The first document deals with training requirements for nuclear cardiology; the second deals with guidelines for the clinical use of nuclear cardiology procedures. The nuclear cardiology training document represents 1 of 10 task force reports dealing with each subdiscipline and each aspect of clinical training in adult cardiovascular medicine. It is the result of the Core Cardiology Training Symposium (COCATS) sponsored by the American College of Cardiology and held in Bethesda, Maryland, in June I994. This report represents an update and revision of training guidelines initially published by the College in 1986. All aspects of training in cardiovascular medicine are defined in detail in the comprehensive report.
Nuclear cardiology (Task Force V) is therefore placed in the mainstream of cardiologic diagnosis and care. In the report of each Task Force, different levels (1 to 3) of training are elaborated that range across a spectrum from mere familiarity with the technology to that of laboratory director. Trainees can choose the level of expertise they wish to obtain during their fellowship, depending on individual goals.
The "Guidelines for the Clinical Use of Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging" is jointly sponsored by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association and represents a revision of original clinical guidelines published in 1986. This document presents a comprehensive assessment of the world literature with respect to the clinical utilization of our field. More than 270 references are provided dealing with when and why specific studies are clinically useful. This represents a thoughtful and reasoned approach to appropriate patterns of clinical utilization.