Amsterdam, 4 September 2013: Close to thirty thousand delegates converged from all over the world, to the ESC Congress 2013 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, this week. Cardiologists came to hear first-hand about the latest research. "A record number of Hot Lines and scientific sessions with new formats allowed for more exchanges between peers presenting results of clinical trials, new Clinical Practice Guidelines and new devices and treatments," said Professor Keith Fox, Chair of the ESC Scientific Programme Committee. We have much to learn from each other!
Some of the most important studies presented at ESC Congress 2013, according to Prof Fox were:
"These studies will influence clinical practice and will allow us to better understand how to manage these important conditions and how to devise even newer therapies," explained Prof Fox.
"We have come a long way in cardiovascular science, but many patients in Europe still do not have access to the latest treatments. This is unacceptable" said Professor Panos Vardas, President of the ESC. "Just as we have tackled innovation in the past - and we still do, as the enormous amount of research presented at this Congress shows - the society is now committed to making the needs of patients known to those in charge of designing and implementing policies in European institutions and in each of our member countries. We need to fight for better healthcare and guideline implementation," he said.
Earlier this year the ESC and its sponsors published a White Paper on the state of research and development in cardiology calling for urgent investment in CVD innovation. With a growing ageing population and considering the increase of cardio metabolic diseases, doctors are expecting the incidence of CVD to rise in the future. "We must not forget that CVD remains the number one killer in Europe," said Prof Vardas.
"Studies such as PURE and EUROASPIRE IV confirm these differences and also the need to strive for better and equal access of patients in all countries to better prevention programmes, to the best treatment and also rehabilitation," Prof Vardas concluded.
"Over five hundred journalists attended ESC Congress 2013," said Kurt Huber, Chair of the ESC Press Committee. "Once again, they helped us reach out to the public with key prevention messages. Eighty per cent of CVD could be avoided if people adopted healthier lifestyles and there is a long way to go between knowing what should be done and doing." Some of the most popular "stories" with the wide range of media covering the event from Amsterdam were:
About ESC Congress 2013
ESC Congress is currently the world's premier conference on the science, management and prevention of cardiovascular disease. ESC Congress 2013 takes place 31 August to 4 September at the Amsterdam RAI congress centre.
About the ESC
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) represents more than 80,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and the Mediterranean. Its mission is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe.
Congress resources can be found here: http://congress365.escardio.org/
The scientific programme is available here: http://spo.escardio.org/default.aspx?eevtid=60
Please note the ESC Press Office staff is travelling back today and will not be available to respond to any queries until Monday 9 September. Apologies for this inconvenience. Look forward to being of assistance on Monday. If you were in Amsterdam, have a safe journey back!