Virtual conference highlights role of technology in heart failure care

The sixth edition of Heart Failure Conflux 2026, an annual international scientific session on heart failure, virtually hosted by the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) began on Saturday (January 31, 2026).

The theme of HF-Conflux 2026, which serves as the curtain-raiser event for the annual conference of Heart Failure Association of India (HFAI) to be held later this year in Ahmedabad, is “Devices and Digital Tools in Heart Failure”.

The topic reflects the rapidly expanding role of technology, AI and digital devices in transforming heart failure care.

The meeting is being attended by a host of clinicians, scientists and health-technology innovators who are involved in the prevention, diagnosis and management of heart failure.

The confluence aims to bridge basic science, translational research, and clinical practice, with a strong emphasis on technology-enabled, patient-centred solutions for heart failure management, S. Harikrishnan, Organising Secretary of HF-Conflux 2026, said.

He said that advances in artificial intelligence, big data and digital health technologies were rapidly transforming the way in which heart failure was diagnosed, understood, and managed. Modern cardiology was data-driven and personalised, with earlier detection and faster clinical decision-making leading to better patient outcomes.

AI and big data analytics now allow clinicians and researchers to explore heart failure disease mechanisms in greater depth. By integrating large clinical, genomic, and epigenetic datasets, AI can identify hidden patterns and biological pathways, significantly reducing the time required to understand disease progression, Dr. Harikrishnan said.

Major breakthrough

Digital monitoring technologies represent another major breakthrough in heart failure care. The Conflux will also emphasise telehealth and remote patient monitoring as key enablers of accessible and affordable heart failure care, particularly for patients in remote and underserved regions.

Together, these innovations are shaping a future where heart failure care is more predictive, personalised, technology-enabled, and patient-centred, ultimately improving outcomes while reducing the overall healthcare burden.

The conference is being organised by the ICMR Centre for Advanced Research in Heart Failure (CAR-HF) at SCTIMST, in collaboration with HFAI.