17TH ASIAN PACIFIC CONGRESS OF CARDIOLOGY HELD WITH RECORD ATTENDANCEThe 17th Asian Pacific Congress of Cardiology (APCC) was held in Kyoto, Japan, from 20–23 May 2009 with a record high attendance of 2,500 participants, which exceeded all expectations. This was in spite of the flu-related travel concerns. Delegates came from across the entire Asia-Pacific region plus Europe and the United States, and 80% of them were from outside Japan. Dr Akira Kitabatake was the Chairperson and Dr Akira Matsumori the Secretary General of the 17th APCC. “ECHO Live”, a 1-day educational programme, was full to capacity and there was standing room only. It provided an overview of the current knowledge in ECHO and its applications and included five live sessions and 10 lectures. A total 644 abstracts were submitted, which was also a record high in the history of this congress. The submissions notably came from across the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the USA. The abstracts were published as a supplement to CVD Prevention and Control, an official journal of the World Heart Federation. A special Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology (APSC) section was published in the same journal and was distributed at the 17th APCC. The articles focused on sudden cardiac death in India, the LIFECARE epidemiologic study being conducted in four Southeast Asian countries, and a call to action for hepatitis-C derived heart diseases. The programme included the World Heart Federation-APSC/APHN Joint Session on Tobacco Control, the APSC-World Heart Federation Joint Session on Go Red for Women, and two World Heart Federation Presidents’ Sessions where the speakers included Shahryar A. Sheikh (members log in to access the presentation which can be found in the “Members Corner” under “Member activities highlights”) Mario F. de Camargo Maranhão, Tak Fu-Tse, and David Kelly. Dr Kelly gave a moving tribute to our friend and colleague Dr Philip Poole-Wilson, who died in March 2009. The 18th APCC will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 5–8 May 2011. For more Congress information: http://www.apscardio.org/ | |||||||
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