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ROME -- Neither an earthquake, nor a summer of terrorism, nor blistering heat stalled the European Society of Cardiology from the opening of its congress here -- but for good measure the society did invite Pope Francis to join the gathering.
The ESC leadership kicked off the meeting with a press conference touting a close-to-record number of participants (31,555 as of August 26) and a mind-numbing number of abstract submissions (11,139, of which 4,594 were selected for presentation) during the 5-day meeting.
As attendees poured in to a crowded registration area, temperatures on the outside walkways connecting exhibit halls topped 91° by late morning, with no sign of easing.
ESC , took the podium to point out that ESC is now, and has been for the last several years, the world's largest scientific gathering devoted to cardiovascular medicine, eclipsing both the American Heart Association's scientific sessions and the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting.
Asked about an ESC response to the August 23 earthquake that devastated central Italy, Pinto said the ESC is seeking donations from attendees. He noted that the Italian government has not requested medical help from the cardiology group.
Last April, the ESC board cancelled the , which was scheduled for May in Istanbul, citing security concerns in the wake of a series of terrorist bombings in that city. But Pinto said the ESC did not take any extraordinary security measures for the Rome meeting.
Asked about the lack of metal detectors onsite or bag checks by security, Pinto said the ESC consulted for several months with Italian security officials, and "we follow the recommendations of local authorities."
But he added that on Wednesday, when Pope Francis is slated to address the congress, "we will have metal detectors at the entrances."
That lack of security changed abruptly on Sunday morning when the center went into a quasi "lockdown" mode causing a frenzy of among angry attendees.
"Without any prior notification, and contrary to all previous discussions with the Italian police, security checks were imposed at the Fiera Roma entrance," said an email from Mike Morrissey, ESC chief operating officer.
"We know that this created long and unexpected delays for delegates, affecting several sessions this morning," Morrissey wrote, adding that the police have "now assured us that there will be no further security checks today or tomorrow."
At Saturday's press conference Fausto said the ESC extended an invitation to the pontiff because of a shared interest in cardiovascular health, but he did not cite specific examples to illustrate the pope's interest.
The ESC is unveiling two new guidelines here, one on and the other on as well as , the new area of expertise that crosses two disciplines.
"The complex issue of cardiovascular disease as a consequence of previous cancer treatment requires the creation of multidisciplinary teams involving specialists in cardiology, oncology and other related fields," the cardio-oncology position paper stated. "The mutual interest to provide optimal care for patients with cancer and cancer survivors is an important motivation for the development of cardio-oncology teams."
There will be six Hot Line sessions featuring 21 late-breaking science -- two sessions a day beginning Sunday, August 28 and continuing through Tuesday, August 30. Of those 21 presentations, 13 will be simultaneously published in peer-reviewed journals.