Postinfarction Ventricular Septal Ruptures During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Two Case Series.

This case series highlights the occurrence of hemodynamically significant ventricular septal defects (VSDs) in two patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to emphasize the delayed presentation of cardiac emergencies, such as STEMI, due to concerns about contracting COVID-19. This delay has led to an increased risk of rare complications, including VSD, associated with STEMI.

Radial Arteriovenous Fistula After a Left Heart Catheterization: Two Case Reports.

The distal transradial artery (TRA) approach has been increasing in popularity over recent years due to its favorable ergonomics and potential for fewer vascular complications. Other advantages include lower bleeding risk, early ambulation, lower procedural costs, and same-day discharge, resulting in additional cost savings. We discuss two cases of patients who underwent left heart catheterizations through the radial artery access site and afterwards experienced fistula formation.

Cardiac Biventricular Metastasis From Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Secondary cardiac tumors are much more common than primary tumors. Cardiac metastases from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are rare and can present many years after the patient has been disease-free. We report the case of a 64-year-old man who had been treated for recurrent metastatic RCC.

The Discontinuation of Antibiotics in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation and a Positive Respiratory Viral Assay: A Single-center Retrospective Analysis.

Background The use of antibiotics in chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) exacerbations attributed to viral infections is observed in this study. The aim of this analysis is to describe the rate of discontinuation of antibiotics in patients who have an acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) caused by viral infections, in turn encouraging the use of the respiratory viral panel in an effort to improve antibiotic stewardship at our facility. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed.

A Twisting Tale of Infective Endocarditis.

We present a case of a unique complication of enterococcus endocarditis in an elderly man with a cardiac pacemaker who presented with low-grade fever and cough. He had no history of IV drug use. Blood cultures were positive for Enterococcus faecalis, Both trans-thoracic echo and trans-esophageal echo showed vegetation on the aortic valve.

A case report of atrial myxoma presenting with systemic embolization and myocardial infarction.

Background: Cardiac myxomas are the most common benign primary tumour of the heart. Clinical presentation is variable and ranges from constitutional symptoms to clinical features due to intracardiac obstruction, such as mitral stenosis, coronary embolization, or systemic embolization. Surgical resection is the only effective treatment to prevent its debilitating and catastrophic complication.

Renal cholesterol crystal embolism in the setting of warfarin use.

A 73-year-old man presented for evaluation of weakness and black tarry stools that occurred 1 day prior to admission. His medical history is significant for diabetes mellitus, stage 3 chronic kidney disease and deep vein thrombosis on warfarin. He was admitted to the hospital and was found to have acute kidney injury and gastrointestinal bleeding due to a supratherapeutic International Normalized Ratio.

Return of the old guard: a case of tetanus in an unvaccinated patient.

A 78-year-old woman with no known medical history presented with severe neck pain that began 4 days prior to admission located in the paraspinal cervical region radiating to the shoulders, legs and back. She had associated stiffness of her neck and progression of pain to her jaw and throat with progression to generalised body spasms with lower extremity stiffness and weakness that limited her ability to walk. She quickly developed dysphagia and odynophagia with subsequent generalised spasms and profound hypoxic respiratory failure requiring nasotracheal intubation.

Left ventricular apical hypertrophy in a transplanted heart: a case report.

Background: Left ventricular apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a rare presentation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy associated with thickening of the apical segment of the left ventricle. It was initially described in Japan in 1976 and is characterized by electrocardiogram findings showing giant T wave inversions in the precordial leads as well as a spade shaped appearance of the apical cavity on imaging (Abugroun et al., Cardiol Res 8:265-268, 2017).