Welcome Message

It is our great honor and pleasure to host the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT2024) in Sapporo. The event will take place over three days from July 25-27, 2024. at multiple venues located in central Sapporo city. Although the meeting will be spread across several venues, moving between them will be easy, ensuring your convenience. Following CVIT2023, CVIT2024 is planned to be a face-to-face meeting instead of online, as the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of easing. Online meetings have become common over the past three years. As they enable delegates to participate remotely without traveling, they have been accepted as an effective format for academic conferences. On the other hand, one purpose of academic meetings is to network with other members as well as to present the latest research findings. Such meetings have played a role in providing opportunities for delegates’ research to evolve through face-to-face interactions inside and outside the venue. In light of this, CVIT2024 will continue the tradition of face-to-face meetings. We hope the meeting will provide an opportunity for doctors, particularly up-and-coming junior physicians who will lead future interventional treatments, to gather in Sapporo and network in person.

In 2024, work-style reforms for Japanese doctors will at last be implemented. This will also be the year in which the future direction of catheter-based therapies, which play a central role in cardiovascular emergency medicine, will also be challenged. Catheter-based interventions for ACS, linking directly to saving patients’ lives, comprise an important aspect of cardiovascular clinical practice. However, many hospitals are finding it ever more difficult to maintain a 24-hour cardiovascular emergency care system. In addition, given the concentration of medical staff in urban areas, it is conceivable that offering the same quality of medical care to rural areas, where there is a critical shortage of cardiologists, will become even more difficult. Moreover, there is a concern that overwork due to staff shortages will trigger a downward spiral in cardiovascular care. Led by President Kozuma, CVIT has already been discussing how to address these issues as its highest priority. However, we think that cooperation with medical administrators and local governments is necessary to resolve them. Therefore, CVIT2024 will set “The future of catheter-based therapies in this era of reform” as one of the main themes. Recent advances in catheter-based therapies have been remarkable. As a result, in the fields of ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular treatments and structural heart diseases, new technologies and devices have been approved and used in clinical practice. CVIT is consistently called on to scientifically verify the effectiveness of these new technologies and provide guidance to ensure they are used properly. We therefore consider how to balance addressing tough reform challenges and continuous advancement in catheter-based therapies an urgent matter for CVIT’s future development. Accordingly, “Fusing Reform and Progress” has been chosen as the theme of CVIT2024. This conference will focus on this matter and deepen discussions for the future. In line with CVIT’s philosophy, which is rooted in clinical practice, at CVIT2024 we plan to incorporate interactive activities and programs that will benefit the practice of catheter-based therapies.

Late July is the ideal time to visit Hokkaido thanks to the beautiful weather, and at present the preparatory committee is working on the program. We will welcome you with superior hospitality, and look forward to seeing you in Sapporo in the summer of 2024.