Cardiology

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…

Cardiac amyloidosis is a rare but life-threatening group of disorders caused by the extracellular deposition of misfolded amyloid fibrils in cardiac tissue.

The authors present a brief overview on the current role of cardiac rehabilitation among HF patients in a contemporary setting and discuss some areas of…

In this review, the authors present and discuss the scientific and clinical evidence pertaining to the role of Lp(a) in calcific aortic valve stenosis.

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common form of arrhythmia, increases the risk of heart failure, stroke, and death. Management of AF focusses on…

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common form of arrhythmia, is characterised by an irregular and often fast heart rhythm resulting in uncoordinated…

In the last two decades, the interest in tricuspid valve (TV) treatment has increased;1,2 nevertheless, there is still a large percentage…

In the late 20th century, lipid lowering medications appeared to be the answer for coronary heart disease. However, despite reductions in mortality…

A contemporary conceptual framework that was proposed to distinguish between different chronic heart failure (HF) patients has highlighted varying…

Pump failure and sudden cardiac death are the leading causes of death in heart failure patients; sudden cardiac death accounts for 30–50% of deaths…

The importance of inflammation and thrombosis in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis was debated in the 19th century by two prominent pathologists…

Prof Masana presented evidence that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is a causal factor for atherosclerosis and that cardiovascular disease (CVD…

Andexanet alfa is a modified factor Xa (FXa) drug designed to bind and sequester FXa inhibitors and thus reverse anticoagulation…

For >50 years, coronary angiography has been the gold standard for the assessment of coronary anatomy; however, as an isolated technique to guide the…

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Myocardial injury in acute MI is due to both ischaemic as well…

Due to recent advances in antineoplastic treatment for breast cancer, cancer-related mortality has substantially decreased. However, several systemic…

Anaemia is a significant challenge in global health; it is characterised by lower than normal levels of red blood cells and haemoglobin per unit volume…

Chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) is one of the principal challenges for clinicians treating asymptomatic Chagasic patients. Only benznidazole (BZ)…

Coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO), in spite of excellent progress in the field of medicine, remain a great challenge for interventional cardiologists.

Since its introduction, the success of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has been jeopardised by recoil, neointima proliferation, and…

This 20 minutes didactic procedure concerns a 64 years old male presenting with anterior wall proven ischemia with diffuse coronary multivessels disease…

Cardiac disease often impacts cancer therapy, from direct toxicity of cancer therapeutic agents to the coronary endothelium, the myocardium, heart valves…

Second-generation drug-eluting stents are currently considered the standard of care in patients undergoing treatment for coronary artery disease…

Ischaemic mitral prolapse (IMP) is a pathologic entity encountered in about one-third of patients undergoing surgery for ischaemic mitral regurgitation.

Cardiac diseases have complex molecular origins. However, current clinical diagnostic tools are often inadequate to uncover specific molecular components…

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) encompasses a spectrum of clinical disorders of myocardial ischaemia or infarction, with atherosclerosis leading to…

Premature atrial and ventricular contractions, or ectopic beats, are frequently detected on routine electrocardiogram monitoring.

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) affects mainly young athletes <35 years old and has a potential risk of malignant arrhythmias and sudden death.

This review gathers evidence to enable recognition of cardiac cachexia and improve identification of patients with terminal heart failure.

Cardiogenic shock (CS), a state of inadequate tissue perfusion due to cardiac dysfunction, remains the leading cause of death following acute myocardial…

Non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol is the sum of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)…

The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK is set to introduce major changes to the NHS Choices website in the following months, after an increased…

Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitor therapy has been shown to be beneficial in patients with reduced left ventricular systolic function…

This symposium discussed several recent initiatives used around the world to improve the management of hypertensive patients and achieve better blood…

Clinical trials show that non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have good efficacy-safety profiles relative to warfarin across a broad…

This case-based satellite symposium chaired by Prof Konstantinides addressed important and topical aspects of the management of acute pulmonary embolism…

The meeting’s objectives were to review the principles in diagnosing Fabry disease according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on…

The original Fontan procedure was first introduced in the 1970s. The concept behind this surgical technique was revolutionary. It has subsequently…

Although there have been marked improvements in both diagnostic and therapeutic interventions over several decades, coronary artery disease (CAD) remains…

An elderly hypertensive lady presented to us with acute coronary syndrome; an angiogram revealed total thrombotic occlusion of large left circumflex…

Coronary artery spasm is an abnormality of coronary vascular smooth muscle contraction that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The…

Heart valve disease is a very common medical condition; the most frequent aetiology is degenerative valve disease, mainly represented by calcific aortic…

This case report describes a 27-year-old pregnant woman with a gestational age of 26 weeks and 3 days who developed cardiac arrest in her home…

Chest pain and coronary artery disease (CAD) impose a substantial burden on public health and society. Diagnostic imaging tests are used by clinicians to…

Within 10 years following a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), only 60% of vein grafts and 90% of internal mammary artery (IMA) grafts remain patent.

Diabetes is a non-communicable disease (NCD) meaning that it often cannot be seen. After 20 years of living with Type 1 diabetes I am lucky to have no…

The dawn of the millennium coupled with developments in technology has led to the computerisation of information previously collected with paper and…

Prof Williams opened the symposium by discussing the current state of blood pressure (BP) control in Europe and the key barriers to improving BP control…

Patients with elevated blood pressure (BP) represent a major problem for primary care physicians, not only because of the large number of these patients…

This symposium provided an excellent forum to discuss the global burden of hypertension, its challenges and approaches to best management.

This educational symposium discussed advances in blocking the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) for patients with chronic systolic heart failure..

Rivaroxaban is a direct factor Xa inhibitor and a non-vitamin K antagonist (VKA) novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) approved for a number of indications.

The pivotal Fifth Organization to Assess Strategies in Acute Ischemic Syndromes (OASIS-5) trial demonstrated that fondaparinux was non-inferior to…

The mechanical treatment of coronary artery stenoses by placement of balloon-expandable (Bx) coronary stents has become the most widely used invasive…

The satellite symposium was held in two separate sessions – the first a traditional symposium format, and the second as an interactive panel discussion in..

During the last decade, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a revolution in the treatment of high-risk severe aortic stenosis (AS).

The objective was to calculate the cost-effectiveness profile of STENTYS compared to conventional bare and drug-eluting stents (DES).

In most patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) without severe mitral regurgitation (MR), left ventricular (LV) function is preserved.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most frequent valvulopathy in the general population with an incidence that grows with age and is associated with a poor…

Transcatheter therapy for valvular heart disease (VHD) as an alternative for surgery, as the standard of care, has emerged rapidly over the last 10 years.

Background: The global burden of coronary heart disease (CHD) is estimated to be the highest on the Indian subcontinent. The pathophysiology of this…

The Lipid Regulatory Hypothesis (LRH) states that the best way to regress atherosclerotic plaque is to simultaneously decrease the cholesterol being…

Cardiovascular (CV) diseases currently represent the first cause of death in industrialised countries with coronary heart disease (CHD) corresponding to…

At the age of four, my daughter Bek began to have troubles with fatigue. Her mother noted that she was drinking more water and seemed to have to go to…

The aim of this review is to determine, among patients admitted with dyspnoea, the proportion of patients that can be excluded from having acute…

Congenital cardiac patients have benefitted from the advent and refinement of corrective and palliative cardiac surgery and echocardiography.

Dr Jeffrey Weitz chaired the symposium and welcomed Dr Christian Ruff, who discussed and summarised recent results from key trials of new oral…

Prof Gregory Lip opened the symposium with a discussion on determining stroke and bleeding risk in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and their management.

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH), a rare inherited lipid disorder usually caused by bi-allelic defects in the LDLR gene, is characterised…

Valvular heart disease is a growing field, and the number of new approaches for percutaneous treatment is increasing rapidly. These procedures usually…

Although the classical risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are very important, identification of potential novel risk factors could help…

Double orifice mitral valve (DOMV) is a rare congenital mitral valve (MV) disorder. It is associated with other types of congenital heart disease in 45%…

Aortic stenosis (AS), i.e. calcification and obstruction of the aortic valve (AV), is the most common type of valvular heart disease. The therapeutic…

Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) protects against the development of atherosclerosis by hydrolysing damaging lipid peroxides formed in low-density lipoprotein (LDL)…

There is evidence to suggest that endothelin (ET-1) is involved in the pathophysiology of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), contributing to…

Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a devastating disease with a high mortality. Its microbiology is changing with increasing incidence of Staphylococcus…

This educational seminar, supported by an independent educational grant from Daiichi Sankyo, was held at the AHA congress in Dallas on 19th November 2013.

The following is an executive summary of the abstract presentation by Prof Robert Giugliano on the ENGAGE AF – TIMI 48 trial primary results.

This educational symposium, supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Daiichi Sankyo, was given at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)…

The current management of patients with hypertension, especially those with a high risk of coronary artery disease should take into account the role of…

Dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban are four new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). There are an increasing number of indications for which these…

This Boehringer Ingelheim sponsored satellite symposium was held on 2nd September 2013 as part of the ESC conference, which was hosted this year in…

Ischaemic/embolic complications are the most common severe consequences of atrial fibrillation. Although chronic anticoagulation with warfarin has been…

Atrial fibrillation (AF) associated with familial hyperthyroidism (FH) spanning three generations concomitantly, is rare. The index case was 10 years old…

An increased risk of coronary heart disease was an immediate healthcare concern following the mass arrival of South Asian immigrants to the UK, and it…

Patients who have been treated for aortic coarctation (CoA) have increased late cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, which is partly due to the…

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is a vascular disease that affects small and medium-sized arteries and veins of both upper and lower extremities. Distal…

Studies of family history (FH) have long been used to estimate the heritability of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)…

Oral anticoagulation with vitamin-K-antagonists has well known limitations and requires routine clinical monitoring of coagulation parameters. The new…