Latest treatments for cardiac emergencies to be revealed at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2023

The latest evidence on the treatment of urgent heart problems will be revealed at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Acute cardiovascular care focuses on patients with life-threatening conditions such as heart attack, cardiac arrest, acute heart failure and cardiogenic shock. The annual congress of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC), a branch of the ESC, takes place 24 to 26 March at the Marseille Parc Chanot Exhibition and Convention Centre in Marseille, France. Explore the scientific programme.

New scientific findings will be showcased in the abstracts. Among them:

• Emergency cardiology department experience in wartime Ukraine.
• Mental health after cardiac arrest – are women and men affected differently?
• Should people aged 90 years and above with acute coronary syndromes receive stents?
• Impact of COVID-19 on acute coronary syndrome patients.
• Do heart attack symptoms vary between men and women?

Stay tuned for lively scientific sessions featuring the hottest topics in acute cardiovascular care. Not to miss: management of patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department. Should the diagnostic process vary according to gender? Professor Ingo Ahrens, Congress Chairperson, said: "Women and men present with different clinical symptoms, and whether diagnosis and treatment should be tailored is a major area of debate. Randomised clinical trials are investigating this issue. It is hugely important because diagnosis of the underlying severe acute cardiovascular disorder may be misinterpreted if gender-specific clinical presentation is not taken into account."

Also on the agenda: artificial intelligence (AI) in acute cardiology. Find out how AI is currently being used and what is on the horizon.

In acute cardiology, AI is mainly used in imaging techniques, for example echocardiography, and for electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis. In the future AI will likely use the ECG and other measurements to predict the prognosis of individual patients including the likelihood of dying while in hospital with an acute cardiac condition and the risk of having another event after discharge. Hopefully that will allow us to provide personalized treatment to prevent adverse outcomes."

Professor Ingo Ahrens, Congress Chairperson

Time is of the essence in cardiac arrest, and the first few minutes have a substantial impact on survival and brain function. Hear international experts share state-of-the-art evidence on achieving the best recovery and engaging members of the public to help victims. "Cardiac arrest happens suddenly and means that the heart stops pumping blood," said Professor Ahrens. "People who witness a cardiac arrest can save lives by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Restoring circulation to the brain and heart quickly gives patients the best chance of returning to full health."

Also of interest: managing cholesterol to prevent second heart attacks. Professor Ahrens said: "After an acute coronary syndrome, patients are at high risk of recurrent cardiovascular events, particularly within the first year after discharge from hospital. It is of utmost importance to ensure that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are as low as possible to reduce the likelihood of further events. Waiting to implement optimal cholesterol lowering measures puts patients at risk and key opinion leaders will outline why we should 'strike early and strong' to reduce LDL."

The meeting brings together cardiologists, intensivists, anaesthesiologists, internists, cardiac surgeons, nurses, paramedics and other allied professionals who care for acutely ill cardiac patients.