Browse Internal Medicine Articles by Topic

Simple Prediction Tool Facilitates Diagnosis of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

In patients with unexplained dyspnea, a score based on six noninvasive criteria can predict the likelihood of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Mortality Risk Score for Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation

An international database of patients with significant degenerative mitral valve regurgitation was used to derive and test a score using clinical and echocardiographic data to estimate mortality with medical and surgical therapy. From seven weighted characteristics, investigators developed a 0-12 score that predicted medical and surgical long-term mortality with high discriminatory ability (C-statistic, 0.78 and 0.81, respectively). Investigators found the score added incremental information to surgical scores and believe that it will be useful for therapeutic decision-making.

Long-term Risk of Transient Atrial Fibrillation After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Investigators compared post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) atrial fibrillation (AF) to non-surgical, non-valvular AF in a large cohort derived from the Danish health system database. Despite a lower rate of oral anticoagulant use compared to non-valvular AF patients and equivalent CHA₂DS₂-VASc scores, post-CABG AF demonstrated a lower risk of thromboembolism, death, and recurrent AF. These data do not support the concept that post-CABG AF is the same as traditional non-valvular AF regarding thromboembolic risk.

Drug-eluting Stents Fare No Better Than Bare-metal Stents in Vein Graft Lesions

The two largest randomized trials to date have shown no advantage to drug-eluting stents compared to bare-metal stents in saphenous vein graft percutaneous interventions.

CABANA Trial Reveals New Insights About Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Ablation for atrial fibrillation did not reduce the composite endpoint of death, disabling stroke, serious bleeding, or cardiac arrest compared with drug therapy, although adverse events were infrequent and arrhythmia recurrence was reduced significantly.

Erenumab-aooe Injection (Aimovig)

Erenumab-aooe, with a novel mechanism of action, is the first drug approved specifically for the preventive treatment of migraine.

Differences Between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetic Neuropathy

Microstructural nerve damage in distal symmetric diabetic neuropathy differs between subjects with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The predominant nerve lesions in T1D correlated with hyperglycemia and nerve conduction impairment, while the predominant lesions in T2D correlated with dyslipidemia.

Planes, Pathogens, and Passengers: Infection Risk During Commercial Air Travel

Although air travel has been linked to transmission of respiratory infections, the actual risk of becoming infected during air travel is low. The risk is greatest, though, when seated within about two seats/rows of a contagious individual. Walking around the cabin increases the risk.

Risk of Endocarditis Revisited

The authors of a population-wide study of hospitalizations and deaths from infective endocarditis (IE) in England confirmed the high risk of IE in certain cardiac conditions, but showed that other conditions thought to be low risk also are at higher risk and found new higher-risk categories not previously identified.

Acute Pericarditis or Something Else?

Does the ECG included with this article suggest either acute pericarditis or acute infarction? What key piece of information is missing from the history? How would you interpret the tracing?