EHRA 2020: Latest practice-changing research in heart rhythm disorders

Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Feb 27 2020

Get ready for the latest practice-changing research in heart rhythm disorders: presented at EHRA 2020, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

The annual congress of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a branch of the ESC, will be held 29 to 31 March at the Reed Messe Wien GmbH in Vienna, Austria. Explore the scientific program.

New research will be showcased in 900 scientific abstracts. Find out how music affects the heart, how hypnosis is being used by heart doctors, and preview the latest wearable device for monitoring heart rhythm.

The first-ever digital arrhythmia day at the EHRA Congress takes place on Sunday 29 March. State-of-the-art updates on wearables including smartwatches, machine learning, big data, and computer simulation. Original research in dedicated poster sessions and awards for the best study in e-cardiology. Compete against artificial intelligence (AI) in a session on managing heart rhythm disorders in the digital age. How to use digital health in the clinic, with advice on cybersecurity.

Stay tuned for the EHRA Technology and Innovation sessions. A shortlist of inventors will present their creations during two rounds. Judges and the audience will give each invention a score, with winners presented bronze, silver, and gold awards.

Major scientific findings will be presented in 20 late-breaking trials across four sessions, covering atrial fibrillation, heart failure, catheter ablation, novel devices, and much more. Among them:

• ALICIA: randomized controlled trial of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided fibrosis ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.
• RACE 7 ACWAS trial: one-year clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness of delayed versus early cardioversion in recent-onset atrial fibrillation.
• ESC-EHRA EORP Atrial Fibrillation General Long-Term Registry: treatment and outcomes in a large contemporary cohort of European atrial fibrillation patients managed by cardiologists in 27 European countries and 250 cardiology centres.
• STOP PERSISTENT AF Study: symptoms and quality of life one-year post cryoballoon ablation for persistent atrial fibrillation.
• MADIT-CHIC: echocardiographic outcomes of cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) for chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy.

Professor Haran Burri, Chairperson of the Scientific Programme, said:

Late-breaking trials are the hottest, newsworthy research at EHRA 2020, including randomised controlled trials, innovative devices, and new treatment approaches to improve outcomes in patients with heart rhythm disorders."

The EHRA Congress brings together scientists, healthcare professionals and key opinion leaders involved in arrhythmia management around the world. More than 5,000 participants from 96 countries are set to attend the three-day meeting, which features nearly 150 scientific sessions.

The congress theme is "Joining forces to overcome arrhythmia.

Providing the best diagnosis and treatment for heart rhythm disorders requires collaboration between heart rhythm professionals, device specialists, general cardiologists, imaging specialists, surgeons and, above all, patients. A special session is devoted to what matters to patients with arrhythmias."

Professor Haran Burri