The HCPLive Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...
December 3rd 2024
An overview and landing page for future installments from HCPLive's 8th annual This Year in Medicine Series.
November 26th 2024
Elevating Care for PAH: Applying Recommended Management Approaches to Maximize Outcomes
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‘REEL’ Time Patient Counseling™: Navigating the Complex Journey of Diagnosing and Managing Fabry Disease
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Expert Illustrations & Commentaries™: Envisioning Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Managing ANCA-associated Vasculitis
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Clinical Consultations™: Addressing Elevated Phosphate Levels in Patients with END-STAGE Kidney Disease (ESKD)
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A 67-year-old man with positive results on a stress myocardial perfusion test was found to have isolated anomalous origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from a separate coronary ostium of the right sinus of Valsalva. This anomalous artery was not stenotic and coursed over the anterior free wall of the right ventricle, in front of the pulmonary artery. It did not appear to have an intra-arterial or intramyocardial course.
Chronic diuretic use and increased mortality and hospitalization in heart failure
Diuretic use is associated with activation of neurohormones and disease progression in heart failure. Yet, diuretics are commonly prescribed, although little is known about their long-term effects. We performed a study based on propensity score matching, which indicated that in subjects with ambulatory, chronic, mild-to-moderate heart failure, diuretic use was associated with increased mortality and hospitalization. These findings call into question the wisdom of using long-term diuretic therapy in heart failure patients who are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic.
Long-term diuretic use and increased mortality and hospitalization in heart failure
Diuretic use has long been a mainstay in the management of symptomatic heart failure with pulmonary or systemic congestion, or both.
Atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery
We assessed preoperative cardiac physiology using echocardiography in patients undergoing cardiac surgery to identify predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation. Subjects with enlarged left atrial volume had a 5-fold greater risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation, independent of age and other risk factors, than those without enlarged left atrial volume. Left atrial volume appears to be a powerful tool to stratify patients according to risk before surgery and to effectively target preventive therapy.
Left atrial volume and the risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation that occurs after cardiac surgery remains a source of increased morbidity and prolonged length of hospital stay.
Diabetes and inflammation influence the development of atherosclerosis. We performed a study that showed the inflammatory markers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 were lowered with the use of fenofibrate, simvastatin, and combination therapy. The anti-inflammatory effects were most pronounced among patients with elevated baseline inflammatory markers. Combination therapy significantly altered lipid concentrations and exerted a greater positive effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides than monotherapy with either drug.
Reducing inflammatory biomarkers: What does it mean?
September 10th 2008The principal finding of this study is that among patients with type II diabetes and mixed dyslipidemia, treatment with simvastatin, fenofibrate, or their combination was associated with reductions in inflammatory biomarkers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2).
Preventing atrial fibrillation recurrence
September 10th 2008In patients with lone paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) and normal cardiac function, in the absence of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and cardiac insufficiency, perindopril (Aceon) or losartan (Cozaar) and low-dose amiodarone (Cordarone) therapy are more effective in preventing recurrence of AF than low-dose amiodarone alone. Adding losartan or perindopril to amiodarone therapy can inhibit left atrial enlargement.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, accounting for approximately one third of all patient discharges with arrhythmia as the principal diagnosis and the greatest number of hospitalization days for arrhythmia each year.
Chest pain syndrome in women: A diagnostic dilemma
September 10th 2008The ability to diagnose coronary artery disease (CAD) in women may be limited by the sensitivity and specificity of symptoms as well as of noninvasive testing. The choice of which test should be performed to evaluate the presence of CAD in women remains controversial. Currently American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend initial evaluation with exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) testing. In a meta-analysis of 3721 women, however, exercise ECG had a sensitivity of 61% and a specificity of 70%1 as compared to 68% sensitivity and 77% specificity in men.
Effect of medication nonadherence in diabetes mellitus
September 10th 2008We evaluated the association between medication nonadherence and outcomes among subjects with diabetes mellitus. Nonadherent subjects had higher blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. In addition, there was an association between medication nonadherence and an increased risk of all-cause hospitalization and all-cause mortality. These findings suggest that interventions are needed to increase medication adherence so that patients can realize the full benefit of prescribed therapies.
Medication adherence and meaningful clinical markers in diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease for which nonadherence to therapy is frequent.
Sex differences in ischemic stroke among patients with atrial fibrillation
September 10th 2008We examined data from a large cohort of subjects with atrial fibrillation to determine whether men and women had different risks for atrial fibrillation-related thromboembolism. Women with atrial fibrillation who were not taking warfarin had a 60% higher rate of stroke than did men, independent of other clinical risk factors for stroke. When taking warfarin, both women and men had significant reductions in stroke risk without differences by sex in the rates of bleeding complications. These findings support the addition of female sex to traditional stroke risk stratification schemes for assisting in antithrombotic decision making for patients with atrial fibrillation.
Outcomes in women vs men with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction
September 10th 2008The epidemiologic finding that women with heart failure have better overall survival than men may be because of the higher prevalence of diastolic heart failure or heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF) among women.
Large-scale clinical epidemiology of stable angina in women and men
September 10th 2008We performed a whole-country study using linked health care records in Finland and showed that stable angina as the initial symptomatic manifestation of coronary disease occurs as frequently in women as it does in men. Among easily recognized subgroups, the absolute rates of prognostic outcomes were similarly high in women and men.
Stable angina pectoris in women and men
Each municipality in Finland is responsible for arranging health care for its inhabitants.
Left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome: A case report of an unusual syndrome
September 10th 2008A 65-year-old woman with a history of anxiety disorder, dyslipidemia, and recently diagnosed celiac sprue was transferred to the heart center after presenting to a peripheral community hospital with marked fatigue, progressively worsening dyspnea on exertion, and bilateral lower extremity swelling with associated bilateral arm tingling.