Cardiovascular

The importance of Cardiovascular Health

Addressing the burden of cardiovascular diseases is Europe’s biggest health challenge. Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the European Union and an important factor in the number of chronic conditions and disabilities. Over 13 million new CVDs are diagnosed each year, resulting in over 60 million people living with CVDs in the EU from a total population of 446 million people.

Not only do CVDs have a human health cost, but they also represent a significant financial burden for European healthcare systems. It is estimated that CVDs cost the EU €210 billion every year: €111 billion in healthcare costs, €54 billion in loss of productivity and €45 billion in informal care for CVD patients. The existing challenges facing CVD patients and healthcare professionals in Europe have been exacerbated by COVID-19.

Towards better cardiovascular health in EU

Preventing, detecting, and diagnosing these conditions early – and managing them efficiently when they occur – is essential to keeping citizens of all ages out of the hospital and in good health, while making efficient use of healthcare resources.

We are a responsible industry committed to delivering solutions, but we believe the EU could leverage so much more benefit from medical technologies to tackle the burden of CVD. Through constructive, collaborative partnerships with patients, governments and payers, we can together go even further to help alleviate Europe’s CVD burdens once and for all, for our fellow citizens and for society as a whole.

We invite you to read An EU Action Plan for Better Cardiovascular Health drafted by our Cardiovascular Sector group to prioritise cardiovascular health in Europe.

What is MedTech Europe doing to promote cardiovascular health?

MedTech Europe continuously and constructively works in partnership with patients, governments, and payers to promote cardiovascular health and drive coordinated action at European Level. Under the Healthier Together – EU Non-Communicable Diseases Initiative, MedTech Europe called for:

1. An EU Policy Plan to improve cardiovascular health
2. EU Policy Action on Secondary Prevention through early detection of CVDs
3. Facilitation of data gathering and exchange

You can learn more about it from the Chair of our Cardiovascular Sector Group, Jean-Luc Lemercier, in the dedicated episode of our MedTech ON AIR podcast:

MedTech Europe is also one of the founding members of the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (EACH), an alliance of leading European and international organisations promoting cardiovascular health as a policy priority at EU level.

Under the EACH banner, patients, healthcare professionals, insurers, researchers and industry have launched A European Cardiovascular Health Plan. This outlines a series of proposals for a dedicated EU Cardiovascular Health Action Plan and Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Mission to commence at the beginning of the next political mandate.

Medical technologies’ central role in the fight against CVDs

The Cardiovascular Medical Technology Industry provides solutions to the burden of CVD on individuals, families and the wider economy. These innovations, which span the full spectrum of patient care from diagnosis to cure, save lives and add tremendous value to European society.

High-quality medical technologies are central to Europe’s quest for better cardiovascular health and can be found throughout the patient journey:

• the blood tests that identify patients with high cholesterol, high risk of heart attack and heart failure
• the modern imaging devices that detect narrowing of the arteries
• the small cardiac implants such as pacemakers, defibrillators and trans-catheter technologies
• the implantable cardiac monitors and associated home monitoring solutions
• the minimally invasive heart valve and stent procedures that improve clinical, procedural and patient outcomes, while reducing associated costs and recurrence

#ChangetheBeat - The time to act is now

Since May 2023, the MedTech Europe cardiovascular sector group has been rolling out a social campaign to raise awareness about the need to prioritise cardiovascular health on a European Union level. The campaign calls for policymakers to deliver on a European Union Policy Plan for cardiovascular health – the most efficient and sustainable way to improve cardiovascular health on a European Union level.

Find out more about the #ChangetheBeat campaign here.