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(Circulation. 2004;110:IV-2 – IV-3.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Preface

Fourth Issue in Series

Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, Guest Editor

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Cardiologists have traditionally focused their efforts on the heart. During the past 2 decades, we have witnessed the expansion of cardiology to include training and expertise in the systemic vasculature, as well as the heart itself. The contemporary cardiovascular specialist can manage complicated disease of the leg arteries, as well as the renal and carotid arteries. We cardiologists have expanded our role and now view ourselves as specialists in the broad field of cardiovascular medicine. Nowadays, cardiovascular specialists constitute a group that includes interventionalists in the catheterization laboratory who "feel at home" stenting coronary, renal, or carotid arteries.

Despite increased appreciation of the "vascular" portion of "cardiovascular" medicine, venous disease has traditionally been viewed as an unwanted stepchild. In the United States, internists, hematologists, or pulmonologists have managed the majority of patients with acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). In Europe, the subspecialty of angiology is better established to provide expertise in venous thromboembolism (VTE).

As a cardiologist with a 30-year interest in PE, I was delighted to learn that the Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology, the American Heart Association, and its premier clinical journal, Circulation, have decided that the topic of VTE warrants a comprehensive series of 4 supplements. The first 3 issues covered the broad areas of epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. The guest editors, authors, and specially appointed editorial board worked hard to ensure top quality overviews of these crucially important topics. I was flattered to be invited to participate as guest editor . . . [Full Text of this Article]