News and views

Introduction Cardiology represents a unique blend of hands-on practical application combined with sound physiological principles supported by a vast and continually evolving evidence base. Entry into cardiology specialty training is one of the most competitive of all the medical disciplines in the UK. If successful, trainees are expected to gain a postgraduate research-based MD or PhD along the way. A huge emphasis is placed on research for those aspiring to a career in cardiovascular medicine. This article is geared towards those trainees actively considering a long-term career in academic cardiology. Drs Niki Margari and Aung Myat interview Professor Peter Weissberg and Professor Simon Redwood to find out their views on academic cardiology in the UK.  ...

Correspondence from the world of cardiology...

Oxford textbook of heart failure Editors: McDonagh TA, Gardner RS, Clark AL, Dargie HJ Publisher: Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-19-957772-9 Price: £110.00...

The underuse of beta blockers in elderly patients with lung disease was highlighted at the recent British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) 4th annual medical training meeting, held in London. Dr Suzanna Hardman (Consultant Cardiologist, The Whittington Hospital, London) told delegates that whilst 65% of patients admitted to hospital with heart failure are discharged on a beta blocker, less than 15% of elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) take this evidence-based prognostic class of drugs....

Evidence-based recommendations for the practical use of anti-arrhythmic drugs and dronedarone in particular are published today on BJC online. The recommendations have been made in a consensus position statement by a multi-disciplinary expert group. The group was convened by Sanofi, the manufacturers of dronedarone, to address the need for guidance in the practical implementation of guidelines for anti-arrhythmic drugs. This follows the recent changes to European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration recommendations for dronedarone use....

In a new position paper, the European Society of Cardiology welcomes the new oral anticoagulants for use in atrial fibrillation (J Am Coll Cardiol 2012;59:1413–25)....

A new angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), azilsartan medoxomil (Edarbi®, Takeda) has been launched in the UK for the treatment of hypertension. It is the eighth ARB available in the UK and so increases treatment options for hypertensive patients, many of whom are not reaching treatment targets....

Ivabradine (Procoralan®, Servier) has been approved for use in heart failure. The licence has been granted for use in patients in New York Heart Association Class II to IV heart failure with systolic dysfunction, in those in sinus rhythm with a heart rate ≥75 bpm. It should be used in combination with standard therapy including beta-blocker therapy or when beta-blocker therapy is contraindicated or not tolerated....

News in brief from the world of cardiology...

Highlights of the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting, 24th–27th March 2012, held in Chicago, USA, included a study showing the benefit of CT scans in diagnosing chest pain, more about the role of LDL in the body, and a study raising concern over not treating hypertension in the young....