Heart Rhythm 2026 to feature late-breaking EP data, hands-on training and more
Heart Rhythm 2026, the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), is scheduled for April 23-26, 2026, in Chicago. As always, the four-day event will provide attendees with a close look at the biggest trends in electrophysiology (EP). Nearly 2,000 sessions are on the schedule, including a series of late-breaking clinical trials (LBCTs) that cover a wide variety of topics.
Those LBCTs are separated into five categories:
- Clinical EP
- Cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIEDs)
- Pulsed field ablation (PFA)
- Ventricular tachycardia ablation
- Procedural clinical EP
“This year’s LBCTs are fantastic,” Daniel Morin, MD, MPH, Heart Rhythm 2026 abstract chair and a veteran electrophysiologist with the University of California, San Francisco, told Cardiovascular Business. “We received a record-breaking 161 LBCT submissions, from which we chose 18 for presentation as LBCTs and another 15 for presentation in high-impact science sessions. We have a nice mixture of industry-supported and investigator-initiated trials.”
PFA continues to gain momentum among electrophysiologists as a safe, effective way to care for patients presenting with atrial fibrillation (AFib). It uses high-voltage electrical pulses to treat paroxysmal and persistent AFib as opposed to the heat and cold used by radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation, respectively.
“PFA is the fastest growing ablation modality due to its effectiveness, safety and efficiency compared to thermal ablation modalities,” he said. “The PFA LBCT session features various novel tools that were used to treat various patient populations, including paroxysmal AFib, persistent AFib, and ventricular tachycardia.”
Morin is also looking forward to the clinical EP LBCT session, which will kick off with primary results from the HRS COMPASS quality improvement initiative before putting a spotlight on three other highly anticipated trials.
“The ALONE-AF trial examined the safety of stopping anticoagulation following a successful AFib ablation, while a NOAH-AFNET 6 substudy will describe the relationships between AFib burden, anticoagulation and outcomes,” he said. “Finally, we’ll hear about the utility and safety of AFib ablation using a variable-loop PFA catheter.”
Heart Rhythm 2026 is also set to include an opening keynote presentation by Will Flanary, MD, a popular medical humorist known as Dr. Glaucomflecken, in addition to a four-hour Global Summit focused on sports EP and approximately 200 featured posters. In addition, HRS is offering training sessions focused on operating automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This is the third year in a row HRS has offered these free AED and CPR courses as a part of the conference.
Click here for more details about Heart Rhythm 2026. There is no live streaming option for this year’s conference, but all sessions will be uploaded to the online meeting platform within 24 hours.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.