Question: How can aligning clinical insights with EU policy and best practices drive advancements in cardiovascular health? What specific strategies or innovations from your experience can serve as exemplary models?
Professor Dr. Béla Merkely, rector, Semmelweis University, honorary president of the Hungarian Society of Cardiology:
The high rates of cardiovascular disease in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Hungary, require a clear strategic plan focused on prevention and treatment. Aligning clinical practices with EU guidelines helps establish standard prevention methods, utilize specialized centers, and address care disparities.
From my experience, effective strategies include raising awareness for primary prevention and using specialized lipid ambulances to manage cholesterol levels for secondary prevention. Timely initiation of disease-modifying medications, optimal device therapy, and the integration of telemedicine for remote monitoring are crucial. These measures reduce hospitalizations and enable early diagnosis and treatment, decreasing mortality and economic burden.
It’s also essential to recognize the value of data. Countries with up-to-date, representative databases on their populations’ cardiovascular health can leverage this information to tailor their interventions more effectively.
Eliminating socio-economic and regional disparities in cardiovascular health is critical. For example, Hungary has been working on regional health programs to reduce these inequalities, which could serve as a model for other nations.
National prevention strategies, including comprehensive public awareness campaigns and preventive screenings, could be scaled up to the EU level. These initiatives have significantly reduced cardiovascular risk factors and improved early detection and intervention.
The impact of an EU-wide or national-level action plan on cardiovascular health would be profound, setting unified standards and facilitating better coordination of resources and policies across member states. Politically, garnering support for such a plan can drive substantial change, while scientifically, it ensures that best practices and cutting-edge research are consistently applied.
Economic factors undoubtedly influence the implementation of cardiovascular health plans. Ensuring sustainable funding and resource allocation is vital for these plans’ success.
International collaborations can considerably enhance national action plans. Shared knowledge, joint research projects, and coordinated interventions allow countries to benefit from each other’s experiences and innovations.
Looking to the future, promising areas include research into personalized medicine and the integration of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in diagnostics and treatment. Expanding these areas through EU-supported initiatives could revolutionize cardiovascular care.
In summary, by leveraging a combination of innovative therapies, targeted awareness campaigns, and EU-aligned policies, we can create a robust framework to tackle the cardiovascular health crisis effectively.
Prof. Aleš Linhart, cardiovascular medicine department head, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague:
Aligning clinical insights with EU policy and best practices is crucial for advancing cardiovascular health. By combining these elements, we can achieve significant improvements in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, leading to better health outcomes. A key strategy involves adopting a prevention-oriented approach that promotes heart-healthy behaviors and community-based interventions. Expanding public screening campaigns for hypertension and cholesterol with EU funding and integrating digital health tools to track risk factors can significantly enhance patient compliance.
Digital health and telemedicine are among the most promising innovations today. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote monitoring technologies, allowing real-time tracking of vital signs and timely interventions. Better access to telehealth services and advanced diagnostic tools offers a more comprehensive understanding of cardiovascular health.
Looking ahead, personalized medicine and genomic research tailored to individual risk profiles have enormous potential to revolutionize cardiovascular care. Specialized centers for cardiomyopathies and amyloid heart disease illustrate the benefits of integrating clinical practice with cutting-edge research.
Strengthening multidisciplinary care teams and fostering ongoing education for healthcare providers are also critical steps. Collaboration among cardiologists, heart surgeons, and general practitioners ensures comprehensive care. EU-supported education programs can standardize and elevate these practices.
Innovations like heart failure management hubs, nationwide Atrial Fibrillation screening programs using wearable devices, and broad access to advanced procedural interventions like TAVR and thrombolytic therapy exemplify this approach. By aligning with EU policies and leveraging funding and research initiatives, the Czech National Cardiovascular Plan [for 2025-2035] aims to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease significantly and could serve as a model for other EU member states.
Prof. Stefan Janssens, professor of cardiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium:
Healthcare professionals must recognize the substantial impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on patients, families, and healthcare systems in the EU. CVD remains the number one killer in Europe and requires a dedicated EU cardiovascular health action plan to raise awareness among EU citizens and ensure adequate and effective policy attention from healthcare system decision-makers.
The burden of cardiovascular disease includes not only heart attacks and strokes but also often unpreventable, inherited diseases such as cardiomyopathies. To improve overall cardiovascular health in Europe and reduce the non-communicable disease burden, we must identify current unmet needs throughout the patient care pathway. These include deficiencies in early or timely diagnosis, inequalities in access to care, lack of patient empowerment and holistic support, suboptimal disease management, and insufficient funding for research and innovation. The Atlas survey of the European Society of Cardiology highlights wide variations in access to cardiology services, underscoring the urgent need for greater equity among EU policymakers. Recent estimates show that CVD accounts for around EUR 110.8 billion annually in healthcare spending in the EU, with the total societal cost almost double due to substantial indirect socio-economic costs from productivity loss.
Prioritized strategies include better public awareness campaigns, especially for non-preventable, inherited cardiovascular diseases, equal access to specialist care, disease management programs promoting guideline adherence, and support for the EU’s best practice portal. Holistic support should include promoting dedicated patient organizations to advance shared decision-making, improved treatment adherence, and effective patient empowerment via access to digital health data.
Continued and enhanced EU investment in focused cardiovascular research and innovation is indispensable for improving patient outcomes in the years to come.
Prof. Eva Goncalvesova, department head at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Bratislava:
Aligning clinical insights with EU policies and best practices provides a strong foundation for significant advancements in cardiovascular health. With high cardiovascular disease rates across Slovakia and neighboring countries, we’ve recognized the need to move beyond isolated clinical practices and embrace a standardized, EU-aligned approach to both preventive and post-hospitalization care. By integrating innovative solutions like AI-driven diagnostics, transitional care, and intensive outpatient management, we can address gaps in specialized care, essential for reducing one-year mortality and enhancing patient outcomes.
In Slovakia, we are developing several exemplary projects. Transitional care post-heart failure hospitalization allows us to extend care and adjust treatments for six to eight weeks post-discharge. Another promising initiative is using artificial intelligence for early diagnosis of myocardial infarction. This technology enables rapid, accurate diagnostics in prehospital settings, ensuring that patients needing primary PCI are identified and treated promptly.
Our most advanced program, Impaks, provides intensive outpatient management for patients after acute coronary syndrome. Early results show a positive impact on reducing one-year mortality and improving control over critical risk factors like LDL cholesterol, smoking, and blood pressure. If successful, Impaks could serve as a legal model for reimbursed care plans, setting a new standard for secondary prevention across the EU.
Through these focused strategies, we aim to demonstrate measurable benefits that justify broader policy support and specialized reimbursement. Such models provide a roadmap for other EU member states, offering scalable solutions rooted in local health data and supported by EU resources.
Maria Tilman, country TA head of cardiovascular and innovative commercial partnerships at Novartis Hungary:
I’m proud to say that Novartis Hungary, together with Semmelweis University, hosted this impactful conference. This collaboration shows our commitment to advancing cardiovascular health. The Hungarian EU Presidency provides a unique platform for fostering meaningful dialogue among countries on significant cardiovascular programs.
Novartis Hungary is proud to support these initiatives. By working closely with local and international experts, we’re demonstrating effective strategies to overcome challenges, especially in Hungary. Our efforts, supported by the Hungarian government, aim to bring cardiovascular health to the EU agenda and turn policy into tangible action.
For instance, in the past two years, we’ve conducted screening programs in various Hungarian cities, offering comprehensive cardiovascular checks and consultations with cardiologists. Moreover, the innovative Lipid Management Center, developed in partnership with Semmelweis University, is mapping cholesterol levels across Hungary and implementing targeted interventions to improve cardiovascular disease management. The results of this project, introduced at this conference, showcase the impactful outcomes of our collaboration.
The Hungarian EU Presidency has shown exceptional leadership in advancing an EU Action Plan on cardiovascular diseases, including priorities like screening, research funding, and digital health innovations. We commend the Hungarian government for its commitment to improving cardiovascular health at the EU level.
In summary, aligning clinical insights with EU policies, supported by dedicated efforts from companies like Novartis Hungary, paves the way for a healthier Europe. By continuing to work together and adopting innovative strategies, we can significantly improve cardiovascular health across the EU.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of November 15, 2024.
