Cardiology

NEW ONSET ATRIAL FIBRILLATION IN A NON-CARDIAC SURGICAL PATIENT Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest arrhythmia. It is characterised by disorganised random electrical activity in the atria that results in a lack of effective atrial contraction. It is associate with a five-fold risk of stroke and a three-fold incidence of congestive heart failure, and overall higher mortality. There are many known risk factors for the development of acute AF including coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension

High dose antisecretory therapy with an IV bolus followed by continuous infusion of a PPI (80 mg, then 8 mg/hour) is the recommended pharmacological treatment. It should be continued for 72 hours post endoscopy for those who have high-risk stigmata for rebleeding. Low dose therapy like twice daily IV bolus of PPI can also be used for 72 hours post-endoscopy. Administrating high dose IV PPI is more effective and cost effective (23). High dose PPI therapy in high risk group significantly reduces the

n February 2002, a cardiologist named Dr. Robert Emerick was hired by the Cardiac Study Center as an employee. Cardiac is a medical practice group of roughly 15 cardiologists. The center has provided care to patients in Pierce County who have heart disease since 1966. It has four offices, each one near a hospital that serves as a recommendation source for Cardiac. Dr. Robert Emerick trained in medicine in Memphis, Tennessee for around three years before getting employed at Cardiac. Two years after

(11-14). The high rate (36.5%) of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy in our HFC patients is likely related to the practice pattern of the referring cardiologists. They prefer to continue following patients with coronary artery disease in the general cardiology clinics rather than referring them to HFCs. On the other hand they tend to refer patients with dilated cardiomyopathy for further work-up and management. Patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) constitute a minority

the predisposing factors contributing to the increase in acute cardiac centers nationally. Langabeer et al. (2013) research showed the number of PCI centers has grown 21.2% over the last eight years, with 39% of all hospitals having interventional cardiology capabilities. During the same time, the U.S. population has grown 8.3%, from 217 million to 235 million. Over the past several decades, PCI procedures have received increased from stakeholders, such as safety groups, research organizations, and

Premature closure of the ductus arteriosus is a rare finding. In the majority of cases, it occurs secondary to maternal indomethacin exposure, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or structural anomalies such as tetralogy of Fallot and truncus arteriosus.1 “Idiopathic stenosis of the ductus arteriosus has been reported and can lead to cardiovascular dysfunction such as tricuspid and pulmonary regurgitation, right heart dilatation, functional pulmonary atresia, persistent neonatal pulmonary

In their 2015 paper, “Effects of Low Blood Pressure in Cognitively Impaired Elderly Patients Treated with Antihypertensive Drugs”, Mossello et al. completed a prospective cohort study of, ultimately, 172 patients in Italy, with a mean age of 79, from 2009 to 2012, with MCI or dementia, to see the effects of systolic blood pressure readings or use of antihypertensive medications could predict the progression of cognitive decline. Using the MMSE as their metric to measure cognitive decline over time

Briefly discuss the symptoms of right- and left-sided HF. What common primary care diagnoses result in the development of HF symptoms? Heart failure (HF) is a pathophysiologic disorder that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill with or eject blood. The most common causes of HF symptoms are coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypertension. Other risk factors include age, obesity, diabetes, renal failure, valvular heart disease

Cardiac Hypertrophy/ “Athlete’s Heart” The body’s ability to adapt to changing conditions is a constant endeavor. Maintaining during intense change causes the body to adjust rapidly. The cardiovascular system’s ability to adapt during exercise has numerous adjustments to counteract the body’s newly acquired needs. The heart is capable of altering many functions such as stroke volume, heart rate, and cardiac output. In addition the heart can also undergo hypertrophy and increase in size. Cardiac

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the leading cause of hospitalization among patients older than 65 year of age. Annually, greater than 1 million patients are hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of heart failure, accounting for a total Medicare expenditure exceeding $17 billion (Desai & Stevenson, 2012). Heart failure (HF) occurs when cardiac output is insufficient to provide adequate blood flow to meet metabolic and circulatory demands (Houston, Kalathiya, Kim, & Zakaria, 2015). Despite dramatic