News and views

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 team building....

This year’s European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting took place in Rome, Italy. Rhonda Siddall reports on the highlights of the meeting, which included interesting results in diabetic retinopathy and a 10-year follow-up to UKPDS....

Highlights of the European Society of Cardiology meeting held in Munich, Germany, August 30th – September 3rd 2008 showed further benefit for fish oils, this time in heart failure and the first outcome study with the new sinus node inhibitor, ivabradine. There were more equivocal findings for drug-eluting stents, however, and also for statins in heart failure and aortic stenosis....

There was a buzz about this year’s H·E·A·R·T UK – The Cholesterol Charity’s annual conference. An impressive array of speakers, plus the pertinent theme, Beyond Risk Assessment: Non Invasive Assessment of Atherosclerosis, meant that each lecture attracted enthusiastic audiences....

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 personal health records....

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....