5th International Conference on Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases

Category: Conference Reports | Reading Time: 7 mins

Introduction

On May 18–19, 2023, Dubai became the meeting point for cardiovascular researchers, clinicians, and scientists from across the globe. The World Congress on Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases. Heart Congress 2023 brought together over 50 experts representing more than 15 countries for two days of keynote lectures, speaker presentations, poster sessions, and video research submissions.

Organised by Scientex Conferences as a hybrid event, the congress welcomed both in-person delegates at the venue and virtual participants joining remotely. The result was a scientific programme with genuine international breadth one that covered everything from molecular atherosclerosis to cardiac surgery, from COVID-19 cardiovascular complications to dyslipidemia management in specific populations.

This is a record of what was presented, who led the discussions, and why it mattered.

Quick Answer

What happened at Heart Congress 2023 in Dubai?

Heart Congress 2023 was held on May 18–19, 2023, in Dubai, UAE, as a hybrid conference. It featured keynote presentations, speaker sessions, poster and video presentations across cardiovascular subspecialties, with participation from institutions in over 15 countries. A companion webinar, the International Webinar on Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases followed on May 25–26, 2023.

Congress at a Glance

Here is a quick snapshot of what the two-day event delivered:

• Dates: May 18-19, 2023 | Dubai, UAE
• Format: Hybrid - in-person and virtual attendance
• Participants: 50+ cardiovascular experts from 15+ countries
• Session types: Keynote presentations, speaker sessions, poster presentations, video presentations
• Topics covered: Arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, cardiac imaging, COVID-19 cardiovascular effects, hypertension, dyslipidemia, structural heart disease, cardiac surgery, preventive cardiology
• Countries represented: Brazil, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India, Bangladesh, Australia, USA, Argentina, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, France, Portugal, Morocco, Bulgaria, Hungary, Mexico, Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo

Keynote Presentations: Setting the Scientific Tone

Day 1 Keynotes

The first day opened with a keynote from Eduardo Marinho Tassi (Rio de Janeiro Federal University and Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), who examined the relationship between urinary norepinephrine, cardiac fibrosis, and arrhythmias in chronic Chagas heart disease - a condition that carries significant cardiovascular burden in Latin America but receives limited coverage at most European and North American conferences.

The second keynote came from Irina A Mandel (Federal Scientific and Clinical Center for Specialized Medical Assistance, Russian Federation), who presented on endothelial function and hypoxic-hyperoxic preconditioning in coronary surgery exploring how perioperative oxygen management influences surgical outcomes.

Day 2 Keynotes

Kaneez Fatima Shad (University of Technology Sydney, Australia) opened Day 2 with a session exploring whether reactive human fetal astrocytes can mimic a hypertensive state an unconventional but thought-provoking angle on the neurobiological dimensions of blood pressure regulation.

The closing keynote was delivered by Ahmad El Ouweini (Thumbay University Hospital and Gulf Medical University, UAE), who surveyed the current state of dyslipidemia management historical context, current pharmacotherapy, and where the field is heading with newer lipid-lowering agents.

Key Scientific Sessions: What Was Discussed

Atrial Fibrillation and Ablation

Ilya Sorokin (Privolzhsky District Medical Centre, Russian Federation) presented a new method for esophageal temperature management during cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation, a clinically relevant contribution to an ongoing patient safety discussion in electrophysiology.

COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Complications

Multiple sessions across both days addressed the cardiovascular footprint of COVID-19:

• Victoria A Sergeeva (Saratov State Medical University, Russia) examined cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 syndrome
• Ahmed Samman (King Fahad General Hospital, Saudi Arabia) presented a retrospective cohort study on the diagnostic utility of echocardiography and cardiac MRI in COVID-19 patients
• Nancy F Yuan (University of California, USA) presented work on a shallow convolutional neural network for real-time COVID-19 pneumonia detection

Atherosclerosis: Molecular Mechanisms

Vasily N Sukhorukov (Institute for Atherosclerosis Research, Russian Federation) delivered two sessions: one examining foam cell formation and the interplay between cholesterol accumulation and inflammatory response, and another on an atherosclerosis-associated mitochondrial DNA mutation and its impact on mitophagy. Dmitry A Kashirskikh from the same country presented work on an in vivo LDL desialylation model.

Hypertension Across Populations

The congress addressed hypertension in a range of patient groups:

• Ilaha Aghayeva (Military Scientific Research Institute, Azerbaijan) - hypertension prevalence in young military personnel and proinflammatory markers in early diagnosis
• Aleksandra Ilic (University of Novi Sad, Serbia) - ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
• Swetha Kannan (Gulf Medical University, UAE) - the relationship between sleep and hypertension, presented as a narrative review

Lipid Management and Dyslipidemia

Raman Puri (I P Apollo Hospital and Lipid Association of India) delivered an expert consensus-based session on managing diabetic dyslipidemia in the Indian population a clinically important topic that is often underrepresented in guideline documents shaped primarily by Western datasets.

Structural Heart Disease and Surgery

• Huda Hassan Ismail (Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Saudi Arabia) addressed the ongoing debate around timing of intervention in moderate ischaemic mitral regurgitation
• Anton Minaev (A.N. Bakulev National Medical Research Center of Cardiovascular Surgery, Russia) presented on surgical decision-making in congenital heart defects in elderly patients with comorbidities.
• Carlos A Dumont (Rosario Private Hospital, Argentina) examined ventricular arrhythmias in cardiac amyloidosis and the question of sudden death prevention

Poster and Video Sessions: Research Beyond the Podium

The poster session on Day 1 brought additional research into the programme:

• Trends in cardiometabolic risk factors among 175 pilots over five years - Nathan B Buila, University of Kinshasa Hospital, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Early versus delayed invasive intervention in acute coronary syndrome - Masuma Jannat Shafi, Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital, Bangladesh
• A qualitative case study on sternotomy scar incorporation - Edina Toman, ELTE Eotvos Lorand University, Hungary

The Day 2 video presentations were notably diverse, covering:

• ECMO support for COVID-19-induced ARDS following LVAD implantation (Kazakhstan)
• Purinergic system involvement in cardiovascular disease (Brazil)
• Echocardiography integration in respiratory intensive care (Egypt)
• Ethics and rationale for saphenous vein preservation (France)
• A case report on coronary artery fistula (Portugal)

Heart Webinar 2023: Extending the Reach of Scientific Exchange

Just one week after the Dubai congress, Scientex Conferences hosted the International Webinar on Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases on May 25–26, 2023 - a fully virtual event running on Dubai time (GMT+4).

The webinar carried its own theme: "Novel Progression towards the Heart and Cardiovascular Research" and attracted distinguished keynote speakers from universities and research institutions worldwide.

The webinar format served a clear purpose: extending access to researchers and clinicians who could not attend the in-person event in Dubai, while maintaining the same standard of scientific discourse. The engagement from both the organising committee and presenters was noted as a key factor in its success.

One attendee summed it up well:

"International Webinar on Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases was a wonderful conference, very well organized. It was an academic feast indeed."

— Inderjeet Singh Monga, Command Hospital, India

The success of Heart Webinar 2023 directly led to the organisation of a second edition the 2nd International Webinar on Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases scheduled for May 2024 in the Bangkok time zone (GMT+7).

What Speakers Said: Voices from Heart Congress 2023

The most candid measure of any scientific conference is what the people who attended actually say about it. Here is what speakers and delegates shared after Heart Congress 2023:

"Honored and excited to be invited as Keynote Speaker... I shared with a diverse group of over 50 esteemed cardiovascular experts from different global regions the historical background, the latest updates in the pharmacotherapeutic options for Dyslipidemia management, and the future directions in pharmaceutical innovations in this field."

— Ahmad El Ouweini, Gulf Medical University & Thumbay University Hospital, UAE

"I liked Heart Conference 2023, it was interesting, and I met a lot of people who became my friends. We continue to discuss our professional tips. So thank you for this opportunity!"

— Irina A Mandel, Federal Scientific and Clinical Center, Russian Federation

"It was a big honor being part of this amazing event. It brought a lot of experience, and seeing all those different experts showing what they do best, and the possibilities of interaction — it was fantastic. The organization was impeccable."

— Jamisson Garrote Teixeira, Hospital Memorial Arthur Ramos, Brazil

"I would recommend all cardiologists to participate. The variety of lectures, the excellent teamwork, and the invitations — hopefully I see you next year."

— Ahmed Samman, King Fahad General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia

Why Heart Congress 2023 Stood Out

Looking back at the programme, a few things distinguished Heart Congress 2023 from more routine scientific meetings:

• True geographic diversity - speakers from over 15 countries across 6 continents, not just the usual North American and Western European circuit
• Subspecialty breadth - a single programme that covered molecular cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiac surgery, imaging, and preventive care without feeling unfocused
• Inclusive access - the hybrid format meant researchers who could not travel to Dubai were still able to present and engage fully
• Companion webinar - the May 25–26 webinar extended the scientific exchange beyond the congress dates and reached a separate, broader audience
• Early-career visibility -poster and video presentation slots gave researchers at smaller or less internationally connected institutions a genuine platform

Closing Note

Heart Congress 2023 was, by the account of those who attended it, exactly what a good international cardiology meeting should be: rigorous in its science, generous in its scope, and genuinely international in its community.

The conversations that started in Dubai - and continued through the webinar the following week reflect the kind of cross-border, cross-specialty exchange that advances the field in ways that published literature alone cannot.

For those who were there, the record is above. For those who missed it, the Heart Congress series continues with each edition building on what came before.

2023 Conference Access here: Gallery | Proceedings | Testimonials | Attendees