSION 2 – TAILORED CVD MANAGEMENT IN THE ELDERLY
• 15:45 - 15:55 - EMA recommendations by Dr Kristina Dunder
  * for CVD research in the Elderly 
  * for trials for the elderly
  * looking for an indication
  * lack of evidence 
• 15:55 - 16:05 - Similarities and differences in CV ageing in men and women by Prof. Geneviève Derumeaux, FR
• 16:05 - 16:45 - Discussion
• 16:45 - Wrap-up - End of DAY 1 – Let’s meet tomorrow for the 2 final sessions

Day 2 - 13 May 2021  - 14:00 - 16:45 CET:

• 14:00 - 14:05 - Summary of Day 1 - Chairpersons
  
  SESSION 3 - LEARNINGS FROM TREATMENTS SPECIFICITIES IN THE ELDERLY
• 14:05 - 14:15 - Challenges in Antithrombotics Treatments (Antiplatelets – Anticoagulants, discussion on combination) by Prof. Stefan Hohnloser, DE
• 14:15 - 14:25 - Challenges in Intervention: Decision-Making for Invasive Procedures in the Elderly (PCI, TAVI, Mitraclip…) by Prof. Jean-Philippe Collet, FR
• 14:25 - 15:00 - Discussion
• 15:00 - 15:30 - Break
  
  SESSION 4 - HOW TO ARTICULATE SOCIAL CARE AND HEALTH CARE PRIORITIES?
• 15:30 - 15:40 - The Patient Perspective – Interview of a Patient - Video
• 15:40 - 15:50 - Adding Years to Life or Life to Years: The Ethical dimension (choices tree for Palliative Care/ focus on CV / Quality of Life) by Dr Herbert Watzke, AT
• 15:50 - 16:35 - Discussion
• 16:35 - 16:45 - Wrap-up - Key messages - Next steps - Publication