Heart failure has become the major cause of hospitalisation in patients over 65 years and the new epidemic of the 21st century. New training programmes for cardiologists are needed in order to develop a professional profile of specialists competent in all aspects of the care of patients with acute and/or chronic heart failure.
Last year, the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Association (ESC HFA) published a core curriculum for heart failure physicians (1). The core curriculum, led by Theresa Mc- Donagh, has become the reference for the first Postgraduate Course in Heart Failure. The Zurich Heart House (ZHH) in collaboration with the ESC HFA and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and its European Heart Academy (EHA) have developed a unique Postgraduate Course in Heart Failure (PCHF) leading to a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Heart Failure Management delivered by the University of Zurich and accredited by the ESC.
The PCHF is a 2-year programme consisting of eight modules of 2.5 days each covering all relevant aspects of heart failure such as pharmacotherapy, devices and imaging, and containing live transmissions of procedures (i.e. cardiac catheterisation, device implantation, TAVI and MitraClip), patient visits, hands-on courses in device programming and cardiac imaging (in particular echocardiography, but also magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear tests), case-based learning and virtual interventions (i.e. cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation) with a total of 160 hours of lectures and 140 hours of self-study as well as an e-learning platform with webinars and webcasts of the lectures. The particular strength of PCHF is the provision of a platform for interactions and discussions between speakers and participants, which is highly appreciated. Considering the uniqueness of the course, PCHF is one of the most exciting current educational projects in cardiology, made possible thanks to a strategic collaboration between academia, professional organisations and industry partners.
The first PCHF – an update
Contrary to the original intention to accept only 40 participants and owing to the high number of applications, the organisers finally accepted 59 cardiologists coming from 31 different countries around the world (
Figure 1).
The first six modules have been held successfully and the feedback received so far is extremely positive and encouraging (
Figure 2). The first module was held from 30 January to 1 February 2014, led by Theresa McDonagh from London. The highly motivated local team from the University Hospital Zurich, consisting of consultant and resident physicians under the leadership of Frank Ruschitzka and Thomas F. Lüscher, contributed excellent patient cases and the organisation of instructive clinical stations and rapid-fire sessions (
Figure 3). The second module on different forms of heart failure was led by Karl Swedberg from Gothenburg and took place in April 2014. The third module, also on different forms of heart failure, was held in June 2014 and co-chaired by Scott Solomon from Boston and Carolyn Lam from Singapore. The fourth module, co-chaired in October 2014 by John McMurray from Glasgow and Stephan Anker from Berlin, provided insight in the treatment and follow up of patients with heart failure. The fifth module,, co-chaired by Jan Steffel from Zurich and Gerd Hindricks from Leipzig, provided a lively and interactive introduction to the topic of device therapy in heart failure, and the sixth module held in Brussels in March 2015 was entirely dedicated to practical training for implanters with live case transmissions from the University Heart Center of Leipzig (
Figure 4). The distinguished faculty, the quality and content of the lectures, the lively interaction between participants and renowned experts, as well as the course location (University Hospital of Zurich) contribute to a high reputation of the programme.
The 2nd PCHF: ready for take-off in 2016
A 2nd edition of the PCHF was announced at the Heart Failure Congress in Seville. The course will again consist of eight modules over two years starting in January 2016 and lasting until October 2017.
Applicants must be board-certified cardiologists or medical doctors (MDs) having completed at least three years of relevant clinical training in cardiology, have a strong interest in heart failure, preferentially also documented by publications in this specialty. Participants in the 1st PCHF who have passed the examination will be awarded a dual certification: a certificate for professional skills accredited by the ESC Heart Academy and an academic certificate from the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich. The course has the status of postgraduate programme according to the Bologna system, leading to a CAS in Heart Failure Management equivalent to 10 ECTS. Interested cardiologists can apply online by September 15, 2015 at
www.heartfailurecourse.ch.
Course directors
Frank Ruschitzka, Thomas F. Lüscher, Francesco Maisano, all Zurich, Stefan Anker, Berlin and Gerasimos Filippatos, Athens
Advisory board
Jeroen J. Bax, Leiden; Gerhard Hindricks, Leipzig; Michel Komajda, Paris; Aldo Maggioni, Milan; Theresa McDonagh, London; Burkert Pieske, Berlin; Fausto Pinto, Lisbon; Piotr Ponikowski, Wroclaw; Karl B. Swedberg, Gothenburg; Alec Vahanian, Paris; Panos Vardas, Heraklion.
