https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1813-9778
Introduction
The Oriental Congress of Cardiology (OCC) is an internationally renowned academic conference in the field of cardiovascular medicine, held annually in Shanghai, China, typically in May or June. This year, from 27 to 30 June 2024, the 18th OCC 2024 was held in conjunction with the World Congress of Cardiology (WCC) at the Shanghai International Convention Center, marking the first OCC–WCC joint conference. The event emphasized medical technology innovation, research translation, and lifelong cardiovascular health management. The OCC fosters future-oriented clinical practice and academic debate, supports young physicians, and showcases new technologies and advancements to drive disciplinary progress and innovation. The purpose of this article is to review the origins, current development, and future prospects of OCC, aiming to go beyond mere news reporting.
Open integration of multiplicity into unity: past
Before 2007, in the field of cardiovascular medicine in Shanghai, China, there were ∼13 international conferences and 3 regional meetings, such as the Oriental Endovascular Therapy. This resulted in some participants agonizing over which meetings to attend and rushing between them, with overlapping content that sometimes had scholars repeating the same presentations, causing frustration for the attendees. Given this situation, as the saying goes, ‘Alone, one goes fast; together, one goes far’. Professor Junbo Ge, then Chairman of Shanghai Medical Association Society of Cardiology, discussed with his colleagues the idea of integrating these scattered conferences into a comprehensive cardiovascular academic conference, turning it into a more brilliant gem. Furthermore, China is located in the eastern part of the world, with Shanghai situated in the eastern region of China. Therefore, this conference is named the OCC based on the principle of ‘rooted in China, facing the world’. Additionally, the conference’s motto ‘open, creative, cooperative’ aligns perfectly with the initials OCC, reflecting its mission harmoniously.
While consolidating meetings might seem to reduce their number, the content is richer, participation is higher, and there is more space for interaction and interdisciplinary collaboration. The first OCC (2007) featured 9 forums with ∼1400 attendees. The ‘Forum Masters’ system became a hallmark of the OCC, with each Forum Master overseeing the academic structure and content of their forum, ensuring high-quality expertise and scholarship. Over the years, OCC–WCC 2024 expanded its distinctive features by organizing 58 forums covering 332 chapters with 1218 presentations, attracting 13 524 in-person and 107 806 online participants from around the world.
Creative development in panvascular medicine: present
In recent years, OCC has been evolving from a congress of cardiology into a platform for panvascular medicine. Panvascular disease is a group of vascular system diseases characterized by atherosclerosis, affecting vital organs, such as the heart, brain, kidneys, and limbs. Broadly, panvascular disease includes diseases of small and microvessels, veins, as well as those related to tumours, diabetes, and immunity.1–3 With the introduction of various top-level designs (e.g. relevant guidelines4,5), the foundational frameworks (e.g. management centres) have been continuously improved (Figure 1). This concept has evolved within the OCC. Since 2020, keynote speeches at the OCC have focused on panvascular medicine, and the Pan Vascular Forum was introduced in 2021. The forum covers panvascular disease management both ‘vertically’ (risk factors, pathogenesis, treatment, etc.) and ‘horizontally’ (across disciplines like cardiology, neurology, and vascular surgery), reflecting its multidisciplinary nature. In Pan Vascular Forum at the OCC 2021, we also initiated the establishment of the national Pan-Vascular Management Center (PVMC) to effectively coordinate and manage the construction units and regional alliances across different phases. Furthermore, during the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2023, Professor Junbo Ge, the president of OCC, delivered the prestigious Paul Dudley White Lecture titled ‘Pan-vascular disease: what we have done in the past and what we can do in the future?’.3
Evolution of panvascular medicine practice. With the introduction of various top-level designs (distinguished by circles in the top-left corner with dates, otherwise without circles), such as development initiatives, treatment manuals, blueprints for prevention and control, multidisciplinary consensus statements, and relevant guidelines, the foundational frameworks including medical collaboration groups, expert committees, and management centres have been continuously improved. Pan-Vascular Management Centers have been rapidly emerging across the country. As of June 2024, over 300 medical institutions across the country have registered the Pan-Vascular Management Center. There are 177 centres under preparation, among which 25 have commenced operations and are now seeing patients, while 152 are still in the preparation phase. Additionally, 3 batches totalling 155 construction units have been officially recognized through a plaque presentation ceremony
The development of panvascular medicine at the conference complements rather than replaces in-depth cardiovascular research. Interdisciplinary approaches are essential, but specialized expertise in cardiovascular disease remains crucial for implementing new concepts (e.g., ‘intervention without implantation’6), addressing complex cases and advancing preventive technologies. In addition to existing forums, we have established specialized clubs to address particularly challenging lesions, such as chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in coronary arteries, to delve deeper into the techniques required to overcome them, such as the CTO Club, China and the CTO Masters Club. We have also set up clubs to explore advanced coronary imaging technologies to achieve more precise treatments, such as the China Cardiovascular Imaging and Physiology Elite Club (established at OCC 2021) and the Chinese Non-invasive Cardiovascular Imaging and Physiology Club (CHART; established at OCC 2023).
The creative development of a platform for panvascular medicine critically hinges on a holistic and interdisciplinary approach, aimed at accelerating the path from clinical issues to patient applications: ‘from doctors, by researchers/engineers, for patients, powered by investors’.2 To integrate medicine and engineering, the Center for Cardiovascular Innovations (CCI) was established at OCC 2015, focusing on fostering original innovation in panvascular medical devices in China. From the innovation concept and capability training of CCI 1.0, the streamlining and support of innovation incubation processes in CCI 2.0, to the completion of an innovation ecosystem and acceleration of product implementation in CCI 3.0, CCI has continuously matured in its ability to target market pain points and sustain innovative practices.
Cooperative journey towards the ‘cardioverse’: future perspectives
In recent years, the continuous development of the metaverse, including artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, has greatly enriched the field of panvascular medicine. This has given rise to a new term: ‘cardioverse’. The term ‘cardioverse’ is derived from ‘metaverse’, a virtual universe blending digital and physical environments. Similarly, ‘cardioverse’ refers to a virtual universe focused on cardiovascular health.
Intelligent decision-making in the cardioverse relies on comprehensive data processing and a big data platform for evidence-based guidance and optimization.7 Since OCC 2017, we have been releasing the China Cardiovascular Health Index every 2 years, with the latest edition covering data up to 2023.8,9 This is the first comprehensive national index in China that assesses cardiovascular diseases and their management, emphasizing the importance of primary healthcare and emergency response capabilities. This index influences doctors, hospitals, governments, and businesses by optimizing the allocation of medical resources.
The most practical application of the cardioverse is providing accurate, efficient, and convenient support, including real-time monitoring, preliminary diagnosis, rapid alerts for patients, and diagnostic assistance and decision-making suggestions for doctors. At the opening ceremony of OCC 2018, the AI robot ‘Little Ge,’ which passed the Chinese National Medical Licensing Examination, engaged in a live dialogue with Professor Junbo Ge. The OCC 2019 opening ceremony showcased the latest 5G-era equipment—the mixed reality holographic imaging preoperative planning system. In OCC 2023 and OCC–WCC 2024, the presentation included a cardioverse-based intelligent catheterization lab,10 real-time virtual consultation rooms interconnected online and offline, and 5G remote percutaneous coronary intervention operations.
Conclusions
These 18 years signify OCC’s coming of age and a new journey ahead. Upholding ‘Exploration, Progress, Truth-seeking, and Pragmatism’ with unique ‘Oriental’ characteristics, OCC will deepen international cooperation, expand academic boundaries, and contribute to cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. Facing future challenges and opportunities, OCC will collaborate globally to shape a brighter future for cardiovascular medicine.
Acknowledgements
Please note that the authorship of this article primarily represents the contributions made at the time of writing. The successful staging of the annual OCC over the years has been made possible through the dedicated leadership of the Shanghai Medical Association, the close collaboration and generous support from colleagues in the field of cardiology both domestically and internationally, as well as the tireless efforts of countless conference organizers and volunteers. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of them. Furthermore, given the extensive and comprehensive nature of OCC, we are limited by space and can only present some key highlights. This in no way diminishes the value of the unfeatured parts. The success and appeal of OCC lie in its meticulous attention to every detail. Additionally, the 19th OCC 2025 will be held from 29 May to 1 June 2025. This coincides with the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional holiday that commemorates the life and death of the famous Chinese scholar Qu Yuan. On this day, people traditionally eat zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) and participate in dragon boat racing. We sincerely invite experts and colleagues from around the world to gather once again in Shanghai, China. Welcome!
Declarations
Disclosure of Interest
All authors declare no disclosure of interest for this contribution.
Funding
This work was supported by the Project of Basic Science Center of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, China (no.: T2288101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no.: 82370261), the ‘Fuqing (Fu Ching) Scholar’ Student Scientific Research Program of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China (no.: FQXZ202301A), Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty, China (no.: shslczdzk01701), Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine, China (no.: 19MC1910300), and Research Unit of Cardiovascular Techniques and Devices, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, China (no.: 2019-I2M-5-060).
