[Cardiology 2001]

A review of the most important topics published during 2001 is presented. The Writing Committee of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association decided to take a new approach to the classification of heart failure that emphasizes both the evolution and the progression of the disease, using potential risk factors and structural disorders as criteria to identify the severity of a heart failure syndrome. Similarly, an ACC/AHA Clinical Competence Statement on electrocardiography and ambulatory electrocardiography was published with a special emphasis on the computer interpretation of the electrocardiogram. Since various drugs were shown to induce electrocardiographic abnormalities as e.g. QT prolongation associated with ventricular tachycardias, the FDA decided to introduce higher regulatory requirements on the cardiac safety of novel drugs. In cardiovascular surgery Octopus off-pump bypass was demonstrated to be a safe procedure for carefully selected patients with multivessel coronary heart disease. Because of the extensive progress made in cardiovascular surgery, the management of severe heart failure has to be improved and early effective preventive measures have to be introduced to reduce the risk of intractable heart failure. The "New guidelines for evaluating acute coronary syndrome" stress the importance of early identifying and early treatment, including invasive strategy as PTCA with stenting.