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September 1, 2022 — “At ESC Congress in Barcelona, we discussed the newest science in the light of our collective clinical experience. This is how true progress in cardiovascular medicine is made,” said Professor Stephan Achenbach, ESC President. “The first double-blind randomized trial in cardiovascular medicine was completed in 1971, and since then, we have witnessed ever accelerating advances. Numerous large trials are published every year, often practice changing, and many are first presented at ESC Congress.”
More than 30,271 health professionals from 174 countries attended this year’s event, which covered the entire field of cardiovascular medicine. The most highly anticipated clinical trial results were showcased in the hot line presentations. Novel research was revealed in 3,218 abstracts presented by scientists from over 81 countries, with Germany leading the way with the most abstracts. Some 59 studies were simultaneously published in prestigious journals.
Professor Stephan Windecker, Congress Program Chair said: “As at every ESC Congress, the hot lines were a major highlight. There were a total of 36 studies in 10 hot line sessions ranging from prevention to imaging, digital health and artificial intelligence all the way to antithrombotic therapy, invasive cardiology and COVID-19. I also would like to highlight that in addition to major industry supported trials such as DELIVER, PERSPECTIVE and three phase II studies on factor XI inhibitors, there was a notable expansion of large-scale investigator-initiated trials addressing clinically relevant questions und unmet needs such as TIME, SECURE, DANCAVAS , the BOX trials ( oxygen, blood pressure), INVICTUS and REVIVED.”
Another highlight was the release of new and updated ESC guidelines on cardio-oncology, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, pulmonary hypertension, and non-cardiac surgery. Each guideline had a dedicated session and was complemented by an interactive Meet the Guidelines Task Force session examining the implications for clinical practice.”
“The spotlight of this year’s congress was cardiac imaging, which as a cross-sectional discipline within cardiovascular medicine assumes extraordinary importance in clinical decision making. The abstract based programme featured lively scientific exchange in the oral abstract sessions, clinical case sessions, and moderated e-poster sessions. Digital health topics were featured in The Hub - Gaudi. Sessions devoted to the 20th anniversary of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) acknowledged one of the most important breakthroughs in cardiovascular medicine. Also noteworthy was a session in which top experts provided their predictions for the practice of cardiovascular medicine 10 years from now,” said Professor Windecker.
ESC Congress 2022 attracted extensive international press coverage. Popular stories included:
• Polypill reduces cardiovascular events in heart attack patients compared to usual care
• Good sleepers have lower risk of heart disease and stroke
• Cardiovascular protection from statins greatly outweighs the risk of muscle symptoms
• Octogenarians should walk 10 minutes a day to prolong life
• Smoking is even more damaging to the heart than previously thought
ESC Congress 2022 closed its doors, but ESC staff are already getting ready for ESC Congress 2023, to be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 25 to 28 August 2023.
For more information: www.escardio.org
August 29, 2025 
