Decreased readmissions and improved quality of care with the use of an inexpensive checklist in heart failure.

Providing effective discharge instructions, appropriate dose uptitration, education regarding heart failure (HF) monitoring, and strict follow-up have all been shown to decrease readmissions for HF but are all underutilized. The authors developed and evaluated the impact of a quality-improvement HF checklist as a tool to remind physicians to improve quality of care in HF patients. The checklist was used in randomly selected patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of acute decompensated HF.

No Racial Disparities in the Treatment of ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction - A Community-based Experience.

Whether racial disparities exist in the treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is not exactly known. We report a retrospective chart review of patients with first event of STEMI, in two groups separated by one decade. Results revealed that hospital mortality in the 2007 and 1997 groups for African Americans versus Caucasians was one of 22 versus 21 of 170, 95 % confidence interval (CI) -0.

Minimally invasive retrieval of patent foramen ovale closure device after device migration to the descending aorta.

Percutaneous treatment of patent foramen ovale with a septal closure device has become a common procedure, but it is associated with various complications. Migration of the device is uncommon, and migration through the aortic valve into the aorta is rare. Managing the migration of a patent foramen ovale occluder can be challenging; it usually requires surgical retrieval of the foreign body.

High prevalence of obesity in young patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: There is growing concern about increasing rates of obesity in young people, and increasing ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at a younger age. There are only a few studies performed to study the risk factors in STEMI among young populations.

Methods: Retrospective chart reviews on all first event STEMI patients between December 2005 and July 2007 were performed.

Elevated cardiac biomarkers with normal right ventricular size indicate an unlikely diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism in stable patients.

The purpose of this investigation is to assess the prevalence of elevated cardiac biomarkers, with or without estimates of right ventricular (RV) size, in stable patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Our hypothesis is that the combination of high levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), high creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), and normal size RV are sufficiently uncommon in stable patients with PE to make the diagnosis of PE unlikely. Retrospective review showed a high cTnI plus high CK-MB in 20 (3.

Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair by interventional cardiologists--a community-based experience.

Introduction: Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a relatively recent technology. In comparison to the conventional open surgical treatment for AAA, endovascular AAA repair (EVAR) combines a less-invasive approach with lower morbidity and mortality. There have been few studies regarding the performance of this procedure in a community-based setting.

Moxifloxacin-induced QT prolongation and torsades: an uncommon effect of a common drug.

Torsade de pointes (TdP) or "twisting of the points" represents polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in the setting of prolonged QT interval and is characterized by QRS complexes that change in morphology and amplitude. We report a rare case of TdP, associated with QT interval prolongation, caused by intravenous moxifloxacin given for pneumonia in a 71-year-old African American man. Electrocardiogram initially revealed QT interval prolongation that led to torsades de pointes.

Amiodarone-induced torsade de pointes in a patient with wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Amiodarone is generally regarded to have a high safety profile with a low incidence of arrhythmias. However, there have been reports of torsades de pointes under certain conditions, such as electrolyte imbalance or concomitant antiarrhythmic therapy. We describe a case of amiodarone-induced torsade de pointes early after initiation of intravenous amiodarone in the setting of T-wave alternans.