Severity of Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis: A Comparative Study of Mitral Leaflet Separation Index versus Mitral Valve Area.

Introduction: Assessing the severity of mitral stenosis (MS) is crucial for predictive and therapeutic purposes. While methods like planimetry and Pressure half time (PHT) are considered gold standard for measuring mitral valve area (MVA), they can be operator-dependent or influenced by hemodynamic factors. Our study evaluates the accuracy of mitral leaflet separation index (MLSI) as an alternative tool for assessing rheumatic MS severity, considering its independence from hemodynamic variations.

The Interplay of Atherothrombotic Factors and the Evolving Landscape of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Comprehensive Insights from Recent Studies.

The aim of the current work is to present a thorough recapitulation of the emerging understanding of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and recommending avenues for future studies. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, influenced by a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and atherothrombotic factors. Atherosclerosis, a multifaceted and dynamic process, is at the core of many CVDs.

Assessing the correlation between the degree of tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension: A comprehensive study.

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between severity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and pulmonary hypertension.

Methods: Cross-sectional study of 118 patients with pulmonary hypertension was carried out at a single center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between 2018-2021. Patients who had pulmonary or tricuspid valves organic diseases, previously undergone tricuspid or pulmonary valve surgeries, had permanent pacemakers or critically ill were excluded.

The Prevalence and Predictors of Atherosclerotic Coronary Artery Disease in Rheumatic and Non-rheumatic Valvular Heart Disease Patients.

Objectives: The paradox of concurrent coronary artery disease (CAD) among patients with rheumatic and non-rheumatic valvular heart disease (RVHD; non-RVHD) is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the RVHD and non-RVHD on the prevalence of CAD and various risk factors, assess the number of diseased coronaries, clinical profile and the possible predictors of CAD in these patients, which may clarify the paradox and provide an insight for the prevention of CAD.

Methods: The records of 106 valvular heart disease patients who had undergone valve replacement surgery at the King Faisal Cardiac Centre from January 2014 to October 2019 were evaluated.

Unprotected Left Main Revascularization in the Setting of Non-coronary Atherosclerosis: Gulf Left Main Registry.

Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in revascularization of left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease has been evaluated in previous studies. However, there has been minimal study of the relationship between co-existing non-coronary atherosclerosis (NCA) and LMCA disease revascularization. We aim to examine this relationship.

Third wave in India and an update on vaccination: A short communication.

The first case of COVID-19 was identified in December 2019. In just two years, the pandemic has wreaked a lot of havoc across the globe. Various determining factors will decide the fate of a looming third wave in India.

STEMI and COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impact on health care worldwide which has led to a reduction in all elective admissions and management of patients through virtual care. The purpose of this study is to assess changes in STEMI volumes, door to reperfusion, and the time from the onset of symptoms until reperfusion therapy, and in-hospital events between the pre-COVID-19 (PC) and after COVID-19 (AC) period. All acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) cases were retrospectively identified from 16 centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 period from January 01 to April 30, 2020.

Quantitative HBsAg levels do not identify hepatic fibrosis in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background/aims: Quantitative serum hepatitis B surface antigen (qHBsAg) has been evaluated in limited patient groups as a marker of histological fibrosis. The accurate identification of inactive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers from those with active carriers is difficult because of wide and frequent HBV DNA fluctuations. We aimed to assess the utility of qHBsAg in distinguishing histologically significant fibrosis in untreated HBeAg-negative chronic HBV patients.