Havana, June 2 (PL-RHC) -- Several courses are in session in Havana today as a prelude to the VIII Cuban Congress of Cardiology, which will be inaugurated tomorrow at the Convention Palace in the presence of experts from some 20 nations.

"Cardiovascular Disease: our challenge in the XXI Century" is the central theme of the forum in which issues such as prevention, diagnostic imaging with state of the art techniques; medical, interventional and surgical treatment, and rehabilitation will be discussed.

The Global Forum on Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation in Clinical Practice and the Twenty Ninth National Symposium and Workshop on Interventional Cardiology also will meet in parallel.

Dr. Eduardo Rivas, president of the Cuban Society of Cardiology and the organizing committee, said the meeting is intended to carry out an update of the specialty, and in this way show the cardiology research results in this discipline.

On the conference's digital site, the specialist also said that the organization seeks to improve the overall care of patients with various forms of disorders of the heart and vessels in Latin America and the world. Prior to the opening there will be several courses on pediatric cardiology, diabetes and heart arrhythmias, rehabilitation and prevention, cardiovascular surgery, and an update in hypertension and cardiovascular risk.

In the main hall of the Palace of Conventions there will be a commercial scientific exhibition, where companies, laboratories, universities, hospitals and specialized firms have the opportunity to exhibit and sell equipment, products, technologies, medicines and other materials related to the topic.