Inflammation predicts risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, but the relation of drugs that directly target inflammation with CVD risk is not established. Methotrexate is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug broadly…
The presence of functional mitral regurgitation (MR) is considered a significant risk factor for poor clinical prognosis in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). The objectives of this study were…
Heart failure is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease. In the absence of heart failure, it was hypothesized that left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), an indicator of…
A published formula containing minimal aortic cross-sectional area and the flow deceleration pattern in the descending aorta obtained by cardiovascular magnetic resonance predicts significant coarctation of the aorta (CoA). However,…
N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT–pro-BNP) is a commonly measured cardiovascular biomarker in ambulatory and hospital settings. Nonetheless, there are limited data regarding “normal” ranges for NT–pro-BNP in healthy subjects, despite…
Dextrocardia was known in the 17th century and was 1 of the first congenital malformations of the heart to be recognized. Fifty years elapsed before Matthew Baillie published his account…
Recently, I examined a beautifully excised severely stenotic congenitally bicuspid aortic valve in a 64-year-old man who, at the same operation, had undergone excision of the ascending aorta, which, by…
Distinguishing the pathologic hypertrophy of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) from the physiologic hypertrophy of professional football players (PFP) can be challenging when septal wall thickness falls within a “gray zone” between…
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by reversible left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction independent of fixed coronary disease or coronary spastic pathogenesis. A number of investigators have documented marked elevation of…
The advantages of triple-site ventricular pacing (Tri-V) compared to conventional biventricular site pacing (Bi-V) have been reported. We sought to identify the predictors of acute hemodynamic Tri-V responders. Acute hemodynamic…
