Evaluation of Myocardial Stiffness in Cardiac Amyloidosis Using Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse and Natural Shear Wave Imaging.

Objective: Increased myocardial stiffness (MS) is an important hallmark of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) caused by myocardial amyloid deposition. Standard echocardiography metrics assess MS indirectly via downstream effects of cardiac stiffening. The ultrasound elastography methods acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) and natural shear wave (NSW) imaging assess MS more directly.

Immersion-Induced Mitral Regurgitation: A Novel Risk Factor for Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema.

Immersion pulmonary edema, more commonly referred to as swimming-induced pulmonary edema (SIPE), is a well-documented condition believed to be a result of immersion physiologic condition that is characterized by a peripheral-to-central redistribution of blood volume. It disproportionally affects young, healthy athletes with no clinically overt cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions. We present four cases of healthy athletes with previously documented SIPE, who participated in Institutional Review Board-approved clinical studies that examined the pathophysiologic condition and prevention of SIPE.

Left bundle branch block without a typical contraction pattern is associated with increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias in cardiac resynchronization therapy patients.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces the risk of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) in heart failure (HF) patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) while the effect is less clear among non-LBBB patients. This study aimed to investigate if absence of LBBB features whether by echocardiography or strict ECG criteria would identify patients at risk of developing VA in a cohort with LBBB according to conventional ECG criteria. Two hundred six CRT candidates were prospectively included from 2 centers.