Review cardiology

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: More than a century since its discovery, the pathogenesis of Chagas heart disease (CHD) remains incompletely understood. The role of derangements in the autonomic control of the heart in triggering malignant arrhythmia before the appearance of contractile ventricular impairment was reviewed. RECENT FINDINGS: Although previous investigations had demonstrated the anatomical and functional consequences of parasympathetic dysautonomia upon the heart rate control, only recently, coronary microvascular disturbances and sympathetic denervation at the ventricular level have been reported in patients and experimental models of CHD, exploring with nuclear medicine methods their impact on the progression of myocardial dysfunction and cardiac arrhythmias...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Multiple new therapies are in development and under study to improve our contemporary care of patients with PE. We review and compare here these novel therapeutics and technologies. RECENT FINDINGS: Multiple novel therapeutic devices have been developed and are under active study. This work has advanced the care of patients with intermediate and high-risk PE...

IMPORTANCE: Catheter ablation is associated with reduced heart failure (HF) hospitalization and death in select patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, the benefit in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether catheter ablation for AF is associated with reduced HF-related outcomes according to HF phenotype. DATA SOURCE: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Central was conducted among studies published from inception to September 2023...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review discusses the epidemiology of food insecurity (FI) and its consequences in children with congenital heart disease. We aimed to highlight current interventions to screen and address food insecurity in the context of pediatric cardiology and to offer strategies for providers to engage in this meaningful work. RECENT FINDINGS: Food insecurity is consistently associated with poor health outcomes in children. In the United States, 17.3% of households with children experience FI...

BACKGROUND: Electrocardiography (ECG) interpretation is a fundamental skill for medical students and practicing medical professionals. Recognizing ECG pathologies promptly allows for quick intervention, especially in acute settings where urgent care is needed. However, many medical students find ECG interpretation and understanding of the underlying pathology challenging, with teaching methods varying greatly. OBJECTIVE: This study involved the development of novel animations demonstrating the passage of electrical activity for well-described cardiac pathologies and showcased them alongside the corresponding live ECG traces during a web-based tutorial for final-year medical students...

Beta blockers are one of the commonest prescription drugs in medicine and they have been thought to revolutionize the treatment of heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in the last century. In addition to HFrEF, they are prescribed for a variety of diseases in cardiology from hypertension to HF, angina, and stable coronary artery disease (CAD). The increased prescription of beta blockers in conditions like HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and stable CAD may be doing more harm than good as per the data we have so far...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Despite its low prevalence, the potential diagnosis of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) should be at the forefront of a paediatric cardiologists mind in children with syncope during exercise or emotions. Over the years, the number of children with a genetic diagnosis of CPVT due to a (likely) pathogenic RYR2 variant early in life and prior to the onset of symptoms has increased due to cascade screening programmes. Limited guidance for this group of patients is currently available...

INTRODUCTION: This study review aimed to consolidate current knowledge on the electrocardiographic abnormalities observed in patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), formerly known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). METHODS: This was a systematic review of studies on the association between MASLD and electrocardiographic abnormalities, published between January 1, 1946, and October 31, 2023. Data from eligible studies were extracted, analyzed, synthesized, and summarized...

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major cause of mortality worldwide, with a high incidence and low survival rate. Prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use are major contributors in the "chain of survival" for OHCA. the response of a community plays a key role in determining the outcomes in OHCA. The outcomes of OHCA are affected by health inequalities in bystander CPR and AED use, due to factors such as differences in sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status amongst others...

Inherited metabolic diseases (IMD) are caused by the functional defect of an enzyme, of genetic origin, that provokes a blockage in a specific metabolic pathway. Individually, IMD are considered rare diseases, with an incidence of less than 1/100,000 births. The symptoms are usually multisystemic, but frequently include cardiac manifestations. Of these, the most common are cardiomyopathies, especially hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In addition, they can cause dilated or restrictive cardiomyopathy and non-compacted cardiomyopathy of the left ventricle...

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of evidence on impact of a delay in Cardiac Sarcoidosis (CS) diagnosis after high-grade atrioventricular-block (AVB) and this study aims to fill this void. METHODS: Consecutive CS patients (n = 77) with high grade AVB referred to one specialist hospital in London between February 2007 to February 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. The median time from AVB to diagnosing CS (112 days) was used to define the Early (n = 38) and Late (n = 39) cohorts...

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) poses a significant challenge in the selection of candidates for heart transplantation, impacting their eligibility and post-transplant outcomes. Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices, particularly left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), have emerged as a therapeutic option to manage PH in this patient population. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MCS devices in reversing fixed pulmonary hypertension in heart transplant candidates...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In the ever-evolving field of medical imaging, this review highlights significant advancements in preoperative and postoperative imaging for Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and double outlet right ventricle (DORV) over the past 18 months. RECENT FINDINGS: This review showcases innovations in echocardiography such as 3D speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) for assessing right ventricle-pulmonary artery coupling (RVPAC) and Doppler velocity reconstruction (DoVeR) for intracardiac flow fields evaluation...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Tafamidis is currently the only approved disease-modifying treatment for ATTR-CM. However, there have been important developments in the treatment of ATTR-CM, as the results of two phase 3 trials were published and several other trials are in their final stages. In this review, we summarize current and future therapies for ATTR-CM. RECENT FINDINGS: Recently, acoramidis, a TTR stabilizer has been proven to be effective in reducing mortality and morbidity compared to placebo in the ATTRibute-CM trial...

BACKGROUND: Owing to the minimally invasive nature of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), TAVR seems to be preferred in patients with cancer; however, related research on the clinical efficacy and safety of TAVR in patients with cancer and severe aortic stenosis is limited, and conclusions are controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with cancer who underwent TAVR. METHOD AND RESULTS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the clinical outcomes in patients with and without cancer who underwent TAVR...