Roughly one third of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have some degree of myocardial injury and this comes hand in hand with increased mortality compared against patients with no troponin elevation. Even mild forms of myocardial injury, such as 0.03 to 0.09 ng/mL troponin elevation, is associated with close to 100% increase in mortality (HR: 1.75;<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/07/01/myocardial-injury-in-one-third-of-covid-19-patients/" title="Read more" >...</a>
The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically altered reperfusion therapy access in patients undergoing ST elevation MI. In these adverse times, it seems prudent to reassess the reperfusion algorithm. Even though primary PCI is the standard reperfusion strategy, to fully benefit from it is essential to keep first medical-contact-to-PCI time between 90 to 120 minutes (depending on<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/05/15/in-favor-of-the-use-of-thrombolytics-in-pandemic-times/" title="Read more" >...</a>
This pre-specified protocol originally included 777 patients with chronic kidney failure. These patients are a special population of higher risk where we might be able to see the advantage of a more aggressive initial strategy. Death or MI rate (combined primary end point) resulted 36.4% for the invasive strategy vs. 36.7% for the initially conservative<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/04/03/virtual-acc-2020-ischemia-ckd-invasive-strategy-vs-medical-treatment-in-higher-risk-patients/" title="Read more" >...</a>
It’s been a while since the demanding and tough 2017 document written jointly between ACC and AHA where, with much controversy, cutoff hypertension values were taken to extreme limits. In fact, more flexible ESC guidelines came out a few months later. Despite this document, hypertension-related cardiovascular death kept increasing in the US across all age<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/03/26/virtual-acc-2020-more-evidence-in-support-of-the-demanding-2017-hypertension-guidelines/" title="Read more" >...</a>
After transcatheter mitral valve repair with MitraClip, the COAPT patients saw improved quality of life, better survival rate and fewer hospitalizations for cardiac failure at long term follow-up.&nbsp; Improved quality of life had already been presented, exactly one year ago at the ACC 2019. In that occasion, it was established that the MitraClip reduces symptoms<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/03/25/virtual-acc-2020-coapt-better-quality-of-life-translates-into-harder-end-points/" title="Read more" >...</a>
This retrospective study has shown a reduction in hospitalization for cardiac failure in patients who were already using statins receiving anthracycline and trastuzumab in the context of breast cancer. The study was to be presented during the ACC 2020 scientific sessions together with the World Congress of Cardiology. However, it had to be called off<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/03/23/virtual-acc-2020-statins-could-also-protect-against-chemotherapy-cardiotoxicity/" title="Read more" >...</a>
In the past few days, many doctors appear to have caught wind of somewhat unfounded data. According to this information, the novel COVID-19 would use angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors to enter cells and, in this context, patients with an upregulated expression of these receptors (such as patients receiving angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/03/18/is-there-a-relationship-between-arbs-ace-2-inhibitors-and-covid-19/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava. There a few treatment options for tricuspid valve disease. It is practically limited to diuretics and surgery, is associated to high mortality and, generally, mitral regurgitation. Developing the “edge-to-edge” strategy with MitraClip has been shown beneficial and, at present, there are studies that claim this technique could be greatly beneficial<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2020/03/10/treating-both-atrial-valves-improves-survival/" title="Read more" >...</a>
After a several year follow up, the International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches (ISCHEMIA) has shown that an invasive approach in addition to optimal medical treatment (OMT) does not offer benefits when it comes to preventing major cardiovascular events compared against optimal medical treatment alone in stable patients with moderate<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/11/19/aha-2019-ischemia-the-invasive-approach-pci-or-surgery-results-similar-to-optimal-medical-treatment/" title="Read more" >...</a>
Bedtime hypertensive therapy might reduce the risk of cardiovascular events according to this study soon to be published in Eur Heart J. However, despite showing significant risk reduction this hypothesis calls for further study before radically changing the usual upon awakening therapy. Taking the prescribed medication before bedtime could allow our bodies to naturally follow<a href="https://solaci.org/en/2019/11/04/what-is-the-best-time-to-take-antihypertensives/" title="Read more" >...</a>