Turkish Society of Cardiology's 26th Congress Held in Istanbul

26th National Cardiology Congress of the Turkish Soiety of Cardiology was held in Istanbul on October 22-25, 2010 at the Halic (Golden Horn) Congress Center with the participation of 4200 attendees. 650 of them were from other countries spreading from the Americas - from Canada and USA to Venezuela and Chile- to Japan and Malaisia, from Baltic to African countries.

The participation of the three presidents of the ESC, President Prof. Michel Komajda, President Elect Prof. Panos Vardas and the Past President Prof. Roberto Ferrari was one of the most remarkable facts. Their counterparts from the board of the Turkish Society of Cardiology delivered shields to the three presidents.

The past presidents of the Society for Cardiovascular and Interventions Professors Z. Hijazi, T. Feldman and B. Weiner were also there for the Global Interventional Summit held along with the 26th Congress. Another paralel event was the 7th Turkic World Cardiology Congress.

During the Opening Ceremony a special production of music and modern dance project “Heart and Rhythm” was performed.
The traditional “Young Investigator Awards” in memories of the two Honorary Presidents of the TSC and awards for best oral and poster presentations were also delivered during the Opening Ceremony.

Only in the program of the 26th Congress there was 97 sessions, 355 lecturers and session chairs. Besides symposia and panel discussions there were “How to” and “Case focused” sessions and special courses in Arrhythmia, Interventions and Cardiac Imaging.

137 Oral Presentations and 315 Poster Presentations were selected by the evaluation results of 191 academicians among the abstracts submitted from Turkey and other countries. TSC accepts international abstracts since 2008 and the number submitted from other countries have increased significantly.

A special line, was spared for the program “Practical Cardiology”, prepared for the Family Doctors and other physicians providing cardiovascular health service in the first step. The hall was overcrowded in each session an deven crowded groups followed these sessions from the giant screens placed outside the hall.
The same interest was cast on the courses by the young cardiologists.

During the 26th Congress, the Turkish Board of Accreditation (TBAC) in Cardiology held its 9th Qualifying (written) Examination and 19th Certifying (oral) Examination with the participation of more than 40 attendees to each. TBAC awarded 605 Certificates since its foundation in 2004. TBAC also started the Accreditation System for Specialization Training Centers and Programs in 2010 and the Cardiology Departments of four universities - Gazi and Baskent in Ankara, Trakya University in Edirne and Kocaeli University in Izmit- were delivered the first Accreditation Certificates after the year-long investigations, inquiries and assessment.

All the Working Group Boards, Board Committees and Project Teams of the society had their organisational meetings during the Congress. Women and Heart Health Project Team finalised its 2nd National Symposium’s scientific program which will be held in Ankara on March 8-9, 2011. They also developed their new research projects.

The Cardiovascular Nurses and Technicians Working Group celebrated its 10th Anniversary during the Congress and awarded plates to Prof. Dr. Çetin Erol, Prof. Dr. Zerrin Yigit and Prof. Dr. Nuray Enç. They started a memorial forest on this occasion in Izmir.

Another significant event of the 26th Congress was the first General Assembly and Launch Meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) İstanbul Chapter that brought together the Turkish and regional cardiologists. The CEO of the ACC Dr. Jack Lewin was also among the participants. The three Board Members of the Chapter were determined as Prof. Dr. Lale Tokgozoglu, Prof. Dr. Çetin Erol and Prof. Dr. Sasko Kedev, president of the Macedonian Society of Cardiology.

The 27th National Cardiology Congress of the Turkish Soiety of Cardiology will be held on October 27-30, 2011; again in Istanbul at the Halic (Golden Horn) Congress Center. TSC invites all the members of the ESC’s national societies to submit abstracts.