ANNOUNCEMENT
ACHD Academy Update going LIVE
(COVID-19 Measures Update)
_______________
Dear participants,
by the current epidemiological situation, the conditions have been made for «ACHD Academy Update» congress to be held LIVE in the announced period (24th-25th September 2021) at the Radisson Blu hotel in Split, Croatia.
In accordance with the decision of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, conferences and congresses may be held in compliance with all prescribed epidemiological measures and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health, for participants who:
- received 2nd dose of COVID-19 vaccine more than 14 days ago, or, if it is a single dose vaccine, received a single dose more than 14 days ago, or
- have recovered from COVID-19 less than 270 days of recovery or
- have had COVID-19 disease and have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine or
- in the past 48 hours were negative when tested by PCR or antigen test
You can follow the latest information at:
- Koronavirus.hr ( https://www.koronavirus.hr/en )
- COVID-19 and Travel Info ( https://croatia.hr/en-GB/coronavirus-2019-ncov-q-and-a )
- Croatian Institute of Public Health ( https://www.hzjz.hr/en/ )
INTRODUCTION
It is with great pleasure that we announce the ACHD Academy Update LIVE in Split, Croatia, an International Congress on Adult Congenital Heart Disease taking place on 24-25 September 2021.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic our academic interactions have been largely confined to digital means. There has, nevertheless, been substantial progress in the cardiology field, especially in adult congenital heart disease. New 2020 ACHD Guidelines have been developed as new evidence has accumulated for this patient group, particularly on percutaneous interventional techniques and risk stratification with regard to timing of surgical and catheter interventions, and medical treatment with increasing level of evidence in support.
This, we see as an opportunity to start planning beyond the Covid era, and have a great reunion and “post-Covid celebration” amongst our ever growing ACHD family.
We hope to bring you the best scientific experience, the most recent research and treatment updates, and most of all, we hope to bring you social and networking opportunity to reunite with your fellow colleagues and friends.
Join us in Split.
We know that the ACHD Academy Update will meet your expectations and more, that you will enjoy your visit and stay in the beautiful city of Split, overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Looking forward to SEEING YOU ALL in Split in September 2021.
Very best wishes
ABOUT VENUE
The Radisson Blu Resort, Split is a perfect location for our meeting. It offers an environment for conference that can be both professional and relaxing. Venue is close to the city’s center overlooking the sea. There are 8 stylish meeting rooms equipped with free high-speed wireless internet access and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment.
REGISTRATION
Registration is opened.
Category | Early fee (until 1st July 2021) | Late fee (from 2nd July 2021) |
---|---|---|
Standard fee (LIVE) | 350 € | 450 € |
Student / Trainee / Nurse (LIVE) | 250 € | 350 € |
Standard fee (VIRTUAL) | 100 € | 200 € |
Student / Trainee / Nurse (VIRTUAL) | 70 € | 140 € |
The registration fees include:
- Standard / Student / Trainee / Nurse (LIVE)
- Full access to the 2-days ACHD Academy Update 2021 LIVE Meeting
- Full access to recorded ACHD Academy Update 2021 sessions
- Standard / Student / Trainee / Nurse (Virtual)
- Full access to the 2-days ACHD Academy Update 2021 Virtual Meeting via online platform
- Full access to recorded ACHD Academy Update 2021 sessions
Cancellation terms and conditions:
Any cancellation or alteration of your registration must be notified in writing to Organizing committee by email info@achdacademy.com and will be subject to the following conditions:
- 30% of cancellation fees until the early fee deadline (1st July 2021)
- 100% cancellation fees from the early fee deadline to the event (from 2nd July 2021 to 24th September 2021)
- 100% refund will apply to all participants if the congress is cancelled by Organizing Committee
Please note that any refund will be processed after the Congress.
Registration conditions:
ACHD Academy Update 2021 is only accessible to healthcare professionals, associated press and other stakeholders in the science, management and prevention of cardiovascular disease. By registering, you accept that non-healthcare professionals, including children, will not be able to access the meeting. By registering you also fully accept all registration’s conditions as further detailed.
Data Privacy Statement:
The information collected during registration is subject to data processing to process your purchase and manage the congress and related social event as well as ensure you get an invoice, congress badge, invitation letter, CME points and certificate of attendance. Without this information, we will be unable to properly process your registration. Filida – Putnička Agencija d.o.o. is the data controller. The information collected during this registration process is necessary to provide you with an optimal user experience and networking opportunities during ACHD Academy Update 2021. During ACHD Academy Update 202 your online activity will be tracked and collected by the Filida – Putnička Agencija d.o.o. This will be used for reporting and statistical purposes; to assist in enhancing your experience; to inform you about congress activities in a coherent and adequate manner and provide you with personalised suggestions and recommendations of pertinent content for you to visit. The recipients of the data are Filida – Putnička Agencija d.o.o. (the meeting organizer and secretariat). The data collected will be kept for a maximum of five years after your last transaction or activity with us. Additionally, please be aware that your profile information and details will be shared with the sponsor of the Industry you choose to interact with (via banner, session and/or webpage, booth, sponsors interactions and meetings) as part of ACHD Academy Update 2021. The following personal data can be retrieved by the corresponding exhibitor or industry: first name(s), last name(s), country, email, and profile information. In accordance with the chapter three of the European Regulation 2016/679 with regards to data protection, you have the right to request from the Filida – Putnička Agencija d.o.o., access to and rectification or erasure of your personal data or restriction of processing concerning your data or to object to processing as well as the right to data portability. To make such a request, please contact info@achdacademy.com (be aware that a proof of identity will be requested during the process via a secure web link).
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Abstract submission is now closed.
Having your abstract submitted gives you the chance to increase your visibility and interact with your peers and experts. First 5 abstracts will be published in the International Journal of Cardiology Congenital Heart Disease, official Journal of the International Society of Adult Congenital Heart Disease.
1st prize wins free registration to the next Euro-GUCH 2022 Congress
2nd prize wins free registration to ACHD Academy Echo Course 2022 (https://achdecho.com)
3rd prize wins book Diagnosis and Management of Adult Congenital Heart Disease
Key dates
Abstracts submission open:
1st March 2021
Deadline for submission of abstracts:
20th June 2021
Notification of acceptance of abstracts:
5th July 2021
Presenting author registration and payment deadline:
1st August 2021
Uploading of posters (PDF):
1st September 2021
ACHD Academy Update congress:
24th-25th September 2021
The abstract must follow the following structure:
Background
Material and methods
Results
Conclusions
Figures: send tables, pictures, and graphics by www.wetransfer.com or a similar service, and paste the link in provided field in the submission form. You can only enter one figure.
Evaluation and acceptance
The final selection will be made by the Scientific and Organising Committee that will determine the format and schedule of presentation for each abstract. No rescheduling or changes will be possible.
All abstract submitters will be notified by e-mail, around the 1st July 2021, about the outcome (accepted or not accepted) of the review and selection process. Please ensure that the email provided is accurate as all correspondences will be sent via email. If the abstract is accepted, further instructions will be provided at the time of results announcement.
Guidelines
Abstracts must be original and must not have been published or presented at any other meeting prior to the ACHD Academy Update 2021. Abstracts of unfinished researches will not be evaluated. Abstracts stating ‘data will be discussed in the presentation’ will not be accepted. Clinical case submissions are accepted. The abstract body must not include any indication of the personal details of authors. Avoid also reference to institutions, locations or funding sources.
Abstracts must be submitted using exclusively the on-line abstract submission form you will find in this website. Abstracts submitted by email or fax will not be accepted. Abstracts received after the deadline will not be considered. The presenting author is required to ensure that all co-authors are aware of the content of the abstract before submission.
The Presenting author must be the Contact author in the submission form and he/she must be listed first in the list of authors. There is no limit to the number of abstracts an author/individual may submit, but the same research cannot be submitted twice, even with a different title. The Presenting author must register for the meeting before 1st August 2021 to ensure the abstract is included in the program and scheduled for presentation.
Accepted abstracts will be presented in Poster room ( PDF ) in the meeting venue and on the Poster Gallery in the virtual meeting platform. In addition, a selection of the best posters will be also presented orally. More information will be included in the Abstract acceptance letter.
Abstracts must not exceed 300 words and must be submitted in English. Please do not leave blank lines to separate paragraphs. Special characters and symbols are accepted in the abstract except in the title. We suggest to type the text in a Word processing programme in a common font, and copy-paste it into the corresponding field. Bold, italic and underlined texts are not accepted.
DIRECTORS
Margarita Brida
CROATIA
Gerhard-Paul Diller
GERMANY

Michael A Gatzoulis
UK

Jolien Roos-Hesselink
NETHERLANDS
PROGRAMME
Friday, 24 September 2021
9.00-9.15 Welcome Greeting: Gerhard P Diller, Davor Miličić, Margarita Brida
________________________________
9.15- 11.00 In the spotlight: update session 1
Chairs: Michael A Gatzoulis, UK, Viktor Peršić, Croatia
________________________________
9.15-9.40 (25’)
‘The Big Invisible’ Adult Congenital Heart Disease throughout the years
Margarita Brida, Croatia
9.40-10.05 (25’)
Tetralogy of Fallot: Optimal timing of pulmonary valve replacement for asymptomatic patients with significant pulmonary regurgitation. All eyes on the right ventricle
Giancarlo Scognamiglio, Italy
10.05-10.30 (25’)
Bicuspid aortic disease: when to operate & how?
Jolien Roos-Hesselink, The Netherlands
10.30-10.55 (25’)
Systemic right ventricle: optimal timing for tricuspid valve replacement in patients with significant tricuspid regurgitation
Magalie Ladouceur, France
________________________________
11.00-11.30 Coffee break
________________________________
________________________________
11.30-13.00 In the spotlight: Update session 2
Chairs: Massimo Chessa, Italy, Helmut Baumgartner, Germany
________________________________
11.30-12.00 (30’)
Trans-catheter pulmonary valve interventions (TPVI)
Helmut Baumgartner, Germany
12.00-12.30 (30’)
Indication and management of left AV valve regurgitation after AVSD repair
Željko Đurić, Croatia
12.30-13.00 (30’)
Panel: Michael A Gatzoulis; UK Helmut Baumgartner, Germany; Salvatore de Rosa, Italy
Ask the Editors: How to improve clinical research and publication in ACHD?
Filippo Crea, Italy
________________________________
13.00-14.00 Lunch break
________________________________
________________________________
14.00-15.25 Therapies in ACHD: Update session 3
Chairs: Jolien Roos-Hesselink, The Netherlands, Davor Milicic, Croatia
________________________________
14.00-14.30 (30’)
Heart failure therapy in ACHD: Added armamentarium with sacubitril/valsartan & SGLT2I
Laura Dos Subira, Spain
14.30-15.00 (30’)
NOACs in ACHD: Panacea or Pandora?
Gerhard P Diller, Germany
15.00-15.25 (25’)
Risk Stratification in Ebstein Anomaly
Alexander Egbe, USA
________________________________
15.25-15.55 Coffee break
________________________________
________________________________
15.55-16.50 Pulmonary hypertension Update session 4
Chair: Gerhard P Diller, Germany
________________________________
15.55-16.10 (15’)
PAH: Importance of macitentan in PAH treatment
Satellite symposium sponsored by Medis Adria
Margarita Brida, Croatia
16.10-16.50 (40’)
Pros and cons: Treat and repair strategy for left to right shunts
Pros (15’+5’): Teiji Akagi, Japan
Cons (15’+5’) Michael A Gatzoulis, UK
17.00 Wrap-up day 1
________________________________
19.00 Get-to-Gether Dinner (optional)
60 € (mandatory registration)
________________________________
Saturday, 25 September 2021
________________________________
9.00-10.15 Wake-up Update session 5
Chairs: Laura Dos Subira, Spain; Željko Đurić, Croatia
________________________________
9.00-9.25 (25’)
Sinus venosus septal defect percutaneous closure: assessment and management
Massimo Chessa, Italy
9.25-9.50 (25’)
Coarctation of the aorta and arterial hypertension after intervention
Katja Prokselj, Slovenia
9.50-10.15 (25’)
Fontan circulation: How to treat patient with PLE?
Giancarlo Scognamiglio, Italy
________________________________
10.15-10.40 ACHD in Central and South-Eastern European countries Session 6
Chairs: Katja Prokselj, Slovenia; Gerhard Diller, Germany
________________________________
10.15-10.40 (25’)
ACHD in Central and South-Eastern European countries: Bridging the gaps together
Margarita Brida, Croatia
________________________________
10.40-11.10 Coffee break
________________________________
________________________________
11.10-12.45 Keynote lectures Session 7
Chairs: Michael A Gatzoulis, UK; Margarita Brida, Croatia
________________________________
11.10-11.40 (30’)
Different perspective life-long journey with CHD
Karla Vollm, Germany
11.40-12.10 (30’)
Pharmacological challenges in pregnancy and breastfeeding
Jolien Roos-Hesselink, The Netherlands
12.10-12.40 (30’)
‘What to do’ and ‘what not to do’ messages from 2020 ESC ACHD Guidelines
Helmut Baumgartner, Germany
________________________________
12.40-13.15 Best five abstract presentations & awards Session 8
Meeting closure
Chairs: Jolien Roos-Hesselink, The Netherlands, Magalie Ladouceur, France
________________________________
LOCATION
SPLIT
The story of Split is already 17 centuries old, dating to the time the Roman Emperor Diocletian decided to build his Palace right on the peninsula near the great Roman city Salona, where he wanted to spend the last years of his life. During these 1700 years the Palace slowly turned into a city, which to this day lures with its rich tradition, glorious history and beauty of its natural and cultural heritage.
Diocletian Palace and the entire historical core of Split have been on the World Heritage UNESCO list ever since 1979, and not only for the extraordinary preservation of the Palace, but also because the Palace and its city (or the city and its Palace, if you like) continue to live a full life. All historical layers from the old Rome, middle ages till today are still visible and alive in this structure. A walk through the ancient city takes you through time, along the great examples of ancient architecture like Peristyle, the middle aged Romanesque Church and Gothic Palace, Renaissance portals of the noblemen’s houses, Baroque facades and modern architecture superbly merged in the rich heritage.
Such stratification is mirrored in everyday life of Split. Local inhabitants sit in the same cafes, restaurants, shop in the same stores as tourists, giving them the impression that, by arriving to Split, they became a part of the city and its rhythm. The vegetable market and the fish market represent the centre of each family’s life in Split, just as the entire social life of this city of 200 thousand reflects on the Riva (waterfront), where every guest should endeavour to have his coffee alongside noisy, temperamental folk of Split.
Split is much more than glorious architectural scenery. Split is also a venue for excellent gourmet and vine experiences, numerous cultural happenings like film and theatre festivals, exhibitions, excellent museums and concerts, a city which offers eclectic modes of entertainment starting with numerous clubs and bars, through street festivals to events such as Ultra Europe Festival visited each year by up to 100 thousand young people from around one hundred countries of the world. Split with its sport results is something only a handful of cities of similar size around the world can boast about as it is the home of a dozen Olympic medal winners as well as other sports medals.
When you tire of the city bustle, there’s Marjan, hill symbol over the city, with its forest, jogging trails, mountain climbing and biking, recreational terrains, but also the ancient churches where the late citizens of Split sought spiritual peace. Also very unusual to find in a city the size of Split are the numerous beaches with extraordinarily clean sea, from the well known Bačvice to the stone secluded oases’ all around Marjan.
After all that’s said are you at all surprised that citizens of Split have a saying “There is no place like Split”?
CROATIA
Where is Croatia?
Croatia is a Central European and Mediterranean country, bordering Slovenia to the west, Hungary to the north, Serbia to the east and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the south; the country also has a long maritime border with Italy in the Adriatic Sea. These borders total 2,028 km altogether.
Croatia has an unusual shape (similar to a croissant!) that is unlike any other country in the world. This unusual shape is as a result of five centuries of expansion by the Ottoman (Turkish) empire towards Central Europe. (Although having said this, the Turks never actually conquered the country; they did however control some of Croatia’s neighbours such as Serbia and Bosnia and Hercegovina.) If you’re interested, we have more on Croatia’s past on our history of Croatia page.
Croatia covers a land area of 56,691 square kilometres and has a population of about 4.29 million people (2011 census). Almost 90% of the population is Croat (the majority of whom are Roman Catholics) and there are also Serbian, Bosnian, Hungarian and Italian minorities.
Main towns and cities in Croatia
The main population centres are Zagreb, the capital (with a population of about 800,000), Osijek in the northeast (population: 108,000), and the ports of Rijeka (population: 128,000) on the northern part of the coastline, and Split (population: 240,000) towards the south. Other well known towns include Dubrovnik, Makarska, Porec, Rovinj, Opatija, Zadar and Sibenik.
Croatia has an amazing 5,835km of coastline, 4,057km of which belongs to islands, cliffs and reefs. There are 1,244 islands and islets in the Adriatic, although only about 50 are populated. The largest island is Krk (near Rijeka) which has a land area of 462 square km, whilst the country’s other well known islands include Hvar, Brac, Korcula and Pag.
Croatian language
Croatian is the official language, which is written in the Latin script. The Croatian alphabet has 30 letters – all the letters of the English language, minus the q, w, x, and y but with the addition of č, ć, dž, đ, lj, nj, š and ž. See our Croatian for Travellers section for a more detailed guide and an introduction to the Croatian language!
Climate and Weather
The climate is Mediterranean along the Adriatic coast, meaning warm dry summers and mild winters, with 2,600 hours of sunlight on average yearly – it is one of the sunniest coastlines in Europe! The interior of the country has a continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters.
To learn more about Croatia, take a look at:
- History of Croatia
History of this part of Europe and of the Croatian people - Croatia Today
The political situation in present-day Croatia - Croatian Flag & Anthem
See and listen to the national flag and anthem of Croatia - Top Souvenirs from Croatia
Find out what typically Croatian products to buy to take home for yourself or to give as gifts - Famous Symbols of Croatia
Learn about some of the things that Croatia is famous for, including the cravat, Maraschino liquer and the Dalmatian dog - Croatian Sports Teams & People
Including Croatian football, tennis and skiing - Famous Croats
Other famous people from Croatia (or of Croatian descent), including those from science, literature, entertainment and other fields - Croatian Cuisine
Learn what dishes can be commonly found in the country - What Other People Say About Croatia
Read some articles on Croatia through the years to find out more about the country
Top Facts
- Population 4.07 million (2019 census)
- Capital Zagreb
- Other main cities (by population) Split, Rijeka, Osijek
- Language Croatian, using the Latin alphabet
- Currency Kuna (100 Lipa = 1 Kuna)
- Area 56,691 square kilometres
- Main religion Roman Catholic
Main ethic group Croatian (almost 90% of the population is Croatian)