Significant strides have been made in the durability, portability, and safety of mechanical circulatory support devices (MCS). Although transplant is considered the standard treatment for advanced heart failure, limits in organ availability leave a much larger pool of recipients in need versus donors. MCS is used as bridge to transplantation and as destination therapy (DT) for patients who will have MCS as their final invasive therapy with transplant not being an option. Despite improvements in quality of life (QOL) and survival, defining the optimal candidate for DT may raise questions regarding the economics of this approach as well as ethical concerns regarding just distribution of goods and services. This paper highlights some of the key ethical issues related to justice and the costs of life-prolonging therapies with respect to resource allocations. Available literature, current debates, and future directions are discussed herein.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/524961 | DOI Listing |
Curr Cardiol Rep
January 2025
Hasselt University, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences / Limburg Clinical Research Centre, Agoralaan, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
Purpose Of Review: This review aims to explore the complex interplay between atrial functional mitral regurgitation (AFMR), atrial fibrillation (AF), and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The goal is to define these conditions, examine their underlying mechanisms, and discuss treatment perspectives, particularly addressing diagnostic challenges.
Recent Findings: Recent research highlights the rising prevalence of AFMR, now accounting for nearly one-third of significant mitral regurgitation cases.
Mol Biol Rep
January 2025
Department of Cardiology, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.
As multiple imaging modalities cannot reliably diagnose cardiac tumors, the molecular approach offers alternative ways to detect rare ones. One such molecular approach is CRISPR-based diagnostics (CRISPR-Dx). CRISPR-Dx enables visual readout, portable diagnostics, and rapid and multiplex detection of nucleic acids such as microRNA (miRNA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJACC Cardiovasc Imaging
January 2025
National Amyloidosis Centre, University College London, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London, United Kingdom.
Cardiac amyloidosis represents a unique disease process characterized by amyloid fibril deposition within the myocardial extracellular space. Advances in multimodality cardiac imaging enable accurate diagnosis and facilitate prompt initiation of disease-modifying therapies. Furthermore, rapid advances in multimodality imaging have enriched understanding of the underlying pathogenesis, enhanced prognostication, and resulted in the development of imaging-based markers that reflect the amyloid burden, which is of increasing importance when assessing the response to treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJACC Cardiovasc Imaging
January 2025
Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Electronic address:
Background: Implementation of semaglutide weight loss therapy has been challenging due to drug supply and cost, underscoring a need to identify those who derive the greatest absolute benefit.
Objectives: Allocation of semaglutide was modeled according to coronary artery calcium (CAC) among individuals without diabetes or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Methods: In this analysis, 3,129 participants in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) without diabetes or clinical CVD met body mass index criteria for semaglutide and underwent CAC scoring on noncontrast cardiac computed tomography.
JACC Clin Electrophysiol
December 2024
Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute and Research Foundation, Kansas City, Kansas, USA. Electronic address:
Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) has become an important therapeutic target for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Over the past 2 decades, several advancements in LAAO devices (percutaneous and surgical) have been made for stroke prevention and arrhythmia therapy. However, there are several unanswered questions regarding optimal patient selection, the preferred LAAO approach and device, the management of periprocedural and postprocedural complications, including pericardial effusion, device-related thrombus, and device leaks.
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