J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect
June 2020
Ventricular stand still is an electrophysiologic phenomenon characterized by the absence of ventricular activity or contraction. It is the result of the lack of impulse formation in ventricles (absence of idioventricular automaticity) or the failure of impulse transmission to ventricles (conduction disturbance) [1]. It is an uncommon condition that can affect a wide range of age groups with life threatening consequences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLoeffler 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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute chest pain is one of the most common presenting symptoms to the emergency department. Currently available risk scores are suboptimal in identifying low-risk patients eligible for early and safe discharge. Various, initially obtained clinical data have valuable discriminating power but are not being fully utilized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronary interventions are the mainstay of treatment for stenotic coronary vascular lesions. New stent designs are constantly being evaluated to improve stent performances and clinical outcomes. Coronary stent fracture is uncommon; however, it is associated with potential major consequences including acute coronary syndrome and the need for repeated target vessel revascularization due to in-stent restenosis or stent thrombosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of myocardial infarction and sudden death. Although some correlations have been noted in relation to aetiology, no direct causes have been identified in a large number of patients. Most of the patients are women in peripartum period or of childbearing age, with few if any risk factors for coronary heart disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarotid web is a radiological description of a shelf-like intraluminal filling defect in the carotid bulb. It is histologically defined as atypical fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), with abnormal fibrosis and smooth muscle cell hyperplasia in the . The spur-like intraluminal protrusion can serve as a nidus for thrombus formation, which could cause systemic embolism and ischemic strokes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBACKGROUND Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a common and potentially life-threatening condition encountered in emergency departments. Despite its dreaded nature, nearly one-third of ACS present without chest pain and may mislead clinicians. Additionally, Wellens' syndrome is a pre-infarction stage of significant proximal left anterior descending (LAD) artery stenosis, which can lead to extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction without timely intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiac calcified amorphous tumor (CAT) is an extremely rare benign intracavitary tumor of the heart. It may mimic other cardiac tumors and can present with signs or symptoms of systemic embolization. There are limited data regarding CAT in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBACKGROUND Carotid cavernous fistulas (CCFs) are rare potentially sight-threatening abnormal connections between carotid artery and cavernous sinus. CASE REPORT We report a case of CCF in an 83-year-old female, who presented with swollen and painful right eye. The patient was initially treated with empiric antibiotics for suspected peri-orbital cellulitis, as noted clinically and in computed tomography (CT) orbits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect
October 2017
Coronary artery ectasia (CAE), a variant of coronary artery anomalies, is a rare clinical entity. Although atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), CAE also conveys a relatively high risk for potentially life-threatening cardiac events. We report a case of a 35-year-old male with two-vessel CAE, who presented with acute inferior wall ST election myocardial infarction (STEMI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBACKGROUND Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy. Bivalirudin is a specific and reversible direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI). CASE REPORT We report a case of severe DAH, possibly related to bivalirudin use, in a 61-year-old patient undergoing coronary intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect
March 2017
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a relatively under-recognized hereditary cardiomyopathy. It is characterized pathologically by fibro-fatty infiltration of right ventricular (RV) myocardium and clinically by consequences of RV electrical instability. Timely intervention with device therapy and pharmacotherapy may help reduce the risk of arrhythmic events or sudden cardiac death.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Purpose: Previous studies indicate that prostaglandin EP receptors selectively couple to AC2 in non-lipid raft domains of airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells, where they regulate specific cAMP-dependent responses. The goal of the present study was to identify the cellular microdomains where EP receptors stimulate cAMP production.
Experimental Approach: FRET-based cAMP biosensors were targeted to different subcellular locations of primary human ASM cells.