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Can Pulmonary Artery Pressure Help in the Decision to Operate in Chronic Aortic Regurgitation?

A large tertiary center retrospective observational study of patients with moderate to severe aortic regurgitation showed that 14% had significant pulmonary hypertension (PH) and that it was associated with symptoms and higher mortality. Aortic valve replacement abrogated PH in most patients by hospital discharge and improved survival regardless of the presence of PH.

Combined TAVR and LAAO Studied in a Randomized Controlled Trial

In this randomized controlled trial of patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), concomitant left atrial appendage occlusion at the time of TAVR was noninferior to TAVR plus medical therapy for a combined endpoint of death, stroke, and major bleeding at two years.

Another Hemodynamic Variant of Aortic Stenosis

A large, retrospective, observational study of patients with aortic valve gradients in the severe aortic stenosis range but with aortic valve areas in the moderate range has shown that such patients are not uncommon. Their prognosis is similar to patients with high-gradient severe aortic stenosis.

Clinical Features of Tachyarrhythmia-Induced Cardiomyopathy

A prospective observational study of patients with left ventricular dysfunction without known cause and tachyarrhythmias has shown that restoration of sinus rhythm significantly improves left ventricular function in more than 80% of such patients by six months and, initially, normal left ventricular size can be predictive of this response.

What Are Those T Waves?

The patient whose ECG appears in the figure presented to an ambulatory care clinic for chest pain. Is the patient likely to have hyperkalemia?

Iloprost Injection (Aurlumyn)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved iloprost for the treatment of severe frostbite to reduce the risk of amputation of fingers or toes. Iloprost, a synthetic analog of prostaglandin, initially was approved in 2004 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. For that indication, it was given a priority review, accelerated approval, breakthrough therapy, and orphan drug designations. Iloprost for the frostbite indication is distributed by Eicos Sciences as Aurlumyn.

Empowered Relief vs. CBT vs. Health Education for Low Back Pain

This randomized clinical trial involving adults with chronic low back pain demonstrates that a single session of a pain management class, when compared to a full course of cognitive behavioral therapy, yields noninferior (clinically on par) outcomes in pain catastrophizing and several other measures at the three-month follow-up.

Rates of Ad Hoc PCI Higher for Multivessel and Left Main Diseases

In this retrospective analysis of patients from the New York state percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting databases, ad hoc PCI was performed frequently among patients with left main and multivessel disease. Also, variability in ad hoc PCI use among hospitals and physicians for these populations was high.

How Safe Is Cannabis for the Heart?

A nationwide Danish study of new prescriptions for medical cannabis for chronic pain compared to control patients has found that the 180-day incidence of atrial fibrillation/flutter is two-fold higher, but the absolute number of arrhythmias is small.

H. pylori Infection: A Warning Sign for Alzheimer’s Dementia

A large nested case-control cohort study of subjects aged 50 years and older found that clinically apparent Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a moderately increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.