May-08

This issue of the Journal of Invasive Cardiology introduces a new format which includes a special focus section to explore in more detail an important topic in cardiovascular medicine. Each focus section will be organized by an invited guest editor and will include original research articles, case reports, review articles and commentaries. The first special section for this year focuses on STEMI interventions, and the guest editor is Dr. Sameer Mehta from the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. Dr. Mehta has provided an introduction to the section and the articles that are featured this month. Future issues of the journal will focus on other important topics including the treatment of chronic total occlusions, angiogenesis and stem cell therapy, CT imaging, issues in peripheral vascular intervention and approaches to the treatment of structural heart disease. In addition to the focus section on STEMI interventions, the May 2008 issue of the journal includes additional original research articles, reviews and commentaries, as well as two rapid communications and an interesting clinical images piece. Articles published online this month include case reports highlighting the use of intravascular ultrasound and fractional flow reserve, a reverse mini-crush technique for bifurcation angioplasty, and a novel approach to percutaneous closure in patients with multiple atrial septal defects. These reports can be found on our website, and I encourage you to visit www.invasivecardiology.com to read these interesting and informative articles (as well as any past issues you may have missed).
The original research articles for this issue include a presentation of the CAndesartan for In-stent Restenosis Prevention trial (CAIRP) from Dr. Jochen Krämer and colleagues; a study on the use of high-speed rotational atherectomy during transradial PCI from Dr. Mohaned Egred and associates, with an accompanying editorial commentary from Dr. Paul Ho; an article on invasive measurements of atrioventricular conduction parameters prior to and following VSD closure with the Amplatzer device from Dr. E. Kramoh and colleagues, followed by a commentary from Dr. P. Syamasundar Rao; and a research article from Dr. Surabhi Madhwal and associates on angiographic predictors of difficult carotid stenting as determined by aortic arch angiography. Dr. Samin K. Sharma and associates have provided a review of the cost-effectiveness data related to the use of iodinated contrast media and the occurrence of contrast-induced nephropathy. Dr. Lloyd Klein and colleagues present a patient with a giant unruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm highlighted with interesting clinical images.
It is my hope that these interesting articles and the focus section on STEMI intervention in this issue of the journal will provide cardiovascular healthcare professionals with important information that assists them in the effective management of cardiac patients.

Sincerely,

Richard E. Shaw, PhD, FACC, FACA
Editor-in-Chief