Foreword

The PEGASUS (Pan-European Group on Acute St-elevation myocardial infarction, Urgent cardiac care, and Shock) Group is an independent group of European investigators focused on the field of mechanical reperfusion for acute myocardial infarction and acute critical care.

The primary aim of this free and open association is promoting original investigations and quick spread of new therapy advancements, as well as periodical updates on treatment of acute myocardial infarction and other acute coronary syndromes.

Founder members of this association are David Antoniucci (Italy), Edoardo Camenzind (Switzerland), Dariusz Dudek (Poland), Gilles Montalescot (France), and Franz-Joseph Neumann (Germany).

PEGASUS is the editor of this supplement of the EHJ that is the first official outing of the group. This supplement includes critical reviews of the efficacy of percutaneous intervention in terms of microvessel reperfusion, the pre-cath lab administration of IIb/IIIa inhibitors, the current role of thrombectomy and anti-embolic devices, and the interpretative problems related to the negative or conflicting results of randomized studies based on an empirical approach rather than a Bayesian approach to investigate the efficacy of a new treatment.

We hope this venture will meet the approval of cardiologists interested in this field.