Recovery of Transient High-Grade Atrioventricular Block Managed With Corticosteroid Therapy Without Device Implantation in Newly Diagnosed Cardiac Sarcoidosis: A Case Report.

Atrioventricular blocks (AVBs) presenting in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) remain an ongoing challenge for clinicians. While most initiate immunosuppressive therapy with the goal of pursuing device implantation, there is some ambiguity as to which patient cohorts actually benefit from device therapy. We present a case of a 39-year-old African American male with a past medical history of hypertension and no prior cardiac history who presented with substernal chest pain in the setting of a hypertensive emergency.

Atrio-Ventricular Dyssynchrony After Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: An Unusual Contributor to Heart Failure Symptoms.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is the mainstay for the management of systolic heart failure with LVEF <35% and evidence of dyssynchrony despite optimal medical therapy. After CRT placement, persistent dyssynchronization is possible and can contribute to heart failure symptoms despite a well-functioning CRT device. Echo-guided imaging can be beneficial for the optimization of CRT in selected patients who have evidence of continued dyssynchrony despite a well-functioning CRT device.

Improving Access to Cardiovascular Care Through Telehealth: A Single-Center Experience.

Background: Historically, access to healthcare has been a serious shortcoming of our healthcare system. Approximately 14.5% of US adults lack readily available access to health care and this has been worsened by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Role of Diabetes Mellitus in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Review Article.

The pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is complex and poorly understood. There is a high prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in patients with HFpEF, and the presence of DM has been shown to increase mortality of patients with HFpEF by 30%-50% even after adjustment for age, gender, hospital factors, and other patient characteristics. Since the prevalence of both entities is increasing worldwide, there is a need to explore their intricate relationship in order to elucidate potential management strategies to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this duo.

Bartonella Endocarditis: A Missed Diagnosis in Medical Practice.

Here, we present the case of a 52-year-old patient who presented with fever, chills, and weight loss. Further workup revealed endocarditis of the aortic valve. After six weeks of antibiotics, a follow-up transthoracic echocardiogram showed a decrease in the size of vegetation.

Augmenting Traditional Cardiac and Medical Care in Africa via Telemedicine: A Pilot Study.

Background A critical decrease in the number of healthcare providers in developing countries is one of the major burdens to healthcare access in these countries. Many factors contribute to the lack of healthcare providers, including low doctor-to-population ratio, emigration of doctors to other countries, long travel distances to hospitals, increasing cost of healthcare, and concentration of doctors in urban cities. Several measures have been taken by both governmental and nongovernmental organizations in these countries to mitigate this crisis with varying outcomes.

Peculiar purulence: Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae causing pyomyositis.

This report describes the first confirmed case of isolated pyomyositis caused by a hypervirulent strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Pyomyositis is almost universally caused by gram-positive organisms and while the recent emergence of invasive disease due to hypervirulent K. pneumoniae has been well documented, the most common clinical manifestation reported is liver abscess.

Effect of African-American Race on Tumor Recurrence After Radical Cystectomy for Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder.

Background: African-American race appears to be associated with higher stages of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) at presentation and poorer survival. However, the independent effect of African-American race on objective tumor recurrence after radical cystectomy (RC) after controlling for clinical and pathologic variables is unknown.

Patients And Methods: The data from consecutive patients with UCB who underwent RC with curative intent at a single institution (University of Alabama, Birmingham) from 2001 to 2012 with or without perioperative chemotherapy or chemoradiation were reviewed.

Preliminary outcomes of a pilot physical therapy program for HIV-infected patients with chronic pain.

Chronic pain in HIV-infected individuals is common and often undertreated. Physical therapy (PT) is an evidence-based nonpharmacologic treatment for chronic pain. Our objective is to present the results of a pilot PT program in an HIV pain/palliative care clinic, which is embedded within a Ryan White-funded multidisciplinary HIV primary care clinic.