Associations of Left Atrial Volume Index to Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Ratio with Clinical Outcomes in Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Background: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) affects all cardiac chambers to cause left ventricular (LV) deformation as well as left atrial (LA) remodeling and functional impairment. We investigated the associations of the LA volume index (LAVI):LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ratio with the increased risk of death, heart transplant, or LV assist device implantation (LVAD) in patients with ATTR-CM.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study involving 69 heart failure (HF) patients with ATTR-CM at an academic medical center between 1 November 2008 and 31 March 2024.

Racial disparities in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes.

Purpose Of Review: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed preexisting racial disparities in the healthcare system. This review discusses racial-ethnic differences in COVID-19 related outcomes with an emphasis on the social determinants of health that are responsible for these disparities.

Recent Findings: Higher hospitalizations and deaths have been reported amongst minority individuals after a COVID-19 infection.

The effects of pulmonary valve replacement on QRS duration in repaired tetralogy of Fallot patients with pulmonary regurgitation.

Introduction: Chronic pulmonary regurgitation (PR) following surgical correction in Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) leads to right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) decreases PR and improves RV function, but data regarding QRS duration reduction remain scarce.

Methods: All adult TOF patients undergoing transcatheter PVR or surgical PVR from 2010 to 2016 were included.

Chymase-dependent production of angiotensin II: an old enzyme in old hearts.

Unlabelled: Age-dependent alteration of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and generation of angiotensin II (Ang II) are well documented. By contrast, RAS-independent generation of Ang II in aging and its responses to exercise have not been explored. To this end, we examined the effects of chymase, a secretory serine protease, on the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-independent conversion of Ang I to Ang II.