Clinical case submission rules

General Conditions and Information

​Clinical Case submission is free of charge and must be completed online via the ESC Submission platform. Clinical Cases sent by email will not be accepted.

Clinical Cases must be submitted by the submission deadline, which is Tuesday 21 January 2025, 12:00 noon CET. Late submissions will not be accepted; clinical cases still in Draft status after the deadline will not be considered.

The submitter must be the presenter of the case.

All submissions must be made in English.

Abstracts submitted through the Call for Clinical Cases will not be validated and automatically removed from the selection process. If you wish to submit an abstract - Please refer to the dedicated Call for Abstracts and submit before the deadline, which is 9 January 2025 12:00 noon CET.

Submission of a clinical case constitutes a formal commitment by the author(s) to present the work in person in Belgrade at Heart Failure 2025 if accepted. Failure to upload and register for the Congress by the set deadline (Thursday 17 April 2025) will lead to the withdrawal of the clinical case from the scientific programme and all Congress publications (including the online congress platform).

The ESC currently does not allow submissions exclusively from Institutions in the Russian Federation and/or Belarus. However collaborative submission may be submitted and (if accepted) presented by co-authors from other countries.

Clinical Case Content - The Clinical Case must be Clear, Educational, Practical and REAL.  
The purpose of a clinical case presentation is to communicate diagnostic reasoning in the light of the current ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines providing a clear description of the patient’s condition and further management options based on these guidelines. The case needs to be educational and not necessarily rare or unusual.

Patients must never be identifiable. Patient data (name, date of birth, hospital number…..) must be removed. See Patient consent paragraph.

Please note that for rare cases, some of the case information (video, images) could constitute indirect identification, patient should also agree with this.

As the grading and selection process is blinded, the title and content (including media files) must not contain identifying features, i.e., information such as:
• Names (authors or others)
• Names of the institutes (hospitals, medical schools, clinics…)
• Cities
Also not authorised

• Trademarks. Use generic drug names. The use of commercial drug names, brands and registered trademarks is strictly prohibited. Drugs should be referred to by the active substance or pharmacological designation.
• Company names and location
• Web sites and email addresses

Please pay specific attention in deleting such information. Failure to comply with the submission rules and guidelines will/may lead to automatic rejection of the submission; or this information may be deleted by the submission, services, and some rephrasing may occur.

Duplicate submissions

There is no limit to the number of clinical cases an author/individual may submit, but the same case cannot be submitted twice/in duplicate submissions, even under a different topic/category or with a different title. If you submit two clinical cases with the same content/title, the Submission Services will automatically keep the most recent case submitted and withdraw the other. Note that duplicate draft clinical cases will not be deleted.

Draft status

You can start working on your case submission and save it for later completion.
The system allows you to re-access your draft until you SUBMIT it.
NB: Cases that are in draft status after the deadline will not be included in the review process.

Changes and corrections

Once submitted, it is not possible to make any corrections to the case content or information (such as authors list and details, topic, conclusion(s) etc...). The ESC is not authorised to make changes to a submission. In order to correct your clinical case, you must withdraw it and submit a new version prior to the deadline (See below for withdrawal procedure). Note that, such replacement of your clinical case is not possible after the deadline. In the case of errors in your submission discovered after the deadline, you may indicate the correction on your presentation.

Withdrawal

If you want to withdraw a clinical case already submitted, please notify us as quickly as possible at hfscientific@escardio.org stating the title and number of the clinical case to be withdrawn. Withdrawals are still accepted after the submission deadline.

STEP 1: Congress selection

You will be asked to select and confirm the event to which you wish to submit your clinical case; and that you have read and accept the submission rules and guidelines.

STEP 2: Case information

Title

A maximum of 200 characters typed in lower-case letters. Be sure the title of the case describes the case precisely. Be careful that your title might be truncated if you copy and paste it into the field. Do not include authors, institutions, city names, trademarks and abbreviations in the title.

Topic

You must select one single topic from the drop-down menu to index the clinical case.
It is important to carefully select the best matching topic as this choice will determine under which area the clinical case will be reviewed and graded.
Therefore, submitters should consider all potential options available before selecting the submission topic. See Topics for Clinical Case Submission for the full list of topics available for clinical case submission.

If the clinical case is accepted, the presenter will be required to select three additional topics/keywords at the time of the upload. These are important to optimise indexing of the case in the programme and in ESC 365, the cardiology knowledge hub. It will serve to optimise search results and enhance the visibility of the case.

ESC Guideline

Select the ESC Clinical Practice Guideline which applies to your case. You can consult the ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines available on the Call for Clinical Cases webpage. 

Learning outcomes

Please state in this designated area the learning objectives related to the case - What are the main teaching points/take home messages – 900 characters maximum

STEP 3: Authors

Please note that the submitter must be the 1^st author and the presenter of the clinical case.

Nevertheless, it can be modified at the time of the results announcement. In all cases, the Presenter must be part of the authors list included in the submitted case and be able to explain her/his role during presentation.  

The submitter is by default the presenter of the case and needs to list the other contributors of the case as co-authors. A maximum of 4 co-authors can be listed for acknowledgement of their contribution.

The submitter must make sure she/he has entered the full list of authors - Official contributors in the work submitted - and that the information given for each author is correct, as no changes will be possible after submission (see paragraph on changes and corrections above). 

Institutions - This is a mandatory step. All participating institutions should be listed as applicable.
The submitter will have the option to confirm or correct her/his institution; and will be requested to select the corresponding institution for each co-author.

When adding a co-author, the submitter will have to enter the city and a list will automatically appear from which she/he will select the correct institution.
If an institution is not on the list, it is possible to create it.
If a city is not on the list, please enter it, press 'enter' and then add the institution.

The submitter certifies and warranties to the ESC that the list of authors is complete and that she/he has permission from all persons she/he enters as co-authors to be listed in the submission.
If the presenter does not upload the presentation in its required format by the Upload deadline (Thursday 11 April 2024) – the clinical case will be automatically withdrawn and removed from the scientific programme.

NB – Top-rated submissions from presenters under 40 years old (at the time of presentation, ie born after 20 May 1985) will be first considered for presentation and competition in the “Clinical Case Award” session. Eligible cases not selected for the Awards session, will still be considered for inclusion in the General Programme selection. 

STEP 4: Content

Important – The submitter is responsible for removing any elements that could be used to identify the patient(s). See Patient consent paragraph.

There are 5 mandatory sections to complete. Please avoid bullet point. Structured descriptions and written sentences are required for each section.

All clinical cases must be submitted (and will be presented) in English using UK English spelling with accurate grammar and spelling suitable for publication. If in doubt, please arrange for the review of your submission by a native English speaker, by a university scientific publications office (or other similar facility) prior to submission.

Do not enter keywords in your submission, as you will enter these at the time of the upload of the presentation. 
Limit use of acronyms and abbreviations. Define at first use with acronym or abbreviation in parentheses. Place abbreviations in parentheses after the full word the first time it appears. Abbreviations increase the difficulty of reading and evaluating the cases, which will be considered in the review process. Only commonly used abbreviations should appear in the title of the clinical case.
Do not include copyright or trademark symbols.

1 - Patient presentation

Reason for admission/consultation, past medical history, physical exam, medication at the time of admission. 2000 characters maximum.

 2 - Initial work up

(e.g., ECG/laboratory analyses/X-ray/echo). 2000 characters maximum.

3 - Diagnosis and Management

Further investigations and/or treatment. Differential diagnosis/how did the authors decide the management plan/if appropriate, refer to ESC guidelines and indications. 2000 characters maximum.

4 - Follow-up

Clinical outcome/any complications. 2000 characters maximum.

5 - Conclusion(s) 

Take home messages/Learning points. 2000 characters maximum.

STEP 5: Media files and references

Important – As submitter, you are responsible for removing any elements that could be used to identify patients. See Patient consent paragraph.

You may add up to five Images/Clips to your submission. A file name is mandatory for each upload.

Your file(s) must meet the following criteria: 

• Accepted formats : GIF, JPG, PNG, MOV, MPG, AVI, MP4
• Size : no larger than 5 MB

Please make sure that your media file(s) is(are) correctly uploaded and readable on the preview (this represents how the reviewers will see it). It is the responsibility of the submitter to ensure the quality of the attachment(s) is suitable - if not, picture(s) of insufficient quality may be deleted.

References – You may use this field to enter references.  600 characters maximum

STEP 6: Preview and submission

The submitter must proofread the preview carefully to avoid errors before submission, check spelling and grammar. The clinical case will be reviewed as it has been submitted – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Do not forget to click on the Submit button to validate your clinical case submission. After having submitted your clinical case, you will receive an immediate automatic confirmation by email (please make sure to state your correct email address!) notifying you the case number. Please use this reference in all correspondence. If you do not receive this confirmation, please contact us at hfscientific@escardio.org

If you wish to save it and return later to review and complete your submission = Click on “Save as draft”.

Your Clinical Case will then appear on your dashboard with the status: DRAFT

If you are OK with the information entered = click on Submit
Your Clinical Case will then appear on your dashboard with the status: SUBMITTED

Please note that once submitted you can no longer make changes to your Case submission.

Clinical case grading, selection and results

All cases submitted must comply with the submission rules and guidelines to be reviewed and considered for acceptance.

All clinical cases will be blinded for review by a panel of experts, members of the Clinical Case Reviewing Committee (graders). Grading criteria will mainly consider scientific merit and educational value.

The final selection will be made by the Clinical case Selection Committee in February 2025 that will determine the format and schedule of presentation for each clinical case. No rescheduling or changes will be possible.

Accepted clinical cases will be scheduled as oral presentations.

Results will be announced late February 2025 – a notification of acceptance or rejection will be emailed to each submitter, at the e-mail address provided in the submission form. If the clinical case is accepted, further instructions will be provided at the time of results announcement.

Presentation and Interaction will be conducted in English. Presenters are expected to speak / write good English.

Clinical Case Awards Session

Only Presenters under 40 years at the time of presentation, ie born after 20 May 1985, are eligible.

The top-rated ones, will be selected to be presented in the clinical case - Awards session.

Presenters will be in competition and their presentation evaluated on the following criteria: Originality of the case, Case Management, Presentation (demonstrating learning points from the case) and Answers to questions.

Presenters whose clinical case is selected for presentation in the Awards session, will receive specific instructions. Results of the competition will be announced at the end of the session. Each finalist will receive an Award certificate and a prize €1 000 for the winner and €250 for two runners-up.
We highlight the fact that only the Presenter may have a prize & award certificate addressed to him/her.

Each finalist in the Award session will receive/benefit from a free registration to the congress.

Policies

Patient Consent

It is the authors responsibility to ensure that
- They have obtained all necessary consent(s), approvals and authorisations in connection with the case submitted to the ESC with the patient and any organisation involved (Hospital, Clinic ...)
- All the content of the Case, including the text, its title and media files have been stripped of all personal information that could be used to identify the patient.

Authors must be able to provide a copy of the written patient consent and any other related authorisation upon request.

Please note that any medical research/work involving human subjects must conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association. If any human experimentation is undertaken, the presenting author must be able to provide copies of informed consents signed by human participants. We remind you that patient’s photo should be avoided, and the patient must never be identifiable in your submission/presentation.

Presentation policy

Submission of a clinical case constitutes a formal commitment by the author(s) to present the work in-person in Belgrade at HF 2025, if accepted. Failure to upload and register for the Congress by the set deadline (Thursday 17 April 2025) will lead to the withdrawal of the clinical case from the scientific programme and all Congress publications (including the online congress platform and ESC365).
The same presenter cannot be assigned to more than 3 clinical cases - co-authors should then be assigned as presenters.
All expenses (registration, airfare, hotel....) associated with the submission and presentation of a clinical case, are under the responsibility of the presenter.

Embargo policy

Submitted clinical cases should not be published in journals and/or online publications or presented at any international congresses.
Breaking of the Embargo Policy by a presenter or co-author will lead to the withdrawal of the clinical case/presentation from the Scientific Programme and retraction from all ESC publications.
For more information about the ESC Media and Embargo Policy, please consult the full version online -  https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/ESC-Media-and-Embargo-Policy

​Affirmation of Originality and Copyright transfer statement

By submitting your work to the ESC:

• You consent to have authors’ names, affiliation and biographical material being used in connection with the presentation and publication of your work.
• Author(s) represents and warrants to the ESC that he/she/they is/are sole author(s) of the work, that all authors have participated in and agree with the content and conclusions of the work, and that the work is original and does not infringe upon any copyright, proprietary or personal right of any third party.
• The submitter hereby affirms that the work submitted is original, except for extracts from copyrighted works fully authorised by the copyright holders, and that all statements declared as facts are based on thorough examination and investigation for accurateness.
• Submitted clinical cases should not have been published in journals and/or online publications, nor presented at any previous international congress.

An author submitting or presenting published work may jeopardize future acceptance of abstracts and clinical cases.

• The content belongs to the author(s). However, if the case is accepted the submitter agrees, on behalf of all co-authors, to transfer and assign to the ESC free of charge, on a non-exclusive basis, for twenty years from the present submission the rights to edit, publish, reproduce, reformat, distribute in whole or in part the case and prepare all type of derivative works such as press releases and/or educational products, using all communication tools and means, now known or hereinafter developed, including any and all digital means and any and all supports or forms of media, now known or hereinafter developed, in particular all paper, analog, digital, numerical and electronic media, including Internet, Intranet and Extranet sites and social media. This includes use in indexes or search databases in print, electronic, or other media.
• Authors retain the right, after presentation at the Congress, to subsequently include the work in articles, books, or derivative works that he/she authors or edits provided said use does not imply the endorsement of the ESC.

The submitter signs for all co-authors. He/she accepts responsibility for the present rules for submission and presentation on behalf of all co-authors.

Disclosure Policy/Conflict(s) of interest

The Congress Programme Committee requests all presenters to disclose their potential conflict(s) of interest at the time of acceptance of presentation (agreement form submission). 
It is also the responsibility of the presenter to disclose any potential conflict(s) of interest from co-authors pertaining to the presentation on the presentation itself (as may be required).
This will allow the audience to take potential conflicts of interest into account when assessing the objectivity of the presentation.
A potential conflict of interest may arise from various relationships, past or present, such as employment, consultancy, investments and stock ownership, funding for research, family relationship, etc.
All related potential conflicts of interest must be stated. 
This pertains to relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or other corporations whose products or services are related to the subject matter of the article. Such relationships include, but are not limited to, employment by an industrial concern, ownership of stock, membership on a standing advisory council or committee, being on the board of directors, or being publicly associated with the company or its products. Other areas of real or perceived conflict of interest could include receiving honoraria or consulting fees or receiving grants or funds from such corporations or individuals representing such corporations.

Data privacy

By certifying that you have read these submission rules, you also confirm having received the prior approval from the co-authors to provide their data to the ESC. The information collected in this CALL FOR CLINICAL CASES is subject to data processing to proceed with the elaboration of Heart Failure 2025 clinical case programme. It is a statutory requirement to list the authors who have contributed to the work submitted. Authors not listed in the submission will not be acknowledged in the clinical case if accepted for presentation at the Congress. The recipients of the data are ESC Staff who process the submissions and the ESC Committees and volunteers involved in the clinical case programme. Data collected will be kept for 20 years. Transfer of personal data to ESC Staff, contractors as well as other ESC related scientific organisations occurs for production, promotion and dissemination of the Congress Content. In accordance with the chapter 3 of the European Regulation 2016/679 with regards to data protection, you have the right to request from ESC, access to and rectification or erasure of your personal data or restriction of processing concerning your data or to object to processing as well as the right to data portability. This is done thru withdrawal of the clinical case according to the terms and conditions of withdrawal.
For data privacy concerns, please contact (kindly note that a proof of identity will be required during the process through a secured link) -
Data Privacy - European Society of Cardiology
Les Templiers
2035 Route des Colles
CS 80179 Biot
06903 SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS CEDEX, France
Or by email to dataprivacy@escardio.org
You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, and for information, ESC has appointed a Data Protection Officer that you can reach at dpo@escardio.org

Applicable law

All the rules pertaining to the present submission rules are governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of France without regard to any conflicts of laws principles thereof that would require the application of the law of any other jurisdiction. Any disputes arising in relation hereto shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the French Tribunal Judiciaire located in Grasse, France.

The ESC reserves the right to make changes to the clinical case submission rules based on the Covid-19 situation and convention centre restrictions/protocols/requirements; and/or in case of exceptional/Force Majeure events (defined as unforeseeable and irresistible events beyond control of the ESC, such as natural disasters, war, civil unrest, coup d'Etat….).

Any update or change will be posted on the ESC website.

If you have difficulties in submitting your clinical case(s) or if you need any further information, please contact us at hfscientific@escardio.org