The scientific and clinical work proves to be beneficial for the doctor and especially the hospital when it is combined with continuous educational activity. Due to this fact, the creation and implementation of Educational programs and Conferences is required with the aim of continuous, multidimensional and up-to-date information. The realization of its Annual Two-Day Conference has such a goal Cardiology Clinic of the “ELPIS” Hospital” with thematic subject: “Hot topics in Cardiology”, which will be held at the Caravel Hotel September 15-16, 2023, with the participation of distinguished and experienced speakers in the specific field of Cardiology.

Cardiovascular diseases are a major health problem in modern times since they are the first cause of death in modern western societies. In Europe, 49% of all deaths are from cardiovascular diseases, of which 55% are women and 43% are men. Coronary artery disease accounts for approximately 50% of these deaths and almost 1/3 in A.E.E. Arrhythmias, valvular diseases, heart failure and other perhaps less common conditions also play an important role.

The development of science in general has been leaps and bounds in recent years. Especially in Medicine, new data are constantly emerging regarding the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms, the diagnostic approach, as well as the way to treat the various diseases. In Cardiology in particular, significant progress has been observed in a wide range concerning Coronary Disease, Valvular Diseases, Arrhythmias, Heart Failure. Often the new treatments that are proposed are disruptive, they come to shake the waters and with new, often revolutionary, methods to greatly increase the success in dealing with many pathological conditions.

At the conference, as he points out on behalf of the organizing committee Mr. Athanasios G. Trikas, Associate Professor of the University of Athens and Coordinating Director of the Cardiology Clinic of the Athens General Hospital “ELPIS”, a detailed reference will be made to all current issues concerning the various fields of cardiology and the newest data that have emerged in recent years will be analysed. In the field of Coronary Artery Disease, reference will be made to the treatment of chronic coronary disease, functional assessment and imaging methods in addition to classic coronary angiography, but also to the further treatment of polyvascular or complex disease, stem disease with the newest and best methods either with percutaneous angioplasty or by-pass.

Special reference will be made to the effects of the recent pandemic on cardiovascular diseases, specifically to cardiac involvement in acute Covid-19 infection, the effect of the infection on a patient with known heart failure, the association with vascular thrombosis, the effect of post-Covid syndrome on the heart as well as the newest pharmacological and therapeutic approaches to the disease Covid-19.

In the field of heart failure, special mention will be made of the newest treatment methods, either pharmaceutical or invasive, which are a revolution in the treatment of this group of patients, offering not only relief to their symptoms and an improvement in their quality of life, but also a significant improvement in their prognosis and an increase in their life expectancy.

The field of valvular diseases has also seen leaps and bounds in recent years. Transcutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVI) operations are increasingly being performed, solving the problem of many moderate or high-risk patients who cannot undergo surgery, thus improving their quality of life and most importantly prolonging their survival. At the same time, severe mitral valve insufficiency, which is also common in patients with heart failure, is treated in many cases with percutaneous intervention of Mitral-clip placement with great success, while very recently, methods of percutaneous treatment of insufficiency and the tricuspid valve have also been developed. An extensive reference will be made to the indications and methods of percutaneous treatment of all valvular diseases as well as to the newest minimally invasive surgical repair techniques where these should be preferred.

Arrhythmias are also often directly associated with increased morbidity and mortality in cardiac patients. The modern methods in their treatment, mainly in an invasive way in recent years but also with the use of newer devices, has significantly changed the landscape in this field with significant benefits even with a reduction in the mortality of seriously ill patients. Particular reference will be made to the newest methods of ablation of arrhythmias, both atrial fibrillation, which is very common in patients with heart failure, and dangerous ventricular arrhythmias.

Finally, reference will be made to the treatment of end-stage heart failure, the newest therapeutic approaches, cardiac repair and heart transplantation, heart and lung transplantation, as well as reference to the current situation in Greece regarding organ transplantation and the prospects for the future. Unfortunately very few heart transplants are performed per year (average 10-12)

See HERE the full conference program