For the EAPCI, the month of May holds a special place. All our work during the year –the meetings, the research, the contacts here in Europe and throughout the world– are in some way related to our annual meeting, and to the experience that we have gained in running EuroPCR. The quality of this Course, its constantly increasing importance in the world of interventional medicine is not by accident, but is the conscientious effort and the strong commitment of our association, the PCR Family and all our colleagues. As we travel, we listen, as we teach and exchange our clinical and practical knowledge, we also learn…this is the essence of “for you and by you”…it is you, as well as us that make this meeting happen.
Each year there is an evolution in the way we approach education and information, each year there are additional topics…and each year we ensure that we try to respond to what we have heard from you as we remain open to the challenges and the technical improvements in our speciality. The EAPCI and EuroPCR believe it is important to confront the issues, openly and honestly, engaging with new techniques, teaching the older ones and engaging the younger members of our speciality through educational programmes and grants.
And this year will be no exception, with the focus on four tracks –four key topics that are of great interest to the EAPCI as an association, and to our members. Certain of these topics are classics, that we have followed since the beginning of EuroPCR; to these we pay special attention in order to remain on the cutting edge of knowledge and practice, others are relatively new –such as our increasing interest in the treatment of resistant hypertension– linked to emerging data supporting an interventional approach in the treatment of this condition.
This year, these four main sections are: “Coronary interventions”; “Interventions for structural heart disease”; “Endovascular/Peripheral interventions” and “Interventions for hypertension and heart failure”. While these tracks are inter-related, there are many new and innovative features specific to each one:
– In “Coronary Interventions” this year we will be focusing on bioresorbable scaffolds, a technology whose potential will be fully explored during the Great Debate. Also during the Great Debate, we will focus on the problems of dual antiplatelet therapy with the integration of the latest antiplatelet agents. A sample of other important issues in Coronary this year will be: CTO interventions, bifurcations and left main management of STEMI with cardiogenic shock. Intracoronary imaging technology will also be examined using new CT evaluation techniques allowing for instantaneous “live and direct” 3-D reconstruction of the coronary arteries.
– The “Interventions for structural heart disease” will explore routine procedures using new valves and devices. New indications will be considered and presentations and discussion will consider the evolution of indications, with the question of whether there is a role for TAVI in intermediate risk patients. We will also be looking at mitral disease and mitral valves, as well as left atrial appendage closure.
– Since the early days of EuroPCR there has been a special peripheral programme, but this year “The Endovascular/Peripheral interventions” programme will be completely invigorated, with new course directors and a totally new design. By renewing our energies and outlook in this field we hope to attract a new generation of interventional cardiologists, radiologists and endovascular surgeons.
– “Interventions for hypertension and heart failure” is an entirely new topic –the focus of the Great Debate last year as well as the Resistant Hypertension Course – and will deal with emerging treatments and data on renal sympathetic denervation.
All these tracks are characterised by a strong balance between live demonstrations, live in a box, and interaction with the participants. Hotline sessions, Late Breaking Trials, academic sessions, all of these serve the purpose of furthering the education of attendees; all have the intention of answering the participants needs at every level, whether it is theoretical or practical, with a strong emphasis –as in all EuroPCRs– on what you can “take home” when you leave Paris.
Official EAPCI Interventional Cardiology Training and Research Grants
Following a tradition we began several years ago, EuroPCR will be the occasion for our Association to award five grants to further training and clinical education for fellows. With the support of industry, who help make these grants a reality, the successful applicants will have the opportunity of receiving a one-year training or research grant in a European centre known for its expertise in a chosen subject or field. This year there will be a similar grant specifically for women, to encourage greater female participation in interventional cardiology and the EAPCI.
To share, to grow…to build on our exchanges with you…the very basics of “by and for you”! The numbers speak for themselves…
If we apply an evidenced-based approach to EuroPCR, we would see that the data speaks for itself; that the official course of our association, made “by you and for you”, is a success when measured by the increasing support we are attracting from our members and interventionalists throughout the world. Your response, by your increasing participation as individuals and groups, is one of the most exciting aspects of EuroPCR and guarantees another excellent year.
As we prepare to go to press a few weeks before the meeting itself, we can already see that this is a fantastic year in terms of the number of National Societies and National Working Groups that will be present, 44 in all; 31 of these will be working closely with the “How should I treat sessions” (HSIT); and, for the first time, 24 will be sharing their best educational cases! These numbers speak for themselves, demonstrating the activity and commitment of our association at a local and national level.
These numbers also touch upon the heart of what the EAPCI and EuroPCR are about, constructing a meeting that responds to the needs, challenges and desires of our participants in such a way that we advance together, through sharing and interaction. There will be around 60 hours of live transmissions coming from 16 internationally renowned centres. But the truly fantastic numbers are your contributions: 963 abstracts submitted and 777 clinical cases submitted –a number that is growing each year! This is your input, and EuroPCR has become the natural magnet, the natural forum for exchange – where we all choose to share what we are doing either in research or in our cathlabs. It is here at EuroPCR that we can have an honest and true discussion, whether with one of the best international interventionalists attending or presenting, or with our industry partners, or among yourselves.
We have claimed that our meeting, EuroPCR 2013, is constructed “by and for” you the attendee, we say, that this is not a one-way street…and we have the proof in your response – your presence at our meetings, your membership in our Association, your work in furthering your speciality and patient care, and we thank you for your participation and look forward to seeing you at EuroPCR 2013!
