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Abstract

The winter in southern Sweden has been unusually long and harsh, as it has for much of Europe. With much snow, temperatures almost constantly below freezing point and a seemingly never-ending, strong,
ice-like wind, it will come as no surprise that my mind constantly turns to images of spring.

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Spring awakens the senses and bears witness to a rebirth; it is a time of renewed hope. When I reflect on the articles within this edition of European Cardiology my spring fantasies are stimulated.

An article by Christian Meyer and Helmut P─é─¢rerfellner et al. entitled â€┼øImplantable Cardiac Monitors for the Detection of Atrial Fibrillation – How Far Have We Come?â€┼Ñ evokes images of the first butterfly fluttering in my garden on a spring morning. I envision how the old trees in my nearby park become green once again when I see Isla S Mackenzie and Thomas M MacDonald’s â€┼øHypertension in Octogenarians – Treatment Strategies and Challengesâ€┼Ñ. Elsewhere, two insightful articles – by Ewa Piotrowicz and Ryszard Piotrowicz, and Miguel Mendes, respectively – explore first the role of telemonitoring in heart failure rehabilitation, then its place in achieving optimal patient treatment. The very thought of cardiac rehabilitation conjures images of a sunny stroll in a spring meadow.

Other articles, too, offer such hope. Christian Mueller et al. document the progress made – as revealed by recent studies – with novel, more sensitive and more precise cardiac troponin (cTn) assays for improving the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Meanwhile, Ardawan J Rastan and Volkmar Falk discuss outcomes in coronary artery bypass grafting, and the latest strategies for improving these outcomes.

It is these images of spring that remind us of the breadth of the spectrum of cardiology. They also remind us of the new hope that we can offer our patients. Within these pages I hope you find articles that will not only be of interest, but will equally stimulate your senses. Dear colleagues and friends, spring time for European Cardiology is here.