European Society of Cardiology

Last updated
European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
Esc-logo.png
Established1950
MissionTo reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.
PresidentFranz Weidinger (current), Thomas Lüscher (President-Elect) [1]
Location
Website http://www.escardio.org

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is an independent non-profit, non-governmental professional association that works to advance the prevention, diagnosis and management of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, and improve scientific understanding of the heart and vascular system. [2] This is done by:

Contents

Most of the approximately 100,000 ESC members are cardiologists, cardiovascular nurses and allied professionals wishing to increase their knowledge and update their skills. The association adheres to the Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe Code of Conduct.

History

The ESC was founded in 1950. Its headquarters is located in the technology park of Sophia Antipolis between Nice and Cannes, in the south of France. The first ESC-organised congress, The European Congress of Cardiology was held in London in September 1952. [3]

In February 2013, the ESC opened the European Heart Agency in Brussels, close to the European Parliament complex, in order to have a base in the political and legislative capital of Europe. [4]

Structure

The 57 institutional members of the ECS. ECS institutional members.svg
The 57 institutional members of the ECS.

The ESC is governed by an elected board of volunteers who are cardiovascular experts. [5]

Its activities are overseen by dedicated committees made up of more than 2,000 volunteers. [6]

Employed staff support ESC volunteers in the development and management of its activities. ESC staff report to the chief executive officer, who reports to the president and management group of the ESC Board.[ citation needed ]

The ESC comprises 57 National Cardiac Societies, 7 sub-specialty associations and 22 sub-specialty working groups and councils. [7] Since 2013, [8] additional support has been developed within the sub-specialty communities to address the special interests and needs of young physicians. [9]

Congresses & events

ESC Congress 2019, Paris Congress2019.jpg
ESC Congress 2019, Paris

The ESC organises numerous cardiology congresses each year, including the largest cardiology congress in the world, ESC Congress.

Annual or biennial sub-specialty congresses address acute cardiac care (Acute CardioVascular Care), cardiac imaging (EuroEcho), prevention, rehabilitation and sports cardiology (ESC Preventive Cardiology), nuclear cardiology and cardiac CT (ICNC-CT), magnetic resonance (EuroCMR congress), interventional cardiology (EuroPCR), heart failure (Heart Failure), heart rhythm and electrophysiology (EHRA), as well as basic science (Frontiers in CardioVascular Biolomedicine). [10]

Clinical practice guidelines

The ESC produces clinical practice guidelines for cardiology professionals from evidence-based clinical trials data. The guidelines aim to present all the relevant evidence on a particular clinical issue in order to help physicians weigh the benefits and risks of particular diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. [11]

Fellowship

A Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology is a cardiologist considered to be a person who has had a significant experience in the field and who has distinguished themself individually in clinical, educational, investigational, organisational or professional aspects of cardiology. Fellows have the right to use the postnominal designation of the FESC. [12]

Journals

The ESC publishes 17 periodicals covering cardiovascular medicine and research: [13]

Books

The ESC publishes numerous books for those studying cardiology and subspecialties in the field: [14]

Education

The ESC supports continuing medical training and development by offering a broad portfolio of needs-based education initiatives, including online and in-person courses as well as post-graduate programmes led by experts in cardiology. [15]

Grants to help offset education costs are offered by the association.[ citation needed ]

Webinars

Among the educational products produced by the ESC are interactive webinars that include case-based presentations, online assessments, and live discussions with key opinion leaders in cardiology. [16] The society hosts an online platform for these presentations called ESC 365. [17]

Research

Despite advances in cardiovascular medicine, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the world's biggest killer. The ESC collects cardiovascular data from across its 57 members countries through its 'Atlas of Cardiology' to better understand why and how CVD mortality can be reduced. [18]

This compendium underlines major healthcare gaps and inequalities and provides robust data for budget owners and decision-makers who can improve population health at a European level.[ citation needed ]

The ESC operates a registry programme supported by pharmaceutical industry sponsors. [19] [20]

Advocacy

The ESC leverages the knowledge, network and influence of the cardiology profession to promote policy, regulation and research funding that advances cardiovascular science, supports high quality healthcare, and encourages evidence-based decision making. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiology</span> Branch of medicine dealing with the heart

Cardiology is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease, and electrophysiology. Physicians who specialize in this field of medicine are called cardiologists, a specialty of internal medicine. Pediatric cardiologists are pediatricians who specialize in cardiology. Physicians who specialize in cardiac surgery are called cardiothoracic surgeons or cardiac surgeons, a specialty of general surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiac electrophysiology</span> Science of elucidating, diagnosing, and treating the electrical activities of the heart

Cardiac electrophysiology is a branch of cardiology and basic science focusing on the electrical activities of the heart. The term is usually used in clinical context, to describe studies of such phenomena by invasive (intracardiac) catheter recording of spontaneous activity as well as of cardiac responses to programmed electrical stimulation - clinical cardiac electrophysiology. However, cardiac electrophysiology also encompasses basic research and translational research components. Specialists studying cardiac electrophysiology, either clinically or solely through research, are known as cardiac electrophysiologists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troponin I</span> Muscle protein

Troponin I is a cardiac and skeletal muscle protein family. It is a part of the troponin protein complex, where it binds to actin in thin myofilaments to hold the actin-tropomyosin complex in place. Troponin I prevents myosin from binding to actin in relaxed muscle. When calcium binds to the troponin C, it causes conformational changes which lead to dislocation of troponin I. Afterwards, tropomyosin leaves the binding site for myosin on actin leading to contraction of muscle. The letter I is given due to its inhibitory character. It is a useful marker in the laboratory diagnosis of heart attack. It occurs in different plasma concentration but the same circumstances as troponin T - either test can be performed for confirmation of cardiac muscle damage and laboratories usually offer one test or the other.

<i>Journal of the American College of Cardiology</i> Academic journal

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of cardiovascular disease, including original clinical studies, translational investigations with clear clinical relevance, state-of-the-art papers, review articles, and editorials interpreting and commenting on the research presented, published by the American College of Cardiology.

Ulrich Sigwart is a German retired cardiologist known for his pioneering role in the conception and clinical use of stents to keep blood vessels open, and introducing a non-surgical intervention, alcohol septal ablation for the treatment of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) is a membership organisation devoted to the practice of cardiothoracic surgery. The mission statement of the association is to advance education in the field of cardiac, thoracic and vascular interventions; and promote research into cardiovascular and thoracic physiology, pathology and therapy, with the aim to correlate and disseminate the results for the public benefit. Within the EACTS there is a large number of committees working on various issues in order to improve cardio-thoracic surgery.

Prof. Aly Saad, is a professor of cardiology at Zagazig University and a Member of higher committee of promotion of professors and Assistant professors of cardiovascular diseases and Critical care Subspecialty in Egypt.

Ulf Landmesser is a German specialist for cardiology and internal medicine. He is professor at the Institute for Health Research in Berlin and Head of the Medical Clinic of Cardiology at the Charité in Berlin. Landmesser is known for his work on coronary interventions and modern methods of catheter-based heart valve therapy.

Cardiooncology, cardio-oncology or cardiovascular oncology is an interdisciplinary field of medicine by which are studied the molecular and clinical alterations in cardiovascular system during the different methods of treatment of cancer, especially chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan D. Anker</span> German cardiologist

Stefan D. Anker is Head of Field “Tissue Homeostasis and Cachexia" at Charité University, Berlin, Germany. Previously, he was Professor of Innovative Clinical Trials at University Medical Center Göttingen in Germany. The main focus of the Innovative Clinical Trials department was research in the field of chronic heart failure, including the development and clinical testing of new therapies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Association of Clinical Cardiologists</span>

The IACC, a non-profit organisation for non invasive cardiologists, was founded in 2008 by Dr. Rajesh Rajan, 4 Padma Shri doctors, Mohammed Shafiq and five other colleagues from Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences. Based in Kerala, this association works towards the prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) and the reduction of cardiovascular mortality in rural India.

Attilio Maseri OMRI KSG was an Italian academic and physician specialized in cardiology, considered a leading researcher in the field of ischemic heart disease. His patients included Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Béla Merkely</span> Hungarian cardiologist (born 1966)

Dr. Béla Merkely is a Hungarian interventional cardiologist and sports cardiologist, a university professor, director of Semmelweis University's Heart and Vascular Centre and the current rector of Semmelweis University since 1 July 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Loogen</span> German cardiologist

Franz Loogen was a German cardiologist. He is a pioneer of cardiac catheterization and is considered the founding father of cardiology as an independent specialty of internal medicine in Germany. He held the first cardiology chair outside paediatrics in Germany and founded the so-called "Düsseldorf School of Cardiology", from which many full professors, chief physicians and practising cardiologists have emerged. He also looked after the Germany national football team at the 1954 World Cup as team doctor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports cardiology</span>

Sports cardiology is an emerging subspecialty field of Cardiology. It may also be considered a subspecialty field of Sports medicine, or alternatively a hybrid subspecialty that spans cardiology and sports medicine. Emergency medicine is another medical specialty that has some overlap with Sports Cardiology. Sports cardiology is now considered to be a distinct subspecialty in Europe and the USA, with a core curriculum developed in both regions. In Europe it has traditionally been grouped under Preventive Cardiology, but the subspecialty of Sports Cardiology is now considered a distinct field. In the USA, it has developed from being a special interest area to a distinct subspecialty as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Günter Breithardt</span> German physician, cardiologist and university professor

Günter Breithardt is a German physician, cardiologist and emeritus university professor. He is known for his research in the field of rhythmology, especially the diagnosis and pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapy of cardiac arrhythmias and acute cardiac death, in particular the identification of arrhythmia-triggering gene mutations. For 21 years he headed the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic C at Münster University Hospital. A number of his academic students hold university management and chief physician positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason C. Kovacic</span> Australian cardiologist and physician

Jason C. Kovacic is an Australian-born cardiologist and physician-scientist; the Robert Graham Chair and Professor of Medicine, University of New South Wales; Executive Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, Australia; and Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

Thomas F. Lüscher is a Swiss professor of cardiology, director of research, education and development and a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London, and director of the Center for Molecular Cardiology at the University of Zurich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Ferrari (cardiologist)</span> Italian Cardiologist

Roberto Ferrari is an Italian cardiologist who holds the position of Emeritus Professor at the University of Ferrara, where besides he was the chair of the Cardiology in the School of Medicine until the 2019–2020 academic year.

Sanjay Rajagopalan is the Herman Hellerstein Professor of Medicine and Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals and Professor Medicine at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. He holds secondary appointments in the Case Western Reserve University Departments of Physiology, Radiology and Biomedical Engineering. Much of his research has been on using technology to guide the detection and treatment of heart disease and more recently on the impact of environmental exposures and climate change on cardiovascular health.

References

  1. ESC board
  2. "The ESC" . Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  3. "History of the ESC". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  4. "The ESC administrative centres" . Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  5. "ESC Board". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  6. "ESC Governance". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  7. "The ESC who we are". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  8. Kutyifa V, Arbelo E, Barsamyan S, Kosiuk J, Metzner A, Pazdernik M, Potter TD. EP Europace, Volume 18, Issue 5, May 2016, Pages 785–787, Published: 11 May 2016
  9. "ESC Young Community". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  10. "ESC Congresses". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  11. "ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines Development". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  12. "ESC Fellowship". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  13. "ESC Journal Family". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  14. "ESC Textbooks". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  15. "ESC Education". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  16. "ESC Webinars". esc365.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  17. "Professor Gillian Leng". ESC 365. 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  18. "ESC Atlas of Cardiology". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  19. "Why sponsor the EURObservational Registry Programme". European Society of Cardiology. Archived from the original on 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  20. "Why Sponsor the EORP?". European Society of Cardiology. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  21. "ESC Advocacy". www.escardio.org. Escardio.org. Retrieved 2021-11-24.