Recently, Poland for two days has become the world capital of electrocardiology. On October 10-11, the symposium Baltic Electrocardiology Autumn: Telemedicine and Arrhythmia (BEATA) was held in the city of Sopot. ISHNE was the main organizer of this event. Faculty of the conference consisted of prominent specialists in the field of electrocardiology. They came to the Polish Baltic coast literally from all over the world. Participants of BEATA had the opportunity to listen to speakers from Argentina (Sergio Dubner), Canada (Derek Exner), Czech Republic (Josef Kautzner), Denmark (Christian Jons), Finland (Heikki Huikuri), France (Philippe Ritter), Germany (Friedrich Koehler), Hungary (Bela Merkely), Italy (Maurizio Gasparini, Antonio Raviele), Russia (Alexander Romanov), Sweden (Cecilia Linde, Pyotr Platonov), UK (John Camm) and USA (Hugh Calkins, Suave Lobodzinski, Brian Olshansky, Ewa Prokopczuk, Jonathan Steiberg, Niraj Varma, Wojciech Zaręba).
The most experienced Polish electrocardiologists and electrophysiologists also actively participated in the symposium by giving the lectures and chairing sessions. In this faculty were: President of ISHNE – R. Piotrowicz, President of Polish Cardiac Society – Z. Kalarus, National Consultant in the Field of Cardiology- J. Kaźmierczak, Past National Consultant in the Field of Cardiology- G. Opolski, President of Working Group of Noninvasive Electrocardiology and Telemedicine of Polish Cardiac Society – I. Cygankiewicz, Past President of Working Group of Noninvasive Electrocardiology and Telemedicine of Polish Cardiac Society – JK. Wranicz, Past President of Working Group of Heart Rhythm of Polish Cardiac Society – P. Mitkowski , and many others.
The symposium was opened with the welcome address delivered by Ryszard Piotrowicz, Wojciech Zareba and Przemysław Mitkowski. Then there was only electrocardiology. All important issues regarding arrhythmia, its diagnosis, monitoring, pharmaco- and electrotherapy were discussed during eleven scientific sessions. A lot of time was spent on discussions about telemedicine, in accordance with the main topic of the symposium. Debates focused on both telemonitoring patients and telemonitoring devices. There was also a workshop on remote control of implantable devices.
BEATA was not only a science. It was the opportunity for meetings with old friends and to make new ones. The platform for exchange of experiences for the creation of new ideas, and making plans for the future.
The organizers took care of every detail. Even the weather. It was warm and sunny for most of the time. We heard the gentle sound of the Baltic sea. Polish golden autumn at the seaside.
We came back home with beautiful memories and the hope that this year’s BEATA will become the first of a new series of electrocardiologic conferences.
Goverener of Poland in ISHNE
Małgorzata Kurpesa