News and views

General news from the world of Cardiology...

The Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (PCCS) teamed up with the South East Wales Cardiac Network for the first joint regional meeting of the Society. ‘Controversies in Cardiovascular Care’ was a great success attended by over 120 healthcare professionals working in cardiac services across Wales. The programme stimulated much lively discussion and debate. The combination of providing a regional focus to the PCCS’ well-established meeting format, with unrestricted support from industry, proved a winning formula with delegates, who called for it to become an annual event....

We continue our series in which Consultant Interventionist Dr Michael Norell takes a sideways look at life in the cath lab…and beyond. In this column, he considers the world of dietary advice....

The 2008 American College of Cardiology meeting was held jointly with the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions Annual Meeting on March 29th – April 1st in Chicago, US. Highlights of the meeting included discussions about the ENHANCE trial which showed a shock negative result for the cholesterol agent, ezetimibe; and studies showing that hypertension should be treated in the over-80s, that a combination of a calcium blocker and an ACE inhibitor is a good first-line treatment for hypertension, and that telmisartan is as effective as ramipril for high risk coronary heart disease/diabetes patients....

The fourth annual survey from the British Junior Cardiologists Association (BJCA) reports at a time of restructuring of higher specialist training in the UK. Cardiology faces challenges in training and assessing doctors with a wide array of sub-specialist interests.1 Selection into cardiology, and subsequently into a sub-specialty is being considered. This year’s survey provides timely insight into issues generated by Modernising Medical Careers including sub-specialty training selection, the European Working Time Directive, assessment and academic career pathways. Previous surveys have been noted for providing an authoritative insight into trainees views by national bodies including the British Cardiovascular Society and Royal College of Physicians.(2) Over a third of BJCA members responded to this year’s survey, and the highlights are presented here....

The JUPITER trial of rosuvastatin versus placebo has been stopped early because of “unequivocal evidence” of a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with the drug....

We continue our series in which Consultant Interventionist Dr Michael Norell takes a sideways look at life in the cath lab…and beyond. In this column, he considers how cardiologists can stay in shape....

News in brief from the world of cardiology...

Echocardiography: Oxford specialist handbook in cardiology is an invaluable tool in the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiac disease. This new Oxford Handbook is for everyone, cardiologists and cardiac physiologists alike, involved in the direct care of cardiology patients....

This handbook is a comprehensive and practical overview of all aspects of electrophysiology. It covers fundamentals such as the set-up of an electrophysiology laboratory and the diagnostic tools used to investigate the patient with an arrhythmia or syncope....