As this year begins, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all an excellent New Year.
I would like to thank all of you for your commitment to our association, for your high standards and the excellence of your work. It is you who have made 2013 a year of achievement. I would like to personally thank the Board Members of our association for their support, which has made the EAPCI the foremost association of interventional cardiologists in the world. To the Chairpersons of our committees, thank you for your tireless commitment to our association. To the National Societies and Working Groups, it is you who form the foundation of our work, at home, in your countries, cathlabs and hospitals. And I would especially like to thank all the active members of the EAPCI who send us cases and abstracts during our meetings and who, by your participation, make our meetings what they are.
The New Year, 2014, is before us, and as it unfolds I find it even more promising than the year we have just left behind.
2014, a year of elections
We have said this many times before, if we are successful it is because what we do is “by you and for you” and it is your participation that makes our association what it has become today. If you haven’t yet joined the EAPCI, we urge you to join today. Membership is now at more than 5,000 and, as we continue to grow, it is important that we all participate by voting in the upcoming elections for our officers, choosing the new President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. I will be completing my own term as President this year, and Stephan Windecker will become the new President of the EAPCI at our association meeting taking place during EuroPCR 2014.
2014, a year of new and active committees
Participation does not stop at the national and local level, but continues through the dynamic work of our association’s committees, such as the Young Interventionalists. We welcome new groups, such as the Women’s Group, which will be participating for the first time at our Board meeting in January, and we are working to create a new committee in 2014 representing nurses and technicians specialising in interventional cardiology.
2014, a year of new registries and guidelines
2014 will be marked by the association’s participation in the EURObservational Research Programme (EORP) registries. The TAVI Registry is continuing, and along with this registry we are collaborating with the Acute Cardiovascular Care Association (ACCA) to create an acute coronary syndrome registry. Franz Weidinger and Peter Ludman, the co-chairs of the registry committee, are working with the ACCA representatives on this registry, which will be an integral part of the ESC’s EORP.
The EAPCI is currently working with the Task Force on Myocardial Revascularisation of the ESC and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) on an update of the latest guidelines on revascularisation. This task force, chaired by Stephan Windecker, the next president of the EAPCI, and Philippe Kolh of EACTS, hopes to complete its work for presentation at EuroPCR 2014.
2014, a year of new impact for EuroIntervention
Our official journal, EuroIntervention, begins the year with an ongoing commitment to the evolution in the way we present – and offer access to – the complete range of articles highlighting the latest innovations and clinical research, FIM studies and innovative sections such as “How Should I Treat” and “Tools and Techniques”. We will also be concentrating on increasing our special EuroIntervention Expedited Publications (EEP), allowing articles of critical and timely interest to be published quickly.
2014, a year of Innovations, a year of cutting-edge Courses
2014 will be a year of excellent interactive courses, where the latest innovations in interventional cardiology, whether coronary, structural, peripheral or concerning hypertension and heart failure, will be presented.
Planning is already underway for our key official meeting, the leading course in interventional medicine, EuroPCR 2014. Taking place in Paris May 20th-23rd, this will further advance our speciality using the latest concepts in interactive education and information. The EAPCI, along with the board of EuroPCR and the PCR Family is working to ensure that EuroPCR remains the leader in all subjects of relevance to our speciality: from take-home practical information to introducing you to the latest technologies and practice.
The other two official meetings of the EAPCI are growing in influence and popularity. From the 20th to 22nd of February, the 2nd Resistant Hypertension meeting will take place in Berlin, Germany. This Course marks our work at the “cutting-edge” of interventional practice and our commitment to be at the centre of the increasing interest in the treatment of resistant hypertension using renal denervation, assuring the highest level of information and transparency in emerging interventional treatment options. In the autumn, structural heart will be the focus at PCR London Valves, where ongoing discussion on TAVI, the treatment of mitral disease and other structural questions will be addressed.
2014, a year we continue to work together
These are my thoughts during the first few weeks of 2014 but, as you can see, we are already looking months into the future. And while we see that there is so much to work to do, together we are ready for the challenges that this year presents to us. We wish you an excellent New Year, and look forward to the advances we will see in the coming months.
