Publications by authors named "Michelle S D'Souza"
Objectives: This study was designed to investigate whether coronary computed tomography angiography assessments of coronary plaque might explain differences in the prognosis of men and women presenting with chest pain.
Background: Important sex differences exist in coronary artery disease. Women presenting with chest pain have different risk factors, symptoms, prevalence of coronary artery disease and prognosis compared to men.
Background: The future risk of myocardial infarction is commonly assessed using cardiovascular risk scores, coronary artery calcium score, or coronary artery stenosis severity. We assessed whether noncalcified low-attenuation plaque burden on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) might be a better predictor of the future risk of myocardial infarction.
Methods: In a post hoc analysis of a multicenter randomized controlled trial of CCTA in patients with stable chest pain, we investigated the association between the future risk of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction and low-attenuation plaque burden (% plaque to vessel volume), cardiovascular risk score, coronary artery calcium score or obstructive coronary artery stenoses.
Background: Healthcare professionals have a duty to maintain basic life support (BLS) skills. This study aims to evaluate medical students' factual knowledge of BLS and the training they receive.
Methods: A cross-sectional, closed-response questionnaire was distributed to the first- and fourth-year students studying at institutions in the United Kingdom.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how patient selection impacts the diagnosis of myocardial infarction using high sensitivity cardiac troponin testing in different healthcare contexts across the US and UK.
- In the UK, 13.7% of unselected patients showed elevated troponin levels with type 1 myocardial infarction diagnosed in only 1.6%, while selected patients had a much higher positive predictive value for myocardial infarction at 59.7%.
- The findings suggest that without proper clinical assessment, elevated troponin levels are common and often indicate myocardial injury rather than actual myocardial infarction, illustrating significant differences in patient selection effectiveness in different healthcare settings.