Organisers

ESC Council on Stroke

• Over 2,400 members worldwide
• Over 35 volunteers in the Council's Nucleus & Board

While effective treatment of acute myocardial infarction substantially improved the outcomes of the vast majority of patients during the last 10-15 years, acute stroke remains a major thread with high mortality and/or permanent disability. The incidence of acute stroke is similar to the incidence of acute coronary syndromes, but the outcomes of stroke patients are significantly worse. The rising body of evidence shows, that at least 30-50% (probably even more – this depends on the diagnostic approach) of ischemic strokes are caused by the heart disease (atrial fibrillation, valvular or congenital heart disease, infective endocarditis, etc.). Therefore, effective diagnosis and treatment of many heart diseases has the potential to significantly contribute to stroke prevention. Furthermore, several randomized trials recently demonstrated that immediate restoration of cerebral blood flow by combined pharmacological and mechanical (endovascular) techniques significantly improves the outcome of patients with ischemic stroke caused by a major artery occlusion.

Thus, in 2016 the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) created the ESC Council on Stroke as a multidisciplinary constituent body to promote the interdisciplinary cooperation, education, research on stroke with the ultimate goal of reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe.

Board of the ESC Council on Stroke