If you™re not actually at ASOCC while you™re reading this letter, you™re reading it after the symposium™s fun (visualize CCL professionals swarming the Vegas strip. Need I say more?!) and amazing educational opportunities have already passed for the year. ASOCC took place June 2“4, 2005. Even though I write this before the symposium, based on the current facts, I can tell you it was our biggest and best CLD meeting ever. We had more attendees than ever, ASOCC began its new peripheral track, and we also had the SimSuite bus available for attendees, courtesy of Boston Scientific. Not to mention that our amazing faculty continue to share important and relevant information for attendees from their own in-depth experience. As a personal side note, I™ve noticed that the creative PowerPoint presentations continue to make me, someone who works daily on a computer, feel computer-illiterate (do these presenters pass around tips on how to wow their audiences?).

Hope to see you in June 2006.

I™m sure you™ve noticed that Cath Lab Digest has a different look this month. We felt it was time for a facelift. Change is always hard, and I hope those of you who remain nostalgic for the old look soon realize CLD remains exactly the same it™s just a little plastic surgery to keep things interesting. CLD still provides the same homey read, one that™s of great clinical and practical use for cardiac cath professionals. However, to reflect the increasing quality and importance of the information CLD offers to readers, we worked hard to provide you with this new, very clean and clear format.

Onward to this month™s offerings, which feature topics ranging from a review of a cutting-edge imaging symposium held during ACC, to the first report of cardiogenic shock and severe hemodynamic compromise secondary to ischemic mitral regurgitation during PCI, to our spotlighted Pennsylvania-based lab (by the way, cath labs of the western U.S....where are you?). As always, I encourage your thoughts and opinions on what should tackle next. Enjoy!

Knowledge is the one thing no one can ever take from you.

Rebecca Kapur
Managing Editor
CathLabDigest@aol.com