Publications by authors named "Darlene Kim"
A 56-year-old man presented to the pulmonary clinic with dyspnea and hypoxemia on exertion. He was an avid biker and skier who had noticed a significant decrease in high-level physical activity over the past 3 years. He reported dyspnea, desaturations at altitudes higher than 9,000 feet, dry cough, tachycardia, and palpitations with exercise.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetabolic syndrome is characterized by insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia, atherogenic dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides, low HDL), and hyperglycemia. The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in pulmonary hypertension leads to the hypothesis that metabolic syndrome may play a contributing role in pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction pathogenesis. We present a 62-year-old woman with morbid obesity, mild pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension, and metabolic syndrome.
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- Limited data exists on systemic sclerosis (SSc) mortality trends, prompting an analysis of death rates from SSc and its severe complication, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), between 2003 and 2016.
- Overall, the age-adjusted mortality rate for SSc decreased by 3% annually, with the majority of decedents being female, white, and around 66 years old, while trends were consistent across demographic groups and regions.
- Although SSc-related mortality declined, the death rate associated with SSc along with interstitial lung disease (ILD) increased, particularly in patients with PAH, especially among females and Black decedents.
Article Synopsis
- Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) can lead to serious heart issues like arrhythmias and sudden death, especially in patients with preserved heart function, making it hard to assess risk effectively.* -
- In a study of 120 patients with biopsy-confirmed CS, electrophysiologic testing (EPS) was performed to identify those at higher risk, and 7 patients (6%) showed inducible ventricular tachycardia, leading to the placement of implantable defibrillators.* -
- The results indicated that a positive EPS was linked to higher risks of arrhythmias, highlighting its value for those with probable CS; however, negative EPS does not completely rule out the risk of sudden cardiac death due to disease
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a chronic and progressive disease that presents like many other lung diseases, often leading to a delay in diagnosis, and therefore a delay in optimal therapy. This article provides a review of PH for internists, covering clinical presentation, diagnostic algorithm, different types of PH, and overview of treatments. In addition, it emphasizes the importance of early referral to, and partnership between, PH specialists and physicians on the front lines to improve early diagnosis and optimize management of these complex patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarly career academic cardiologists currently face unprecedented challenges that threaten a highly valued career path. A team consisting of early career professionals and senior leadership members of American College of Cardiology completed this white paper to inform the cardiovascular medicine profession regarding the plight of early career cardiologists and to suggest possible solutions. This paper includes: 1) definition of categories of early career academic cardiologists; 2) general challenges to all categories and specific challenges to each category; 3) obstacles as identified by a survey of current early career members of the American College of Cardiology; 4) major reasons for the failure of physician-scientists to receive funding from National Institute of Health/National Heart Lung and Blood Institute career development grants; 5) potential solutions; and 6) a call to action with specific recommendations.
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