CSI to achieve new dimension in cardiology

On account of World Heart Day, Cardiological Society of India (CSI) on September 30, at lTC Sonar, Kolkata announced that it will now enter in a new dimension and become more involved in heart-related health-issues, both in preventive and curative fronts in the national domain.

Being an academic body, CSI has been organising top-level conferences and publishing a journal (Indian Heart Journal) in both print and electronic versions. And now it has decided to diversify in other directions in the best interest of the nation and its population.

Some of the new intiatives of the society are role of advocacy to the government in cardiac-health related issues as and when situation demands; trying to support creation of a nation-wide heart-attack management network in collaboration with other organizations and the government. Also, it will now be promoting 'public awareness' about cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention through preaching of simple yet catchy doctrines captioned 'ten commandments', which have been translated in ten Indian regional languages.

CSI has done and published a study titled 'CRRIS study' amongst school children and their mothers to improve their perception of CVD and behaviour related to lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors. Enthused by the positive results of the study, the project has been extended to nearly two lakh school children in West Bengal and through them to nearly eight lakh adults.

The society desires to extend this to other parts of the country and has embarked on research in a big way and has started a registry on 'acute coronary syndrome' (heart attack) and 'acute heart failure'. By collecting data through such registries, CSI wishes to indigenise the guidelines for management of CV diseases. And, it has already published its own textbook in recent times.

The Cardiological Society of India – an internationally acclaimed body with protocolised interactions with other leading cardiac societies of the world was founded in 1949 by late Dr B C Roy along with other luminaries at Kolkata – where the society also has its headquarters.

Today, it has 26 branches in various parts of India including one overseas branch in UAE.