Master Course in Heart Failure 2026 - Sofia
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Ort
Sofia, Bulgaria
Type of event
on site
Invitation
Dear Colleagues,
We are thrilled to announce the Master Course in Heart Failure Sofia, which will be held from 19–21 November 2026 at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia.
The Master Course has been conceived on the initiative of cardiologists from Bulgaria and neighboring countries who aim to advance clinical practice in heart failure. The Course will provide education at the highest level, covering both the fundamental principles and the complex, multidisciplinary challenges that a modern heart failure specialist needs to master.
The overall goal of the Course is to emphasize the importance of managing heart failure patients within a multidisciplinary framework, prioritizing comprehensive care and enabling participants to implement the acquired expertise in their local heart failure clinics.
Continuous education for cardiologists and healthcare professionals is essential to ensure the effective management of patients with heart failure.
This Master Course is held under the auspices of the Bulgarian Society of Cardiology. The teaching faculty will include leading specialists from Europe, the United States and Bulgaria.
We look forward with great anticipation to seeing you in Sofia this November!
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Thomas F. Lüscher
Prof. Mariya Tokmakova
Prof. Vassil Traykov
Programme
Day 1, November 19th, 2026
| 10:00 - 12:00 | Opening Session: Heart Failure: From Cinderella to Center Stage Chair: Thomas F. Lüscher, London/Zurich, Mariya Tokmakova, Sofia and Vassil Traykov, Sofia | ||
| 10:00 | Welcome by Course Directors | Vassil Traykov, SofiaMariya Tokmakova, Sofia Thomas F. Lüscher, London/Zurich |
| 10:10 | Learning outcomes | Mariya Tokmakova, Sofia |
| 10:20 | Cardiovascular disease – the new epidemic in Bulgaria | tbd, Bulgaria |
| 10:40 | What is in the new 2026 ESC HF Guidelines Updates? | Lars Kober, Copenhagen |
| 11:00 | The 2026 ESC Cardiovascular Disease and CKD | Kevin Damman, Groningen |
| 11:20 | Atrial fibrillation according to the 2024 ESC Guidelines | Vassil Traykov, Sofia |
| 11:40 | Panel discussion: Reality and future perspectives of HF care in Bulgaria | |
| 12:00-12:45 | Lunch Break | ||
| 12:45-14:00 | Case-based Interactive Learning – Imaging of HF (Breakout Sessions in three groups) | ||
| Advanced Echocardiography in HF | Alison Duncan, London | |
| Cardiac MRI | Yasmin Rustamova, Baku | |
| CRT optimization | Cecilia Linde, Stockholm | |
| 14:00-16:00 | Session 2: Assessing and Diagnosing Heart Failure Chairs: NN | ||
| 14:00 | The spectrum of HF and what it means for practice | Thomas F. Lüscher, London |
| 14:20 | Assessing heart failure in clinical practice | Plamen Gatzov, Sofia |
| 14:40 | Lifestyle interventions: key issues of diet and exercise | Ivan Gruev, Sofia |
| 15:00 | Echocardiography in HF: LVEF, Valves & pulmonary circulation | Alison Duncan, London |
| 15:20 | Multimodality imaging in heart failure | Christoph Gräni, Berne |
| 15:40 | Panel discussion | |
| 16:00 - 16:30 | Coffee Break | ||
| 16:30-18:30 | Session 3: Comorbidities Chairs: NN | ||
| 16:30 | Obesity and HF: effects of GLP-1 agonists | Malte Kelm, Düsseldorf |
| 16:50 | Diabetes and heart failure: effects of SGLT-2i | Francesco Cosentino, Stockholm |
| 17:10 | Case Presentation: A patient with HFrEF | tbd, Bulgaria |
| 17:20 | Atrial fibrillation: Cause, consequence and cure of heart failure | Vassil Traykov, Sofia |
| 17:40 | CKD and cardiovascular risk | Mariya Tokmakova, Sofia |
| 18:00 | Panel discussion | |
| 18:30 | Welcome Reception, Get Together | ||
Day 2, November 20th, 2026
| 09:00 - 10:45 | Session 4: Pharmacotherapy Chairs: NN | ||
| 09:00 | Starting drugs in HF: which ones, how fast an in what order? | Thomas F. Lüscher, London |
| 09:20 | Five secret tips in the succesful treatment of heart falure | Petar Seferovic, Belgrade |
| 09:40 | Contemporary Management of Heart Failure with HFpEF | Assen Goudev, Sofia |
| 10:00 | Diuretics: Loop diuretics, thiazides and/or acetazolamide? | Kevin Damman, Groningen |
| 10:20 | Panel discussion | |
| 10:45-11:15 | Coffee Break | ||
| 11:15-13:00 | Session 5: Devices Chairs: NN | ||
| 11:15 | CardioMems: remote monitoring and digital health | Stephan Rosenkranz, Cologne |
| 11:35 | Patient selection for CRT | Cecila Linde, Stockholm |
| 11:55 | Patient selection for ICD | Vassil Traykov, Sofia |
| 12:15 | Revascularisation in heart failure | Valery Gelev, Sofia |
| 12:35 | Panel discussion | |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Break | ||
| 14:00-15:15 | Case-based Interactive Learning (Breakout Sessions in three groups) | ||
| Advanced Echocardiography in HF | Alison Duncan, London | |
| Cardiac MRI | Yasmin Rustamova, Baku | |
| CRT optimization | Cecilia Linde | |
| 15:15 - 15:45 | Coffee Break | ||
| 15:45-17:30 | Session 6: Acute and Advanced Heart Failure Chairs: NN | ||
| 15:45 | Advanced HF: definition and management | Marija Polovina, Belgrade |
| 16:05 | Managing acute HF | Yoto Yotov, Varna |
| 16:25 | LVADs as bridge to transplant or destination therapy | Felix Schönrath, Berlin |
| 16:45 | Heart transplantation: indications, timing and patient follow-up | Felix Schönrath, Berlin |
| 17:05 | Panel discussion | |
Day 3, November 21st, 2026
| 09:00 - 11:00 | Session 7: Cardiomyopathies and Valvular Heart disease Chairs: NN | ||
| 09:00 | What do the 2025 ESC Guidelines on Valvular heart disease say? | Fabien Praz, Bern |
| 09:20 | When is the right time for SAVR or TAVR? | Ivo Petrov, Sofia |
| 09:40 | Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: clinical predictors and outcome | Iacopo Olivotto, Florence |
| 10:00 | Cardiac amyloidosis | Mariya Tokmakova, Plovdiv |
| 10:20 | Panel discussion | |
| 11:00-11:15 | Coffee Break | ||
| 11:15-12:30 | Case-based Interactive Learning (Breakout Sessions in three groups) | ||
| Advanced Echocardiography in HF | Alison Duncan, London | |
| Cardiac MRI | Yasmin Rustamova, Baku | |
| CRT optimization | tbd | |
| 12:45-13:00 | Closing Session Wrap-up and Adjourn | ||
| 13:00 | Lunch Buffet | ||
The programme may be subject to change.
General Infomation
Registration
Category / Registration fees | |
|---|---|
| Doctors /members of the BSC/ | |
| Early Bird Fee (until 30.06.2026) | Euro 180 |
| Standard Fee (until 11.09.2026) | Euro 230 |
| Late / On-site Fee (after 11.09.2026) | Euro 280 |
| Doctors /non-members of the BSC/ | |
| Early Bird Fee (until 30.06.2026) | Euro 200 |
| Standard Fee (until 11.09.2026) | Euro 250 |
| Late / On-site Fee (after 11.09.2026) | Euro 300 |
| Residents and nurses | |
| Early Bird Fee (until 30.06.2026) | Euro 100 |
| Standard Fee (until 11.09.2026) | Euro 150 |
| Late / On-site Fee (after 11.09.2026) | Euro 200 |
Detailed Course Information regarding the registration, venue etc. can be found HERE!
Venue
Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia
89B, Vitosha Blvd., 1463 Sofia, Bulgaria
Under the auspices of
