Purpose and Overview

Introduction to the Proceedings from the
10th Biennial Meeting of the
International Andreas Gruentzig Society
held January 25–31 in Cape Town, South Africa

From its beginnings at the first gathering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1990, the International Andreas Gruentzig Society (IAGS) has brought together cardiovascular specialists from around the world to honor Andreas Gruentzig and continue the spirit of his innovation that led to the development of coronary angioplasty in the mid 1970’s. Over the years, the attendees of this meeting have expanded to include not only interventional cardiologists, but also interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons, neurovascular interventionists, and leaders from the device and pharmaceutical industry. The meetings have continued in the tradition of open forum, forward thinking collaborations among the attendees. Over the years each meeting has had its unique focus, but the overriding theme has been to delve into the challenges faced in advancing the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Participants are encouraged to identify the critical challenges that exist and formulate potential solutions. Often the discussions at IAGS meetings have been a precursor to significant advances in the field, including the use of stents and the emerging role of genetics in fashioning customized therapy.

The Journal of Invasive Cardiology is the official journal of the society and has published the proceedings of the meetings over the last 20 years. The most recent meeting in South Africa covered many critical areas of cardiovascular medicine. Over the next few months, the leaders of each of these sections are going to provide an overview of their topic and a summary of the major discussions that occurred at the meeting. We hope to create a dialogue between the session leader and the readership of the journal to extend the discussions beyond what occurred at the South Africa meeting. I encourage you to actively engage in these discussions and participate in the expansion of the goal of the IAGS – to continue the innovative spirit of Andreas Gruentzig in advancing the field of cardiovascular medicine.

Richard E. Shaw, PhD, FACC, FACA
Editor-in-Chief
The Journal of Invasive Cardiology