Journal of

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia VOL 6, NO 1

FEBRUARY

1992

EDITORIAL JCTVA: Milestones

T

HIS EDITORIAL marks the fifth anniversary of the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia (JCTVA) and the beginning of the sixth volume for 1992. The first 5 years have been more successful than imagined even by the strongest supporters of the “New Red Journal.” It has helped to further establish the subspecialties of thoracic and vascular anesthesia, as well as the more recognizable area of cardiac anesthesia. JCTVA was the first true subspecialty publication within the field of anesthesiology, and has spawned other similar efforts such as the Journal of Neuroanesthesia. Thus, the first major milestone of further defining areas of subspecialization in anesthesiology has been reached. The second major milestone was the change of the name of the JOURNAL to include vascular anesthesia in February 1991. This subspecialty was added because of the growing interest in this area, an increasing number of important vascular anesthesia research articles being submitted for publication, and the emergence of innovative new techniques, such as combined epidural/general anesthesia. This recognition also highlights the importance of care of the patient with cardiovascular disease undergoing noncardiac surgery. In this regard, all anesthesiologists should be able to benefit from the research articles and educational sections dealing with these patients. Many of the innovations in monitoring and pharmacology in the past 5 years have originated in the cardiac surgical operating rooms (eg, transesophageal echocardiography [TEE]), but may have an even wider application in noncardiac surgery. The Editorial Board has been supportive of many of my other goals for the JOURNAL, which have also been largely accomplished. These include introducing “educational sections” to a scientific anesthesia journal, encouraging international participation, and including information from related disciplines to enhance the concept of a team approach to the high-risk patient. A number of the articles from outside of the United States have demonstrated a multidisciplinary cooperative effort, especially in the intensive care unit. This interactive approach should occur more often in the United States in the future as fewer anesthesiologists devote themselves entirely to critical care medicine. The publication of the abstracts of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiologists (EACTA) for the past 3 years has been facilitated by the excellent

Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia,

of the First Five Years working relationship between members of the JOURNAL'S Editorial Board and the Scientific Committee of EACTA (this month’s supplement issue). It is hoped that this type of international cooperation will continue and expand further with the new World Association of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Anesthesia (WACTVA) and other established cardiac anesthesia organizations. Many of the Editorial Board’s new policies have also been successful. The use of “expedited reviews” for rapid publication of selected important subjects, and “blind reviews” by referees have been extremely successful innovations in an anesthesiology journal. The Editorial Board continues to believe that the latter policy improves the objectivity of the peer review process and removes the potential bias of reviewers. We disagree with those who do not believe blind reviews increase fairness for contributors. Since 1989, it has been required that all co-authors sign a letter accompanying each manuscript on submission stating that they agree with the data presented and are responsible for it. This has been done in an effort to reduce the possibility of scientific fraud taking place through the medium of this JOURNAL. The influence of industry on scientific research is a special concern for the Editorial Board. Therefore, beginning with this issue, contributors will be required to sign another statement regarding possible conflicts of interest in their research (see Information for Contributors). This will be the first introduction of this type of policy in an anesthesiology journal, and should allow our readers to better interpret the scientific validity of data presented. The final milestone was the selection of the JOURNAL by the National Library of Medicine in 1991 to be indexed and included in Index Medicus and Medline on the MEDLARS System. The indexing is retroactive to the first issue of the JOURNAL in 1987. It marks the final level of recognition for the JOURNAL after its obvious success with contributing authors, subscribers, and advertisers. The future of the JOURNAL is equally as bright as its past. With the aging population and increasing complexity of surgery, there will be no shortage of clinical material for case reports or clinical research projects. A new section, Emerging Technologies, will be added to the JOURNAL for articles on the “cutting edge” of Science. Please contact the Section Editor, Jan C. Harrow, MD, at Hahneman Univer-

Vol6. No 1 (February), 1992:

pp 1-2

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sity in Philadelphia, PA, with your submissions or ideas for material in this section. Our-shrinking new world should also lead to increased cooperation and interaction among specialists from different parts of the globe. We welcome these changes and hope to facilitate them via both the JCTVA and WACTVA’s international exchange programs. Further subspecialty education provided through the JOURNAL, plus review and update courses, should lead to

JOEL A. KAPLAN

certification of competence in highly technical areas such as TEE. Ultimately, I predict that in the not too distant future subspecialty boards in cardiac, thoracic, and vascular ancsthesia will be a reality. We welcome your thoughts on future goals for the JOURNAL and the need for certification. Joel A. Kaplan, MD Editor in Chief

JCTVA: milestones of the first five years.

Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia VOL 6, NO 1 FEBRUARY 1992 EDITORIAL JCTVA: Milestones T HIS EDITORIAL marks the fifth annivers...
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