18F- FDG PET/CT in reclassifying the probable diagnosis of IE - A review.

In the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE), Modified Duke's criteria, coupled with clinical suspicion, serve as the guiding framework. For cases involving prosthetic valve endocarditis and infections affecting implantable devices, the use of metabolic imaging with 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans has gained prominence, as per the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. This imaging modality enhances sensitivity and specificity by identifying infective foci within the heart and extracardiac locations.

Expert Consensus on Ivabradine-based Therapy for Heart Rate Management in Chronic Coronary Syndrome and Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction in India.

Heart rate is an important indicator of health and disease and the modulation of heart rate can help to improve cardiovascular outcomes. Besides β-blockers, Ivabradine is a wellestablished heart rate modulating drug that reduces heart rate without any hemodynamic effects. This consensus document was developed with the help of expert opinions from cardiologists across India on effective heart rate management in routine clinical practice and choosing an appropriate Ivabradine-based therapy considering the available scientific data and guideline recommendations.

Coronary-to-coronary bypass grafting in aortoarteritis: a case report.

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is an idiopathic vasculitis affecting the aorta and its major branches. In TA, coronary artery involvement is rare and it mainly consists of stenosis or occlusion of the coronary ostia. In TA, as the arterial tree is diseased, often, arterial grafts are unsuitable for grafting so the saphenous vein grafts (SVG) are commonly used.

Parenteral Iron in Heart Failure: An Indian Perspective.

Iron deficiency (ID) is clinically significant comorbidity usually reported with acute and chronic heart failure (HF) and associated with prognostic outcomes, independent of anemia. The exact cause of ID and anemia and their association with HF is not entirely clear. Current evidence highlights neuro-hormonal and proinflammatory cytokine activation and renal dysfunction favoring the development of anemia and ID.

Expert Opinion on P2Y12 Inhibitors Use in Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Focus on Ticagrelor.

Ticagrelor is a potent, oral P2Y12 inhibitor used as a part of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). New evidence has emerged for its use in ACS, which may be crucial for the Indian context. This brought together nearly 150 experts in ACS management across the country who reviewed the current evidence and discussed the same through a series of 10 meetings on an online platform.

Can OCT change the therapeutic strategy in ACS due to plaque erosion?

The pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes was thought to be coronary thrombosis over a plaque rupture. Autopsy studies revealed that not all cases were due to plaque rupture, even denuded endothelium or calcific nodule can beget a thrombus. Introduction of OCT made, in vivo recognition of lesion morphology clear.

Screening for Hypertension in Asymptomatic Individuals in India: An Expert Consensus Statement.

Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) is a rapidly growing epidemic in India. It is no larger restricted to older adults as more young Indians are being diagnosed with HTN. Despite its significant prevalence, the awareness, treatment, and control of HTN remain low in India.

A Rare Case of Pulmonary Embolism.

Pulmonary embolism is the occlusion of the pulmonary arteries by blood or foreign material. Commonly pulmonary embolism is seen when thrombus from the deep veins of the legs or pelvis embolise into the pulmonary artery. Rarely tumours, vegetations can embolise to pulmonary artery.

Heart Rate in Hypertension: Review and Expert Opinion.

Heart rate (HR) is strongly associated with both peripheral and central blood pressures. This association has implications in hypertension (HTN) prognosis and management. Elevated HR in HTN further elevates the risk of adverse outcomes.

Ivabradine: Evidence and current role in cardiovascular diseases and other emerging indications.

Increased heart rate (HR) is associated with deleterious effects on several disease conditions. Chronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the cardiovascular diseases with recurrent hospitalization burden and an ongoing drain on health-care expenditure. Despite advancement in medicine, management of CHF remains a challenge to health-care providers.

S-Amlodipine: An Isomer with Difference-Time to Shift from Racemic Amlodipine.

Calcium channel blockers are among the first-line drugs for treatment of hypertension (HTN). S-amlodipine (S-AM), an S-enantiomer of amlodipine, is available in India and in other countries like China, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, and Nepal. Being clinically researched for nearly two decades, we performed in-depth review of S-AM.

Association of Physicians of India: Position Statement on Role of Chirally Pure Molecules in Clinical Practice.

Chirally pure molecules or enantiomers are non-superimposable mirror images of each other with a chiral center (such as carbon, sulphur, nitrogen or phosphorous atom). An equimolar mixture of enantiomers forms a racemate. Chirally pure molecules (single enantiomers) are important in the field of drug discovery as the drug targets such as enzymes and receptors are enantioselective in nature.

Pharmacological Reperfusion Therapy with Tenecteplase in 7,668 Indian Patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction - A Real World Indian Experience.

Objective: This real-world, observational, prescription event monitoring study was conducted to evaluate safety and efficacy of indigenous tenecteplase (TNK-tPA) in Indian patients presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods: This is a multi-centric, observational, prescription event monitoring study. Data was collected for 7,668 patients from 1,307 investigator sites across India from January 2011 to February 2016.

Risk factor profile of calcific aortic stenosis.

Background: Calcific aortic stenosis and coronary artery disease share common risk factors. In some of the previous studies statins have been used to retard the progression of aortic stenosis, but the results were inconsistent.

Methods: One hundred and ten patients of CAS above the age of 40 years have undergone clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic evaluation.

Role of PET-CT in the assessment of myocardial viability in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Aim: Role of PET-CT in assessment of myocardial viability in patients with LV dysfunction.

Methods: This prospective study included 120 patients with LV dysfunction who underwent 99mTechnetium-Sestamibi myocardial perfusion SPECT-CT and 18FFDG cardiac PET-CT. They also underwent serial echocardiography and coronary angiography along with myocardial perfusion and FDG PET study.

Asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis with normal left ventricular function - A review.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the commonest forms of acquired valvular heart disease. Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is the treatment of choice for symptomatic severe AS. Conservative management is usually advocated for asymptomatic severe AS.

Cardiac Biomarkers for Better Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) causes significant mortality and morbidity. Timely diagnosis allows clinicians to risk stratify their patients and select appropriate treatment. Biomarkers have been used to diagnose or rule out AMI.

Calcific aortic valve disease: is it another face of atherosclerosis?

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common valvular heart disease in the elderly. As life expectancy increases, prevalence of CAVD is expected to rise. CAVD is characterized by progressive dystrophic calcification of aortic cusps.

Dual antiplatelet therapy in acute coronary syndromes and coronary artery interventions.

Optimization of platelet inhibition in patients with acute coronary syndromes reduces the risk for ischemic events, but at the same time increases the risk for bleeding. There are several predictors of bleeding risk in patients with acute coronary syndromes. These include demographic variables such as advanced age, female gender, low body weight, concomitant diseases such as diabetes,renal insufficiency, noncardiac vascular disease such as cerebral vascular disease and a history of bleeding.

Low flow low gradient aortic stenosis: clinical pathways.

Aortic stenosis patients with severe LV dysfunction and low cardiac output present with relatively low transvalvular gradients. It is difficult to distinguish them from aortic sclerosis and LV dysfunction with low cardiac output. The former condition is severe AS with LV dysfunction and latter is primarily a contractile dysfunction.

Renal artery stenting: one year outcome on BP control and antihypertensive medication.

Aim: There is lot of controversy regarding the efficacy of renal artery stenting in atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate blood pressure control and requirement of antihypertensive drugs after renal artery stenting.

Methods And Results: Eighty patients who have undergone renal artery stenting for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis with hypertension were evaluated and followed up for one year.