Significant variability in activated clotting time (ACT) measurement exists based on the type of point-of-care system used. We sought to determine the degree of agreement in ACT measurements by the…
The systematic review and meta-analysis by Micha et al addresses a clinically important issue. Methotrexate is the most common disease-modifying antirheumatic drug prescribed in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Unfortunately,…
We read with interest the study by Jacob et al. Its objective was to determine if late use of aspirin before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with valve surgery affects…
I read with interest the recent article by Kirkpatrick et al regarding deactivation of implantable cardioverter–defibrillators (ICDs) in end-of-life care. The authors surveyed 278 patients regarding their attitude to ICDs…
Enlarged cardiac silhouette on chest x-ray (CXR) in the absence of cardiopulmonary disease is often dismissed as “pseudocardiomegaly.” We aimed to assess the impact of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) on…
The prognostic usefulness of the cardiac biomarkers N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), in predicting adverse cardiac outcomes after orthopedic surgery is not well studied. The…
Conventional 2-dimensional, M-mode, and spectral Doppler echocardiographic techniques have documented abnormal ventricular function in adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), but assessments in children are conflicting. Tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE)…
Pulmonary hypertension is a common co-morbidity of sickle cell disease with an associated increased mortality risk, but its etiology is not well-understood. To evaluate the hemodynamic characteristics, clinical predictors, and…
Truly long-term follow-up data after transcatheter closure (TC) of atrial septal defects (ASDs) are scarce. We report the 5- to 20-year outcomes of TC and surgical closure (SC) for typical…
Reports differ regarding the effect of concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients who undergo aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis (AS), and no reports have described the…
