Master of the Masquerade: An Atypical Presentation of Acute Aortic Dissection.

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is associated with unacceptably high mortality rate. As such, early diagnosis and aggressive management are essential in order to avoid life-threatening complications. Herein, we report an atypical presentation of AAD and clinical sequelae.

Toward Resiliency in the Joint Blood Supply Chain.

The Joint military community provides a wide array of medical support services to its personnel, including the transfusion of blood and blood products. Ensuring that blood remains available and safe for transfusion requires sophisticated logistical support, especially for the military community's provision of blood to medical operations around the globe. However, that supply chain may become brittle in future potential operating environments, such as large-scale combat operations where adversaries may contest the U.

Rapid Desensitization to Overcome Contrast Allergy Prior to Urgent Coronary Angiography.

Allergic reactions to contrast media are a frequently reported complication of coronary angiography. The majority of patients experience mild, self-limited episodes, but in rare cases patients may experience severe, persistent symptoms. A strategy of premedication with corticosteroids and anti-histamines and an optimal selection of contrast agent is almost always successful in averting contrast reactions, yet a select few patients will continue to have breakthrough events.

Improvements in Left Ventricular Diastolic Mechanics After Parachute Device Implantation in Patients With Ischemia Heart Failure: A Cardiac Computerized Tomographic Study.

Background: Percutaneous ventricular restoration therapy with the use of a left ventricle (LV)-partitioning Parachute device has emerged as a clinical treatment option for LV apical aneurysm after extensive anterior myocardial infarction (AMI). We assessed changes of diastolic mechanics and functional improvements following LV Parachute device implantation by means of cardiac computerized tomography (CCT).

Methods And Results: CCT data were obtained from 28 patients before and after LV Parachute device implantation.

Rate of Statin Prescription in Younger Patients With Severe Dyslipidemia.

Cardiovascular disease affects 1 in 3 patients and remains the leading cause of death in the United States. Severe elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels is a modifiable risk factor for developing premature cardiovascular disease, and elevation levels of 190 mg/dL or greater (to convert LDL-C values to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259) may indicate a monogenic etiology such as familial hypercholesterolemia.

Evaluating the quality of implantation of percutaneous ventricular restoration device (Parachute®) by cardiac computed tomography.

Background: The Parachute is a novel percutaneously implanted ventricular partitioning device (VPD) that has emerged as a safe and feasible treatment option for patients with heart failure following anterior wall myocardial infarction. VPD efficacy is likely dependent on optimal device placement, but to date there are no published data examining the effect of device positioning on patient outcomes.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively identified 32 patients successfully implanted with the Parachute device, all of whom underwent cardiac computed tomography (CCT) at baseline and after 6 months of follow-up.

A Thoracotomy Approach for the Surgical Repair of a Left Ventricular Free Wall Rupture.

In the current era of rapid culprit vessel revascularization in acute myocardial infarction, ventricular free wall rupture is becoming increasingly uncommon. In rare cases adherent pericardium may contain this rupture, creating a temporary stable pseudoaneurysm. With the aid of intraoperative pictures, we describe herein a left thoracotomy approach for the surgical correction of a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm secondary to free wall rupture.

Feasibility of SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in the super-obese using a multi-head semiconductor camera with attenuation correction.

Background: Obesity is not only associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, but also decreases the accuracy of many diagnostic modalities pertinent to this disease. Advances in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) have mitigated somewhat the effects of obesity, although the feasibility of MPI in the super-obese (defined as a BMI > 50) is currently untested. We undertook this study to assess the practicality of MPI in the super-obese using a multi-headed solid-state gamma camera with attenuation correction.

Clinical significance of atrial fibrillation detected by cardiac implantable electronic devices.

The detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) by a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) in patients without a prior history of AF is increasing. This trend is the result of the increased number of CIEDs being implanted in a population whose multiple medical comorbidities are known to predispose to AF. Cardiac implantable electronic device-detected atrial fibrillation (CDAF) is independently associated with the development of ischemic stroke, and the annual risk may depend on both total AF burden and individual risk factors.