Master Course in Heart Failure 2026 - Sofia
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City
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 | |
| 10:10 | Learning outcomes | |
| 10:20 | Cardiovascular disease – the new epidemic in Bulgaria | |
| 10:40 | What is in the new 2026 ESC HF Guidelines Updates? | |
| 11:00 | The 2026 ESC Cardiovascular Disease and CKD | |
| 11:20 | Atrial fibrillation according to the 2024 ESC Guidelines | |
| 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 | ||
| Cardiac MRI | ||
| CRT optimization | ||
| 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 | |
| 14:20 | Assessing heart failure in clinical practice | |
| 14:40 | Lifestyle interventions: key issues of diet and exercise | |
| 15:00 | Echocardiography in HF: LVEF, Valves & pulmonary circulation | |
| 15:20 | Multimodality imaging in heart failure | |
| 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 | |
| 16:50 | Diabetes and heart failure: effects of SGLT-2i | |
| 17:10 | Case Presentation: A patient with HFrEF | |
| 17:20 | Atrial fibrillation: Cause, consequence and cure of heart failure | |
| 17:40 | CKD and cardiovascular risk | |
| 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? | |
| 09:20 | SGLT2 inhibitors from HFrEF to HFmrEF and HFpEF | |
| 09:40 | Contemporary Management of Heart Failure with HFpEF | |
| 10:00 | Diuretics: Loop diuretics, thiazides and/or acetazolamide? | |
| 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 | |
| 11:35 | Patient selection for CRT | |
| 11:55 | Patient selection for ICD | |
| 12:15 | Revascularisation in heart failure | |
| 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 | ||
| Cardiac MRI | ||
| CRT optimization | ||
| 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 | |
| 16:05 | Managing acute HF | |
| 16:25 | LVADs as bridge to transplant or destination therapy | |
| 16:45 | Heart transplantation: indications, timing and patient follow-up | |
| 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? | |
| 09:20 | When is the right time for SAVR or TAVR? | |
| 09:40 | Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: clinical predictors and outcome | |
| 10:00 | Cardiac amyloidosis | |
| 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 | ||
| Cardiac MRI | ||
| CRT optimization | ||
| 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
