Changes in cardiac anxiety and self-care practices in heart failure patients following implantation of wireless hemodynamic monitoring sensors.

Background: Wireless implantable hemodynamic monitors assist cardiac care providers in tailoring medication regimens to reduce chronic heart failure hospital admissions and to improve patient quality of life. Previous research exists to support wireless implantable hemodynamic monitors favorable impact on medical endpoints but, however, their psychological and behavioral effects have not yet been established. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate patient psychological and behavioral changes after receiving the wireless implantable hemodynamic monitor.

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies Truncating Variants in Nuclear Envelope Genes in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: The genetic variation underlying many heritable forms of cardiovascular disease is incompletely understood, even in patients with strong family history or early age at onset.

Methods And Results: We used whole exome sequencing to detect pathogenic variants in 55 patients with suspected monogenic forms of cardiovascular disease. Diagnostic analysis of established disease genes identified pathogenic variants in 21.

Obesity and natriuretic peptides, BNP and NT-proBNP: mechanisms and diagnostic implications for heart failure.

Many advances have been made in the diagnosis and management of heart failure (HF) in recent years. Cardiac biomarkers are an essential tool for clinicians: point of care B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its N-terminal counterpart (NT-proBNP) levels help distinguish cardiac from non-cardiac causes of dyspnea and are also useful in the prognosis and monitoring of the efficacy of therapy. One of the major limitations of HF biomarkers is in obese patients where the relationship between BNP and NT-proBNP levels and myocardial stiffness is complex.