PRx Blog

 

A Focus on Prevention: ESC featured more than 25 scientific sessions on prevention, including the impact of smoking and obesity on cardiovascular health. The theme aligns with the increasing support—from policy makers and health providers—for identifying and treating disease earlier to help improve outcomes and reduce the cost of healthcare. Ed Susman, a prominent medical reporter covering nearly every major scientific conference, features a review of the opening ceremonies and its focus on prevention here.

 

The hot line research: The hot line research sessions typically attract the most attention from clinicians and the media. This year, results from RE-LY, PLATO and MADIT-CRT were the highlights. Check out this MedPage Today video for a wrap-up about on the clinical implications of the studies.

 

Revisiting Drug-Eluting Stent Safety: Three years ago at ESC, two hot line sessions focused on first generation drug-eluting stents. New research there sparked a debate about the safety of the devices, raising questions about their ability to increase the risk of death. This year’s conference provided an update on emerging clinical evidence about DES safety, including a review of a large Swedish registry that analyzed nearly 50,000 patients who received stents. The take-away: safety data released since 2006 has reassured the majority of clinicians that DES are safe and effective.

 

The promise of genetics: The pursuit of personalized medicine continues. The Congress held several sessions featuring the topics of genetic screening and emerging research on cardiovascular-related genetics.

 

With ESC 2009 complete, we are looking forward to the next major cardiovascular show—the 2009 AHA Scientific Sessions.