EAPCI Summit 2026: What to Expect in Munich

This year marks the first European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) Summit, to be held February 19-20. I’ll be there in Munich, Germany, to track the news that emerges and follow interventional cardiology’s latest practice trends.

Feel free to reach out to me via email, either ahead of time or on-site—my favorite part of meetings such as these is getting to engage one-on-one with members of the cardiology community. TCTMD Senior Clinical Editor Mamas Mamas, BMBCh, DPhil (Keele University/Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, England), will also be on-site filming videos for our Beyond the Data series.

Glancing through the program, I’m most excited about a session devoted to artificial intelligence in cardiovascular interventions featuring speakers Christos Bourantas, MD, PhD (St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Queen Mary University, London, England), and Patrick Serruys, MD, PhD (University of Galway, Ireland). Additionally, I plan to check out several sessions on what ingredients make for an ideal cath lab team.

A key goal of the Summit is, of course, education.

“Around half of EAPCI members are young professionals,” Alaide Chieffo, MD (San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy), EAPCI president and program co-chair, noted in a press release. “To support their development, experts will pass on their knowledge about the fundamental techniques needed by today’s interventional cardiologists in a series of expert lectures, simulator-based training and hands-on activities, complemented by soft-skills workshops on writing papers, applying for funding and leadership.” 

A variety of formats are planned over the 2-day event: “guidelines in practice” discussions, clinical case management across a variety of settings, EAPCI 360° workshops dedicated to interventional strategies, moderated e-poster presentations, and more. Debates will cover revascularization in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, surgical backup for transcatheter valve interventions, and catheter-based left atrial appendage occlusion. Over 300 abstracts and clinical cases will be presented in total.

Alongside these events are symposiums dedicated to specific challenges in this space, featuring collaborations between EAPCI and various groups:

• The Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions is delving into how to manage complex patients in the cath lab and detailing the contributions of nurses and allied professionals to valvular heart disease treatment.
• The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Regulatory Affairs Committee will explore the evolving landscape of CV device innovation and regulation.
• The Association for Acute CardioVascular Care will offer insights into the acute care of pulmonary embolism.
• The European Association of Preventive Cardiology is sharing how to manage ACS patients with cardiometabolic syndrome.
• The Cardiovascular Research Foundation is set to educate on TAVI in challenging scenarios.

Additional contributors to the EAPCI Summit sessions are the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, the European Heart Rhythm Association, the ESC Working Group on Adult Congenital Heart Disease, and the ESC Council of Cardio-Oncology.