The Polish congress of cardiology 2025: key messages and highlights

Polish Cardiac Society (PCS) gathered between 25 and 27 of September 2025 in the beautiful city of Krakow, Poland, for the 29th International PCS Congress. The meeting attracted almost five thousand participants, mainly cardiologists, but also other physicians, fellows, nurses, allied professionals, and students (Figure 1). The Congress programme comprised 162 sessions which covered numerous aspects of modern cardiology. As expected at such a congress, a number of traditional session types were present, including lectures and discussions on recent guidelines (e.g. myocarditis and pericarditis), typical educational sessions, or presentations of original research.1 There was however a different set of sessions called Special Sessions. Those sessions were positioned in strategic time slots of the Congress, covered most interesting and challenging topics, and were prepared in a cooperation with specialists form other medical societies or PCS guests from abroad. Such sessions have been organized for years and were among the most attended and best rated sessions at the PCS Congress. The 29th International Congress of the Polish Cardiac Society The basic idea behind a Special Session is simple and pragmatic: cardiological patient in many cases has comorbidities or conditions that heavily influence the prognosis and quality of life. Therefore, it is crucial to exchange information and up-to-date knowledge with other specialists to achieve a satisfactory level of coordinated care and desired outcomes. For example, a very interesting joint session with Polish Medical Society of Radiology and the Polish Society of Nuclear Medicine, chaired by the President of the former Society and the President of PCS, entitled ‘Multimodal Imaging = Multidisciplinary Heart Team—Cardiology, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine’ focused on imaging modalities for chronic coronary disease. Pros and cons of computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance, SPECT, and PET-CT were discussed in the context of patients’ access to said technologies in Poland. This year’s joint session with the Polish Neurological Society entitled ‘Neurocardiology on Call’ and chaired by a Country Consultant for Neurology and the President-Elect of PCS revolved around two main subjects: transient loss of consciousness and acute stroke. Other Special Sessions included representatives of the Polish Society of Internal Medicine or Polish Society of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, among many others. Another variation of Special Session is a session conducted in cooperation with foreign societies or strategic partners of PCS. This year’s traditional PCS/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) joint session was focused on atrial fibrillation (AF) and gathered high-level presenters and discussants, including ESC Congress Programme Committee Chair, the President of PCS and the Country Consultant for Cardiology.2 State-of-the-art lectures regarding how to diagnose and treat AF with special emphasis on rhythm-control and invasive percutaneous and surgical technologies were supplemented by a heated discussion on how to deliver the best care in Polish realities. Another arrhythmia-centred session entitled ‘Time to Redefine Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) Risk—Key Questions and Issues to Be Solved’ was prepared in cooperation between PCS, the British Cardiovascular Society and the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists and chaired by Presidents of both Societies. Noticeable differences in numbers of implantations of cardioverter-defibrillators between Poland, Great Britain, and Italy highlighted by the 2025 ESC-EHRA atlas on heart rhythm disorders demanded further investigation and resulted in a future project between the three countries.3 Finally, a joint session between European Heart Journal and Polish Heart Journal, chaired by Editors-in-chief of both journals focused on coronary artery disease and ischaemia-induced acute heart failure. This was a mix of state-of-art focus lectures and reviews of the best papers published in 2024–2025 in the said fields.4 PCS has been deeply involved in development of digital medicine, remote monitoring, and artificial intelligence for years. A number of Special Sessions were conducted in this field during the Congress. Two such sessions stood out: ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) In Cardiology—What Should We Know About the Revolution in Medicine?’ and ‘Digital Cardio Area Competition Session.’ The former session was designed for cardiologists at a beginner or intermediate level of knowledge of AI while the latter was a direct competition for scientists in the field. The main award in this session was invitation to the ESC Digital & AI Summit 2025 in Berlin. PCS leadership cooperate closely with all major stakeholders of the Polish health care system. The results of such diligent and quiet cooperation are later presented and discussed annually at the PCS Congress during a Special Session called ‘Policy Session.’ For this year’s session, entitled ‘From Model To Implementation: The National Cardiac Network As A Foundation For Modern Cardiac Patient Care’ PCS invited representatives of the Ministry of Health, Polish Senate, and Patients’ Organizations. Panellists discussed the recent and planned legislation which influence Polish cardiology with special emphasis on the shape of National Cardiac Network and its role in delivering of coordinated cardiac care to Polish patients. In summary, Special Sessions of the PCS Congress are organized to bring together specialists form various parts of medicine to exchange their experience, opinions, and recent advances in their respective fields. Special Sessions can also serve as platform for international exchange of knowledge or focus sessions of high priority. This format also facilitates discussions with politics and health care providers regarding the overall organization and regulation of the health care system. Special Sessions should be carefully positioned in the programme of the Congress to highlight their content and attract vide audiences. Nothing to declare.