Publications by authors named "Michael T Baker"

Background: Blunt cardiac injuries rarely result in aortic valve cusp rupture, leading to acute aortic insufficiency and cardiogenic shock. This rare clinical entity carries a high mortality rate if left undiagnosed and not managed surgically, with few patients surviving beyond 24 h. It presents a diagnostic challenge in the polytrauma patient in shock, with multiple possible and complementary etiologies.

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Infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, is associated with numerous potential secondary complications. Global efforts have been dedicated to understanding the myriad potential cardiovascular sequelae which may occur during acute infection, convalescence, or recovery. Because patients often present with nonspecific symptoms and laboratory findings, cardiac imaging has emerged as an important tool for the discrimination of pulmonary and cardiovascular complications of this disease.

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Background: Calcific aortic stenosis (CAS) is the most common valvular heart disease in older adults and has no effective preventive therapies. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) can identify genes influencing disease and may help prioritize therapeutic targets for CAS.

Methods: We performed a GWAS and gene association study of 14 451 patients with CAS and 398 544 controls in the Million Veteran Program.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze changes in circumferential systolic strain (CS) in athletes after SARS-CoV-2 infection using cardiac MRI.
  • It included 188 athletes infected with COVID-19 and a control group of 72 athletes who were not infected, revealing a significant difference in global CS between both groups.
  • The findings suggest that COVID-19 can lead to a minor yet notable reduction in CS among athletes, even after accounting for other health factors and excluding those with myocarditis.
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Article Synopsis
  • Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a widespread heart valve disease affecting over 2% of adults, yet its genetic mechanisms are not well understood and there are no current medical treatments available.
  • A comprehensive analysis of genetic data from nearly 5,000 MVP cases and over 434,000 controls uncovered 14 genetic loci linked to MVP, along with key candidate genes that may play a role in the disorder.
  • The study introduced a polygenic risk score (PRS) for MVP, enhancing the ability to predict MVP risk and potentially guiding future patient screening and therapeutic interventions.
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Background: Nonchicken wing left atrial appendage (LAA) morphology is associated with higher risk for stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) than chicken wing (CW) morphology.

Objective: Assess whether LAA morphology predicts the formation of LAA thrombus independent of age, sex, presenting rhythm, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), or anticoagulant use.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed on patients prospectively enrolled in the Vanderbilt LAA Registry or presenting for transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) between January 1, 2015, and November 1, 2017 (n = 306).

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Background: The use of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) has expanded dramatically over the past decade, but net clinical benefit has been curtailed by increasing infectious complications. In particular, CIED-related infectious endocarditis (IE) is a serious condition with significant morbidity and mortality.

Methods: We performed a single-center, retrospective study between July 2006 and February 2011 with CIED-related IE, defined by either lead vegetations detected on echocardiography or by fulfilling Duke criteria for definite endocarditis.

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