THE EUROPEAN Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress is the world’s largest gathering of respiratory professionals, with over 300 speakers and more than 500 chairs. This year’s congress was planned to take place in Barcelona, Spain; however, for the second year running, the ERS congress occurred virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With guidelines advising against large gatherings and many respiratory professionals being frontline workers, this was the best option, and the silver lining of the virtual congress is that all sessions can be replayed by attendees until December this year.

Bringing together a collection of the most forward-thinking approaches to lung disease, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2021 hosted a virtual session on imaging biomarkers. Four insightful presentations discussed the shift towards more longitudinal imaging approaches for lung disease and provided an overview of quantitative analyses with computer-trained algorithms. Alongside this was a discussion of the use of novel biomarkers such as pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis.

EXPOSURE to air pollution and road traffic noise could increase the risk of developing heart failure. While previous research has shown a correlation between cardiovascular disease and air pollution, this new study has revealed that noise pollution may also increase incidence.

RESEARCHERS at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA have demonstrated that high levels of circulating fatty acid synthase (cFAS) in the blood could be used to detect a severe type of peripheral artery disease caused by narrowing arteries in the legs, which could increase the risk of developing a heart attack or a stroke. Current healthcare professionals use blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar to evaluate cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, there are no accurate blood tests to precisely detect the risk of artery narrowing or blockage.

AN INNOVATIVE sensor has been developed by researchers from both the University of Notre Dame, France and the University of Florida, USA that could diagnose a heart attack in less than 30 minutes. Currently, it could take hours for healthcare professionals to diagnose a heart attack. The use of an echocardiogram can indicate signs of heart disease, however, in order to detect heart attacks, these professionals need an additional blood sample analysis.

ACCORDING to the researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden there is no significant mortality difference in patients with pacemaker implantations following a transcatheter aortic valve replacement compared to those without pacemaker implantations. The aortic valve regulates blood flow to the main artery in the body, and transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a popular treatment option for patients with severe aortic valve narrowing. The procedure entails the insertion of a catheter from the groin through to the main heart artery, which in turn acts a replacement for the malfunctioning valve and assists in modulating the blood flow. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement technique is a substitute for open-heart surgery.

AAV is a rare and severe multisystem disease affecting the small arteries.1,2 The condition is characterised by systemic inflammation across multiple body sites including the lungs, joints, kidneys, nerves, ears, and nose.1,2 Glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants form the cornerstone of current treatment approaches.

THE EUROPEAN Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2021 successfully brought together clinicians and researchers from across the globe…