Indian Heart Journal – A Clarion Call

Dear Colleagues,

It is with a great sense of pride that I present to you the first issue of the Indian Heart Journal of the new millennium. Over the last 50 years, the Indian Heart Journal, the voice of the Cardiological-Society-of-India, has achieved a distinctive place of its own. This has been possible due to the hard work and collaborative efforts of its members, and also due to the vision and wisdom of my predecessors. I feel greatly honored and humbled in taking over as the editor of the Indian Heart Journal, following those stalwarts. While I am delighted to assume this onerous responsibility, I have a sense of trepidation when I look at the achievements of the past and the daunting task ahead. It will be my endeavor to strive and maintain the academic excellence of the Journal. Towards this end, I shall always look forward to your inputs and advice.

We are fortunate to live in an era of tremendous advances in knowledge, particularly in the field of cardiology. This gives us unprecedented opportunities in patient care, but also poses the challenge of keeping ourselves updated with recent advances, so as to provide optimal medical care to our patients. The need for a medium that provides continuous medical education, serves as a platform for exchange of ideas and research, and provides a perspective and direction to the contemporary knowledge is perhaps more than ever before.The Indian Heart Journal is well-poised to serve this pivotal role by virtue of its mandate, and because of the will and commitment of its contributors. Education and dissemination of core information through the medium of the Indian Heart Journal will continue to remain our top priority. Various amendments and efforts in this direction will be evident gradually.

It is my belief that the Indian Heart Journal must particularly focus on the problems and prospects of Indian cardiology. The magnitude of the cardiovascular disease burden in India is stupendous. While we are still besieged with the burden of rheumatic heart disease, the epidemic of coronary artery disease is not round the corner anymore, but bang in the middle of our lives. Thus, the double burden of “modern” and “not so modern” diseases is a cruel reality like the recent earthquake that shook parts of our country. With our poor level of socioeconomic development and health infrastructure, a routine lukewarm response to the challenge of cardiovascular diseases would not be enough. We need innovative research and ways of solving our problems. Such research, yielding context-specific solutions in one developing country, will be more relevant to others in a similar health care system than research from developed nations. Indian research in cardiology, therefore, now has a unique opportunity to influence the practice of cardiology in large parts of the world. The Indian Heart Journal will seek to play its role by becoming a vehicle for publication of high quality research with outreach in application and impact. While a journal merely publishes research, I wish and pray that research on preventive cardiological issues, on cost-containing measures, and on rheumatic heart disease gain momentum, so that we are relevant to our society.

Friends, a lot has been achieved but much more remains to be done. If you put your best foot forward for the Indian Heart Journal, I am sure that we can make a higher impact on the international arena. We will continuously strive to make the Journal more readable. Please do not hesitate to communicate your ideas, comments and criticism for improving the Journal to me personally. We have started a new section on cardiovascular images and request you to send photographs of Chest X-ray, ECG or any other material of educational value. The section on recent trials would be coupled with expert comments. A section on current perspective, where eminent professionals in the field will express their opinion on matters such as policy, education and research is also envisaged.

An unbiased, quick, high quality peer-review process remains the backbone of any Journal. Much of the delay in publishing relates to the delay during the review process. I seek your cooperation in this process, even as we try to expedite the procedure. With advances in information technology, the time lag should be reduced further. Gradually, we shall move towards electronic submission of manuscripts. The Journal is now available online at www.indianheartjournal.com

Through the editorial column of the Indian Heart Journal, I wish to thank the authors of review articles and the reviewers of manuscripts submitted to the Journal. I cannot overemphasize the fact that it is through their selfless contributions and due to their academic spirit that a Journal derives its sustenance. I also thank all the editorial consultants of various subdisciplines for their willingness to help. I am grateful to my departmental colleagues for their unreserved help and support. I also appreciate the generous fiscal support from the industry.

Finally, I thank you once again for reposing the confidence in me and look forward to a fruitful and continuing interaction in the future.

With Best Wishes,

(VK BAHL)