Einthoven dissertation prizes 2014

For the 26th time in a row the Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN-Netherlands Heart Institute) and the Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC) have supported the competition for the best three cardiovascular PhD theses, published in the year 2014 [1–3]. The dissertation prize carries the name of one of the greatest Dutchmen in the history of cardiovascular medicine, Willem Einthoven, who in 1902 for the first time recorded the human ECG, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1924 [4].This time the jury received a total of 28 PhD dissertations published in 2014. The jury members were very much impressed by the high scientific quality of the PhD fellows. The ultimate selection was based on a combination of several parameters: the curriculum vitae of the candidate, the scientific originality of the PhD thesis and its relevance for the cardiovascular field. In addition, several objective bibliometric parameters were used: (1) the number of articles in first-rate journals both in PubMed and the Web of Science (WOS), (2) the number of citations in WOS, (3) the Hirsch index and (4) the contribution as a first author (or shared first author).Based on a combination of these results, the jury finally selected three nominees: K.Y. van Spaendonck-Zwarts (University Medical Centre Groningen), N.M. van Mieghem (Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam) and W.J. Dewilde (Sint Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein).The members of the jury were: J.W. Deckers (Director CVOI), S. Heymans (ICIN professor), A. Mosterd (Chairman WCN), M.J. Schalij (Chairman Concilium NVVC) and V.A. Umans (President NVVC).The three candidates presented their Ph.D. theses at the annual spring meeting of the NVVC, held at the Congress Centre “De Leeuwenhorst” in Noordwijkerhout, 9–10 April 2015. Based on the quality of the presentation, the audience determined the ranking of the laureates. Mrs. dr. K.Y. van Speandonck-Zwarts received the third prize, dr. N.M. van Mieghem the second prize, and dr. W.J. Dewilde the first prize. We like to congratulate the three winners with their excellent PhD Theses. Summaries of the three nominated PhD theses are given below.     

Cardiac recovery by stem and progenitor cells

For the 20th time in a row, the Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC), the Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN), and the sponsor, Sanofi-Aventis, have supported the competition for the best three PhD theses on a cardiovascular subject published last year. The prize carries the name of one of the great Dutchmen in the history of cardiology: Willem Einthoven (1860–1927), the pioneer of the human ECG and winner of the Nobel Prize in 1924.     

Einthoven Dissertation Prize 2010

For the 21st time in a row, the Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC), the Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN), and the sponsor, Sanofi-Aventis, have supported the competition for the best three PhD theses on a cardiovascular subject published last year. The prize carries the name of one of the great Dutchmen in the history of cardiology: Willem Einthoven (1860-1927), the pioneer of the human ECG and winner of the Nobel Prize in 1924.     

2009: 75 years of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology

The Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC) was founded on 28 April 1934 on the occasion of the 70th birthday of Professor Karel Frederik Wenckebach.     

Ten greatest discoveries of the 20th century in cardiovascular medicine

The Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC) was founded 70 years ago on 28 April 1934. When looking back at the history of our Society on its 70th anniversary, it might be a nice opportunity to mention ten great discoveries in cardiology in the 20th century.     

The NVVC: here, there and everywhere

When I started my cardiology training, back in 1976, cardiology in the Netherlands was highly dependent on internal medicine. Coronary care and intensive care units were led by internal medicine physicians in most hospitals in the Netherlands whereas in the US (where I had worked for a while) cardiology was a discipline in its own right, at least in university centres. In our country, this changed rapidly in the ensuing years and the Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC) played a key role in this process.     

Dutch guidelines for interventional cardiology: institutional and operator competence and requirements for training

Interventional cardiology is an expanding field within cardiovascular medicine and today it is generally accepted that cardiologists require specific training, knowledge and skills. Hospitals where coronary interventions are performed must be properly equipped and able to provide specialised care. Percutaneous coronary interventions are frequently used for coronary revascularisation. The public should have confidence in the uniformity of high quality care. Therefore, such quality of care should be maintained by certification of the individual operators, general guidelines for institutional requirements and formal audits. The Netherlands Society of Cardiology (NVVC) will be implementing a new registration system for cardiologists with a subspecialisation that will include registration for interventional cardiology. The NVVC asked the Working Group of Interventional Cardiology (WIC) to update the 1994 Dutch guidelines on operator and institutional competence, and requirements for training in interventional cardiology in order to incorporate them into the official directives. The present guidelines represent the expert opinion of the Dutch interventional cardiology community and are in accordance with international regulations.After two rounds of discussion, the NVVC approved the guidelines in November 2004 during the autumn meeting.     

Genetic diagnostics and genetic counselling in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

Dutch professional groups involved in drawing up this guideline: cardiologists, paediatric cardiologists, clinical geneticists, clinical molecular geneticists, genetic counsellors, psychosocial workers, associated with or cooperating with the university hospitals’ outpatient clinics for cardiogenetics. Approved by the NVVC, VKGN and NVK (paediatric cardiology section). NVVC - Nederlandse Vereniging voor Cardiologie – Dutch Society for Cardiology; VKGN - Vereniging Klinische Genetica Nederland – the Netherlands Society for Clinical Genetics; NVK - Nederlandse Vereniging Kindergeneeskunde – Dutch Society for Paediatrics. First published in Dutch in June 2009.     

Continuing medical education in Europe: NVVC,CVOI, ESC,UEMS and EBAC

The European Board for Accreditation in Cardiology (EBAC) is a joint initiative of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the Cardiology Section of the Union of European Medical Specialists or Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes (UEMS). EBAC operates independently from these parent organisations. The ESC is the highest cardiovascular scientific authority in Europe and the most important provider of Continuing Medical Education (CME) in cardiology. The UEMS officially represents the European medical specialists at the European Union (EU). The UEMS consists of different mono-specialist sections, among which the Cardiology Section. The recognition of the importance of CME and the need for quality standards and quality control led the UEMS to establish the European Accreditation Council for CME (EACCME) in January 2000. CME activities that seek European accreditation have to comply with the regulations of this council. As a consequence of the establishment of EACCME, the mono-specialist sections of the UEMS together with the different European scientific societies started to create accreditation boards with the aim to assess international CME activities in accordance with the regulations of UEMS and EACCME. EBAC was founded in 2000. EBAC accreditation is complimentary to national CME accreditation. The Netherlands Society of Cardiology (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Cardiologie, NVVC) and its Institute for CME, the Netherlands Institute for Continuing Cardiovascular Education (Cardio-Vasculair Onderwijs Instituut, CVOI) formally recognise EBAC accreditation and Attendance Certificates.     

Guidelines for heart transplantation

Based on the changes in the field of heart transplantation and the treatment and prognosis of patients with heart failure, these updated guidelines were composed by a committee under the supervision of both the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Association for Cardiothoracic surgery (NVVC and NVT). The indication for heart transplantation is defined as: ‘End-stage heart disease not remediable by more conservative measures’. Contraindications are: irreversible pulmonary hypertension/elevated pulmonary vascular resistance; active systemic infection; active malignancy or history of malignancy with probability of recurrence; inability to comply with complex medical regimen; severe peripheral or cerebrovascular disease and irreversible dysfunction of another organ, including diseases that may limit prognosis after heart transplantation. Considering the difficulties in defining end-stage heart failure, estimating prognosis in the individual patient and the continuing evolution of available therapies, the present criteria are broadly defined. The final acceptance is done by the transplant team which has extensive knowledge of the treatment of patients with advanced heart failure on the one hand and thorough experience with heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support on the other hand. (Neth Heart J 2008;16:79-87.)     

Major achievements in cardiology in the past century: influence on Dutch cardiovascular medicine

At the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology, it is interesting to look back on the major scientific achievements in cardiovascular medicine of the last century and to pay attention to the impact of these achievements on Dutch Cardiology. It might be a nice opportunity not only to mention the ten great discoveries in Cardiology in the past century, but also to address the pioneering work in the Netherlands. When honouring and paying tribute to Dutch individuals, this special article only refers to emeriti-professors in cardiology (and some other closely-related retired experts), as this is a historical reflection rather than a cross-sectional view of current attainments. The practising pioneers of today will hopefully be remembered in 75 years from now. (Neth Heart J 2009;17:136–9.)     

Invasive treatment of ACS: early or later on?

In a recent online publication in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 30 December 2009, Damman from the group of de Winter (AMC, Amsterdam) published the five-year clinical outcome in the Invasive versus Conservative Treatment in Unstable coronary Syndromes (ICTUS) The ICTUS trial was supported by the Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN), the Working Group on Cardiovascular Research of the Netherlands (WCN), and educational grants form Eli Lilly, Sanofi/Synthelabo, Sanofi-Aventis, Medtronic, and Roche Diagnostics.     

The Netherlands Sports Cardiology Map: a step towards sports cardiology network medicine for patient and athlete care

Sports cardiology is a rapidly evolving subspecialty of cardiology, with a growing demand for expertise. To improve patient care, clinicians, patients, and athletes (recreational to elite) should be able to easily identify specialised care pathways, expertise centres and clinicians with sports cardiology expertise. To this purpose, several international societies and organisations recommend establishing a local and national sports cardiology infrastructure. We therefore aimed to establish The Netherlands Sports Cardiology Map. We conducted a web-based survey, which was published on the Netherlands Society of Cardiology home page (2019–2020) and in which each cardiology department or clinic was asked to provide information on sports cardiology expertise and the current infrastructure. Of the 46 respondent centres, 28 (61%) reported that they had expertise in sports cardiology, of which 22 (79%) had specific expertise in one or more specific types of sports. Integrated multidisciplinary meetings were reported by 43% of the centres (n = 12/28). Only two centres reported ongoing research projects that had been approved by an institutional review board. The Netherlands Sports Cardiology Map is an important step towards improving the existing infrastructure and developing network medicine for sports cardiology.     

2020 ESC Guidelines on acute coronary syndrome without ST-segment elevation: Recommendations and critical appraisal from the Dutch ACS and Interventional Cardiology working groups

Recently, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has updated its guidelines for the management of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) without ST-segment elevation. The current consensus document of the Dutch ACS working group and the Working Group of Interventional Cardiology of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology aims to put the 2020 ESC Guidelines into the Dutch perspective and to provide practical recommendations for Dutch cardiologists, focusing on antiplatelet therapy, risk assessment and criteria for invasive strategy.     

29th Congress of the European Society of Cardiology

The Editorial Board of the Netherlands Heart Journal is very pleased to present its annual supplement on this year’s meeting of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress of Cardiology, held in Vienna from 1 – 5 September 2007.     

Treatment patterns of non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome patients presenting at non-PCI centres in the Netherlands and possible logistical consequences of adopting same-day transfer to PCI centres: a registry-based evaluation

Netherlands Heart Journal - European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines recommend same-day transfer to a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centre for angiography in high-risk...     

The dawn of a new era in the struggle against sudden cardiac death

The year 2009 is important for Dutch cardiology. It marks not only the 75th anniversary of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology, but also the starting of ICD therapy, 25 years ago. The first ICD implant in the Netherlands was carried out in Utrecht by the cardiac surgeon Dr Penn with the technical assistance of Mr Seah Nisam in April 1984. The patient was referred from Maastricht by Professor Wellens. Referral was needed since Maastricht had no cardiac surgery department at that time.     

How to target uncertainty in Dutch invasive cardiovascular care

Current meetings of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Working Group on Intervention Cardiology have shown that new strategic developments in the Dutch healthcare system have created much turbulence and uncertainty amongst members of the organisations. Both on-site and off-site new cardiac centres with and without surgical backup, respectively, are arising or being planned throughout the Netherlands. These strategic adaptations are related to service delivery failure, despite appropriate quality measures. To understand the reasoning behind this uncertainty and how to deal with it, we need to explore its origin and thinking. Its rationale is based on the assumption that each organisation relies on its ability to survive through innovation and transformation. Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons are key players in a large group of stakeholders participating in the chain of cardiovascular care. In addition, the Dutch healthcare system is deeply embedded in a historical sociopolitical environment. This may explain why ongoing uncertainty may beget more uncertainty. What are the consequences for the content of the route forward?     

Parallel import and pacemakers: who pays the ferryman?

Fifty years after its introduction in clinical cardiology, artificial pacing for patients with bradyarrhythmias has made a huge leap forward.1 The development from bulky, simple fixed-rate pacemakers to small, complex, multi-programmable devices paralleled the vast technological achievements of the second half of the 20th century. In the late 1990s hope emerged even for patients with severe heart failure, with the introduction of biventricular pacing which resulted in an additional class I indication according to the recent guideline of the European Society of Cardiology.2 Consequently, the number of implantations has steadily increased, resulting in more than 10,000 implantations (both first implants and replacements) in the Netherlands in 2007.     

Primary PCI: false positives versus false negatives

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performed within 12 hours after onset of symptoms in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is the currently recommended therapy in the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology.1 The basis of these recommendations is an array of clinical trials comparing PCI with thrombolysis on short-term as well as long-term follow-up.2 Initially and intuitively larger STEMIs in younger patients were eligible for this therapy, but increasingly also smaller infarcts and older patients have proven to benefit from primary PCI.3 Typically, in centres providing the service of primary PCI in the Netherlands, about a third of the total number of PCIs is now for STEMI.