Embargo Policy

International Stroke Conference 2026 #ISC26 - February 4–6, 2026, New Orleans

• Regular/Non-Late-Breaking Science abstracts: Embargoes lift at 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Thursday, January 29, 2026.
• Late-Breaking Science abstracts: Embargoes lift at the exact date and time (CT) of the individual presentation for each abstract, Monday-Friday, February 4-6, 2026.
• Late-Breaking Poster abstracts and OGCT poster abstracts: Embargoes lift Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 8 a.m. CT.

• Only accredited media - such as camera crews, news producers and reporters – who are registered are allowed to conduct recorded interviews or shoot photos/videos at American Heart Association scientific meetings.
• Photos/video recording are permitted in the following areas of American Heart Association scientific meetings:
  • The American Heart Association News Media Center, including news briefings, conferences, interview rooms and other locations as approved by the Association’s Communications staff.
  • Republication of presenters’ slides requires written approval from the speaker/presenter.
  • Advance request, approval and consent by the American Heart Association and the speaker/presenter are required for still photographs (no flash) or audio recordings in any meeting rooms intended for republication or public distribution.
  • Media who want to record general b-roll or photos of the American Heart Association’s HeartQuarters booth in the Science and Technology Exhibit Hall must request permission in advance from the Association’s Exhibit Hall team for approval and to arrange an escort; availability is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Please send an email to: exhibits@heart.org.
  • For flash photography or video recording in a specific booth in the Science and Technology Exhibit Hall, permission must be received from the booth manager and the American Heart Association’s exhibits manager to ensure that an escort is available for the video crew. All images are restricted to the single booth and may not include any general b-roll of the overall hall or footage of any other booth not approved.
  • The Late-Breaking Science presentations may be recorded for use in original news stories only, from a locked position on the riser available for news media in the Main Event presentation hall.
  • Only non-flash photography of speakers and their materials during oral or poster presentations is permitted.
  • Concourse areas, hallways and select “Main Event” sessions.
• Photos and video recording are prohibited in the following areas of American Heart Association scientific meetings:
  • Video interviews are prohibited in the Science and Technology Exhibit Hall and must be conducted outside of the Hall.
  • Video recording is not permitted in meeting rooms or poster sessions. Only still photographs (no flash) may be taken of a specific poster with the poster author’s permission.

• By accepting American Heart Association embargoed news materials by email, fax, regular mail, from the Association’s embargoed, password-protected online newsroom, or media registration for scientific meetings, or any other sources, reporters agree to honor the American Heart Association’s embargo date and time, as listed on all news materials.
• American Heart Association news materials may be available to select reporters under embargo to facilitate the development of original news content. Embargoed documents may be shared only with experts in order to prepare for media interviews and with agreement to honor the American Heart Association embargo. Embargoed information may not be published prior to the date and time the embargo lifts. Journalists sharing information with expert sources for interviews bear the responsibility of ensuring those sources abide by the American Heart Association embargo.
• Failure to abide by the American Heart Association embargo policy may lead to suspension of access to: AHA/ASA embargoed materials, media credentials/registration for American Heart Association scientific meetings and pre-embargo interviews with American Heart Association volunteer experts. The media outlet that employs the reporter who has broken an embargo may also be suspended.

American Heart Association Guidelines, Scientific Statements, Presidential Advisories, Science Advisories or Policy Statements

• Researchers, clinicians or health care professionals who are members of the writing committee for an American Heart Association Guideline, Scientific Statement, Presidential Advisory, Science Advisory, Policy Statement are not permitted to share any information, about the content of the manuscript with the news media, colleagues or institution, including the fact that the document is in progress, prior to the Association’s communications department issuing an embargoed news release.
• American Heart Association Guidelines, Scientific Statement, Presidential Advisories, Science Advisories or Policy Statements represent official American Heart Association positions on specific topics, therefore, medical institutions, hospitals, universities or any other organization are not permitted to issue a news release to promote the findings of the statement, list any other institutions or committee members, or include quotes from anyone other than their faculty member. They are permitted to promote their faculty member’s participation as a member of the American Heart Association writing group only and only after the embargo has lifted/the manuscript has published. They are welcome to amplify the American Heart Association’s news release by hyperlinking to it in either social media or other posts. The Association’s news release may not be republished in any form, only linked.

Manuscripts published in an American Heart Association scientific journal

• Research authors or their medical institution or university may distribute an embargoed news release 2 business days prior to the embargo date, and authors of studies and representatives from the institution may conduct embargoed media interviews during the 2-day pre-embargo period.
• Please include the name of the American Heart Association scientific journal in which the study is being published or the name of the American Heart Association scientific meeting where the study is being presented in the news release – such as “publishing in the American Heart Association’s scientific journal Circulation on [date, time]” or “to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025, on [date, time].”
• Journal manuscript and abstract authors are allowed to participate in embargoed media interviews as long as the embargo date and time are confirmed and agreed upon with the reporter/journalist and their media outlet. This rule applies only to non-late-breaking science abstracts; please see rules below specifically for Late-Breaking Science abstracts.

For regular/non-late-breaking science abstracts:

• Researchers, authors, universities, medical institutions and health care organizations that are involved in a  non-late-breaking science abstract presenting at an American Heart Association scientific meeting may distribute their own embargoed news release 2 business days prior to the embargo, and authors of studies and representatives from the institution may conduct embargoed media interviews during the 2-day pre-embargo period with journalists who agree to honor the embargo.
• Promotional media activities (such as media briefings/news conferences, satellite media tours, corporate receptions or investigator meetings) may not be held until after the embargo lifts.
• Please inform the American Heart Association Communications department if you plan to issue a news release for an abstract being presented at an American Heart Association scientific meeting by providing:
• The full name of the abstract;
• The first and last authors’ names exactly as listed on the abstract; and
• If it is being published in a scientific journal, please include the name of the journal where it is being published and/or the name of the meeting where it will be presented.

Please send this information to the American Heart Association Communications department: AHACommunications@heart.org

• News releases may not be issued in advance of the embargo, and advance, embargoed media pitching and interviews are strictly prohibited for all Late-Breaking Science abstracts.
• Embargoed materials (news release, presentation slides, manuscript, etc.) may not be distributed to the news media prior to the embargo date and time. Reporters may contact the American Heart Association communications department for embargoed news releases, manuscripts, slides and/or abstracts.
• If selected for presentation in an American Heart Association news briefing, the presentation is limited to one research author. One additional co-author may be in attendance at the American Heart Association news briefing, however, please note, co-authors who are employed by a corporate sponsor or related company are not permitted to attend. Corporate sponsor representatives are prohibited from attending any American Heart Association media events at the Association’s scientific meetings.

• No embargoed information including news releases, statements, slides, notes or advance promotion or media pitching may be shared or initiated until after the embargo lifts.
• If a company feels that for legal reasons it is obligated to release information about a study prior to the American Heart Association’s embargo date and time in order to fulfill the requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or a corresponding regulatory organization in any country where that company’s stock is traded, the company must notify American Heart Association in advance of any information being made public  in writing with a letter signed by the company’s General Counsel or other legal advisor. The letter must include the title of the abstract, specify the format/nature of the public disclosure, the legal rationale as to why the information must be disclosed, and detail who would receive the information, how/when the information would be disclosed and exactly what information would be released. The information disclosed must be the minimum necessary to be in compliance with securities and exchange laws. Please send this letter to: mary.lu.hare@heart.org.
• The above process must be followed, and the American Heart Association will review all materials and information to determine if the study may remain in the American Heart Association meeting program. If the above process is not followed, the presentation may be removed from the American Heart Association meeting program or from publication in an American Heart Association scientific journal.
• Pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers or companies that are corporate sponsors of a study and their representatives may have representatives available to answer incoming inquiries from the media after the embargo lifts.
• Pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers or companies that are corporate sponsors of a study and their representatives are not permitted to conduct any type of event where media are in attendance until after the embargo lifts.
• Industry and exhibitor events for the news media are not permitted during American Heart Association’s scientific meeting operating hours. Permission for official satellite events must be obtained from the Association’s scientific meetings department.
• Media are prohibited from being invited or to attend investigator meetings. Violating this policy is considered an embargo break and penalties apply.
• Company representatives are not permitted to distribute literature, statements or news releases in or around the adjacent hallways and areas of the official American Heart Association News Media Center at the Association’s scientific meetings.
• The American Heart Association News Media Center and facilities are restricted for use only by accredited journalists. PR representatives from industry, pharmaceutical or device companies are not permitted to use the American Heart Association News Media Center for any activities.
• Representatives from public relations departments, agencies or companies involved in a study are not permitted to attend the American Heart Association’s embargoed news briefings or news conferences at the Association’s scientific meetings.

• American Heart Association embargoed news materials are available to accredited journalists who agree to honor the Association’s embargo policy. This advance access to embargoed news materials is to facilitate the development of original news content. Embargoed documents may be shared only with experts in order to prepare for media interviews and with agreement to honor the American Heart Association’s embargo. News articles or stories may not be published prior to the date and time the embargo lifts. Journalists sharing information with expert sources/experts for interviews bear the responsibility of ensuring those sources/experts abide by the American Heart Association embargo.
• If an embargo is broken due to a researcher conducting an advance interview or due to embargoed distribution of any written or visual information by the researcher, their public relations department/agency/institution, a corporate sponsor or study partner, the manuscript or abstract may be pulled from publication in an American Heart Association journal or may be pulled from being presented at the American Heart Association scientific meeting, at the discretion of the Association’s leadership.
• Failure to honor the American Heart Association’s embargo may jeopardize future acceptance of manuscripts, abstracts, studies and/or presentations at any American Heart Association’s scientific meetings or for publication in any American Heart Association scientific journal.