Medical Specialties Commons^™

Better Survival In Morbidly Obese Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Treated With Non-Vitamin K-Dependent Oral Anticoagulants, Monirah A. Albabtain, Zaid Alanazi, Nawaf Al Mutairi, Yahya Al Hebaishi, Ola Alyafi, Haneen Alghasoon, Amr A. Arafat

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Background: The efficacy and safety of non-vitamin K-dependent anticoagulants (NOAC) are not well investigated in the obese population, and fixed dosing could lead to under-anticoagulation. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of obesity on anticoagulation outcomes and survival in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. Methods: We enrolled 755 patients who required anticoagulation for AF from 2015 to 2016. We grouped the patients into four groups. Group 1 (n= 297) included patients with BMI< 40 Kg/m2 treated with NOACs, Group 2 (n= 358) included patients on warfarin with BMI< 40 Kg/m2, Group 3 (n= 57) had patients on NOACs with BMI≥ 40 Kg/m2 and Group 4 (n= 43) included patients on warfarin and BMI≥ 40 Kg/m2. Study outcomes were the composite endpoint of stroke, bleeding, and survival. Results: Competing risk regression showed that stroke and bleeding were not affected by obesity or treatment (SHR: 1.09 (95% CI: 0.79- 1.51); P= 0.62). Older age was the predictor of stroke/bleeding (HR:1.03 (95% CI:1.01- 1.06); P= 0.02). Predictors of mortality were heart failure (HR:2.23 (95% CI:1.25- 3.97); P= 0.007), lower creatinine clearance (HR: 0.98 (95% CI:0.97- 0.98): P< 0.001), non-obese patients on warfarin (HR:3.51 (95%CI:1.6- 7.7): P=0.002) and obese patients on warfarin (HR: 6.7 (95% CI:2.51- 17.92); P< 0.001). Conclusion: NOACs could have a similar risk profile to warfarin in obese and non-obese patients with non-valvular AF but could have better survival. Larger randomized trials are recommended.

Arrhythmogenic Cardiotoxicity Associated With Contemporary Treatments Of Lymphoproliferative Disorders, Saadia Sherazi, Susan Schleede, Scott Mcnitt, Carla Casulo, Jeremiah E. Moore, Eugene Storozynsky, Arpan Patel, Neelima Vidula, Mehmet K. Aktas, Clive S. Zent, Ilan Goldenberg

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Background

Methods and Results

A Case Of Congenital Coronary Sinus Ostial Atresia With Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava, Laura Onderko, Thomas A. Miller, Sean Novak, Jeffrey Rosenblatt

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: The coronary sinus is responsible for venous drainage of the heart. Congenital anomalies of the coronary sinus are rare and typically associated with other anomalies, such as atrial septal defects or other congenital heart malformations.

Clinical Findings: We present a case of incidentally found atresia of the coronary sinus ostium with associated persistent left superior vena cava. This case involved a 52-year-old patient who initially presented with a supraventricular tachycardia and elevated troponin.

Clinical Course: The patient underwent cardiac workup with a coronary computed tomographic angiography scan. This scan showed no obstructive coronary artery disease, but did show congenital …

Ablation Of Rare Accessory Pathway From Right Atrial Appendage Diverticulum To Anatomic Left Ventricle In Cc-Tga., Shree Lata Radhakrishnan, Robert Drutel, Cody Williams, Raman Danrad, Kelly Gajewski, Paul A. Lelorier

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

American College of Cardiology Conference ACC.23, March 4 - 6, 2023, New Orleans, LA

Risk Of Coronary Artery Disease In Patients With Gout On Treatment With Colchicine: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Muhammad U Siddiqui, Joey Junarta, Swaminathan Sathyanarayanan, Kirpal Kochar, Waqas Ullah, D L Fischman

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Background: Colchicine has anti-inflammatory properties, but its utility in improving cardiovascular outcomes has been disputed. Here, we study the impact of colchicine on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with gout with and without coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Medline, Web of Science and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched to identify relevant studies. Primary outcomes included myocardial infarction (MI), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Secondary outcomes included stroke and all-cause mortality.

Results: We included 4 observational studies comprising 10,026 patients with gout on treatment with colchicine. There was no significant difference in the …

A Rare Find: Pericardial Carcinomatosis And Pre-Tamponade Secondary To Gastric Cancer, Humza Malik, Alex Glaser, Mehnaz Rahman, Jasmine Taylor, Xavier Diaz-Hernandez, Archit Shukla

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

American College of Cardiology Conference ACC.23, March 4 - 6, 2023, New Orleans, LA

Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Suspected Metastases To The Myocardial Wall As Evidenced By Contrast Transthoracic Echocardiogram., Trent Davidge, Shashitha Gavini, Thomas H. Fox, Mehnaz Rahman

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

American College of Cardiology Conference ACC.23, March 4 - 6, 2023, New Orleans, LA

A Case Of Bartonella Vinsonii Endocarditis Of Non-Native Pulmonic Valve In A Patient With Tetralogy Of Fallot., Emily Riley, Jesus C. Jaile Iv, Sergio Bartakian

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

American College of Cardiology Conference ACC.23, March 4 - 6, 2023, New Orleans, LA

Aspirin With Or Without Statin In Individuals Without Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Across Risk Categories, Safi U. Khan, Ahmad N. Lone, Neal S. Kleiman, Adeel Arshad, Vardhmaan Jain, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Hassaan B. Arshad, Sourbha S. Dani, Amit Khera, Salim S. Virani

Office of the Provost

Background: The effects of aspirin in adults without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), stratified by statin use across different ASCVD risks, remain uncertain.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aspirin in adults without ASCVD, stratified by statin use across different ASCVD risks.
Methods: We searched databases through March 2022 and selected randomized controlled trials of aspirin without ASCVD and follow-up of ≥1 year. We used random-effects models and estimated relative and absolute risks for cardiovascular outcomes, major bleeding, and mortality over 5 years. We calculated absolute risk differences assuming constant relative risks (RRs) across statin …

Identification And Management Of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk In South Asian Populations In The U.S., Anandita Agarwala, Priyanka Satish, Mahmoud Al Rifai, Anurag Mehta, Miguel Cainzos-Achirica, Nilay S. Shah, Alka M. Kanaya, Garima V. Sharma, Dave L. Dixon, Salim S. Virani

Office of the Provost

South Asians (SAs, individuals with ancestry from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) are among the fastest growing ethnic subgroups in the United States. SAs typically experience a high prevalence of diabetes, abdominal obesity, and hypertension, among other cardiovascular disease risk factors, which are often under recognized and undermanaged. The excess coronary heart disease risk in this growing population must be critically assessed and managed with culturally appropriate preventive services. Accordingly, this scientific document prepared by a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and investigators in cardiology, internal medicine, pharmacy, and SA-centric researchers describes key characteristics of traditional and …

Chronic Environmental Circadian Disruption Increases Atherosclerosis And Dyslipidemia In Female, But Not Male, Apolipoproteine-Deficient Mice, Jeffrey M. Chalfant, Deborah A. Howatt, Victoria B. Johnson, Lisa R. Tannock, Alan Daugherty, Julie S. Pendergast

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Shift work chronically disrupts circadian rhythms and increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms linking shift work and cardiovascular disease are largely unknown. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of chronically shifting the light-dark (LD) cycle, which models the disordered exposure to light that may occur during shift work, on atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the progressive accumulation of lipid-filled lesions within the artery wall and is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. We studied ApolipoproteinE-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice that are a well-established model of atherosclerosis. Male and female ApoE−/− mice were housed in control 12L:12D …

Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Leads To Injury And Altered Metabolism In The Lungs, Emily E. Huffman, Brittany E. Dong, Harrison A. Clarke, Lyndsay E. A. Young, Matthew S. Gentry, Derek B. Allison, Ramon C. Sun, Christopher M. Waters, Warren J. Alilain

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

High-cervical spinal cord injury often disrupts respiratory motor pathways and disables breathing in the affected population. Moreover, cervically injured individuals are at risk for developing acute lung injury, which predicts substantial mortality rates. While the correlation between acute lung injury and spinal cord injury has been found in the clinical setting, the field lacks an animal model to interrogate the fundamental biology of this relationship. To begin to address this gap in knowledge, we performed an experimental cervical spinal cord injury (N = 18) alongside sham injury (N = 3) and naïve animals (N = 15) to assess lung injury …

Ferric Chloride-Induced Arterial Thrombosis And Sample Collection For 3d Electron Microscopy Analysis, Smita Joshi, Alexis N. Smith, Kanakanagavalli Shravani Prakhya, Hammodah Rawhi Hammodah Alfar, Joshua Lykins, Ming Zhang, Irina D. Pokrovskaya, Maria A. Aronova, Richard D. Leapman, Brian Storrie, Sidney W. Whiteheart

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Aberrant thrombosis is a common feature of systemic conditions like diabetes and obesity, and chronic inflammatory diseases like atherosclerosis, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Upon vascular injury, usually the coagulation system, platelets, and endothelium act in an orchestrated manner to prevent bleeding by forming a clot at the site of the injury. Abnormalities in this process lead to either excessive bleeding or uncontrolled thrombosis/insufficient antithrombotic activity, which translates into vessel occlusion and its sequelae. The FeCl3-induced carotid injury model is a valuable tool in probing how thrombosis initiates and progresses …

New Egfr Equations: Implications For Cardiologists And Racial Inequities, Nali Gillespie, Rajesh Mohandas

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Recently, a new equation to predict estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) that does not include a variable for race has been endorsed by professional organizations and increasingly adopted by clinical laboratories. We discuss the reasoning behind the development of the new equation, implications for cardiologists, and how the new eGFR equation could impact disparities in the cardiovascular care of these patients. Race, a social construct, is a poor proxy for biological variability. Clinical trials which recruit underrepresented minorities and advances in genomic medicine could accelerate the development of personalized medicine and help decrease inequalities in clinical outcomes.

Recovery From The Impact Of Covid-19 On Treatment Times And Clinical Outcomes Of Patients With St-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: An Interim Analysis, Abdelrahman Ali, Thomas Schirmer, Francis J Kiernan, Bryan Piccirillo, Joseph Ingrassia, Talhat Azemi, Immad Sadiq, Daniel B Fram, Asad Rizvi, Saurabh Joshi, Jeffrey Mather, Raymond G Mckay

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have documented a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergent percutaneous treatment of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), but few have examined recovery of healthcare systems in restoring prepandemic STEMI care.

METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed of data from 789 patients with STEMI from a large tertiary medical center treated with percutaneous coronary intervention between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021.

RESULTS: For patients with STEMI presenting to the emergency department, median time from door to balloon was 37 minutes in 2019, 53 minutes in 2020, and 48 minutes in 2021 (P < .001), whereas median time from first medical contact to device changed from 70 to 82 to 75 minutes, respectively (P = .002). Treatment time changes in 2020 and 2021 correlated with median emergency department evaluation time (30 to 41 to 22 minutes, respectively; P = .001) but not median catheterization laboratory revascularization time. For transfer patients, median time from first medical contact to device changed from 110 to 133 to 118 minutes, respectively (P = .005). In 2020 and 2021, patients with STEMI had greater late presentation (P = .028) and late mechanical complications (P = .021), with nonsignificant increases in yearly in-hospital mortality (3.6% to 5.2% to 6.4%; P = .352).

CONCLUSION: …

Cardiac Surgery For Treatment Of Covid-19-Associated Infectious Endocarditis, Ali Taghizadeh-Waghefi, Asen Petrov, Manuel Wilbring, Konstantin Alexiou, Utz Kappert, Klaus Matschke, Sems-Malte Tugtekin

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Significant uncertainty exists about the optimal timing of surgery for infectious endocarditis (IE) surgery in patients with active SARS-CoV-2 infection. This case series and a systematic review of the literature were carried out to evaluate the timing of surgery and postsurgical outcomes for patients with COVID-19-associated IE.

METHODS: The PubMed database was searched for reports published from June 20, 2020, to June 24, 2021, that contained the terms infective endocarditis and COVID-19. A case series of 8 patients from the authors' facility was also added.

RESULTS: A total of 12 cases were included, including 4 case reports that met …

The Impact Of Bicuspid Aortic Valve Leaflet Fusion Morphology On The Ascending Aorta And On Outcomes Of Aortic Valve Replacement, Steve Bibevski, Mark Ruzmetov, Juan F Plate, Frank G Scholl

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

BACKGROUND: Patients with bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs) tend to develop dilation of the ascending aorta. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of leaflet fusion pattern on aortic root diameter and outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for BAV vs tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) disease.

METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 90 patients with aortic valve disease (mean [SD] age, 51.5 [8.2] years) who underwent aortic valve replacement for BAV (n = 60) and TAV (n = 30). Fusion of right-left (R/L) coronary cusps was identified in 45 patients, whereas the remaining 15 patients had right-noncoronary (R/N) …

Can Breaking Heroin Addiction Lead To A Broken Heart? A Case Of Reverse Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy In A Patient With Heroin Withdrawal, Hunter Launer, Daniel Nelson, Alarica Dietzen, Atul Singla

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Reverse takotsubo cardiomyopathy is triggered by emotional or physical stress and has a presentation similar to that of acute coronary syndrome. A 39-year-old woman with a history of heroin use disorder presented with intractable nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. She was diagnosed with heroin withdrawal and started on buprenorphine-naloxone. On day 2 of her hospitalization, she developed chest heaviness and had an elevated troponin I level of 3.2 ng/mL (reference range, 0.015-0.045 ng/mL); electrocardiography showed new T-wave inversions in the anterior and inferior leads. Emergent coronary angiography showed patent coronary arteries, and left ventriculography showed basal hypokinesis and apical hyperkinesis, consistent …

Coronary Stent Off-Wire Dislodgement: Case Report Of A Rare Complication, Meng-Ying Lu, Kuang-Te Wang

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Although several techniques have been reported for managing an on-wire dislodged stent in the coronary artery, very few reports have focused on the much rarer complication of an off-wire dislodged stent. In a 73-year-old man who experienced an off-wire dislodged coronary stent, the proximal elongated segment was lodged in the left main coronary artery, and the distal segment was floating in the aorta like a wind sock. After a failed attempt at retrieval using a gooseneck microsnare, the dislodged stent was successfully removed using a 3-loop vascular snare via the left radial artery. There was no obvious vascular injury. This …

The Evolution Of Durable, Implantable Axial-Flow Rotary Blood Pumps, P Alex Smith, Yaxin Wang, O H Frazier

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are increasingly used to treat patients with end-stage heart failure. Implantable LVADs were initially developed in the 1960s and 1970s. Because of technological constraints, early LVADs had limited durability (eg, membrane or valve failure) and poor biocompatibility (eg, driveline infections and high rates of hemolysis caused by high shear rates). As the technology has improved over the past 50 years, contemporary rotary LVADs have become smaller, more durable, and less likely to result in infection. A better understanding of hemodynamics and end-organ perfusion also has driven research into the enhanced functionality of rotary LVADs. This …

Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing From A Femoral Approach In A Patient Without Superior Access, Bishnu Dhakal, Stuart Prenner, Edward Magargee, Danesh Modi, Colin Movsowitz, Robert Schaller

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Limited venous access and lateral left ventricular scar are impediments to traditional cardiac resynchronization therapy. We present a case where placement of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator from a femoral approach while using left bundle branch area pacing led to clinical improvement. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.)

Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation In Patients Excluded From Clinical Trials, Waqas Ullah, Matthew Dimeglio, Muhammad Sana, Hamza Muhammadzai, Kirpal Kochar, Salman Zahid, Arnav Kumar, Erin Michos, Mamas Mamas, David Fischman, Michael Savage, Deepak Bhatt, Pinak Shah

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Background: The use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with aortic valve disease excluded from clinical trials has increased with no large-scale data on its safety. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the trend of utilization and adjusted outcomes of TAVI in clinical trials excluded (CTE) vs clinical trials included TAVI (CTI-TAVI) patients. Methods: We used the National Readmission Database (2015-2019) to identify 15 CTE-TAVI conditions. A propensity score-matched analysis was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of net adverse clinical events (composite of mortality, stroke, and major bleeding) in patients undergoing CTE-TAVI …

Impact Of Time To Treatment On Endovascular Thrombectomy Outcomes In The Early Versus Late Treatment Time Windows, Negar Asdaghi, Kefeng Wang, Hannah Gardener, Angus Jameson, David Z Rose, Ayham Alkhachroum, Carolina M Gutierrez, Hao Ying, Nils Mueller-Kronast, Nicole B Sur, Chuanhui Dong, Gillian Gordon Perue, Marissa Lepain, Sebastian Koch, Nastajjia Krementz, Erika Marulanda-Londoño, Ricardo Hanel, Brijesh Mehta, Dileep R Yavagal, Tatjana Rundek, Ralph L Sacco, Jose G Romano

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The impact of time to treatment on outcomes of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) especially in patients presenting after 6 hours from symptom onset is not well characterized. We studied the differences in characteristics and treatment timelines of EVT-treated patients participating in the Florida Stroke Registry and aimed to characterize the extent to which time impacts EVT outcomes in the early and late time windows.

METHODS: Prospectively collected data from Get With the Guidelines-Stroke hospitals participating in the Florida Stroke Registry from January 2010 to April 2020 were reviewed. Participants were EVT patients with onset-to-puncture time (OTP) of ≤24 hours and …

Smurf1 Attenuates Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress By Promoting The Degradation Of Keap1 To Activate Nrf2 Antioxidant Pathway, Amita Singh, Gabriel Bonnell, Justin De Prey, Natalie Buchwald, Kyrillos Eskander, Keith J Kincaid, Christina A Wilson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cerebral small-vessels are generally located in the brain at branch points from major cerebral blood vessels and perfuse subcortical structures such as the white matter tracts, basal ganglia, thalamus, and pons. Cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) can lead to several different clinical manifestations including ischemic lacunar stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and vascular dementia. Risk factors for CSVD overlap with conventional vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia, as well as genetic causes. As in cardiovascular disease, treatment of CSVD involves both primary and secondary prevention. Aspirin has not been established as a primary prevention strategy for CSVD among the general …

Incidence And Predictors Of Acute Limb Ischemia In Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated By Cardiogenic Shock., Carlos M Romero, Irfan Shafi, Aadhar Patil, Eric Secemsky, Ido Weinburg, Raghu Kolluri, Huaqing Zhao, Vladimir Lakther, Riyaz Bashir

Heart and Vascular Articles

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and predictors of acute limb ischemia (ALI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS).

METHODS: Patients with index hospitalizations for AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock from 2016 to 2019 in the US National Readmission Database were identified. We evaluated the incidence of ALI and its associated mortality, length of stay, and cost of hospitalization. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine independent predictors of ALI in this population.

RESULTS: A total of 84,615 patients had AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock and 1302 (1.54%) developed ALI. The rates of ALI increased …

The Importance Of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Measurement And Control As Performance Measures: A Joint Clinical Perspective From The National Lipid Association And The American Society For Preventive Cardiology, Salim S Virani, Karen Aspry, Dave L Dixon, Keith C Ferdinand, Paul A Heidenreich, Elizabeth J Jackson, Terry A Jacobson, Janice L Mcalister, David R Neff, Martha Gulati, Christie M Ballantyne

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Despite the established role of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the persistence of CVD as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, national quality assurance metrics no longer include LDL-C measurement as a required performance metric. This clinical perspective reviews the history of LDL-C as a quality and performance metric and the events that led to its replacement. It also presents patient, healthcare provider, and health system rationales for re-establishing LDL-C measurement as a performance measure to improve cholesterol control in high-risk groups and to stem the …

Developing A Parsimonious Frailty Index For Older, Multimorbid Adults With Heart Failure Using Machine Learning, Javad Razjouyan, Molly J Horstman, Ariela R Orkaby, Salim S Virani, Orna Intrator, Parag Goyal, Christopher I Amos, Aanand D Naik

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Frailty is associated with adverse outcomes in heart failure (HF). A parsimonious frailty index (FI) that predicts outcomes of older, multimorbid patients with HF could be a useful resource for clinicians. A retrospective study of veterans hospitalized from October 2015 to October 2018 with HF, aged ≥50 years, and discharged home developed a 10-item parsimonious FI using machine learning from diagnostic codes, laboratory results, vital signs, and ejection fraction (EF) from outpatient encounters. An unsupervised clustering technique identified 5 FI strata: severely frail, moderately frail, mildly frail, prefrail, and robust. We report hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality, adjusting for age, …

Association Of Rare Protein-Truncating Dna Variants In Apob Or Pcsk9 With Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Level And Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease, Jacqueline S Dron, Aniruddh P Patel, Yiyi Zhang, Sean J Jurgens, Dimitri J Maamari, Minxian Wang, Eric Boerwinkle, Alanna C Morrison, Paul S De Vries, Myriam Fornage, Lifang Hou, Donald M Lloyd-Jones, Bruce M Psaty, Russell P Tracy, Joshua C Bis, Ramachandran S Vasan, Daniel Levy, Nancy Heard-Costa, Stephen S Rich, Xiuqing Guo, Kent D Taylor, Richard A Gibbs, Jerome I Rotter, Cristen J Willer, Elizabeth C Oelsner, Andrew E Moran, Gina M Peloso, Pradeep Natarajan, Amit V Khera

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

IMPORTANCE: Protein-truncating variants (PTVs) in apolipoprotein B (APOB) and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) are associated with significantly lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations. The association of these PTVs with coronary heart disease (CHD) warrants further characterization in large, multiracial prospective cohort studies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of PTVs in APOB and PCSK9 with LDL cholesterol concentrations and CHD risk.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This studied included participants from 5 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) studies and the UK Biobank. NHLBI study participants aged 5 to 84 years were recruited between 1971 and 2002 across the …

Normal Ranges Of Right Atrial Strain: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Chayakrit Krittanawong, Neil Sagar Maitra, Hafeez Ul Hassan Virk, Ann Farrell, Ihab Hamzeh, Basant Arya, Gregg S Pressman, Zhen Wang, Thomas H Marwick

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Standard measures for the clinical assessment of right atrial (RA) function are lacking.

Objectives: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the authors sought to report a reference range for RA deformation parameters in healthy subjects and to identify factors that contribute to reported variations.

Methods: The authors conducted a comprehensive search of MEDLINE; MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations; Embase; Scopus; and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from database inception through October 2021. Studies were included if they reported RA strain or strain rate (SR) using 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in healthy volunteers or apparently healthy control patients. …

Sinus Node Dysfunction: Current Understanding And Future Directions, Pavan Manoj, Jitae A Kim, Stephanie Kim, Tingting Li, Maham Sewani, Mihail G Chelu, Na Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The sinoatrial node (SAN) is the primary pacemaker of the heart. Normal SAN function is crucial in maintaining proper cardiac rhythm and contraction. Sinus node dysfunction (SND) is due to abnormalities within the SAN, which can affect the heartbeat frequency, regularity, and the propagation of electrical pulses through the cardiac conduction system. As a result, SND often increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. SND is most commonly seen as a disease of the elderly given the role of degenerative fibrosis as well as other age-dependent changes in its pathogenesis. Despite the prevalence of SND, current treatment is limited to pacemaker …