Association between right heart catheterization hemodynamics and glycosylated hemoglobin levels in adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Unlabelled: This study hypothesized that elevated glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels are associated with abnormal right heart catheterization (RHC) hemodynamic parameters in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and no prior diagnosis of diabetes.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients with HFrEF and no prior diagnosis of diabetes who underwent RHC and had HbA1c levels measured 30 days before or after the RHC. This study excluded patients who had received blood transfusions within 90 days prior to HbA1c measurement and patients with known diabetes.

Refractory Shock Secondary to Denosumab-induced Severe Hypocalcaemia.

Unlabelled: Denosumab is one of the most commonly used antiresorptive drugs for osteoporosis treatment and the prevention of skeletal-related events in cancer patients. The purpose of this case report is to highlight potentially life-threatening severe hypocalcaemia as a side effect of denosumab complicated by refractory shock that failed to respond to medical management including intravenous calcium, vasopressors and inotropes in an elderly man with a history of prostatic cancer.

Learning Points: Denosumab is a commonly used antiresorptive drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis and to prevent skeletal-related events in patients with cancer.

Pleural Effusions in Patients With Congestive Heart Failure: Frequency, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Implications.

Patients with cardiac disease frequently develop pleural effusions; the incidence is approximately 500,000 cases per year in the United States. These effusions often represent important clinical events for patients, indicating that either there has been an acute change in the patient's clinical status or the patient's chronic management program needs review. These effusions usually develop in both the right and left hemithorax but can be unilateral.