Browse Cardiology General Articles by Topic

Importance of Dynamic Mitral Regurgitation in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

A small observational study of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and mitral valve regurgitation referred for exercise testing who underwent isometric handgrip exercise showed that the baseline presence or development of severe mitral regurgitation with exercise was predictive of a composite adverse outcome endpoint at one year.

Ten-Year Outcomes of the SCOT-HEART Study

The 10-year follow-up of the SCOT-HEART Study of new-onset chest pain patients randomized to standard care vs. the addition of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) has shown that coronary heart disease-related death, myocardial infarction, and other adverse cardiovascular outcomes are reduced with CTA use, perhaps because preventive therapy is increased.

Arrhythmia Recurrence After Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

An integrated nationwide medical and pharmacy claims database analysis of patients with new atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation as first-line therapy has shown that 17% of patients required repeat ablation for recurrent atrial fibrillation despite the frequent use of antiarrhythmic drugs.

DanGer Shock Trial Post-Hoc Analysis: Microaxial Pump Risks May Outweigh Benefits

In this post-hoc analysis of the DanGer Shock trial, patients in the highest quartile of age appeared to have higher mortality compared with younger patients, suggesting less benefit from routine application of the microaxial flow pump in older patients with acute myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock.

Durability of Mitral Valve Repair for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation

A large, single-center, contemporary long-term follow-up of degenerative mitral valve disease patients undergoing mitral valve repair surgery has shown that 30-day post-operative mortality is < 1% and a median almost nine-year follow-up survival is 90%. Somewhat worse outcomes were observed in those with preoperative symptoms, reduced left ventricular function, atrial fibrillation, and isolated anterior leaflet disease.

Subtle but Real?

The electrocardiogram (ECG) in the figure was obtained from an older man with intermittent chest pain that has awakened him from sleep. How would you interpret this ECG? Should you activate the cath lab?

Cardiac and Paracardiac Structure in the SUMMIT Trial

A cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study in a subgroup of the patients in the SUMMIT trial of tirzepatide in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction has demonstrated that patients treated with tirzepatide had reduced left ventricular mass and paracardiac adipose tissue compared to placebo-treated patients, which may partially explain the reduction in heart failure events observed in the main SUMMIT trial.

Olezarsen Injection (Tryngolza)

The U.S. Food and Drug Aministration has approved olezarsen, a first-in-class drug to reduce triglycerides in adults with familial chylomicronemia syndrome. Olezarsen is an antisense oligonucleotide-directed inhibitor of apolipoprotein C-III messenger ribonucleic acid.

Combustible vs. Electronic Cigarettes Post-PCI

A large, nationwide South Korean study of smokers undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has shown that electronic cigarette use and smoking cessation resulted in similarly lower subsequent major adverse cardiac events compared to continued smoking.

Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Late-Life Brain Health

The major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are delineated in Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), developed by the American Heart Association. These risk factors are blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, diet, and sleep duration. The investigators in this analysis of two large databases in the United Kingdom and the United States demonstrated that cardiovascular health, as defined by the LE8, will also predict brain health later in life.