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The European Society of Cardiology Congress 2012

GetInsideHealth's coverage of significant new information presented at ESC 2012 held in Munich, Germany August 25-29, 2012.

Wednesday, August 29

Video: Left bundle branch block is identified as a meaningful complication after TAVI
In this four-minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Patrick Houthuizen reports that left bundle branch block (LBBB) is a clinically important complication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Video: 3D Echocardiography moves from evaluation of left ventricular function into new areas
In this three-minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Ralph Stephan von Bardeleben reports that 3-dimensional echocardiography has reached a new level of accuracy that is permitting this technology not only to serve as a standard for the evaluation of left ventricular volume but to be considered in new applications when combined with other imaging techniques.

Intracardiac echocardiography is found safe and effective for left atrial appendage occlusion
Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is safe and effective for guiding left atrial appendage (LAA) transcatheter occlusion in patients with atrial arrhythmias, according to results of a study presented at the 2012 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Combined non-invasive angiographic and perfusion imaging used to guide PCI selection
A non-invasive imaging strategy was found accurate for identifying flow-limiting coronary artery disease (CAD) in a latebreaking study presented at the 2012 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The non-invasive approach was compared to a conventional invasive strategy.

Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation associated with high rate of efficacy and safety
Catheter ablation terminates atrial fibrillation (AF) in the vast majority of patients with this arrhythmia after a single procedure, according to results of a latebreaker study presented at the 2012 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The study also documented a low rate of complications over a 12-month period of follow-up.

Bleeding is a frequent complication of TAVI and associated with increased mortality
Bleeding may occur in 25% or more of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), according to an evaluation of 250 consecutive patients undergoing this procedure that was presented at the 2012 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Bleeding was associated with an increased risk of mortality at both 30 days and 1 year.

Tuesday, August 28

Video: Waist circumference is a strong predictor of events in patients with hypertension
In this three-and-a-half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Kyriakos Dimitriadis reports that waist circumference is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with hypertension.

Video: Plaque morphology is being studied for its ability to predict cardiovascular events
In this three-and-a-half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Johannes Waltenberger reports that current imaging systems, such as MRI, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), are permitting detailed characterizations of atherosclerotic plaque morphology and characteristics.

Video: Contrast echocardiography can be combined with stress echo to improve patient assessment
In this three-and-a-half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Benoy Shah reports that contrast echocardiography (CE), which provides information about myocardial perfusion, can be routinely incorporated into clinical evaluations with stress echocardiography (SE), which demonstrates wall motion abnormalities.

Video: Tissue Doppler imaging produces performance index that can predict outcome
In this four minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Tor Biering-Sorensen reports that a new myocardial performance index (MPI) that is based on Doppler imaging of the full cardiac cycle appears to provide better prognostic information than previous indexes using just diastolic or systolic function.

Monday, August 27

Video: Optical coherence tomography may be emerging standard in coronary stent placement
In this three-and-a-half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Giulio Guagliumi suggests that optical coherence tomography (OCT) is emerging as an important tool in evaluating the extent and severity of coronary artery disease.

Renal denervation for resistant hypertension found safe and effective long-term
The evidence that renal denervation is highly effective in the treatment of resistant hypertension has been strengthened by new long-term data presented at the 2012 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). 

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is not reversible but produces lasting wall motion abnormalities
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy has been characterized as a transient weakening of the myocardium, but new evidence suggests that it induces lasting and perhaps permanent wall motion abnormalities even after symptoms resolve.

Video: Real world experience integrating CT angiography and calcium scoring in low risk screening
In this three-and-a-half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Lynne Millar reports that the NICE screening criteria employed in the UK for patients presenting with chest pain are appropriate but best individualized.

Video: Need for both anatomical and functional information pushes hybrid imaging forward
In this three-and-a-half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Juhani Knuuti indicates that hybrid imaging for the evaluation of cardiovascular disease is an important advance because of the advantages of combining anatomical and functional information.

Sunday, August 26

Video: Stem cell therapy has advanced to the point of testing in large mortality-endpoint trials
In this four-minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Andreas Zeiher explains that many of the key characteristics of effective stem cell therapy for cardiovascular disease have now been established.

Video: Algorithm improves tissue discrimination in mapping for ventricular tachycardia ablation
In this two-and-a half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Sebastiaan Piers describes work at his institution that is permitting better mapping of scar tissue for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation in patients with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Video: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients with chest pain appears to improve outcome
In this two-and-a half minute interview conducted at the 2012 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress, Dr Ernst Wellnhofer evaluates a large but retrospective data pool that suggests cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging improves outcome in patients presenting at an emergency room with chest pain.

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