Asthma Control and Medication Reliance Among Asthmatics in a General Practice Setting - A Questionnaire Based Study.

The main goal of asthma treatment is to obtain and maintain reasonable control of symptoms with current evidence-based protocols. Asthma is one of the chronic diseases, that, if not well controlled, can lead to the development of serious complications involving not only the respiratory, but the cardiovascular system. In this study, we aimed to determine how well intermittent asthma and mild persistent asthma are controlled among patients aged 15 years and above in a general practice setting using Asthma Control Test (ACT) questionnaire.

The Effects of a Digital Mental Health Intervention in Adults With Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: Analysis of Real-World User Data.

Background: The American Heart Association has identified poor mental health as a key barrier to healthy behavior change for those with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Digital mental health interventions, like those delivered via the internet to computers or smartphones, may provide a scalable solution to improving the mental and physical health of this population. Happify is one such intervention and has demonstrated evidence of efficacy for improving aspects of mental health in both the general population and in users with chronic conditions.

Left atrial plication for heart transplantation in patients with giant left atrium.

Giant left atrium occasionally occurs in patients undergoing heart transplantation and causes a technical challenge for the surgeon because of the substantial discrepancy in size between the left atrial cuffs of the recipient and donor. We describe a left atrial plication technique that substantially reduces this discrepancy and allows for a standard left atrial anastomosis to be performed without any other modifications in technique.

Mechanical circulatory support pathways that maximize post-heart transplant survival.

Background: Heart transplant (HTx) recipients reach transplantation through increasing numbers of support pathways, including transition from one pathway to another. Outcomes of patients successfully bridged with various support pathways are unknown. We sought to identify mechanical circulatory support pathways that maximize survival after HTx.

Impact of single-ventricle physiology on death after heart transplantation in adults with congenital heart disease.

Background: Prevalence of univentricular (1V) anatomy over time and whether 1V anatomy is associated with early death after heart transplant (HTx) among recipients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is unknown. We investigated changes in case-mix over time, 1V vs biventricular (2V) status, and the effect of 1V anatomy on death after HTx among ACHD recipients.

Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used to identify ACHD HTx recipients in the United States aged 14 years or older from 1993 to 2007, divided into era 1 (1993 to 2000) and era 2 (2001 to 2007).