In this issue of the journal, the original research contributions are presented under its corresponding disease state category. In the section of Acute Coronary Syndromes, Dr. Tubaro and colleagues present a scientific statement from the Acute Cardiac Care Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology regarding pre-hospital treatment of STEMI patients. This statement summarizes the state of the art in the contemporary management of patients with STEMI prior to their arrival to the hospital. In the same section, Dr. Amador and colleagues present an original contribution comparing ischemic and bleeding risk scores in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes.
In the section of Congestive Heart Failure, two studies address the interaction between decompensated heart failure and acute ischemic syndromes. Dr. Iakobishvili and colleagues present their experience in using intravenous morphine in patients with acute decompensated heart failure with and without acute coronary syndromes. Although this treatment strategy has been utilized for decades the authors attempt to quantify its impact in distinct patient populations. Dr. Hasdai and colleagues report the outcome of acute heart failure associated with acute coronary syndrome versus other causes. The last contribution in this section comes from Dr. Shochat and colleagues who present a novel radiological score to assess lung fluid content during acute heart failure in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
In the Pharmacology section, Dr. Schiele and colleagues describe a novel approach for treatment of life-threatening bleeding associated with Fondaparinux administration using Recombinant Factor VIIa. Finally, Dr. Kassab and colleagues present an experimental study of a novel approach to retrograde myocardial perfusion through the coronary sinus. In this study, the authors demonstrated that selective autoretroperfusion can preserve myocardial function during coronary artery ligation in swine.