The population of Asia is huge. Theoretically, it could have generated the most powerful and useful medical data; however, it has proved to be the contrary. There should be a strong call for enhanced communication, collaboration and co-operation among the Asian countries. Ideas need to be exchanged and experience needs to be shared in order to ignite brainstorming and innovation. This issue of Asia-Pacific Cardiology may prove to be one of the best platforms for this purpose.
In addition to communication through medical journals, participation in scientific meetings is also of paramount importance. The 18th Congress of the Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology is to be held in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia during early May. Such events provide great opportunities to disseminate knowledge across the Asian cardiology fraternity - not just on the latest developments and advances in cardiology, but also to better educate on the challenges that are specific to our region.
As a region, our contribution to the global cardiovascular fraternity has witnessed a marked increase in recent years – for example, the Asian interventionists have emerged to lead coronary interventions for chronic total occlusion and left main disease. Through increasing our communication and endeavouring to enhance our collaborative efforts, Asian cardiologists can play an increasingly prominent role in the development and advancement of cardiovascular medicine worldwide.
These pages contain a variety of articles spanning the cardiovascular spectrum. The journal hopes to support the dissemination of best practice and current knowledge, packaged in a way most digestible for time-pressured physicians. With contributions from an array of thought-leaders - primarily from across our region – I hope that the articles not only support practitioners on a daily basis, but also enhance professional knowledge. Moreover, I hope that you agree that Asia-Pacific Cardiology makes a small but valuable contribution to enhancing our communication and sharing our experiences.