Instructions for authors

SA Heart publishes peer reviewed articles dealing with cardiovascular disease, including original research, topical reviews, state-of-the-art papers and viewpoints. Regular features include an ECG quiz, image in cardiology and local guidelines. Case reports are considered for publication only if the case or cases are truly unique, incorporates a relevant review of the literature and makes a contribution to improved future patient management

Has preventive medicine entered the realm of the interventional cardiologist?

The result of the Preventive Angioplasty in Acute Myocardial Infarction (PRAMI) trial(1) released at the recent ESC meeting held in Amsterdam has attracted enormous interest and rightly so: if the conclusions drawn by the researchers prove correct, the management of patients presenting with a ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is about to undergo a major change. The authors provide evidence to support “preventive PCI” in non-infarct related coronary arteries in patients with multivessel disease undergoing angiography with the objective of opening the infarct related coronary artery. These findings challenge the long-held view, reflected in international guidelines, that PCI in this setting should be aimed only at the so-called culprit lesion. It also challenges the view that the likelihood of atheromatousplaque rupture is primarily related to the properties of the plaque (degree of inflammation, cap thickness, cholesterol content) and not the degree of stenosis

Training the next generation of South African cardiologists – Are we on the right track?

The training of cardiologists in South Africa has changed markedly over the last 20 years. Training centres across the country have accepted the challenge and continue to produce cardiologists of a high standard. Testament to this fact are the many South African trained cardiologists who have made their mark as leaders in the field of cardiology in the USA, UK and Europe as well as the number of applicants from other countries seeking to be trained at South African institutions. However, we should remember the advice of our colleague from endocrinology and we should embrace the belief that everything can improve

The Heart Team, TAVI and natural selection

The announcement in 2002 that Alan Cribier had performed the first Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) ranked right up there with the announcement that the first heart transplant had been performed by Chris Barnard, or the announcement that Andreas Gruentzig had performed the first coronary angioplasty.At the time we rightly viewed this as an exciting breakthrough in the management of patients with aortic stenosis and had little reason to anticipate that perhaps the major challenge for TAVI still lay ahead

TAVI in Africa - Destined for the townships or dashing for the “ivory towers”?

Few treatments in the field of cardiology are more established than surgical aortic valve replacement for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. It is estimated that over a million of these procedures have been performed since the first implant half a century ago and a 30-day mortality of less than 4% is often quoted. Although randomised trials comparing aortic valve replacement to optimal medical treatment for aortic stenosis have never been done, actuarial survival curves comparing valve replacement to medical therapy alone and medical therapy including balloon valvuloplasty (not followed by valve replacement) clearly established the benefit of valve replacement

The ECG Atlas of Cardiac Rhythms

In the introduction to his book, Rob Scott Millar states: “This is not a textbook. Its core value depends on the variety of real ECG traces and their interpretation which will, hopefully, assist you in interpreting similar rhythms that you encounter in your practises”. In stating thus, his humility may lead you to underestimate the value of this book which is filled with pearls that only an experienced electrophysiologist and enthusiastic teacher of Rob Scott Millar’s stature can provide. His humble description should rather read: “Its core value depends on the variety of real ECG traces and their interpretation which will definitely assist you in interpreting similar rhythms that you encounter in your practises.

Cardiac health care in South Africa: The devil is in the (unavailable) detail

Discussions about health care in South Africa, particularly cardiac health care, often evoke a variety of emotions ranging from pride to despair

Does your Journal meet your requirements?

SA Heart Journal:Does the Journal keep you up to date with new developments in the field of cardiology and cardiac surgery? Does publication in the Journal provide you with a publication listed by the Department of Health, providing subsidy for the academic institution you work for? Incidentally, the answer to this last question is yes! Does the Journal keep you up to date with the affairs of the South African Heart Association? Does the Journal regularly improve your ECG knowledge? Does the Journal regularly improve your echocardiography knowledge? Do you read the Journal? Do you enjoy reading the Journal? Do you read the electronic version of the Journal or do you prefer receiving the printed version (the number of printed copies distributed was recently reduced to combat the rising cost of producing the Journal). Does the Journal add value to the publication of scientific information in South Africa

The SA Heart Association Registry: time to SHARE your data

The South African Heart Association Registry is aptly named the SHARE registry. Yet one of the factors contributing to low rates of participation appears to be a reluctance to share information from our practices and our departments. This reluctance is difficult to fathom as the standard of cardiology and cardiac surgery practiced in South Africa is considered to be high and perhaps more to the point, South African cardiologists and cardiac surgeons are not shy to sing the praises of our profession and the standard of cardiac services locally. We like to reminisce about people and events such as Chris Barnard and the first heart transplant performed in Cape Town and John Barlow’s description of mitral valve prolapse and rightly so. However, our proud past does not guarantee that our current practice puts us at the forefront of our profession

Book Review: The ECG Atlas of Cardiac Rhythms

Book Title: The ECG Atlas of Cardiac RhythmsBook Author: Rob Scott MillarCape Town: Clinics Cardive Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-620-64044-