Abstracts of the 2017 A-CURE Symposium

Excerpt

The 2nd Annual Acute Cardiac Unloading and Recovery (A-CURE) Symposium was held in Barcelona, Spain, on August 25, 2017. Over 100 clinical and basic researchers from around the world participated in this year’s conference, which was hosted by the A-CURE Working Group. The mission of the A-CURE Working Group is to advance the science and mechanistic understanding of acute cardiac unloading and to support the translation of basic and clinical research into therapies aimed at heart muscle recovery. The last 20 years has seen major technical advances in mechanical circulatory support and research focused on pharmacological means to unload the heart. This progress has enabled new treatment modalities within the clinic for addressing myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock, acute decompensated heart failure, and advanced heart failure. The goal of these approaches is to unload the heart of its metabolic demand and mechanical workload. Current research indicates that ventricular unloading has profound effects on both cardiac physiology and the cardioprotective processes associated with recovery after damage to the heart has taken place. Clinical and basic researchers from around the world have recognized the potential applications of this new technology to treat and understand several cardiac pathologies. The A-CURE Symposium is the only scientific conference dedicated to advancing the science and clinical application of acute unloading aimed at heart muscle recovery. The A-CURE initiative is expected to grow as the impact of this progressing science advances further into the clinic. This year’s keynote address by Dr. Valentin Fuster identified the far-reaching impact of myocardial infarction on the development of cardiovascular disease and heart failure. The lectures and abstracts presented during the 2nd annual meeting included basic and translational science and also presented cutting-edge clinical applications of acute unloading. The collection of selected abstracts presented here demonstrates the broad spectrum of research on display at the 2nd Annual A-CURE Symposium. …