Socioeconomic Burden of Rising Methamphetamine-Associated Heart Failure Hospitalizations in California From 2008 to 2018.

Background: Methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy/heart failure (MethHF) is an increasingly recognized disease entity in the context of a rising methamphetamine (meth) epidemic that most severely impacts the western United States. Using heart failure (HF) hospitalization data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, this study aimed to assess trend and disease burden of MethHF in California.

Methods: Adult patients (≥18 years old) with HF as primary hospitalization diagnosis between 2008 and 2018 were included in this study.

Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Reversible Versus Persistent Methamphetamine-Associated Cardiomyopathy.

Anecdotal cases of reversible methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy (rMAC) have been reported, but not well understood. This study sought to determine the clinical characteristics, outcomes and predictors of reversibility among patients with rMAC as compared with patients with persistent MAC (pMAC). We retrospectively studied adult MAC patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% at a single center between 2004 and 2018.

The association of abnormal findings on transthoracic echocardiography with 2011 Appropriate Use Criteria and clinical impact.

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) were developed to promote high-value care. We describe the prevalence of clinically significant abnormal TTE findings overall and in subgroups defined by appropriate and inappropriate AUC, and their association with clinical impact. 548 consecutive TTEs at an academic medical center were retrospectively reviewed for AUC, clinical impact, and TTE abnormalities.

Appropriate use and clinical impact of transthoracic echocardiography.

Importance: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) accounts for almost half of all cardiac imaging services and is a widely available and versatile tool. Appropriate use criteria (AUC) for echocardiography were developed to improve patient care and health outcomes. Prior studies have shown that most TTEs are appropriate by AUC.

Effect of 9p21.3 coronary artery disease locus neighboring genes on atherosclerosis in mice.

Background: The human 9p21.3 chromosome locus has been shown to be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis in multiple large-scale genome-wide association studies, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We set out to investigate the potential role of the 9p21.

Cardiac paraganglioma: diagnostic and surgical challenges.

Primary cardiac paragangliomas are rare extra-adrenal tumors. Though they account for less than 1% of all primary cardiac tumors, they are considerable sources of morbidity and mortality. In this case review, we discuss the challenges associated with the diagnosis and management of cardiac paragangliomas.

Understanding atherosclerosis through mouse genetics.

During the past year studies with mouse models have significantly clarified our understanding of atherosclerosis. Noteworthy achievements include: the discovery of a number of novel genes and pathways; new evidence emphasizing the role of lymphocytes in atherogenesis; the development of mouse models exhibiting advanced lesions with evidence of thrombosis; and new results indicating an anti-atherogenic effect of testosterone.