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Press release
On 12 and 13 September international experts in atrial fibrillation come together in Münster, Germany, to take part in the 9th AFNET/EHRA consensus conference. “Longer and better lives for patients with atrial fibrillation” is the pronounced intention of the two-day expert meeting which is jointly organized by the German Atrial Fibrillation Network (AFNET) and the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) every two years.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia and a growing health problem in an aging society. It affects several million people in Europe and worldwide.
Prof. Paulus Kirchhof, Hamburg, Germany, one of the four chairpersons of the conference and board member of AFNET, explains the background of the expert meeting: “Despite improved treatment options AF patients still suffer strokes, heart failure, and premature death. There are various approaches to optimize care for AF patients. We set out to bring these approaches together. The AFNET/EHRA consensus conference provides a high-level expert forum to discuss recent advances in AF diagnosis and therapy.”
The participating scientists will discuss new results in AF screening, the therapeutic impact of rare atrial arrhythmias picked up by implanted devices and consumer electronics, the role of early rhythm control, new data on the interaction of comorbidities with AF and AF management, new technologies for AF detection and management, the role of pacing and devices in the management of AF and heart failure, as well as new trial results from the main 2023 congresses.
Participants of the 9th AFNET/EHRA Consensus Conference come from Europe, USA, Canada, and Australia. The meeting is chaired by four cardiologists: Prof. Andreas Goette, Paderborn, Germany, and Prof. Paulus Kirchhof, Hamburg, Germany, both from AFNET, and Prof. Helmut Pürerfellner, Linz, Austria, and Prof. Isabell van Gelder, Groningen, Netherlands, both from EHRA.
This is already the 9th meeting of its kind. Since 2007, AFNET and EHRA organize biennial joint conferences in which international AF experts pool their knowledge. After detailed discussions, the scientists publish their results in a consensus report.
Prof. Goette summarizes the experts` aim: “During the conference, we will jointly develop recommendations for better AF management, and we will summarize them afterwards in a position paper. We hope our results will be integrated into the upcoming treatment guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) next year.”
The conference is organized and co-financed by AFNET – celebrating 20 years anniversary in 2023 – and EHRA with additional financial support from MAESTRIA which is funded under European Union's (EU) Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant number 965286).
About AFNET
The Atrial Fibrillation NETwork is an interdisciplinary research network comprising scientists and physicians from hospitals and practices dedicated to improving the management of atrial fibrillation through coordinated research in Germany, Europe, and worldwide. Its main objective is to conduct high quality investigator-initiated clinical trials and registries on a national and international level as well as translational research projects. The AFNET continues the long-term activities of the network which has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education over a decade. Since January 2015, specific projects and infrastructures of the AFNET are funded by the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), and some projects by EU research grants. AFNET has long expertise in the management of atrial fibrillation, but also provides support for work in other fields informing cardiovascular care. The results of 20 years of clinical and translational research improved the lives of patients with cardiovascular diseases and influenced treatment guidelines.
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Angelika Leute, PhD
Phone: +49 202 2623395
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