YEREVAN — The Fourth International Yerevan Cardiovascular Symposium took place on October 1-3 at Mkhitar Heratsi Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU). It incorporated a joint German-Armenian meeting. During the symposium, the Dr. Aram Chobanian Clinical Research Award Ceremony was conducted.
The central focus of the symposium was “Heart Failure: from Prevention to Transplantation.” The program covered modern approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart failure, updates to clinical guidelines, and current strategies regarding various stages of disease management. Participants could receive 18 continuing professional development credits.
Principal symposium organizers and partners with YSMU included the Armenian Cardiologists Association, a professional team from Magdeburg University Hospital, Eternal Nation Foundation (https://eternalnation.com/), and Asociación Médica Amigos De Armenia (Friends of Armenia Medical Association, or AMADeA), a Spanish medical association, which both co-organized and co-financed the symposium for the fourth consecutive year. YSMU and Magdeburg University Hospital also have a longstanding partnership involving educational and scientific cooperation.
In his welcoming remarks, Prof. Armen Muradyan, YSMU Rector, highlighted as key issues the fight against smoking, problems related to excess weight, and hypertension. Muradyan said that approximately one in five people over the age of 70 suffers from these conditions.
Armenian Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan declared: “The prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases is a priority for the government because, unfortunately, cardiovascular disease ranks first among causes of death in Armenia, claiming thousands of lives annually. We have come a long way in this regard; significant work has been accomplished in recent years concerning infrastructure development, the advancement of the professional community, and the accessibility of services. As a result, we are seeing a reduction in mortality — one of the most important indicators.” She pointed to tobacco use, excess weight and unhealthy diets as major risk factors, and called for investment in health literacy and lifestyle changes alongside treatment services.
Professor Hamayak Sisakian, Head of the YSMU Department of Cardiology and Head of the Clinic of General and Invasive Cardiology and Internal Medicine at Heratsi University Hospital, emphasized YSMU’s role in training cardiologists, the educational purpose of the Armenian-German meeting, and the need to develop device-based heart failure therapies, circulatory assist devices, artificial hearts, and heart transplantation in Armenia.
