The European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Association Annual Congress

Standfirst: What the Heart Failure Congress means to the Heart Failure Association and how it has grown in stature and reputation over the years. Heart Failure is the annual congress of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), now established as the world's leading Heart Failure Congress, where strategies for a universal approach for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart failure are made. One of the main merits of the Heart Failure Congress has been to elevate heart failure to centre stage in the world of cardiology. In the past, there was little awareness or expertise in dealing with patients suffering from heart failure. For this reason, they were cared for among other patients. Now heart failure has become a speciality in its own right. The development and success of this initiative has mirrored the success of the Working Group first, and then of the Association. The first European meeting on heart failure was launched in Amsterdam, in June 1995 as an ‘International Meeting of the Working Group on Heart Failure’ and was the inspiration of Willem Remme, from the Netherlands, who gathered together a group of like-minded friends. Initially, doubters within the ESC community expressed the view that there was no need for a stand-alone meeting because all cardiologists should treat patients with heart failure. Everyone was surprised when 1800 delegates attended and a second event (the 2nd International Meeting of the Working Group on Heart Failure, ‘Heart Failure ‘97’) was successfully organized by Willem Remme himself in Cologne on 24–27 May 1997. The third International Meeting was held in Goteborg on 5–8 June 1999, and was attended by approximately 2500 delegates, including exhibitors. Karl Swedberg's presentation opened the way for beta blockers to become standard practice in heart failure and, later, comparisons were made between different beta blockers, with carvedilol showing survival benefits. The scientific quality was much appreciated and the intention to cover all aspects of heart failure was accomplished by over 50 sessions, symposia and 12 abstract sessions, and 300 posters. The following year it was decided to have ‘Heart Failure Update 2000’ which was organized during June in Venice and chaired by Luigi Tavazzi and Roberto Ferrari. The fourth major international meeting was held in Barcelona, in June 2001. The 2002 meeting marked the beginning of annual large meetings and was the first fully backed ESC Heart Failure Congress. The Heart Failure Meeting 2003 was held, together with the Annual Congress of the European Section of the International Society for Heart Research, to address the major aspects of heart failure, including basic science, pathophysiology, epidemiology, prognosis, and medical/surgical management. In 2004 the creation of the ESC HFA provided further strength to the congress, including an innovative approach where translational research features were discussed alongside late-breaking clinical trials. Sessions at the congress were also dedicated to the promotion of the importance of aerobic exercise training among heart failure patients, which helped in the reduction of morbidity and mortality. The HFA created a committee on exercise training in heart failure, which produced specific recommendations. However, it was the presence of nurses at the congress that was instrumental to passing the message across to patients. At Heart Failure 2014 the HFA launched in Athens the World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, answering an unmet need in the field. In 2015, in Seville, in front of the greatest number of attendees ever reached, the Eugene Braunwald Lecture and the Philip Poole-Wilson Lecture were introduced and delivered by Eugene Braunwald himself (during the inaugural session) and by Henry Dargie (as a keynote to the Young Investigator Clinical Award session). Innovations for Heart Failure 2015 also included a new interactive Mobile App in the focused clinical case-based sessions, allowing delegates to vote from smartphones. Another novelty of the Seville congress was the organization of the Local Tract in Heart Failure, organized in collaboration with the Working Group on Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation of the Spanish Society of Cardiology. A programme aimed at the local and international Spanish speaking audience: four sessions in Spanish, with presentation of a recommendation document on heart failure organization in Spain. The Heart Failure Congress is now regarded as the premier meeting on heart failure in the world, attracting more than 4500 delegates from 70 different countries. It is coordinated by the HFA Board, consisting of 12 clinicians, 8 basic scientists and 3 nurses, and considered as the HFA's principal networking activity. Undoubtedly, the Heart Failure Congress provides an important platform to showcase new heart failure agents or devices. The success of the Heart Failure Congress is undoubtedly the emphasis placed on patients, with the meeting covering all aspects of this condition. Thus over the last two decades, our congress has done much to promote awareness of heart failure as a serious condition. Previously, there was a widespread belief that heart failure was just an inevitable part of aging. The congress, the biggest international meeting on heart failure, offers an unrivalled opportunity for colleagues from all over the globe to come together and exchange ideas about the impact of new developments. With this year's congress spotlight ‘State of the Art’ in Florence, we will consider the latest methods to diagnose heart failure, predict patient outcomes, manage heart failure with drugs and devices, and efficiently structure clinical services. In Florence, the latest ESC Guidelines ‘For the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute and Chronic Heart Failure’ will be launched., These guidelines have been written under the auspices of the ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines and developed in collaboration with the Heart Failure Association of the ESC. In continuing with our acclaimed scientific programme, we will once again be inviting expert faculty from around the globe to feature in the traditional symposia, debates, ‘Meet the Experts’ or ‘How to sessions’, and to present the new Honorary Eugene Braunwald and Philip Poole-Wilson Lectures. Following the success of last year's, ‘Local Tract in Heart Failure’, organized in collaboration with the Working Group on Heart Failure of the Italian Federation of Cardiology, there will be a programme aimed at an Italian-speaking audience: four sessions in Italian, with presentation of a recommendation document on heart failure organization in Italy. Contacts for the involvement and participation of Primary Care physicians are under way. Heart failure is a challenge that should be managed in multidisciplinary settings and the HFA is becoming the first ESC organization able to involve all the actors needed for a careful and efficient management of patients with heart failure. Aldo P Maggioni MD FESC FHFA Massimo F Piepoli MD PhD FESC