The European Society of Cardiology‘s 2025 CRT – Cardiovascular Round Table – took place on 26-27 March in Guermantes, France. This gathering united approximately 80 participants representing the scientific community, pharma and tech industries, and patient advocates, to explore the transformative theme “Working together to move forward AI in cardiology.”
The meeting carefully balanced informative lectures with interactive, hands-on exercises. The presentations were truly compelling, showcasing real-world applications of artificial intelligence while addressing critical challenges including ethical considerations, the necessity for clinical trial validation, and regulatory compliance pathways. A consistent message emerged across all the talks: the vital importance of meaningful patient involvement throughout the development lifecycle of AI projects in cardiovascular care.
The “design thinking” exercise catalyzed collaborative brainstorming, resulting in several promising project concepts with potential for post-meeting development and implementation. In the featured photograph, you can see the members of the ESC Patient Forum who participated in the CRT (from left): Pisana Ferrari (representing the Alliance for Pulmonary Hypertension), Lis Neubeck, Axel Verstrael, Inga Drossart, and Richard Stephens.
Richard is also captured in the image below proudly displaying the AI project framework developed by Patient group 1—an initiative that impressively ranked fourth among all projects presented. This remarkable achievement underscores the significant impact and value of patient-driven innovation in the evolving landscape of cardiovascular care.
