Cardiology Commons^™

Predictors Of Coronary Artery Disease In Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction At The Aga Khan University Hospital In Nairobi, Redemptar Kimeu, Jeilan Mohamed, Mzee Ngunga

Internal Medicine, East Africa

There appears to be an epidemiological transition in the etiology of heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in parallel with a steady increase in risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). SSA has limited access to heart failure and CAD diagnostics, limiting the number of patients who receive optimal care. Our objectives were to study the predictors of coronary artery disease among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and develop a model to assist clinicians in determining the likelihood of CAD before cardiac catheterization.

Methodology: This was a retrospective study at the Aga Khan University Hospital, …

Determinants Of First‐Ever Stroke Severity In West Africans: Evidence From The Siren Study, Oladimeji Adebayo, Onoja Akpa, Osahon J. Asowata, Adekunle Fakunle, Fred S. Sarfo, Albert Akpalu, Kolawole Wahab, Reginald Obiako, Morenikeji Komolafe, Philip Adebayo

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Baseline stroke severity is probably partly responsible for poor stroke outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is a paucity of information on determinants of stroke severity among indigenous Africans. We sought to identify the factors associated with stroke severity among West Africans in the SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Networks) study.

Methods and Results: Stroke was diagnosed clinically and confirmed with brain neuroimaging. Severe stroke was defined as a Stroke Levity Scale score of ≤5. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to identify factors associated with stroke severity at 95% CI and a nominal cutoff of 5% …

Integrated Multilayer Omics Reveals The Genomic, Proteomic, And Metabolic Influences Of Histidyl Dipeptides On The Heart, Keqiang Yan, Zhanlong Mei, Jingjing Zhao, Md Aminul Islam Prodhan, Detlef Obal, Kartik Katragadda, Benjamin Doelling, David Hoetker, Dheeraj Kumar Posa

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Histidyl dipeptides such as carnosine are present in a micromolar to millimolar range in mammalian hearts. These dipeptides facilitate glycolysis by proton buffering. They form conjugates with reactive aldehydes, such as acrolein, and attenuate myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Although these dipeptides exhibit multifunctional properties, a composite understanding of their role in the myocardium is lacking.

Methods and Results: To identify histidyl dipeptide-mediated responses in the heart, we used an integrated triomics approach, which involved genome-wide RNA sequencing, global proteomics, and unbiased metabolomics to identify the effects of cardiospecific transgenic overexpression of the carnosine synthesizing enzyme, carnosine synthase (Carns), in …

Cardiovascular Risk Factors And Markers Of Myocardial Injury And Inflammation In People Living With Hiv In Nairobi, Kenya: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study, Hassan Adan Ahmed, Jeilan Mohamed, Isaiah G. Akuku, Kuan Ken Lee, Shirjel R. Alam, Pablo Perel, Jasmit Shah, Mohammed K. Ali, Sherry Eskander, Michael H. Chung

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and explore associations with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hscTnI) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Kenya.

Design: Pilot cross-sectional study.

Setting: Data were collected from community HIV clinics across two sites in Nairobi, Kenya, from July 2019 to May 2020.

Participants: Convenience sample of 200 PLHIV (≥30 years with no prior history of CVD).

Outcome measures: Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and its association with hsTnI and hsCRP levels.

Results: Across 200 PLHIV (median age 46 years, IQR 38–53; 61% women), the …

Intracardiac Thrombus In Coronavirus Disease-2019, Suganya Karikalan, Munish Sharma, Megha Chandna, Manju Sachdev, Ajay Gaalla, Farah Yasmin, Reena Shah, Iqbal Ratnani

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Intracardiac thrombus is often seen as a complication of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and non-ischemia cardiomyopathies (NICM). The advancements in imaging modalities and therapeutic options have helped reduce the complications arising from ventricular thrombi, such as systemic embolization. Here we present two cases of intracardiac thrombus associated with coronavirus disease (COVID) 19, one with an apical thrombus in the left ventricle and the other with a thrombus in the right ventricle adjacent to chordae tendinae. The effects of covid-19 on the cardiovascular system are yet to be thoroughly evaluated. Venous and arterial thrombosis is commonly associated with COVID-19 but in …

Safe Thrombolysis During Pregnancy For Recurrent Acute Ischaemic Stroke Due To Concomitant Isolated Left Ventricular Non-Compaction And Bilateral Foetal Posterior Communicating Arteries, Fatimah Juma, Mzee Ngunga, Wangari Siika, Dilraj Sokhi

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Isolated left ventricular non-compaction (ILVNC) is a rare congenital cardiomyopathy and is associated with arrhythmias, heart failure and thromboembolism including ischaemic stroke. Pregnancy is a relative contraindication to thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke, although case reports suggest the treatment can be given in selected cases. We report a case of recurrent cryptogenic strokes in a 36-year-old female who was thrombolysed with good outcome at 37 weeks’ gestation and was eventually found to have ILVNC as the cause. She had a predilection to recurrent posterior circulatory strokes due to foetal posterior communicating arteries. To our knowledge this is the first case …

Differences In Socio-Demographic And Risk Factor Profile, Clinical Presentation, And Outcomes Between Patients With And Without Rhd Heart Failure In Sub-Saharan Africa: Results From The Thesus-Hf Registry, Clovis Nkoke, Albertino Damasceno, Christopher Edwards, Beth Davison, Gad Cotter, Mahmoud Sani, Lauren Gaeta, Okechukwu S. Ogah, Charles Mondo, Gerald Yonga

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) was found in the THESUS-HF registry to be the third most common cause of acute heart failure (AHF) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: One thousand six patients with AHF from 9 Sub-Saharan African countries were recruited in THESUS-HF, of which 143 (14.3%) had RHD-AHF. Clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with RHD-AHF and non-RHD-AHF were compared. Kaplan-Meier plots for time to all-cause death and/or HF readmission according to the presence of RHD-AHF and non-RHD-AHF were performed and survival distributions compared using the log-rank test. Cox regression was used to determine the hazard ratio of …

Smart Watch Detection Of Supraventricular Tachycardia (Svt): First Case From Tanzania, Nadeem Kassam, Omar Aziz, Eric Aghan, Samina Somji, Hanifa Mbithe, Mustaafa Bapumia, Robert Mvungi, Salim Surani

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Smartwatches like the Apple Watch have been on the rise worldwide and their use is gaining popularity in developing countries. Their ability to detect dysrhythmias is well documented. Present practice discourages the use of these devices as a diagnostic tool. Nevertheless, atypical findings from these devices should be clinically investigated. This case demonstrates an eventual diagnosis of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) based on an Apple watch alert which was subsequently confirmed by electrophysiological evaluation.

Postoperative Myocardial Injury In A Patient With Left Ureteric Stone And Asymptomatic Covid-19 Disease, Nadeem Kassam, Omar Aziz, Ally Zain Ismail, Rodgers Swai, Samina Somji, Robert Mvungi, Mustaafa Bapumia, Ali Akbar Zehri, Salim Surani

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first identified on 8thDecember 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei, China, and has since spread globally to become an emergency of international concern. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be asymptomatic or present with symptoms ranging from mild clinical manifestations: such as fever, cough, and sore throat to moderate and severe form of the disease such as pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In some patients, SARS-CoV-2 can affect the heart and cause myocardial injury which is evidenced either by electrocardiographic (ECG) changes …

Symptoms In Women With Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: A Mixed Method Study, Harshida Patel, Marie Berg, Anders Barasa, Cecily Begley, Maria Schaufelberger

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Objective: Peripartum Cardiomyopathy is a form of cardiac disease often associated with cardiac failure, occurring in late pregnancy or after childbirth. The anatomical and physiological changes in the mother associated with normal pregnancy are profound, and this may result in symptoms and signs that overlap with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, leading to missed or delayed diagnosis. Women's experiences of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy symptoms remain poorly studied. The aim of this study was to explore and descirbe women’s experiences of symptoms in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

Design: A triangulation of methods with individual interviews and data from medical records.

Setting: Mothers with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy diagnosis were …

Atrial Fibrillation In Sub-Saharan Africa: Epidemiology, Unmet Needs, And Treatment Options, Bruce Sheldon Stambler, Mzee Ngunga

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Health care in Sub-Saharan Africa is being challenged by a double burden of disease as lifestyle diseases common in the developed world, such as stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF), increase, while, simultaneously, health issues of the developing world in terms of communicable disease persist. The prevalence of AF is lower in Africa than in the developed world but is expected to increase significantly over the next few decades. Patients with AF in Africa tend to be younger and have a higher prevalence of rheumatic valvular heart disease than patients with AF in other regions. Permanent AF is the most prevalent …

The Causes, Treatment, And Outcome Of Acute Heart Failure In 1006 Africans From 9 Countries, Albertino Damasceno, Bongani M. Mayosi, Mahmoud Sani, Okechukwu S. Ogah, Charles Mondo, Dike Ojji, Anastase Dzudie, Charles Kouam Kouam, Ahmed Suliman, Neshaad Schrueder, Gerald Yonga, Serigne Abdou Ba, Fikru Maru, Bekele Alemayehu, Christopher Edwards, Beth A. Davison, Gad Cotter, Karen Sliwa

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Acute heart failure (AHF) in sub-Saharan Africa has not been well characterized. Therefore,wesought to describe the characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of patients admitted with AHF in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: The Sub-Saharan Africa Survey of Heart Failure (THESUS–HF) was a prospective, multicenter, observational survey of patients with AHF admitted to 12 university hospitals in 9 countries. Among patients presenting with AHF, we determined the causes, treatment, and outcomes during 6 months of follow-up.

Results: From July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2010, we enrolled 1006 patients presenting with AHF. Mean (SD) age was 52.3 (18.3) years, 511 (50.8%) were women, …

The Influence Of Antiretroviral Therapy On The Qtc Interval In An African Cohort, J. Shavadia, Reena Shah, Gerald Yonga, R. Patel, J. Stebbing, M. Nelson

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Cardiovascular disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection encompasses a wide range of pathologic entities, including myocardial, pericardial, and endocardial disease, atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, and vasculitis. The most common manifestations of HIV-associated heart disease in sub- Saharan Africa are pericarditis, cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary hypertension [1]. Coronary artery disease, lipodystrophy, and metabolic syndrome, although common in developed countries, are traditionally thought to be less clinically significant problems in the African subcontinent [2]. It is well known that prolongation of the QTC interval can predispose patients to potentially fatal ventricular tachyarrhythmias, particularly torsades de pointes, and thus is an independent predictor of cardiovascular …

Prosthesis-Patient Mismatch After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With The Medtronic-Corevalve Bioprosthesis, Hasan Jilaihawi, Derek Chin, Tomasz Spyt, Jeilan Mohamed, Mariuca Vasa-Nicotera, Johan Bence, Elaine Logtens, Jan Kovac

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Aims: Prosthesis-patient mismatch (P-PM) is an important determinant of morbidity and mortality following open aortic valve replacement. The aims of this study were to report its incidence and determinants following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with the Corevalve bioprosthesis, which have—thus far—not been described.

Methods and results: Patients with severe calcific aortic stenosis received TAVI with the Corevalve bioprosthesis via transfemoral route. Following TAVI, moderate P-PM was defined as indexed aortic valve effective orifice area (AVAi) ≤0.85 cm2/m2 and severe P-PM as AVAi ≤0.65 cm2/m2. Clinical, echocardiographic, and procedural factors relating to P-PM were studied. Optimal device position was defined …

Increase In Organization Index Predicts Atrial Fibrillation Termination With Flecainide Post-Ablation: Spectral Analysis Of Intracardiac Electrograms, Jiun Tuan, Faizel Osman, Jeilan Mohamed, Suman Kundu, Rajkumar Mantravadi, Peter J. Stafford, G. André Ng

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Aims: The mechanism of the action of flecainide in the termination of human atrial fibrillation (AF) is not fully understood. We studied the acute effects of flecainide on AF electrograms in the time and frequency domain to identify factors associated with AF termination.

Methods and results: Patients who were still in AF at the end of catheter ablation for AF were given intravenous flecainide. Dominant frequency (DF) and organization index (OI) were obtained by fast Fourier transform of electrograms from the coronary sinus catheter over 10 s in AF, before and after flecainide infusion. Mean AF cycle length (CL) was …

Ganglionic Plexus Ablation During Pulmonary Vein Isolation--Predisposing To Ventricular Arrhythmias?, Faizel Osman, Suman Kundu, Jiun Tuan, Jeilan Mohamed, Peter J. Stafford, G. Andre' Ng

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Catheter ablation is increasingly used to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Ablation of ganglionic plexi is often performed to reduce vagal innervation and has been shown to confer a better long-term outcome in terms of AF recurrence. We report a case of a patient having AF ablation with a profound vagal response, suggesting ganglionic plexus ablation, who subsequently developed ventricular fibrillation after programmed ventricular stimulation. Reduced vagal modulation is known to predispose to ventricular arrhythmias and vagal denervation following AF ablation may predispose to ventricular arrhythmias and requires further study.

Use Of Triple-Site Ventricular Pacing In A Patient With Severe Congestive Heart Failure And Atrial Fibrillation., Faizel Osman, Jeilan Mohamed, G. Andre' Ng

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has become an accepted treatment for selected patients with drug-resistant heart failure. Data for patients in atrial fibrillation (AF) remains limited but suggests benefit in these patients too. We report the case of an 82-year-old patient with heart failure, VVIR permanent pacemaker, and permanent AF who had an upgrade to triple-site CRT implantation with good clinical response. Triple-site ventricular pacing may enhance the chance of response and LV reverse remodeling and should be considered in AF patients undergoing CRT implantation.

Pulmonary Vein Isolation Using A High Density Mesh Ablator Catheter: Incorporation Of Three-Dimensional Navigation And Mappin, Jiun Tuan, Jeilan Mohamed, Faizel Osman, Suman Kundu, Rajkumar Mantravadi, Peter J. Stafford, G. André Ng

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: We evaluated the use of a novel High Density Mesh Ablator (HDMA) catheter in combination with three-dimensional navigation for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Methods: The HDMA catheter was used to carry out pulmonary vein isolation in a consecutive series of patients. Three-dimensional geometry of the left atrial-pulmonary vein (LA-PV) junctions were first created with the HDMA catheter. Ostial, proximal and distal sites within the pulmonary veins were tagged with catheter shadows on the created geometry to allow for re-interrogation of these exact sites after ablation.

Results: The HDMA catheter was successfully used to create three dimensional geometry …

Letter By Jeilan Et Al Regarding Article, "Longitudinal Strain Delay Index By Speckle Tracking Imaging: A New Marker Of Response To Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy"., Jeilan Mohamed, Jiun H. Tuan, G. Andre' Ng

Internal Medicine, East Africa

We read with interest the recent article by Lim et al.1 This article demonstrated a strong correlation between a novel longitudinal strain delay index and left ventricular end-systolic volume reduction in both ischemic and nonischemic patients.

The principle outlined by the authors is that an increased longitudinal strain delay index requires both dyssynchrony (defined in their article as a discrepancy between the time of end-systolic contraction and the time to peak strain) and residual contractility. Their concept elegantly considers the problem of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) nonresponse in heart failure patients who have myocardial segments with delayed contraction due …

Hiv-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension: Case Report, Jay Shavadia, S. Das, Gerald Yonga

Internal Medicine, East Africa

With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, there has been a significant change in the epidemiology of pulmonary disease in HIV/AIDS. The relative prevalence of non-infectious manifestations is likely to rise. HIV associated pulmonary hypertension (HIV-PH), albeit low prevalence, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Presently, despite having scanty evidence on the management modalities of HIV-PH, evidence extrapolated from idiopathic pulmonary hypertension is being utilised to effectively manage some of these patients. Efforts should therefore be made to screen, diagnose and treat these patients. A case of a thirty year old female with HIV disease and severe pulmonary …

Images In Cardiovascular Medicine. Cardiac Tuberculoma., Jeilan Mohamed, Matthias Schmitt, Gerry Mccann, Joan Davies, Joseph Leverment, Derek Chin

Internal Medicine, East Africa

A 43-year–old man with a 6-month history of cough, dyspnea, nocturnal sweats, and weight loss was reviewed in the clinic. Clinical examination revealed cervical lymphadenopathy and indicated constrictive physiology. Initial tests, including chest radiography, sputum examination, QuantiFERON-TB Gold test, and lymph node biopsy, were unyielding. HIV serology was nonreactive.

Osmotic Demyelination Syndrome: Case Report, Mzee Ngunga, R. Harania, K. Hameed, J. O. Jowi

Internal Medicine, East Africa

We present a 40 year old man who was admitted to the hospital with convulsions. His final diagnosis was osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS).We discuss the diagnostic and management challenges and the possible complications of this rare diagnosis.