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Get the most out of events like the ESC Congress Barcelona 2022
These are the key points to enjoy the best experience on your trip to Barcelona in a congress like this
Some 14,500 people are unpacking after attending the first face-to-face Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) since 2019, which was held in Barcelona. By the end of last week, more than 4,600 had registered to attend the virtual sessions remotely. It's also the 70th anniversary of the society's annual scientific meeting.
Speaking to TCTMD, ESC Clinical Program Committee Chair Stephan Windecker, MD (Bern University Hospital, Switzerland), said that while he believes the new opportunities for online communication and networking that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic are "here to stay", he is personally excited to return to an on-site meeting.
Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that this year's gathering has a forward-looking feel. Windecker, to TCTMD, highlighted a new digital health track "with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, telemedicine and all the new diagnostic tools for clinical data evaluation." A variety of presentations address future directions for different cardiovascular therapies, while others showcase digital health, prevention and genetic solutions, Windecker said.
“At the ESC Congress in Barcelona, the latest science is discussed in light of our collective clinical experience. This is how true progress in cardiovascular medicine is achieved,” said Professor Stephan Achenbach, President of the ESC. “The first double-blind randomized trial in cardiovascular medicine was completed in 1971, and we have seen ever-accelerating progress ever since. Numerous large trials are published each year, often changing practice, with many being presented for the first time at the ESC Congress.”
The face-to-face congress will take place over 4 full days, with 10 “Hotline” sessions that will present a whopping 36 innovative studies that will be exhibited in the main auditorium, "Barcelona". These include randomized controlled trials of old standbys like statins, aspirin, and allopurinol, but also trials of investigational anticoagulant drugs, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for novel indications, and artificial intelligence for diagnostics and prognosis.
Day 1, Friday, featured just three last-minute rehearsals bundled into a single “Hotline” session. In this batch, Windecker highlighted the TIME trial addressing the value of morning versus evening antihypertensive dosing, "which has the potential to influence clinical practice." He also highlighted SECURE, one of the first large trials to examine the value of a polypill in the setting of secondary prevention.
It's Saturday, the 2nd, that Windecker predicted the main auditorium would draw the biggest crowds, especially for "Hotline 4." “A highlight will undoubtedly be DELIVER, which investigates SGLT2 inhibition in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. (HFpEF),” he said. As noted by TCTMD, study sponsor AstraZeneca disclosed in May that this trial of dapagliflozin (Farxiga/Forxiga) had met its primary endpoint.
Windecker anotó que lo más destacado del ESC del año pasado fue EMPEROR, que demostró un beneficio de la empagliflozina (Jardiance; Boehringer Ingelheim/Eli Lilly) en una población de pacientes similar y condujo a la decisión de la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de EE. pacientes Los resultados de DELIVER de este año serán seguidos por dos metanálisis preespecificados: uno que combina DELIVER y DAPA-HF y el otro DELIVER y EMPEROR. “Esencialmente, tendremos todo el espectro de FE baja a normal, y creo que será muy interesante en términos de proporcionar información sobre varios fenotipos de insuficiencia cardíaca”, dijo Windecker.
Another major point that drew attention was REVIVE, Windecker said. This trial randomized patients with ischemic heart failure to percutaneous revascularization in addition to optimal medical therapy (OMT) or OMT alone. On the heels of STICH, which, for 10 years, showed a benefit of surgical revascularization in this group, many have been anxious to know if PCI could provide the same benefits. This may be more difficult, Windecker predicted, in an era of four-pillar health care for heart failure: STICH was launched before the advent of many of the drugs that have been shown to change the lives of these patients.
“It is true that these are only phase II trials that only give a hint of what might be of interest, but nevertheless it opens a new window of opportunity when it comes to bleeding,” Windecker said.
The last late-breaking session of the congress was, “Hotline 10” featuring three COVID-19 studies investigating anticoagulants and other agents familiar to cardiologists in the context of SARS-CoV-2.
In addition, according to sources from the organization of the congress, “Another highlight was the launch of the new and updated ESC guidelines on cardio-oncology, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, pulmonary hypertension and non-cardiac surgery. Each guideline will have a dedicated session that will be complemented by an interactive Meet the Guidelines working group session that will examine the implications for clinical practice.”
More than twenty events until the end of the year
To continue with the calendar of congresses on health aspects, the next appointments will be: the International Congress of the European Respiratory Society, between September 4 and 6 at Fira de Barcelona, and the International Congress of Pediatric Oncology , at the CCIB, between September 28 and October 1.
Likewise, until the end of the year, the world congresses on vaccines, sterilization and hematology, the European meeting on Robotic Urology and the annual meetings of the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH) and the Spanish Society of Thrombosis will take place and Hemostasis (SETH).
The European meetings on Radiology (CIRSE), Nuclear Medicine (EANM), Breast Cancer (EBCC- European Breast Cancer Conference), Pediatrics (EAPS), Dermatology (5CC World Congress), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) are also planned. ) and Therapies for the Treatment of Cancer (EORTC-NCI-AACR SYMPOSIUM).
If you find yourself in Barcelona on these dates, you will be happy to know that after these hard days there is always a moment of pleasure and relaxation for you, and you don't even have to leave the hotel. Our beautiful erotic masseuses will give you a session that will make your heart race so you can sleep like a king and have maximum energy for the next day.
