Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the winter 2019 edition of Heart International.

Here, I look forward to describing, in more detail, the partnership between touchCARDIO, Heart International and the Complex Cardiovascular Catheter Therapeutics (C3) congress – as well as introducing this edition of the journal and its interesting, practical and educational content.

Official partnership with C3

As we revealed at the C3 15th Global Summit in June this year and in the summer issue of Heart International, C3 and touchCARDIO announced an exclusive partnership, with Heart International becoming the official journal of C3. We sincerely hope this collaboration will facilitate continued innovation and education in cardiology – and encourage robust discussion and insight as we seek to further develop physician understanding and improve patient outcomes. This partnership will provide unique opportunities for C3’s faculty as well as young investigators to publish their research and clinical experiences.

The C3 mission

C3 is a leading global annual cardiology conference that is rapidly growing. It has been designed for physicians who specialise in interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, interventional radiology and podiatry; as well as fellows, residents, and other healthcare professionals interested in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The annual C3 conference attracts delegates from over 54 countries and prides itself on a world-class faculty that now exceeds 600 members.

As we move towards 2020, C3 continues on the path of building a strong programme, that will interest both returning and new attendees, at any stage in their career. This emphasis on relevant education and exchange will be driven by conference presentations and debates with expert global faculty, and live and pre-recorded cases. Immersive hands-on workshops will offer focused instruction on novel technologies and innovative techniques delivered by some of the most experienced operators from across the globe.

The C3 conference ‘summit sessions’ focus our discussions and thoughts on key areas of practical management in cardiology; this year, venous disease and wound care were the hot topics. Highlights from these sessions can be found on the touchCARDIO website.

The winter edition of Heart International

In this edition of Heart International, we have original research into seasonal variability in physical activity in patients with heart failure or implanted cardiac devices, helping inform practical goals in improving activity levels, along with new insight into the clinical spectrum of secondary stress cardiomyopathy.

The stent landscape is reviewed thoroughly, aiming to help with intervention selection in an increasingly crowded and complicated area of
interventional cardiology. Renal denervation is reviewed in patients with hypertension, and the role of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in revascularisation strategies is also explored.

On behalf of myself and Heart International’s co-Editor-in-Chief, Dr Magdi El-Omar and the editorial team, I would like to extend our thanks to our contributors and, of course, to our readers.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Rajesh Davé
Editor-in-Chief
Heart International