The Cardiovascular Journal of Africa (CVJA) is an international
peer-reviewed journal that keeps cardiologists up to
date with advances in the diagnosis and treatment of
cardiovascular disease.
Topics covered include coronary disease, electrophysiology,
valve disease, imaging techniques, congenital heart
disease (fetal, paediatric & adult), heart failure,
surgery & basic science. CVJA is the official journal
of the PASCAR and has been published since 1990.
Important Notice to all Authors:
Manuscript Submission Fee & Article Processing
Charge
It has become necessary for the
Cardiovascular Journal of Africa to charge a manuscripts
submission fees for all
articles submitted for publication. On acceptance of
a manuscript an additional Article Processing Fee
will apply before publishing.
Manuscript Submission Fee (Paid on Submission of
Manuscript):
South African Authors: ZAR 1150
including VAT @15% International Authors: ZAR 1000
no VAT applicable
Article
Processing/Publishing Fee (Paid on Article
Acceptance for Publication):
South African Authors: ZAR 9775
including VAT @15% International Authors: ZAR 9900
no VAT applicable
Pricing updated: March 2025.
This is normal for most, if not all, journals. We so
far have been able to survive without charging
authors for submissions and processing but can no longer do so. Payment will need to be made
online and once payment has been received, the
manuscript will be further processed for possible
publication.
The payment of the
manuscript submission fee and does not
guarantee publication of the article. The manuscript
submission fee is not refundable in the event of rejection as
processing cost will have been incurred.
(Payment can be made online with a valid credit
card)
CPD developed by Prof Rob Scott Millar,
Cardiac Clinic, UCT/Groote Schuur Hospital
CPD overview: Following the
introductory "Approach to Rhythms", this online
educational CPD quiz will consist of a series of
ECGs with a variety of important cardiac
rhythms. Each will be accompanied by a series of
questions, followed by a detailed analysis and
explanation.
Target audience: Cardiologists,
physicians, emergency unit doctors and
anaesthetists. Including those studying for FCP
and certificate in cardiology.
CPD certificate: A PDF
certificate of completion will be issued on
successful completion the CPD.
CPD enrollment fee: Free / no
charge.
Important notice: The CPD was
made possible by an unrestricted educational
sponsorship from Bayer Pharmaceuticals South
Africa, which had no control over the content.
• Association between CHA2DS2-VASc score and
aortic valve sclerosis
• Modified David V re-implantation for valve-sparing
aortic root replacement
• Effect of insulin resistance on left ventricular
remodelling in hypertensives
• Impact of COVID-19 on cardiology fellowship
training in sub-Saharan Africa
• Transradial approach and decreased acute kidney
injury following PCI
• Esmarch bandage in giant saphenous vein closure
with endovenous glue ablation
• Effect of lactate levels on extubation time in
CABG surgery
• Disparities in patients’ understanding of
cardiovascular disease management
Mission: to urge all relevant
entities within the international cardiac surgery,
industry and government sectors to commit to develop
and implement an effective strategy to address the
scourge of rheumatic heart disease in the developing
world through increased access to life-saving
cardiac surgery.
Read More »
Request for Letters to the Editor (by Prof
Patrick Commerford)
The peer-review process is a vital part of
scientific publication and seeks to ensure that what
is published has been effectively scrutinised for
scientific integrity, validity and ethical conduct
in research. No matter how good peer review may be
it is inevitably, by its very nature, limited to the
opinions of a small number of reviewers and editors.
An important part of peer review, little mentioned,
occurs after publication when the published work is
exposed to a very much wider audience. This
readership is often in a better position to offer
critical opinions or commendations than the initial
reviewers and is able to make its opinion known
through letters to the editor. When these are
published they offer important insights into the
merit or otherwise of prior articles and serve an
important educational purpose.
Sadly of late there have been few such letters
submitted to this journal. I encourage all readers
of this journal to consider submitting letters of
criticism or acclaim to the journal for
consideration for publication. Ideally they should
be brief and to the point, referencing the article
under discussion with no more than three to five
additional references. All letters will be submitted
to the author of the original article, offering a
right of reply. The letter and response, if
forthcoming, will be published
together. Letters to the editor (and the response)
will not be subjected to further review but will be
accepted or rejected based on the opinion of the
editor.
The contributions by readers criticising or
commenting on published work are an important part
of scientific and clinical responsibility for all of
us and I encourage all readers to participate
actively so as to enhance the scientific integrity
and value of the CVJA. Detailed instructions for
authors of letters to the editor will be added to
the website shortly but in the interim I will gladly
accept submissions under the conditions outlined
above.
In an attempt to diversify the content of the
journal and to cater for the ever-growing importance
of diverse imaging modalities, I plan to develop a
series of ‘Images in Cardiology’. The exact
requirements will be posted in the instructions for
authors on the journal website shortly. In the
interim, I invite the submission of suitable images
for consideration for publication. The images should
be of high quality and suitable for publication, as
already specified on the website. They should be
accompanied by a brief clinical vignette, a report
of why the imaging modality was chosen and how it
contributed to patient outcome. A description of the
results of imaging, suitably labelled with arrows or
other markers, indicating areas of particular
interest is essential. A maximum of five references
may be supplied. Priority will be given to images of
cardiac diseases commonly seen in Africa.
Submissions will be subject to peer review by
experts in the field.
The impact factor, or, more correctly, the journal
impact factor [JIF; Thompsons Reuters (ISI)] has
featured in previous reports of the Cardiovascular
Journal of Africa (CVJA). As expected, it has been steadily
rising and is now at 1.022 (2015). This is not
to be scoffed at. Of the 14 listed medical
journals in Africa, it is third to the South
African Medical Journal (SAMJ; JIF = 1.5).
Similarly, in another major database, Scopus, it
ranks at number 184 out of 333 journals of
cardiovascular medicine globally. Within Africa
it is the only cardiovascular journal indexed by
Thompson Reuters and also by Scopus. These
statistics are based on citations to articles
that appear in journals, and formulae that
relate the number of citations to published
articles in a journal over a given time period,
and are part of the more extensive ways of
evaluating scientific output under the umbrella
term bibliometrics.
Concern has been expressed by leading cardiologists
in Africa about the lack of preparedness of
healthcare services on this continent in relation to
the management of non-communicable diseases and,
specifically, cardiovascular disease. This may be
attributable to a paucity of surveillance data and
registries, a shortage of physicians and
cardiologists, interventional measures not being in
place, inadequate diagnostic capabilities, and
misguided opinions, as reported.
From the South African 2011 census, we know that low
household income compounds the problem of inadequate
healthcare provision, and also lack of transport to
facilities where optimal care can be provided
timeously. Public sector clinic services are
utilised by 61.2% of households, public hospitals by
9.5%, and private hospitals, private clinics and
other services by only about 5% of households. A
disparity is evident between the health facility
used and the population group, in that 17% of black
South Africans versus 88% of white and 64% of Indian
households visit private health facilities.