The world's largest heart failure congress
The latest scientific advances and emerging therapies in heart failure will be showcased at Heart Failure 2014, the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Journalists will also hear breaking news on acute heart failure during the first World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, which is part of the main congress.
The event will be held 17-20 May in Athens, Greece, at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre (MAICC). The full scientific programme is available here.
Professor Gerasimos Filippatos, Scientific Chairperson and HFA President-Elect, said: "This year's congress is a chance for journalists to hear about new techniques, drugs and devices currently in development. Some are very promising and could dramatically change the outlook of patients with heart failure."
The core of the congress is the presentation of original scientific research. In the late breaking trials sessions journalists will discover the results of unpublished, large multicentre trials in heart failure. An extra late breaking trial session devoted exclusively to acute heart failure has been added this year.
More than 1 500 abstracts have been submitted. Clinical and basic science abstracts will be presented in the rapid fire sessions. Expert chairpersons will lead discussions about the research, giving journalists insights into implications of the findings. For the first time these sessions will be held in the Agora open area, which will also host the new e-moderated poster sessions for abstracts of special interest.
The World Congress on Acute Heart Failure kicks off the main congress, with scientific sessions running from 8:30am on Saturday morning. Professor Filippatos said: "Up to 50% of acute heart failure patients are rehospitalised or die within two to three months. This is an unacceptably high proportion but effective therapies are not yet available to improve the prognosis. The results of new trials will be presented by international experts at the congress, along with state of the art drugs being tested in ongoing trials."
He added: "Acute heart failure patients are treated by many subspecialties including emergency room physicians, internists, critical care specialists and cardiologists. Journalists will hear the most up to date science and therapeutic advances in the field from different professions across the globe."
A special session on what's new in industry will give the press a preview of emerging therapies and diagnostic techniques. Industry partners will present the devices, drugs and biomarkers they are working on and plan to release in future.
The Heart Failure White Paper will be launched at the congress and endorsed by all National Cardiac Societies (1). The document will provide contemporary data on the prevalence, survival rates and economic costs of heart failure across the globe and recommend actions to improve outcomes.
The main theme of the congress is "Fighting heart failure: from prevention to devices". Professor Filippatos said: "The congress will update journalists on the most exciting aspects throughout the field, such as new interventions in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and advances in ventricular assist devices and transplantation."
Over 70 countries will be represented at the event, which is set to attract more than 4 000 delegates including journalists, cardiologists, emergency room physicians, intensivists, internists, general physicians, basic scientists, epidemiologists and cardiac nurses.
Professor Stefan D. Anker, HFA President, said: "Journalists can expect to hear cutting edge science and discover new and emerging therapies in heart failure. This is an unmissable event in the heart failure calendar."
Provided by European Society of Cardiology