CVD care in the spotlight

At its recent annual congress, the society called for better access to prevention programmes and the latest treatments.

Close to thirty thousand delegates recently converged from all over the world, at the ESC Congress 2013 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Cardiologists came to hear the latest results of clinical trials, new clinical practice guidelines and to gain an insight into new devices and treatments. High on the agenda was the need to improve care for patients and reduce healthcare inequalities: “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,” commented 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.” 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 cardiovascular disease (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 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.”

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