Scientists from 28 research facilities in 20 European countries were meeting from February 11 until 13 in Berlin to kick off the collaborative research project "http://ec.europa.eu/research/health/medical-research/cardiovascular-diseases/projects/discharge_en.html" DISCHARGE. The purpose of this project, which is coordinated by Charité, is to determine for which patients with chest pain cardiac computed tomography (CT) or cardiac catheterization is best suited. The DISCHARGE project received six million Euros of funding from the European Union for five years.In Europe, approximately 3.5 million cardiac catheterizations are performed each year. However, 50 to 60 percent of these minimally invasive examinations do not result in any further treatment. Prof. Dr. Marc Dewey from the Department of Radiology at Charité coordinates the project and will examine together with his 28 partners, among them Dr. José Rodríguez Palomares from Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), whether or not non-invasive CT of the heart is an effective procedure in diagnosing or excluding coronary artery disease. This could be beneficial for patients in two ways: patients would be exposed to lower risks due to the non-invasive nature of CT, and the examination itself is less burdensome and can be carried out on an outpatient basis.“Given the broad scope of our DISCHARGE collaborative research, we expect to achieve conclusive results, which will directly impact practice in cardiovascular medicine. We very much hope that our findings can contribute to improving medical care for cardiac patients”, commented Prof. Dewey at the start of the project. Dr. Rodriguez Palomares added that the study is important taking into account the current economic situation, since “it will demonstrate the usefulness of less invasive diagnostic techniques for patients with lower cardiovascular risk, consequently, resources will be optimized and the rate of complications in the management of the different groups of patients reduced”.