Category Archives: Clinical Cardiology

Patients with chronic lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) treated with a more vs less intensive antithrombotic therapeutic regimen were found to be at lower risk for limb amputation, stroke, and revascularization, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal-Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy. An estimated 202 million people worldwide are thought to have LEAD. In LEAD, atherosclerotic plaque rupture may occur and lead to arterial thrombosis, which requires revascularization (surgical or endovascular). Continue reading →

ST-segment elevation was observed in patients presenting with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in New York City hospitals. These cases were described in a correspondence published in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 17, 2020 Continue reading →

Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center. Continue reading →

Optimal left ventricular (LV) mechanical unloading in patients with advanced heart failure with LV assist devices (LVADs) was more likely to be maintained when pump speed was progressively up-titrated during outpatient follow-up, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography. Continue reading →

Editor's note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape's Coronavirus Resource Center. Initial data from one Chinese center on the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 appear to give some further reassurance about continued use of these drugs. The report from one hospital in Wuhan found that among patients with hypertension hospitalized with the COVID-19 virus, there was no difference in disease severity or death rate in patients taking ACE inhibitors or ARBs and those not taking such medications Continue reading →

APRIL 23, 2020 -- The signature electrocardiographic sign indicating ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may be a less consistent indicator of actual STEMI at a time when patients with COVID-19 have come to overwhelm many hospital intensive care units. Many of the 18 such patients identified at six New York City hospitals who showed ST-segment elevation (STE) on their 12-lead electrocardiogram in the city's first month of fighting the pandemic turned out to be free of either obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) by angiography or of regional wall-motion abnormalities (RWMA) by echocardiography, notes an April 17 letter to the New England Journal of Medicine. Continue reading →

EDISON, N.J., April 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive health network, conducted an observational real world study of more than 3,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and found that hypertension, the most common co-existing condition, does not have a major impact on survival from the infection when adjusted for age and other comorbid conditions. The study also found that commonly prescribed medications to treat high blood pressure may potentially have a positive impact. Continue reading →

The polygenic risk score was not found to be superior to the clinical risk score in predicting the occurrence or risk stratification of incident coronary heart disease (CHD), according to study results published in JAMA. Continue reading →

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is one of the most clinically relevant monogenic disorders contributing to the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The prevalence of FH was estimated to be 1 in 200 to 1 in 250 individuals in studies in which genetic testing was conducted on large community population samples.1 However, the disease often remains undetected and thus untreated, with only 10% of individuals with FH receiving adequate diagnosis and treatment.2 Noting the recent accumulation of studies on FH, the authors of a Nature Reviews Cardiology article sought to summarize the key elements of a model of care for the condition that can be adapted as new evidence emerges.1 Selected points are highlighted below. Screening and detection. Continue reading →

As the number of COVID-19 casesand panicspreads throughout the globe, a picture is emerging as to what the direct cardiovascular effects of this particular coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) might be and what the indirect impact will be on cardiologists and the patients in their care. Continue reading →