Myocardial Strain and Association With Clinical Outcomes in Danon Disease: A Model for Monitoring Progression of Genetic Cardiomyopathies.

Background Myocardial strain can identify subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in various cardiac diseases, but its association with clinical outcomes in genetic cardiomyopathies remains unknown. Herein, we assessed myocardial strain in patients with Danon disease (DD), a rare X-linked autophagic disorder that causes severe cardiac manifestations. Methods and Results Echocardiographic images were reviewed and used to calculate myocardial strain from a retrospective, international registry of patients with DD.

Methamphetamine-Associated Heart Failure Hospitalizations Across the United States: Geographic and Social Disparities.

Background Although methamphetamine abuse is associated with the development of heart failure (HF), nationwide data on methamphetamine-associated HF (MethHF) hospitalizations are limited. This study evaluates nationwide HF hospitalizations associated with substance abuse to better understand MethHF prevalence trends and the clinical characteristics of those patients. Methods and Results This cross-sectional period-prevalence study used hospital discharge data from the National Inpatient Sample to identify adult primary HF hospitalizations with a secondary diagnosis of abuse of methamphetamines, cocaine, or alcohol in the United States from 2002 to 2014.

Highly Sensitive Cardiac Troponins: The Evidence Behind Sex-Specific Cutoffs.

Emergence of various highly sensitive cardiac troponin assays into clinical practice provides a new tool for clinicians diagnosing acute coronary syndrome. These assays also create a challenge for laboratories and clinicians who have yet to familiarize themselves with sex-specific cutoffs. Healthy men and women, studied across various age groups and geographic locations, have notable differences in baseline values of highly sensitive cardiac troponin I and T, leading to establishment of sex-specific upper reference limits and cutoffs.