Dear colleagues and friends,

It is our great honor and pleasure to serve as guest editors for the congress issue of HÄMOSTASEOLOGIE - Progress in Haemostasis on the occasion of the 67th Annual Meeting of the Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis Research (GTH), which will be held in Frankfurt am Main in February 2023.

After 25 years, our annual meeting will again take place in the Rhine-Main metropolis, in the green heart of Germany, at one of the largest and most modern trade fairs in Europe, the Messe Frankfurt.

In recent years, there has been a groundbreaking increase in knowledge in haemostaseology, both preclinically in basic research and clinically in the development of innovative diagnostic and treatment strategies. In line with the congress motto “The patient as the benchmark,” we aim to highlight the latest developments in research in the field of haemostaseology with regard to their impact on the current and future care of our patients.

The focus on communicating the latest patient-relevant scientific findings is also reflected on the afternoon of the last day of the congress, where selected topics are communicated to practicing and clinically active colleagues, also from other disciplines. In parallel, the presentation of patient organizations with lectures on current topics will take place.

Years after the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we hope to see many active contributions and exciting interactions, for which attractive opportunities have been created in the scientific program and in the industry exhibition. Special attention will be given to the discussion of controversial topics, which we have brought together in four Pro and Con sessions. Finally, another important aspect of this congress is the support of young haemostaseologists with a basic science methods seminar on methods of platelet research and a workshop on grant writing and publication writing. We are also pleased that last year's young GTH awardees will be able to present and discuss their work in a dedicated scientific symposium.

We are particularly delighted to welcome distinguished researchers and physicians who are leaders in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis to present their latest data at the 67th GTH Annual Meeting.

In this issue of HÄMOSTASEOLOGIE - Progress in Haemostasis, the speakers of the 67th Annual Meeting present the latest data from their area of expertise. The various contributions range from evidence-based medicine to laboratory diagnostics and new anticoagulants and illustrate very well the complexity of our scientific discipline with many points of connection to other disciplines. To underline the interdisciplinary character of haemostaseology with other scientific societies, we have planned joint sessions with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hämatologie und Medizinische Onkologie (DGHO), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie (DGCH), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transfusionsmedizin und Immunhämatologie (DGTI), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Klinische Chemie und Laboratoriumsmedizin (DGKL).

The concept of patient blood management (PBM) has the potential to significantly improve perioperative patient care when its implementation is guided by substantiated recommendations that follow the principles of evidence-based medicine. Vandekerckhove's plenary lecture focuses on the principles and values of evidence-based medicine as illustrated by PBM and has been summarized in the article by Van Remoortel et al. [1]

The article by Uzun and colleagues [2] describes a retrospective analysis of the performance of a particle gel immunosorbent assay in detecting anti-platelet factor 4 antibodies in the setting of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia. This elegantly introduces the plenary lecture by Bakchoul on thrombocytopenia in inflammatory diseases.

COVID-19 remains a highly relevant topic, on which Schrezenmeier [3] et al. provides an overview of the use of immune plasma to describe both the benefits of immune plasma in general and the use of reconvalescent plasma in COVID-19 in particular. His plenary lecture on convalescent plasma presents the studies on this topic.

A topic that always causes great challenges, both diagnostically and therapeutically, is the thrombocytopathies, especially when congenital. The article by Zieger and Böckelmann [4] provides a concise overview of the congenital thrombocytopathies with emphasis on their genetic origin. This will also be presented in the plenary lecture.

Von Willebrand syndrome is far more common than other congenital bleeding disorders, and recent recommendations from several scientific societies have highlighted the relevance of only slightly reduced Willebrand levels. In this issue, O'Donnell et al.[5] focuses on “Low VWF—a bleeding disorder of unknown cause? To present the whole range of haemostaseology, O'Donnell will talk about thrombosis in his plenary lecture: “New risk factors for (venous?) thrombosis.”

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become an integral part of clinical practice, and Beyer-Westendorf et al. [6] will give an overview in his plenary lecture and manuscript entitled, “DOACs: laboratory challenges and antidotes.”

In the coagulation laboratory, measurements are influenced by numerous factors, such as preanalytical variables or anticoagulant drugs. Sachs [7] will present pitfalls of laboratory diagnostics illustrated by seven instructive cases to highlight potential interferences during blood coagulation analysis.

Finally, Spyropoulos [8] addresses the fascinating topic of future anticoagulants, “FXIa inhibition as a novel target for anticoagulation” in his lecture and manuscript.

We hope that readers will enjoy the review articles selected for this issue, which provide current and new insights into the current status and future developments of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in haemostaseology.

We would like to thank all the authors and contributors as well as the editorial team of HÄMOSTASEOLOGIE - Progress in Haemostasis.

Our sincere thanks go to the scientific and local organizing committees who made this high quality and wide range of articles and presentations possible.

We hope that you will enjoy the congress and take advantage of the many opportunities to exchange ideas and establish contacts. We also hope you will notice our sustainability efforts throughout the congress, which we further developed in continuity with last year's congress.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Frankfurt am Main to present or discuss latest scientific work and let us make the 67th Annual Meeting of the GTH in Frankfurt a success together!

Article published online:
23 March 2023

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