Cardiology

This article was funded by Sanofi and is intended for healthcare professionals.

Fabian Knebel, Sana Klinikum, Berlin, Germany, and Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Charité Campus Mitte, Berlin, Germany, opened the podcast with a definition of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is characterised by left ventricular hypertrophy. Knebel then described the symptoms of the condition, such as shortness of breath and syncope after physical exertion.

Hannah Gower | Cardiology and Internal Medicine Speciality Registrar, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, UK

Andrew R.J. Mitchell | Consultant Cardiologist at Jersey General Hospital, Saint Helier, Jersey; Honorary Consultant Cardiologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK

An estimated 65 million people worldwide have moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term used to describe a group of progressive lung diseases that obstruct airflow such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking contributes to an estimated 90% of COPD cases, as the harmful chemicals produced during tobacco combustion damage the lungs and airways. Although smoking cessation is the only intervention shown to improve COPD prognosis in smokers, many patients who try to quit continue to smoke.

Amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare systemic disease caused by plasma cell dyscrasia. These plasma cells produce excess Ig light chains, which can misfold, aggregate, and deposit in tissues, resulting in toxicity and organ dysfunction. The heart is among the most commonly affected organs and cardiac involvement is associated with significantly worse outcomes.

Caseous mitral annular calcification (CMAC), sometimes called liquefaction necrosis of mitral annular calcification (MAC), is a rare variant of MAC, a chronic degenerative process that progresses with age.

Obstructive HCM is a condition in which the heart has thickened walls that are not caused by blockage of the heart valves or by very high blood pressure. For the majority of patients, the cause of their disease has a genetic basis and is hereditary. A genetic test can diagnose HCM in some patients, but the results are inconclusive in others.

The harmful effects of cigarette smoke on human health are well documented and supported by evidence from preclinical, clinical, and epidemiological studies. Cigarette smoking damages multiple organs and leads to 8 million global deaths per year from direct use and passive exposure of cigarette smoke to non-smokers.

We are honoured to share our EMJ Cardiology 2022 in review interview with Çetin Erol, Cardiologist at İbn-i Sina Hospital, Faculty of…

Essential hypertension, a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), kidney failure, and all-cause mortality, is largely reversible with lifestyle changes and highly efficacious medications. However, the prevalence of raised blood pressure (BP) is increasing globally. Considering its lack of symptoms, many people remain undiagnosed and unaware of the risks. In addition, a lack of perceived benefit makes adhering to pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions challenging for patients.

The aneurysm refers to the increase in arterial diameter in a localised position and this is characterised by the non-parallelism of the arterial wall. Despite prediction models trying to anticipate the onset of an aneurysm, the limits of their accuracy are often reached.

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), also known as stress-related cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning, is a transient systolic and diastolic dysfunction that is often preceded by some physical or emotional triggers. First described in Japan in 1990, it is derived from a Japanese word meaning ‘octopus pot’.

This article discussed cigarette smoking as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Looking through the lens of toxic cigarette smoke constituents, the review described the oxidative stress and inflammatory responses induced following their entry into the bloodstream.

Highlighting a presentation that took place as part of the European Society of Cardiology’s (ESC) Heart Failure 2022 congress, this article summarised data on the efficacy and safety of aficamten in patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

The imminent need to re-evaluate the standard of care in the 90-day high-risk post-acute myocardial infarction period.

This plenary session began with a focus on cutting edge research into the role of the immune system in atherosclerotic cardiovascular dise…

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), pacemakers, and cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) devices are placed in a pocket…

This article will focus on how the emerging field of digital health technology can aid screening for heart disease and explore its usefulness in disease specific and population specific groups.

Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 7 million deaths every year, a death toll that could increase to 8 million by the end of the…

Cardiac myosin inhibitors (CMI) are the first medications specifically targeting the underlying pathophysiology of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Heart Failure and Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction prognosis in relation to treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors…

JAK2-mediated thrombosis overlapping with silent myocardial infarction and an elevated eosinophil count associated with neuropathy…

Patients with COVID 19 with associated myocardial infarction and myocarditis, requiring myocarditis treatment…

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease believed to be a risk factor for cardiovascular events…

A 71-year-old male with atrial fibrillation (AF) was admitted to the authors’ emergency department with fever, progressive dyspnoea…

Myocardial perfusion can be performed using several different methods. In clinical practice, robust techniques include single photon…

REDWOOD-HCM was a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-finding clinical trial of aficamten in patients with symptomatic oHCM on background medical therapy.

December marks the launch of Us2.ai’s automated cardiac analysis platform1 as a cloud-based service on the EchoNous Kosmos device…

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is a rare and aggressive disorder, resulting from the inheritance of mutations in the two alleles of genes regulating the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) function.

One of my first ‘house jobs’ was in cardiology, in a District General Hospital, with two great Consultants, one male and one female…

Patients with HF embark on a vicious cycle characterised by progressive worsening over time, recurrent hospitalisations associated…

The clinical syndrome of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) is characterised by recurrent, acute episodes of rapid heart rate…

The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was designed to penalise hospitals for excess readmission…

The prevalence of heart failure (HF) worldwide is 64.34 million cases, and almost 10 million years have been lost due to HF-related disability…

Percutaneous coronary intervention has become a fundamental diagnostic and treatment strategy in coronary artery disease. Much like any…

Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the heart muscle. Early on, there may be few or no symptoms. As the disease worsens…

Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus (referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-Cov-2]) in December 2019 in Wuhan City, China, and up until now, several studies and trials have been conducted to manage infected patients…

The relationship between COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease has been of interest since the beginning of the pandemic, with the focus more…

Despite the extensive body of evidence demonstrating the risks of tobacco, many people continue to smoke. Medical science…

The 12-lead ECG has long played the leading role in identifying the region of the heart responsible for tachycardia…

Two late-breaking abstracts at the American College of Cardiology’s virtual meeting ACC.21 delved further into the data of two pivotal trials

This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of thromboembolic complications in patients with COVID-19 from March until May 2020.

Oral anticoagulation is currently underused in AF management, with one-third of cases remaining silent and asymptomatic. The STROKESTOP…

Stroke is a cerebrovascular disease, whereby blockage or rupture of a cerebral artery results in cerebral infarction or haemorrhage, respectively…

Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a progressive myocardial disorder characterised by dynamic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT)…

A 63-year-old female presented to hospital with severe, central, sharp chest pain, exacerbated by deep inspiration and upon lying back. She denied cough, fever, or other systemic symptoms…

Prof Banach explained that current lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) with statins, ezetimibe, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin Type 9 inhibitors…

PH encompasses a heterogeneous group of conditions, including PAH (Group 1), PH due to LHD (Group 2), PH due to lung diseases and/or hypoxia…

Advanced stage heart failure accounts for 1-10% of the overall heart failure population and the prevalence is increasing, in part because of…

European and USA treatment guidelines are aligned in their standard recommendation of therapies for symptomatic HFrEF. First-line…

REDUCE-IT was a Phase IIIb, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that randomised 8,179 patients to receive icosapent ethyl (4 g/day) or placebo…

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common and life-threating condition. Approximately 10% of all emergency department (ED)…

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a progressive myocardial disease that impacts function and quality of life. Patients…

I went into cardiology to combine the science of medicine and the practical skills of surgery. I enjoy finding a problem and doing my best to fix it…

Life expectancy of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) has increased in recent decades; however, late complications remain frequent and…

This paper highlights some key differences between females and males with heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction, discusses clinical trials assessing treatments, and proposes what is needed to target HFpEF care according to sex.

Haemophilus parainfluenzae has established itself as an important, albeit uncommon, cause of infective endocarditis (IE)…

The use of biomarkers has become routine in many areas of medicine. Knowing how and why these became incorporated into medical practice…

For >20 years, clinical trials have consistently demonstrated that the reduction of levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol results in lower cardiovascular event rates, in both the primary and secondary prevention setting…

Despite the respiratory tract being the most affected system, many other organs may be involved in Covid-19, including the cardiovascular system

Catheter ablation is a well-established, safe, and effective treatment option for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT)…

Cardiac arrest during surgery is rare but is one of the most dreaded complications, particularly when there is no obvious underlying cause or risk…

HF is a global problem, with an estimated 63 million patients worldwide living with the disease.4 It is projected that the lifetime risk of developing…

Heart failure affects up to 26 million adults worldwide.1 The overall economic cost of heart failure in 2012 was estimated to be $108 billion per annum…

As leaders in the science of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), Actelion (a Janssen Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson) sponsored a key…

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease and inflammation is crucial to all stages of atherogenesis. Targeting inflammation has the potential to reduce…

AF can increase stroke risk and is generally treated with OAC therapy, such as with a VKA or a direct OAC (DOAC). However, what if someone with AF…

PAH is a rare, progressive disorder with a number of aetiologies. Approximately 15–60 patients per million of the global population are affected…

Vascular calcification is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Calcium deposits in coronary arteries can weaken vasomotor…

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a progressive primary myocardial disorder characterised by unexplained left ventricular…

Pulmonary hypertension as a cause of right-sided heart failure and shock is often missed. In the intensive care patient population…

Cardiovascular diseases complicate approximately 0.2–4.0% of pregnancies.1 Their incidence is increasing…

Researchers that individually randomised controlled trials (iRCT) assume that the observed outcomes of participants…

This study aimed to investigate the role of ECG in pre-eclampsia diagnostics and simple clinical parameters in pre-eclampsia patients with and without…

Cardiac procedures and operations following pneumonectomy present with serious challenges, both surgical and anaesthetic…

An angiographic guidewire is a basic, yet key piece of equipment in the interventional cardiologist’s armamentarium. The complications associated…

This symposium brought together experts in cardiology, nephrology, diabetology, and clinical pharmacology to discuss best practice when caring for…

New guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic coronary syndromes (CCS)1 were released during the 2019 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress.

Based on genetic evidence, it is now known that triglyceride-rich lipoproteins lead to atherosclerosis and local inflammation, which can result in…