Vaccine-preventable disease hospitalized patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Background: Over five million Americans suffer from heart failure (HF), and this is associated with multiple chronic comorbidities and recurrent decompensation. Currently, there is an increased incidence in vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). We aim to investigate the impact of HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in patients hospitalized with VPDs.

Acute coronary artery dissection after multiple bee stings.

The occurrence of an acute coronary syndrome following an anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reaction is known as Kounis syndrome. Previous reports of Kounis syndrome described an acute coronary syndrome due either to vasospasm or atherosclerotic rupture of a coronary artery in the presence of cutaneous manifestation from the anaphylactic reaction. We report a case of a 33-year-old man who presented with anterior wall acute myocardial infarction immediately after honeybee stings without the presence of cutaneous manifestations other than the bee sting lesions.

Loeffler Endocarditis and Associated Parasitosis: A Diagnostic Challenge.

Loeffler endocarditis is relatively under-recognized and can impose a diagnostic challenge. We present a case of Loeffler endocarditis where eosinophilia was associated with parasitosis. This case highlights the importance of clinical clues in a patient with restrictive cardiomyopathy, and appropriate ancillary testing which helps guide further management.

Left ventricular myxoma: A contractile mass causing intracavitary obstruction and severe pulmonary hypertension.

Cardiac myxomas can be fatal and left ventricular (LV) myxomas with papillary muscle and mitral valve (MV) involvement are rare. The following case is that of a 55-year-old woman who developed signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension. Imaging revealed a contractile mass in the LV that was in continuum with the papillary muscles and affected MV function.