Contemporary Management of Severely Calcified Coronary Lesions.

Coronary artery calcification is increasingly prevalent in our patient population. It significantly limits the procedural success of percutaneous coronary intervention and is associated with a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events both in the short-term and long-term. There are several modalities for modifying calcified plaque, such as balloon angioplasty (including specialty balloons), coronary atheroablative therapy (rotational, orbital, and laser atherectomy), and intravascular lithotripsy.

Predictors of In-hospital Mortality in Cardiogenic Shock Patients on Vasoactive or Inotropic Support.

Background: Though controversial, the short-duration in-patient use of inotropes in cardiogenic shock (CS) remain an ACC/AHA Class IIa indication, and are frequently used in the initial treatment of CS. We evaluated in-patient mortality and effect on mortality risk of commonly used vasoactive inotropic medications for the medical management of SCAI stage B and C cardiogenic shock patients in a tertiary care cardiac care unit: dobutamine, dopamine, milrinone, and norepinephrine.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 342 patients who received dobutamine, milrinone, dopamine, norepinephrine or a combination of these medications for SCAI stage B and C cardiogenic shock.

Takotsubo syndrome after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

The coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic has affected millions worldwide with prevention efforts culminating in the development of a vaccine. An mRNA vaccine, developed by Moderna (Cambridge, MA, USA), mounts an immunologic response leading to antibody neutralization. Commonly reported vaccine side effects include myalgia, fever, and chills, with low reported rates of cardiovascular events.

Utility of Framingham Score for Optimizing Preoperative Evaluation Among Patients Undergoing Liver Transplant Evaluation.

Background: Cardiac testing of candidates for liver transplant (LT) requires balancing risks and benefits of cardiac procedures. The goal of this study was to evaluate the utility of the Framingham score (FS) for optimizing preoperative risk stratification for coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: In this single-center retrospective study of 615 adults undergoing LT evaluation from 2016 to 2019, data of preoperative evaluation, post-LT 1-year mortality, and post-LT cardiac events were reviewed.