Letters to the Editor

Re: August 2003 Cath Lab Digest Dear Editor, I just read your August issue. Normally I think you do a great job of covering cath lab issues. However, this issue read like a paid advertisement for the Cordis Cypher stent. For example, why not ask your Cordis interviewee a couple of tough questions, like What is the profit margin on the Cypher? or how did you decide to price the Cypher? Some of Dr. Firth's assertions are either untrue or at least very debatable. You should have included an interview with a drug eluting stent skeptic, as is usually done at CME courses or in journal editorials. Jim Blankenship MD Director, Geisinger Medical Center Cath Labs 2003 Statistics on Heart Disease Astute reader and Cath Lab Digest Editorial Board member Heidi Bonneau, RN, MS, was intrigued by a statistical mention in our September issue. The article A View from the Other Side by Gerard Lagasse, RCIS, made a side reference to 50,000 people dying from sudden cardiac death each year (a figure from the 1990’s). Heidi checked in with the American Heart Association (AHA) and was able to get hold of the latest statistics for 2003: 650,000 new myocardial infarctions (MIs) and 450,000 repeat MIs, totaling 1.1 million MIs per year. Regarding sudden cardiac death in 2003, the AHA notes: No statistics are available for the exact number of sudden cardiac arrests that occur each year. However, about 250,000 people a year die of coronary heart disease without being hospitalized. That’s about half of all deaths from CHD more than 680 Americans each day. If survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest were increased from 5 percent to 20 percent, about 40,000 more lives could be saved each year. “ From https://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3008699 (offering a downloadable PDF file from the American Heart Association website) Re: The 10th Anniversary of Cath Lab Digest. You forgot to mention... Dear Editor, Just a quick note about the early Cath Lab Digest and Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals (SICP) editorial board and a thank you to those who helped set up this wonderful magazine. Rae-Ann Simmons and Katherine Von Paulus (past SICP editorial board members) and Barbara Fabyan (Cath Lab Digest Managing Editor, 1993-1999) were also there to help guide us along as we set up the guidelines and roles and responsibilities for the editorial board members and authors. Thank you, Marsha Holton RN, BS, CCRN, RCIS Cath Lab Digest Editorial Board Member and Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals Board Member Washington Adventist Hospital Takoma Park, MD

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