Publications by authors named "William K Kong"

Background And Purpose: Tenecteplase is a thrombolytic agent with pharmacological advantages over alteplase and has been shown to be noninferior to alteplase for acute ischemic stroke in randomized trials. However, evidence pertaining to the safety and efficacy of tenecteplase in patients from different ethnic groups is lacking. The aim of this systematic review and metaanalysis was to investigate ethnicity-specific differences in the safety and efficacy of tenecteplase versus alteplase in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

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Article Synopsis
  • INOCA, or ischaemia with no obstructive coronary arteries, poses a diagnostic and treatment challenge, linked to higher risks of death and cardiovascular issues, along with increased healthcare costs.
  • While awareness of INOCA is growing in Western populations, its prevalence and recognition in Asian populations are still unclear.
  • The review highlights barriers to diagnosing and managing INOCA, offering strategies to improve the situation.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates sex differences in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), focusing on Asian populations, as this aspect is less understood in this demographic.
  • - Out of 295 patients, men comprised 72%, with women being older and having more health issues like hypertension; women also showed signs of obstructive physiology more frequently.
  • - Findings suggest women are more likely to develop progressive heart failure requiring hospitalization, while men face a higher risk of all-cause mortality.
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Objectives: Aim of the study was to perform a systemic review and meta-analysis of the current case-control studies based on the assessment of the left ventricular (LV) systolic function with standard and advanced echocardiographic methods.

Materials And Methods: Objectives of the study, methods of statisticalanalysis, literature search strategy, inclusion andexclusion criteria, and outcome measurementswere defined according to Cochrane Collaborationsteps, 13 including recommendations for metaanalysisof observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE).

Results: A total of 850 papers were collected.

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Introduction: Prolonged cardiac monitoring after cryptogenic stroke or embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) is necessary to identify atrial fibrillation (AF) that requires anticoagulation. Wearable devices may improve AF detection compared to conventional management. We aimed to review the evidence for the use of wearable devices in post-cryptogenic stroke and post-ESUS monitoring.

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Vortex formation during left ventricular diastolic filling may provide clinically useful insights into cardiac health. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the measurement of vortex formation time (VFT), especially because it is derived noninvasively. There are important applications of VFT in valvular heart disease, athletic physiology, heart failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

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Introduction: Management of aortic stenosis (AS) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may often be overlooked, and this could confer poorer outcomes.

Methods: Consecutive patients ( n = 727) with index echocardiographic diagnosis of moderate to severe AS (aortic valve area <1.5 cm 2 ) were examined.

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Introduction: The obesity paradox, where obesity is associated with improved survival, has been described in patients undergoing haemodialysis and in those with heart failure. It was also demonstrated in patients undergoing valve replacement for aortic stenosis (AS). We explored this phenomenon in medically managed severe AS.

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Background: Patients with mitral stenosis (MS) may be predisposed to acute cerebrovascular events (ACE) and peripheral thromboembolic events (TEE). Concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF), mitral annular calcification (MAC) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are independent risk factors. Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of ACEs in MS patients and the implications of AF, MAC and RHD on thromboembolic risks.

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Recent studies have shown that sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors might exert favourable changes on cardiac parameters as observed on cardiovascular imaging. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac imaging parameters. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus) were searched for studies in which the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac imaging parameters were examined.

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Introduction: The burden of cognitive impairment in heart failure (HF) patients is significant and leads to longer hospital stay, higher readmission rates, and increased mortality. This review seeks to synthesize the available studies to determine the prevalence and incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia in HF patients.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, PsychoINFO, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched from their inception through to May 3, 2021.

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Despite the elucidation of the pathways behind the development of aortic stenosis (AS), there remains no effective medical treatment to slow or reverse its progress. Instead, the gold standard of care in severe or symptomatic AS is replacement of the aortic valve. Oxidative stress is implicated, both directly as well as indirectly, in lipid infiltration, inflammation and fibro-calcification, all of which are key processes underlying the pathophysiology of degenerative AS.

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Purpose: Recent trials suggest glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may have a cardioprotective role by reducing major adverse cardiac events, stroke mortality and heart failure-related hospitalisations. We examined whether and how GLP-1RAs affect cardiac function in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart failure and post-myocardial infarction.

Methods: In this PRISMA-adherent systematic review and meta-analysis, three databases were searched from inception to July 2021 and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021259661).

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Although current evidence is in favor of metabolic health and nonobesity in the reduction of incident cardiovascular disease, little is known regarding the prognosis across the metabolic phenotypes once cardiovascular disease occurs. This study examined the prognosis of patients with significant aortic stenosis (AS) on the basis of the presence of metabolic health and obesity. This a retrospective cohort study on consecutive patients who presented with moderate-to-severe AS to a tertiary hospital between 2010 and 2015.

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Background: The association of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with bradycardia is not well-characterized, which may confer significant morbidity and mortality if left untreated. We sought to clarify the prevalence of comorbid OSA and bradycardia, and the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on bradycardia outcomes.

Methods: We systematically searched four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus) for randomized or observational studies reporting the co-prevalence of sleep apnea and bradycardia or evaluated the use of CPAP on the incidence of bradycardias.

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Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) confers significant mortality and morbidity in patients with underlying mitral stenosis (MS), with both diseased native valves and after valvular procedures.

Purpose: We examined the clinical and echocardiographic parameters in association with the development of IE on patients with significant MS.

Methods: A total of 478 consecutive patients with index echocardiographic diagnosis of significant mitral stenosis (mitral valve area <1.

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Objective: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an increasingly recognised condition in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). However, there is a large variation in the reported prevalence figures, due to differences in populations and diagnostic methods. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, risk factors and outcomes of concomitant CA and AS.

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In Singapore, 9.03 million doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been administered, and 4.46 million people are fully vaccinated.

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Background: Right-sided infective endocarditis (IE) related to intravenous drug use (IVDU) can follow an acute fulminant course. However, there is limited information on its longer-term clinical outcomes.

Aim And Methods: We assessed a cohort of consecutive patients who presented with IVDU complicated by severe tricuspid valve regurgitation to determine their presentation, treatment, and long-term outcomes.

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Aortic stenosis (AS) is increasingly diagnosed in the aging population with more studies focused on the prognostic outcomes of severe asymptomatic AS. However, little is known about the outcomes of moderate asymptomatic AS in the elderly population. From 2001 to 2020, 738 consecutive patients with asymptomatic moderate AS with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction were studied.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a simple and effective percutaneous approach to create tricuspid regurgitation in swine.

Methods: Eleven pigs (71.68 ± 7.

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