European Society of Cardiology announces late-breaking trials for ESC Congress 2026
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) will highlight 59 practice-changing pivotal trials in 12 Hot Line sessions during its annual meeting, ESC 2026 Congress, from Aug. 28–31 in Munich.
“Randomized controlled trials are the cornerstone of evidence-based cardiovascular medicine because they provide the highest level of evidence to guide clinical practice,” Professor Tomasz Guzik, chair of the ESC Congress Program Committee, said in a statement. “This year, ESC Congress received a record number of submissions of late-breaking clinical trials, reflecting the remarkable pace of innovation across cardiology. We rigorously selected the studies with the greatest scientific quality and potential clinical impact."
He said these trials look at new drugs, implantable devices, imaging technologies, digital innovations and treatments, addressing many of the most important questions facing clinicians today. Guzik anticipates that many of these studies will directly influence clinical guidelines, and others will define the future of cardiology. He highlighted a couple trials that may have the biggest impact.
The LIBREXIA ACS trial, for example, is one of the largest Hot Line studies to be featured at the conference. More than 14,000 patients who recently had a myocardial infarction and were given Factor XIa inhibitors to reduce recurrent ischemic events were included in the analysis, which focused on whether these drugs can offer protection without the bleeding seen in earlier anticoagulant studies.
"This landmark trial could redefine the management of underlying risk after a myocardial infarction,” Guzik explained.
The PRESC1SE-MI trial tested a new way to quickly confirm or exclude heart attacks. It enrolled nearly 68,000 emergency department patients with chest pain
Guzik also highlighted two drug trials focused on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and cardiac amyloidosis. The CARDIO-TTRansform study will show whether eplontersen, an antisense drug therapy that lowers the amyloid-forming protein, can improve outcomes in transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy.
The ACACIA-HCM trial will confirm whether aficamten, a cardiac myosin inhibitor that reduces excessive heart muscle contraction, could provide the first positive results for patients with nonobstructive HCM.
The STAREE trial is another drug trial looking to see if statins can help lower dementia rates in addition to the risk of cardiovascular events in patients over age 70.
All Hot Line sessions will be held in Main Auditorium-Hall B3.
HOT LINE 1
Aug. 28, 11 - 12:18
• CARDIO-TTRansform: efficacy and safety of eplontersen in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy. Speaker Mathew Maurer, Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, New York.
• SINGLE-AF: Anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation with intermediate stroke risk. Speaker Boyoung Joung, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
• POET-II: tailored duration antibiotic treatment for infectious endocarditis. Speaker Henning Bundgaard, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital.
• ACACIA-HCM: Aficamten for symptomatic nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Speaker Ahmad Masri, Oregon Health & Science University Medical Group.
• CMR GUIDE: cardiac magnetic resonance GUIDEd management of mild-moderate left ventricular systolic dysfunction with an ICD
Speaker Joseph Selvanayagam, Flinders University, Australia.
HOT LINE 2
Aug. 29, 8:15 - 9:45
• STAREE: Statins for Reducing Events in the Elderly. Speaker Sophia Zoungas, The George Institute for Global Health, Australia.
• AMUNDSEN: Evolocumab Before Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction. Speaker Gilles Montalescot, Sorbonne University, Paris.
• TRANQUILITY: Efficacy of monthly and quarterly dosing of pacibekitug (IL-6 ligand mAb) targeting inflammation in CKD with high cardiovascular risk. Speaker Deepak Bhatt, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.
• REACT - Prevalence of silent atherosclerosis across adult life. Speaker Henning Bundgaard, Rigshospitalet - Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
• ENRICH-AF: Edoxaban in intracranial hemorrhage survivors with atrial fibrillation. Speaker Ashkan Shoamanesh, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
• DAN-RSV: RSVpreF vaccine for preventing cardiorespiratory hospitalizations. Speaker Tor Biering-Sorensen, Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hot Line 3
Aug. 29, 11 - 12:15
• LIBREXIA ACS: Milvexian after recent ACS. Speaker Philippe Gabriel Steg, Hospital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris.
• PREMIUM: Aspirin Omission at the Time of Primary PCI in STEMI. Speaker Gaku Nakazawa, Kindai University, Japan.
• SWITCH SWEDEHEART - Switching from ticagrelor to prasugrel in patients with ACS. Speaker Elmir Omerovic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden.
• A-CLOSE: Clopidogrel vs Extended DAPT after High-Risk PCI. Speaker Kim Byeong-Keuk, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
• EPIDAURUS. Speaker Konstantinos D Rizas, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich.
Hot Line 4
Aug. 29, 16:15-17:15
• PRESC1SE-MI: Safety and efficacy of the ESC 0/1-hour algorithm versus standard care pathways in myocardial infarction. Speakers Christian Eugen Mueller and Jasper Boeddinghaus, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland.
• AIR-STEMI trial: Functional Coronary Angiography in STEMI. Speaker Simone Biscaglia, University Hospital of Ferrara, Italy.
• TARGET-CTCA - Troponin in acute chest pain to guide CTCA. Speaker Nicholas Mills, University of Edinburgh.
Hot Line 5
Aug. 29, 17:30-18:35
• EMAIL-HF: Implementation of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with heart failure through a digital strategy. Speaker Mariam Elmegaard, Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark.
• Remote Exercise SWEDEHEART: a cluster randomized cross-over trial on cardiac telerehabilitation. Speaker Maria Back, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden.
• ADHERE-ASCVD: Adaptive Digital Outreach for Statin Adherence. Speaker Ankeet Bhatt, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco Medical Center.
• VIRTUES ICD: Virtual E-health system for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators and VIRTUES PM: Digital health platform for pacemakers. Speaker Ratika Parkash, Dalhousie University, Canada.
Hot Line 6
Aug. 30, 8:15-9:50
• H-HeFT: Hydralazin-Isosorbide Dinitrate in HFrEF. Speaker Lars Kober, Rigshospitalet - Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
• H-ISDN Meta-Analysis: Hydralazine-Isosorbide Dinitrate in HFrEF. Speaker Morten Schou, Herlev-Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark.
• Met-HeFT: Metformin and chronic heart failure. Speaker Henrik Wiggers, Aarhus University Hospital - Aarhus, Denmark
• LUMINARA: a prospective RCT of a once daily oral relaxin agonist for treating heart failure. Speaker James Januzzi, Massachusetts General Hospital - Harvard Medical School.
• PADN-PH-LHD: PADN for patients with PH from heart failure. Speaker Shao-Liang Chen, Nanjing First Hospital Nanjing Medical University, China.
• TIME-HF: Team-based collaborative care model in Heart Failure. Speaker Jeemon Panniyammakal, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, India.
Hot Line 7
Aug. 30, 11-12:15
• The POPular ACE TAVI trial: routine or selective protamine administration after TAVI? Speaker Christiaan Overduin, St. Antonius Hospital, The Netherlands.
• TAVI PCI: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. Speaker Barbara Elisabeth Stahli, University Hospital Zurich.
• TRIC-I-HF: Tricuspid Intervention in Heart Failure. Speaker Joerg Hausleiter, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich.
• ACASA-TAVI : Antithrombotic therapy after TAVI. Speaker Oyvind H Lie, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet.
• NOTION-4. Subclinical leaflet thrombosis after TAVI. Speaker Troels Hojsgaard Jorgensen, Rigshospitalet - Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
Hot Line 8
Aug. 30, 16:15-17:15
• AFFIRMO - Atrial Fibrillation integrated approach in FraIl, multimoRbid and polyMedicated Older people. Speaker Gregory Yh Lip, University of Liverpool.
• PVI-SHAM-AF: Pulmonary Vein Isolation versus SHAM in AF. Speaker Rolf Wachter, University Hospital Leipzig.
• NEXAF - Long-term exercise in patients with non-permanent atrial fibrillation. Speaker Bjarne Nes, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
• IDEAL-AF: Individualized Low Voltage Ablation in Persistent AF. Speaker Astrid Paul Nordin, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Hot Line 9
Aug. 30, 17:30 to 18:30
• SHASTA-3/4 12-Month Results. Speaker Gerald Watts, University of Western Australia.
• CRHCP: Long-Term Blood Pressure Control and Dementia Risk. Speaker Yingxian Sun, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University.
• Blood Pressure-Lowering Treatment Across the Spectrum of Cardiovascular Risk. Speaker Kazem Rahimi University of Oxford.
• ECLIPSE-CKD: Salt Substitute in Chronic Kidney Disease. Dong Shui, Harbin, China.
Hot Line 10
Aug. 31, 8:15-9:30
• ASPIRED: Multi-centre open label randomised controlled trial of immediate enhanced ambulatory ECG monitoring versus standard monitoring in acute unexplained syncope patients. Speaker Matthew James Reed, The Usher Institute - Edinburgh.
• DANISH-CRT: Targeted LV lead placement for biventricular pacing for heart failure. Speaker Jens Cosedis Nielsen, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
• SyncAV PMT: Clinical Benefit of Dynamic AV Optimization in CRT, Niraj Varma, Cleveland Clinic.
• Syncope-Stopper: Upfront Pacing vs Standard Care in High-Risk Unexplained Syncope. Speaker Jeremy William, The Alfred Hospital, Australia.
• HIS Alternative II. Speaker Michael Vinther, Rigshospitalet - Copenhagen University Hospital.
Hot Line 11
Aug. 31, 13:00 to 14:00
• EVAOLD: Evaluation of reperfusion stategies in elderly patients. Speaker Gilles Barone-Rochette, University Hospital of Grenoble, France.
• ISOLEDS: IVUS vs OCT Guidance for PCI of Distal Left Main Bifurcation Lesions. Speaker Yong Zeng, Beijing AnZhen Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, China.
• CorCal Study: Pooled Cohort Equations versus Coronary Artery Calcium Score in ASCVD Primary Prevention. Speaker Joseph Muhlestein, Intermountain Medical Center, Utah.
• CoCAP Study: Graft Patency in ACS patients treated with DAPT or single Aspirin after CABG. Speaker Jonas Holm, Linkoping University Hospital, Sweden.
Hot Line 12
Aug. 31, 14:15 to 15:15
• DISCO trial: Acute coronary angiography after resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest without ST-elevation on the ECG. Speaker Sten Rubertsson, Uppsala University, Sweden.
• CAG after OHCA without ST-elevation. Speaker Lente Pol, Radboud University Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
• The HeartRunner Trial: Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival following Community First Responder activation. Speaker Fredrik Folke, Herlev Gentofte University Hospital, Denmark.
• Prague 26: catheter-directed thrombolysis for pulmonary embolism. Speaker Viktor Kocka, Charles University and University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Prague, Czechia.
• LAACS-2. Left Atrial Appendage Closure with Surgery-2. Speaker Helena Dominguez, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Denmark.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]