The main event of the year for the global cardiology community has come to an end – the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology. This year, the event was held in Madrid. For four days, the magnificent IFEMA Madrid complex welcomed 33,000 participants from 167 countries.

The significance of the congress was marked at the highest level – His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain attended the event. He emphasised that knowledge, which drives progress, must have no borders.

The highlight for our Ukrainian delegation was a dedicated session focused on providing care for cardiac patients under conditions of war. Outstanding presentations were delivered by leading Ukrainian cardiologists – Professors Larysa Mishchenko, Maksym Sokolov, and Yurii Sirenko. The session was moderated by Professor Leonid Voronkov. The atmosphere during this event carried a very special energy.

We are sincerely grateful to the organisers for providing such a platform. It is crucial to remind the world that our country is enduring a terrible war. For instance, one colleague from Austria, with whom I stood in line for a workshop, was genuinely surprised to learn that civil aviation is not operating in Ukraine and that it takes so long to travel.

The top three countries by number of submitted papers were China, Japan, and the USA. By the way, many Chinese colleagues were staying at my hotel. They even managed to have the breakfast service moved an hour earlier so they could make it to the start of the congress.

Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University was represented jointly by Professor Dmytro Lashkul and me. For me, this was the first grand congress I have attended since the war began (the last one was in Paris back in 2019). I can state that over these six years, there has been a major technological breakthrough in our field, across all areas. What is especially encouraging is the large number of young Ukrainian cardiologists who participated in the congress, including as speakers.

At the congress, I delivered an oral presentation on a clinical case of a rare pathology. I am very grateful to the colleagues who came to support me.

Yet, without a doubt, the greatest achievement of these days was the new acquaintances and the live communication with like-minded professionals. This is truly priceless and something we lack so much, especially in these turbulent times. Ahead lies the process of reflecting on this new knowledge and bringing it into practice.

Professor Mykhailo Kolesnyk

Department of Therapy and Cardiology, Educational and Scientific Institute of Postgraduate Education