ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines
Trusted recommendations for your clinical practice
Used daily by healthcare professionals around the world
Discover the guidelines released in 2026
ESC Guidelines represent the official position of the European Society of Cardiology on a specific topic. Our guidelines can help you determine the best diagnostic or therapeutic approach for individual patients with a given condition by providing a framework for decision making.
Meticulously developed by expert task forces and based on current evidence, they are regularly updated.
2026 ESC Guidelines for the management of heart failure
These guidelines refine the heart failure classification by LVEF and introduce a stage‑based framework to strengthen prevention, early detection, and timely intervention. They propose a revised nomenclature for therapies.
Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (2026)
This consensus definition from the ESC, ACC, AHA and WHF classifies myocardial infarction into primary, secondary and procedure‑related types to align diagnosis with underlying pathophysiology and clinical evaluation.
2026 ESC Guidelines on Cardiac Rehabilitation
The release of the first ESC Guidelines on cardiac rehabilitation is a timely initiative, complementing the existing recommendations in contemporary ESC Guidelines and other ESC scientific documents.
2026 ESC Guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease
This is the first ESC Guideline dedicated to the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), centred around the “STAMP on CKD” framework.
Guidelines Implementation Made Easier
Practical tools to improve guidelines uptake
ESC Chat - your AI-powered guidelines companion
Get quick and personalised answers to your clinical queries, plus reference links and citations. Based exclusively on current ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines.
ESC Pocket Guidelines App
Convenient resources available directly on your mobile device.
ESC Guidelines Reprints
Order printed copies of the full texts.
Essential messages and educational slide sets
Reach your quality of care objectives with these essential messages and slide sets. Easy to use and interpret into real-world application.
Guidelines and National Cardiac Societies
Supporting the global adoption of evidence-based cardiovascular care
From endorsement to translation, National Cardiac Societies play a big role in making ESC Guidelines accessible to cardiologists and other medical practitioners around the world. That means better patient outcomes.
Guidelines Development
How are ESC Guidelines developed? How can you get involved?
Understand the process behind trusted, evidence-based recommendations.
Task forces create the recommendations for clinical practice through a rigorous two-year process. An annual call for guidelines task force members is opened at the beginning of each year.
More to Explore
All ESC Practice Guidelines
ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines aim to present the relevant evidence on a clinical issue to help physicians weigh the benefits and risks of a particular diagnostic or therapeutic approach.
Developing trustworthy clinical practice guidelines
We publish guidelines and related resources to support everyone involved in cardiovascular care.
Patient versions of ESC Guidelines
ESC Patient Guidelines translate expert clinical recommendations into clear, everyday language.
ESC Pocket Guidelines App
Convenient resources available directly on your mobile device.
ESC Chat - your AI-powered guidelines companion
Get quick and personalised answers to your clinical queries, plus reference links and citations. Based exclusively on current ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines.