COVID-19 Infection and ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Lessons in Disease Management During a Pandemic.

The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, causing the COVID-19 pandemic, has profoundly impacted global health, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. This paper presents a case study highlighting the heightened risk of severe cardiovascular complications following COVID-19 infection. A 61-year-old male with hyperlipidemia was discharged after COVID-19 pneumonia treatment and experienced a severe ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) within a day of discharge.

Living on a Thread: A Case of Critical Left Main Coronary Artery Disease With an Unusual Presentation.

The left main disease is significant stenosis of the left coronary artery, which is responsible of supplying blood to a major portion of the left ventricle. In this report, we describe a unique case of critical left main disease with a special clinical presentation. A 66-year-old male with insignificant past medical history presented with dyspepsia.

Abciximab-induced delayed profound thrombocytopaenia.

Abciximab, the first approved glycoprotein (GP IIb/IIIa) inhibitor, is being widely used during acute coronary syndromes and offers the promising approach to antithrombotic therapy. We present a case of a young woman who initially received abciximab infusion for undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention of left anterior descending artery and was eventually diagnosed with abciximab-induced delayed thrombocytopaenia. This case outlines the importance of close follow-up of these patients to prevent serious adverse events.

A Review of Prognostic Tools in Heart Failure.

A minority of patients with end-stage disease are referred to palliative medicine for consultation in advanced heart failure. Educating stakeholders, including primary care, cardiology, and critical care of the benefits of hospice and palliative medicine for patients with poor prognosis, may increase appropriately timed referrals and improve quality of life for these patients. This article reviews multiple tools useful in prognostication in the setting of advanced heart failure.

Targeted Thromboelastographic (TEG) Blood Component and Pharmacologic Hemostatic Therapy in Traumatic and Acquired Coagulopathy.

Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is a recently described condition which traditionally has been diagnosed by the common coagulation tests (CCTs) such as prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), platelet count, and fibrinogen levels. The varying sensitivity and specificity of these CCTs have led trauma coagulation researchers and clinicians to use Viscoelastic Tests (VET) such as Thromboelastography (TEG) to provide Targeted Thromboelastographic Hemostatic and Adjunctive Therapy (TTHAT) in a goal directed fashion to those trauma patients in need of hemostatic resuscitation. This review describes the utility of VETs, in particular, TEG, to provide TTHAT in trauma and acquired non-trauma-induced coagulopathy.