Predictive Factors and Risk Assessment for Hospitalization in Chest Pain Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department.

Background: Chest pain is one of the most common reasons for emergency department (ED) visits. Patients presenting with inconclusive symptoms complicate the diagnostic process and add to the burden upon the ED. This study aimed to determine factors possibly influencing ED decisions on hospitalization versus discharge for patients with the diagnosis of chest pain.

Knowledge of Illness Trajectory and Symptoms of Heart Failure in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: Preventive management of heart failure (HF) should involve strategies to increase awareness of HF in patients with pre-HF and those at risk of HF. However, the perception of HF in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unclear. This study aimed to assess patient understanding of the definition of HF for the public (i.

Acute coronary syndrome rates by age and sex before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel: nationwide study.

Background: There have been reports of sharp declines in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to assess nationwide ACS emergency department (ED) visit rates across age and sex subgroups and the general population, with a comparison before and throughout the pandemic's various phases.

Methods: A multiple interrupted time series analysis was used to assess 61 349 ACS nationwide hospital visits from January 2018 to December 2021 at monthly intervals.

Left ventricular systolic function after percutaneous coronary intervention: patterns of change and prognosis according to clinical presentation of coronary artery disease.

Background: Whether there are differences in the left ventricular ejection fraction change (ΔLVEF) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its association with long-term prognosis according to coronary artery disease (CAD) presentations is unknown. We assessed ΔLVEF after PCI and its association with 5-year mortality in various CAD presentations.

Methods: This study included 8181 patients with paired (before and 6-8 months after PCI) angiographic LVEF measurements: 4582 patients with chronic coronary disease (CCD), 1972 patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) and 1627 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Different giant cell arteritis phenotypes may present distinct types of ischaemic complications.

Objectives: To determine if the subtype of vascular ultrasound (US) presentation is associated with different types of ischaemic complications (IC) in giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods: Retrospective observational analysis of GCA clinically confirmed patients referred to US fast-track clinics at two centres. All patients underwent baseline US of cranial and extracranial arteries (carotid, subclavian and axillary).

Invasive vs conservative management in elderly patients with NSTEMI- insights from the SENIOR-RITA trial.

The SENIOR-RITA trial randomized 1,518 elderly Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients to invasive or conservative strategies. The primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death or nonfatal Myocardial Infarction (MI) occurred in 25.6% of the invasive group versus 26.

Esophageal perforation mimicking an acute inferior myocardial infarction: a case report.

Background: Esophageal perforation is a rare but life-threatening condition associated with a high mortality rate and often presents with nonspecific clinical manifestations that can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment. When combined with ST-segment elevation on electrocardiography (ECG), it can be particularly challenging to distinguish esophageal perforation from acute inferior myocardial infarction, as the two conditions may share similar ECG findings.

Case Description: We report the case of a 65-year-old man with a significant history of long-term alcohol consumption who presented to our hospital (the Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) with persistent oppressive pain in the anterior and posterior left chest.

Evaluation of the Relationship between QT Dispersion in ECG and Response to Primary PCI in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: St-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a serious condition that occurs when the blood flow to one or more coronary arteries is blocked, leading to damage or death of the heart muscle (myocardial injury or necrosis). The present study aimed to compare QTc and QTd intervals in patients with STEMI before and 90 minutes after treatment in Booali Sina Hospital, Qazvin, Iran.

Methods: The present study is an analytical cross-sectional study.

Establishment and application of an intraoperative reperfusion arrhythmia prediction model for PCI in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of reperfusion arrhythmia during direct percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and its impact on prognosis.

Methods: A total of 286 elderly ACS patients admitted to Kweichow Moutai Hospital from January 2019 to February 2023 were included in this retrospective study, with 200 patients used for model development and 86 for validation. Patients were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria applied to existing medical records.

Fulminant Pyopericardium: A Case Report.

Pyopericardium has been seldom reported in the literature and carries a high mortality. The authors present the case of a 67-year-old woman with a pyopericardium diagnosis, masked by chest pain related to subacute, non-revascularized coronary syndrome. We report this case not only due to its uniqueness but also to raise awareness of the importance of a rapid diagnostic and treatment approach.

A Case of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in a 65-Year-Old Woman Triggered by Emotional Stress.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM), also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy or "broken heart syndrome," is a transient cardiac condition that often mimics acute coronary syndrome (ACS) but lacks obstructive coronary artery disease. TCM primarily affects postmenopausal women and is often precipitated by physical or emotional stress. This report presents a case of TCM in a 65-year-old woman, emphasizing the diagnostic challenges and clinical management required to distinguish TCM from ACS.

A rare complication of blood donation: MINOCA.

Blood donation is a life-saving process that involves the temporary loss of a specific blood volume. Although generally safe, it may lead to adverse reactions, particularly in first-time donors. Among these, severe outcomes like myocardial infarction (MI) are extremely rare.

New Targets for Antithrombotic Medications: Seeking to Decouple Thrombosis from Hemostasis.

Arterial and venous thromboses are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Numerous antithrombotic agents are currently available with antiplatelet, thrombolytic/fibrinolytic, and anticoagulant activity. However, all the currently available antithrombotic agents carry a risk of bleeding that often prevents their use.

Two still unanswered questions about uric acid and cardiovascular prevention: Is a specific uric acid cut-off needed? Is hypouricemic treatment able to reduce cardiovascular risk?

Aims: The most frequent consequence of elevated uric acid (UA) levels is the development of gout and urate kidney disease. Besides these effects, several studies have investigated the association between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular (CV) disease. High serum UA has been identified as an important determinant of all-cause and CV mortality and CV events (acute and chronic coronary syndrome, stroke and peripheral artery disease).

Aspirin modulates generation of procoagulant phospholipids in cardiovascular disease, by regulating LPCAT3.

Background: Enzymatically oxygenated phospholipids (eoxPL) from lipoxygenases (LOX) or cyclooxygenase (COX) are pro-thrombotic. Their generation in arterial disease, and their modulation by cardiovascular therapies is unknown. Furthermore, the Lands cycle acyl-transferases that catalyze their formation are unidentified.

Ticagrelor monotherapy after short DAPT in ACS: Time to turn theory into practice.

Guidelines still recommend 12-month DAPT after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This is possibly due to the insufficient power of most trials to detect hard ischemic endpoints, particularly in the subgroup of high ischemic-risk patients, such as those with ST-elevation ACS. Individual patient data meta-analyses play an important role in overcoming these limitations.

Antithrombotic therapy in patients with chronic coronary syndrome: a focus on the 2024 European Society of Cardiology guidelines.

Antithrombotic therapy represents the mainstay of the pharmacological treatment in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The optimal choice, combination, and duration of antithrombotic therapy represent still a clinical conundrum requiring a critical assessment of patient comorbidities, clinical presentation, and PCI features. The 2024 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the management of patients with CCS have been recently published encompassing new and revised recommendations on antithrombotic therapy.

Performance of the ARC-HBR Criteria in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Significance of Smoking as an Additional Bleeding Risk Factor.

Background And Aims: The Academic Research Consortium for High Bleeding Risk Criteria (ARC-HBR) are recommended by guidelines for bleeding risk assessment in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to identify possible other risk factors and adjust the original ARC-HBR criteria for confounders.

Methods: All consecutive STEMI patients managed in a Finnish tertiary hospital between 2016-2022 were identified using a database search.

Long-term efficacy of drug-coated balloon only angioplasty for IgG4-related coronary artery disease: a case report.

Background: Although coronary artery involvement in patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is rare, emergency revascularization is recommended for managing acute coronary syndrome. However, coronary aneurysm formation and stent migration after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation have been reported for this disease. Thus, new treatment modalities are warranted for the management of coronary artery disease in this vasculitis.

Platelet-Leukocyte Aggregate and Interleukin-6: An Emerging Perspective on a New Diagnostic and Therapeutic Clue for Acute Coronary Syndrome, A Case-Control Study.

Background And Aims: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is one of the most important cardiovascular diseases. The rupture of atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries is considered the underlying pathophysiology of ACS. The interaction between cytokines and leukocytes in the presence of platelets results in platelet-leukocyte aggregate (PLA).

Thoracic and Cardiovascular Imaging Manifestations of Lupus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly referred to as lupus, is a widely prevalent chronic autoimmune disease that can affect any organ system in the body. Although the pathogenesis of this disease is rather complex and poorly understood, ultimately there is an overproduction of multiple self-reactive antinuclear antibodies. These autoantibodies are one of the laboratory hallmarks of the diagnosis and disease activity of SLE.

Can the Present Canadian Health Care System Provide Evidence-Based Pharmaceutical Care? Consideration of Two Important Cardiovascular Clinical Contexts.

Background: Canada is the only country with universal health care lacking universal pharmaceutical care (pharmacare). Currently, a minority portion of the population has drug coverage. Furthermore, there may be discordance between provincial plans of medications that are covered.

TEAD1-Mediated Trans-Differentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells into Fibroblast-Like Cells Contributes to the Stabilization and Repair of Disrupted Atherosclerotic Plaques.

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture mainly contributes to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Insufficient repair of these plaques leads to thrombosis and subsequent ACS. Central to this process is the modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) phenotypes, emphasizing their pivotal role in atherosclerotic plaque stability and healing post-disruption.