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SAN FRANCISCO, May 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Heart Rhythm 2016, the Heart Rhythm Society's (HRS) 37^th Annual Scientific Sessions and this year's leading conference on cardiac arrhythmias, commences at the Moscone Center. The meeting focuses on the importance of collaboration to propel the field of cardiac pacing and electrophysiology (EP) forward. HRS is the only organization that brings together the world's leading clinicians, scientists and allied health professionals to help end death and suffering from heart rhythm disorders.

Heart Rhythm 2016 convenes the world's most renowned cardiac pacing and EP experts and includes more than 8,500 attendees from more than 75 countries, 250 educational sessions and 130 exhibitors showcasing innovative products and services. The meeting focuses on the latest in science, education and technology and features more interactive learning formats and opportunities for networking than ever before.

"We're embracing a 'together we' mentality as we gather to learn, explore and teach each other in order to advance the field of electrophysiology. It's through true collaboration and innovation that we can improve the care of patients with heart rhythm disorders," said John D. Day, MD, FHRS, president of the Heart Rhythm Society. "More than 900 leading experts in cardiac rhythm management will speak at educational sessions designed to provide practical information and best practices that can be implemented immediately."

HRS highlights the following special events and sessions during Heart Rhythm 2016:

• Opening Plenary Session: On Wednesday, May 4 at 8:30 a.m., Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, will present the keynote address. Khan will share the story behind how he founded Khan Academy and how the organization is educating millions of people worldwide. He will provide insights on how the dream of "providing a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere" could become a reality.
• Left Atrial Appendage Summit: On Wednesday, May 4 at 10:00 a.m., HRS will hold the first-ever Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) Summit, a program that includes a review of the LAA anatomy and the scientific evidence supporting appendage closure as an effective therapy for stroke risk reduction for patients with AF. The program will conclude with insights from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and HRS about existing gaps in the tools used to effectively and efficiently gather data on current and future devices.
• Communities of Practice: HRS will continue its Communities of Practice initiative with sessions on the following topics: 1) Emerging Leaders, 2) Allied Health Professionals, 3) Women in EP, 4) Advanced Imaging, 5) the Florida Region and 6) Veteran Affairs.
• Social Media and the Digital Physician: On Thursday, May 5 at 12:15 p.m., Dr. Nate Gross will lead an event addressing how physicians can employ social networking as a high impact professional tool and how to protect themselves as a physician online, and exploring practical tips for the most common social and mobile technologies. Dr. Gross helped found Doximity, the largest professional network for U.S. physicians, with more than 60 percent of doctors as members.
• New Horizons in Clinical Electrophysiology: On Friday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m., a Joint Session with the European Heart Rhythm Society will seek to define the potential role of leadless pacemakers in the near future, to explain the evolution of the completion of the procedure of ablation with new features for mapping and imaging, and to explain information about the follow-up of heart failure patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs).

The Heart Rhythm 2016 Mobile App is available and makes navigating the meeting easy and accessible. Attendees can browse or search sessions by category, speaker, key word, nearby sessions, time block or program highlights. To download the app, search HRS2016 in the app store.  

Follow the #HRS2016 Twitter feed for real-time updates and news about the meeting.

Scientists, clinicians and HRS leadership will be available to discuss specific sessions and heart rhythm innovations further. Visit the Press Room (Room 301) at the Moscone Center or contact Allison Kassel at (904) 728-2145. Qualified media are invited to attend. Click here for more information.

About the Heart Rhythm Society

The Heart Rhythm Society is the international leader in science, education and advocacy for cardiac arrhythmia professionals and patients, and the primary information resource on heart rhythm disorders. Its mission is to improve the care of patients by promoting research, education and optimal health care policies and standards. Incorporated in 1979 and based in Washington, DC, it has a membership of more than 5,800 heart rhythm professionals in more than 72 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.HRSonline.org.

SOURCE Heart Rhythm Society