Risk Stratification in Patients Who Underwent Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion.

Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is effective in preventing thromboembolism. Risk stratification tools could help identify patients at risk for early mortality after LAAO. In this study, we validated and recalibrated a clinical risk score (CRS) to predict risk of all-cause mortality after LAAO.

Impact of Statins on Cardiovascular Outcomes Following Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring.

Background: Compared with traditional risk factors, coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores improve prognostic accuracy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) outcomes. However, the relative impact of statins on ASCVD outcomes stratified by CAC scores is unknown.

Objectives: The authors sought to determine whether CAC can identify patients most likely to benefit from statin treatment.

Coronary Artery Calcium and Long-Term Risk of Death, Myocardial Infarction, and Stroke: The Walter Reed Cohort Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the long-term risk of death and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) outcomes, including stroke, in a real-world cohort that underwent coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring.

Background: Large-scale, long-term studies assessing the independent relationship of CAC for prediction of ASCVD events, to include stroke, in young, low-risk patients are uncommon outside of the clinical trial setting.

Methods: A total of 23,637 consecutive subjects without ASCVD who underwent CAC scoring from 1997 to 2009 were studied.

Nutritional and sports supplement use among deployed U.S. Army soldiers in a remote, austere combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan.

Background: Nutritional and sports supplements are commonly used by soldiers, with uncertain implications for health and mission readiness.

Methods: An anonymous survey was conducted of a company of U.S.

Serum biomarkers in severe refractory cardiogenic shock.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize levels of serum biomarkers in patients with severe refractory cardiogenic shock (SRCS) and to document temporal changes in these levels during restoration of circulation.

Background: Patients with SRCS have been challenging to study because of their rapidly changing clinical condition while undergoing multiple simultaneous interventions.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with SRCS received circulatory support via a percutaneously implanted ventricular assist device (PVAD).

Whooping cough in adults: an update on a reemerging infection.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, which is commonly thought of as a pediatric illness, is an underappreciated adult pathogen. Recent outbreaks highlight the significance of pertussis in adults and the risk of transmission to at-risk infants who are most susceptible to complications, including death. This article describes the recent epidemiologic shifts and reviews the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of pertussis.

Migraine and vasodepressor syncope in a large family.

We evaluated a 47-year-old woman for recurrent migraine and syncope. The patient had 7 children (not examined by the authors), all of whom also experienced migraine and syncope. The patient's father, now deceased, had reportedly experienced migraine and episodes of feeling faint.