Cardio Health Euro Heart Path Project to Revolutionize Heart Care

In Europe, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability. The project ‘Euro Heart Path’ has now officially been launched in Europe and the project aims to transform cardiovascular care across the continent at a budget of 27-million-euros.

Utrecht/Netherlands – The Euro Heart Path project, officially launched under the Horizon Europe Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI-JU), brings together 35 leading academic, clinical, public health, industry, and societal partners from across Europe. With a significant 27-million-euro budget spanning a five-year timeline, Euro Heart Path is set to radically transform cardiovascular care by mapping, comparing, and optimizing care pathways in 15 EU countries throughout the continuum of heart disease.

Despite significant advancements, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains Europe's leading cause of death and disability. Euro Heart Path addresses this critical challenge through an innovative pan-European approach, fostering cross-border learning, collaboration, and integration. The project comprises 18 pioneering pathfinder studies structured around four core technological areas: artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, digital health integration, point-of-care diagnostics, and advanced robotic technologies.

Examples of pathfinder studies include the Pacevalue pathfinder, that addresses the significant gaps in the management of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) for arrhythmias and heart failure; and the Explain pathfinder that leverages AI to enhance the interpretation of electrocardiograms (ECGs), aiming to overcome the limitations of current computerized ECG interpretations and expand on clinical utility.

Central to Euro Heart Path are patient-centeredness and equity, with dedicated efforts aimed at improving outcomes specifically for underserved groups, and promoting personalized, value-based healthcare.

Prof. Pim van der Harst, Coordinator and Head of Cardiology at UMC Utrecht, stated: "Euro Heart Path represents a unique chance to not only analyze cardiovascular care across Europe but fundamentally redesign it. This project leverages data, technology, and international collaboration to create a dynamic, learning healthcare system that can significantly enhance care quality, patient outcomes, and overall health system resilience."

A Unique Pan-European and Multi-Sector Collaboration

The Euro Heart Path consortium brings together diverse expertise from hospitals, academic institutions, technology innovators, policymakers, and patient advocacy groups. Through this unique collaboration, partners aim to bridge the gap between innovation and clinical practice, ensuring that breakthroughs quickly translate into practical, widespread benefits for European citizens at risk of or living with heart disease.

The ESC is proud to be part of the Euro Heart Path consortium, contributing to several Work Packages (WPs) as both a leader and a partner.

Within WP2, focused on protocol development and data collection, the ESC is enhancing its knowledge through comprehensive qualitative and quantitative assessments of existing care pathways. The ESC Atlas of Cardiology brings to the Euro Heart Path a decade of experience of collecting data in multinational environment with diverse healthcare systems and practices, highlighting gaps and inequalities in cardiovascular healthcare in Europe. Euro Heath Path will make use of the data and experience of the ESC Atlas of Cardiology for setting up contributors’ network and collecting, unifying, and analyzing heterogeneous data on care pathways.

In WP3, the ESC supports the integration of care pathway elements, while in WP4, it incorporates the Grasp program—a longitudinal study involving 6,000 patients across 30 sites—to deepen understanding of cardiomyopathies and myocarditis. This work also contributes to advancing genetic testing, improving patient compliance, and informing future clinical practices and guideline updates. Moreover, the ESC is actively involved in WP6, shaping policy recommendations, and in WP8, assessing stakeholder and market needs while contributing to the development of sustainable models.

As the leader of WP9, the ESC oversees communication and dissemination activities to ensure the project’s visibility and lasting impact. Through its participation, the ESC aims to support the development of digital diagnostic tools, foster innovation in AI-based technologies, and ultimately enhance cardiovascular healthcare delivery and outcomes across Europe.

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