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EUROPACE 2009, the leading European congress on cardiac arrhythmias and pacing

EUROPACE, the official congress of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), is today the foremost European meeting on cardiac arrhythmias and pacing. More than 4,000 participants are expected to attend this year's event, whose main themes are atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death.

EHRA is a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Its mission is to reduce the impact of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD).

EUROPACE 2009 will be held from 21-24 June in ICC Berlin, Germany.

As a press member you can register free of charge on site. Make sure to come to the press conference taking place on Sunday 21 June at 10:30 in Level 3.

The press conference in Berlin will highlight several themes from the EUROPACE 2009 scientific programme:

1. How to improve the quality of care with a more uniform treatment of arrhythmias and better prevention of sudden cardiac death in all European countries.

2. Cardiac arrhythmias in athletes will be another important topic. A scientific session will consider the requirement for screening of all athletes to avoid sudden cardiac death and the implications of an abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) in an athlete. The prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in the athlete's heart will be debated.

3. Hot Line sessions will be a major feature at EUROPACE 2009 (Tuesday 23 June). Devoted to late-breaking news from clinical trials, the ESC's Hot Line sessions are renowned for making strong stories in medical news and will be discussed at the press conference.

Also presented at the press conference:

• Remote monitoring
• Latest facts and figures on arrhythmias in Europe
• Driving with ICD
• Beat-It! Campaign

Mark the dates in your diary and contact the ESC press office for more information regarding the press conference or press releases at press@escardio.org OR +33 (0) 4 92 94 86 27.

NOTES:

1. Sudden cardiac death claims more lives than stroke, lung cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined. Incidence is less than 1% per year in the general population, but rising to more than 30% in high-risk post-MI subgroups.

2. Cardiac arrhythmia describes conditions in which heart beat is too fast, too slow, or irregular. The cause is abnormal electrical activity in the heart. Some arrhythmias may be life-threatening and result in sudden cardiac death. The average healthy heart beats 200,000 times per day.

3. The most common arrhythmia (after a skipped beat) is atrial fibrillation, which affects up to 5 per cent of all adults, mainly the over-65s.

* Information on the scientific programme for Europace 2009 is available at http://spo.escardio.org/Welcome.aspx?eevtid=32

* More information on Europace 2009, the Europace press conference and the press kit is available from the ESC press office at press@escardio.org OR at the congress on site at +33 (0)6 22 41 84 92.

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