Isr Med Assoc J
September 2024
Background: Heart failure (HF) is an emerging pandemic associated with increased mortality, recurrent hospitalizations, and reduced quality of life. Guideline-directed medical therapy has been shown to improve outcomes, particularly in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The main goal of HF clinics is optimizing medical therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Sodium-glucose cotransporter- 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have become a cornerstone in heart failure (HF), Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) management. In the current retrospective study, we aimed to assess efficacy and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors early following acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
Methods: Patients with T2DM hospitalized for AMI in 2017-2020 were divided according to SGLT2 inhibitors therapy status on discharge (with vs without therapy).
Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of mortality in the world. Their most common expression is ischemic heart disease (IHD) such as myocardial infarction (MI). Physical rehabilitation is a common practice for IHD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Heart Fail
January 2024
Background And Objectives: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a form of reversible cardiomyopathy often preceded by mental or physical stressors and predominantly affects elderly women. Several cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers are involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. We aimed to investigate the correlation of C-reactive protein (CRP) level with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and clinical outcomes in patients with TTS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are at increased risk of thromboembolic events originating mainly from left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT). Patients with atrial flutter (AFL) are treated with anticoagulation based on the same criteria as patients with AF. However, whether patients with AFL have similar thromboembolic risk as AF is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The continuity equation (CE) used for evaluating aortic stenosis (AS) is based on values obtained from transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with the assumption that the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) has a circular shape. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) may be used for accurate measurement of the LVOT cross-sectional area (CSA). Previous studies have focused on fusion from TEE for LVOT-CSA measurement and TTE for velocity time integrals (VTI) calculations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiac hypertrophy develops following different triggers of pressure or volume overload. In several previous studies, different hypertrophy types were demonstrated following alterations in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway activation. In the current study, we studied two types of cardiac hypertrophy models in rats: eccentric and concentric hypertrophy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The availability of advanced technologies for mechanical support in hospitals with on-site cardiac surgery (CS), along with the ability to perform urgent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, may result in improved clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the bi-annually Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey (ACSIS) registry from the year 2000 to 2020, performed in hospitals with and without CS. Mortality rates and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) rates are reported.
Aims: Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are used increasingly for patients with heart failure or chronic kidney disease to improve cardiac and renal outcomes. The use of these medications in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) is still limited and lacks evidence regarding the safety profile. In this study, we aimed to report our experience in treating 20 patients, supported by LVAD, with SGLT2 inhibitors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEchocardiographic stress tests are often used to evaluate patients who complain of chest pain. However, some patients fail to reach the target heart rate required for the test to be conclusive (usually defined as 85% of the predicted maximal heart rate based on the patient's age) and are often sent for additional imaging tests, such as myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) or cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA). Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of these additional tests in patients who present with chest pain but did not meet the heart rate requirements for a stress test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In the face of the global pandemic that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created, readily available prognostic markers may be of great use.
Objective: To evaluate the association between serum magnesium (sMg) levels on admission and clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients admitted to a single tertiary center with a primary de novo diagnosis of COVID-19.
Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, originally used for diabetes mellitus, are gaining more popularity for other indications, owing to their positive cardiovascular and renal effects. SGLT2 inhibitors reduce heart failure (HF) hospitalization and improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. Later, SGLT2 inhibitors were evaluated in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF) and had beneficial effects independent of the presence of diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeart failure (HF) is linked to to high mortality rates and recurrent hospitalisations despite medical and device-based achievements. The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) has improved survival among patients with advanced HF. Significant progress has been achieved with the new generation of continuous-flow devices, particularly with the fully magnetically levitated HeartMate 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a unique type of reversible cardiomyopathy that predominantly affects elderly women. The role of physical and emotional stress in the pathophysiology of TTS is well established. However, the association between preceding emotional triggers and clinical outcomes in stable patients has not yet been fully investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), especially hyperglycemia, is associated with increased glucose cell toxicity and oxidative stress that can lead to irreversible damage in the kidney such as diabetic nephropathy (DN). Autophagy plays a key role in the degradation of damaged intracellular proteins in order to maintain intracellular homeostasis and cell integrity. The disturbance of autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Ankle-brachial index (ABI) is an independent prognostic marker of cardiovascular events among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to investigate the outcome of patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and abnormal ABI.
Approach And Results: ABI was prospectively measured in 1,047 patients hospitalized due to ACS, who were stratified into three groups, namely, those with clinical peripheral artery disease (PAD) ( = 132), those without clinical PAD but with abnormal (< 0.
Prostaglandins Other Lipid Mediat
October 2022
Unlabelled: Human serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is a lactonase that plays a significant role in anti-atherosclerotic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) activity. PON1 is also localized in endothelial cell membranes, where it is enzymatically active and regulates endothelial signals. PON1 has a high specificity for lipophilic lactones and has been shown to hydrolyze and regulate lactone lipid mediators derived from arachidonic polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Limited data exist regarding the significance of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
Methods: We evaluated 16,922 consecutive ACS patients who were prospectively included in a national ACS registry. The co-primary endpoint included 30 days major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) (re-infarction, stroke, and/or cardiovascular death) and 1-year mortality.
Risk stratification in acute myocarditis is based on the clinical signs of heart failure, the degree of cardiac dysfunction, and the findings in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). The aim of the current study is to examine the prognostic yield of the natriuretic peptide N-terminal-pro hormone Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in acute myocarditis among patients with preserved/mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). We retrospectively analyzed 59 patients (median age 28 years, 76% males) with ICD-9 discharge diagnosis of acute myocarditis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTakotsubo syndrome is an important condition to consider among patients with acute chest pain in the emergency room. It often mimics acute coronary syndrome since chest pain and ECG changes are key features in both conditions. The hallmark of takotsubo syndrome is transient left ventricular dysfunction (characterized by apical ballooning) followed by complete echocardiographic recovery in most cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite the inherent limitations of the traditional cardiac physical examination (PE), it has not yet been replaced by a more accurate method.
Methods: We hypothesized that a single medical student, following a brief training (two academic hours) with the PHU, will better identify abnormal findings including significant valvular diseases, pericardial effusion and reduced LV function, as compared to PE performed by senior cardiologists and cardiology fellows. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) served as a 'gold standard'.
Medicina (Kaunas)
January 2022
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with several cardiovascular manifestations including myocardial injury, myocarditis, arrhythmia, and pulmonary embolism. Rare cases of stress-induced cardiomyopathy, or takotsubo syndrome have also been reported during the acute infection, and secondary to stress following lockdown and self-isolation. Diagnosis in the setting of the acute infection is challenging since conventional imaging modalities such as transthoracic echocardiography and coronary angiography should be restricted to minimize physician-patient contact until the patients is tested negative for COVID-19.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicina (Kaunas)
January 2022
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease with multi-organ involvement, including the cardiovascular system. The disease may cause several cardiovascular complications, and may increase morbidity and mortality among patients with background cardiovascular disease. Patients with advanced heart failure are often treated with left ventricular assist device (LVAD), and represent a unique population mandating multi-disciplinary approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: upper airway complications are common sequelae of endotracheal tube (ETT) intubation, and systemic corticosteroids are considered a mainstay treatment for this problem. Drug-eluting ETT may present an attractive option for topical steroid delivery while avoiding systemic side effects and improving the therapeutic outcome. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the reduction of tube-related tracheal morbidity a self-designed steroid-eluting ETT with controlled sustained release properties in an animal model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF