Highlights of the 24th Cardiovascular Summit – TCTAP 2019

The 24^th Cardiovascular Summit – TCTAP 2019 (international conference on cardiovascular intervention) – sponsored by the CardioVascular Research Foundation (CVRF) and Asan Medical Center’s Heart Institute (Seoul, South Korea), was held at Seoul Coex Convention Centre for four days from 27 April to 30 April 2019 (Figure 1). Since its inauguration in 1995, the conference has been one of the key representative international academic meetings in the Asia Pacific region. This year, more than 3,000 cardiologists from 51 countries attended and shared the latest knowledge and cutting-edge experience in the field of cardiovascular intervention.

Figure 1. Welcoming remarks at TCTAP 2019.

The conference was composed of four major specialty symposia comprising a coronary symposium, an endovascular symposium, a structural heart disease symposium, and a master the chronic total occlusion (CTO) symposium (Figure 2). In these symposia, various clinical and research topics were presented and discussed, from basic knowledge to the latest research trends in depth, including left main (LM) and multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), interventions for valvular disease (i.e., transcatheter aortic valve replacement [TAVR] and mitral or tricuspid valve intervention), cardiovascular imaging and physiology, complex PCI and patients (complex, high-risk indicated procedures [CHIP] or high bleeding risk [HBR] patients), drug-eluting stents or balloons, antithrombotics, renal denervation, left atrial appendage (LAA) closure, CTO-PCI, and endovascular interventions. This year, many researchers and masters who are in charge of each field of research were invited, and in-depth discussion sessions on research and the latest findings from clinical trials, and sessions on special clinical studies going on all over the world, were held.

Figure 2. Programme highlights of TCTAP 2019.

Through real-time satellite relay, the centres with a distinguished reputation in cardiology such as Columbia University Hospital in the USA, St. Paul’s Hospital in Canada, Asan Medical Center and Yonsei University Severance Hospital in Seoul, participated in the live procedures to provide diverse practical techniques and to improve understanding of procedural tactics. Many complex PCIs including challenging left main, bifurcation, and CTO lesions and valvular interventions (TAVR or valve-in-valve with fracturing) were transmitted from world-renowned medical centres and interactive discussion with panels and audience took place.

Participants experienced a lively educational opportunity that was linked to theory and practice in the experiential space (based on live procedure relay) and at the newly expanded training centre. This training programme was successfully held over three days through first-come first-served registration for the many participants for each session by theme. In addition, to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the Asan Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Intervention Training Program (ACT Program), which started in 2009, alumni gathering sessions and many other events were held on 27 April which attracted the attendees at the conference. In addition, a three-day workshop from 27 to 29 April was held to update the basics of cardiovascular intervention and discuss the latest research results. In addition, a partnership session was held with ten overseas academic societies and associations including from the USA, Japan, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the abstract and case presentation contest sessions, the young presenters, who came from over 30 countries and were selected through rigorous screening, had the opportunity to interact with masters from around the world. There was also an in-depth interview, a so-called “Wrap-up Interview”, where professors from all over the world gathered and presented their different opinions subdivided by theme and discussed future prospects.

There was a 9^th “Master of the Masters” awards ceremony to honour the contributions of the scholars who have contributed to the development of cardiovascular intervention. The TCTAP Award “Master of the Masters” has been bestowed annually upon the most distinguished cardiologist who has made meritorious contributions and has played a significant leading role in the field of interventional cardiology, as well as in TCTAP over the years. This year, Dr Patrick W. Serruys, Professor of Cardiology in the Cardiovascular Science Division at Imperial College London (UK), was selected as the recipient of the 9^th TCTAP Award “Master of the Masters” (Figure 3). Dr John Ormiston received this year’s outstanding lectureship and lifetime achievement in PCI award. The 7^th “TCTAP Best Young Scientist Award” was presented to Dr Jeehoon Kang during the conference. This award selects and encourages young researchers who will lead future studies on cardiovascular disease.

Figure 3. TCTAP Award 2019 “Master of the Masters”.

Lastly, this conference is expanding the scope of education through annual maintenance training for nurses and an annual symposium on cardiovascular intervention technical study for radiologists. Special lectures, panel discussions and performances were held covering prevention of heart disease among the general public. Additional detailed information on highlights of this congress can be found on the website of TCTAP 2019 daily news (http://www.summit-tctap.com/2019/review_news.htm). Next year, the 25^th Cardiovascular Summit – TCTAP 2020 – will be held from 25 to 27 April 2020, COEX, Seoul, South Korea.