Dear Colleagues

The University Hospital Zurich has a long tradition in pioneering research and developments in cardiovascular medicine. Indeed, in the sixties the renowned cardiac surgeon Ake Senning established one of the first cardiac surgery departments in Zurich. Besides the worldwide first implantation of a pacemaker, he developed new surgical techniques and procedures particularly for patients with congenital heart disease. Furthermore, in 1977 Andreas Grüntzig successfully performed in Zurich the first percutaneous coronary intervention with a balloon catheter he had developed. His seminal intervention has become one of the most frequently performed procedures in patients with coronary disease and opened the door for interventions in structural heart disease. The current department has continued this tradition and contributed substantially to the understanding and management of atherosclerotic vascular disease and heart failure.

On the background of these historic milestones in cardiovascular medicine, it is our great pleasure to continue this tradition as a center of excellence in cardiovascular medicine and to invite you to the preceptorship programme on hot topics in cardiology in Zurich. The programme will focus on special areas with most recent therapeutic advances and innovations including risk factors and cardiovascular prevention, angina and acute coronary syndromes, atrial fibrillation, valve disease and heart failure. A distinguished international teaching faculty will contribute to an outstanding programme on the latest scientific and therapeutic developments in the respective areas.

The educational objectives are to provide a comprehensive update on new diagnostic approaches, clinical trials and treatment modalities. State of the art lectures will be illustrated with demonstrations of patient cases, round table discussions and video live cases for interventional valve procedures. A particular emphasis will be placed on chronic and acute heart failure, the new epidemic of the 21st century.

Cardiovascular clinicians, internists, and primary care physicians attending will derive benefit from this three-day preceptorship course with the goal to better serve their patients.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Zurich and spending a stimulating meeting together.

Thomas F. Lüscher, M.D. FRCP, FESC
Professor and Chairman of Cardiology