Patent Foramen Ovale Screening by Ear Oximetry in Divers
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that ear oximetry immediately after the release of a sustained Valsalva maneuver accurately detects patent foramen ovale (PFO). One hundred…
Contribution of Three-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography to Diagnosis and Management of Thrombosis of a St. Jude Mechanical Prosthesis in the Aortic Valve Position
Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a serious complication after cardiac valve replacement and usually requires urgent management with either thrombolysis or surgery. A 38-year-old woman with history of ischemic stroke…
Moderate Pulmonary Embolism Treated With Thrombolysis (from the “MOPETT” Trial)
The role of low-dose thrombolysis in the reduction of pulmonary artery pressure in moderate pulmonary embolism (PE) has not been investigated. Because the lungs are very sensitive to thrombolysis, we…
Implications of Left Bundle Branch Block in Patient Treatment
Left bundle branch block (LBBB) causes an abnormal pattern of cardiac activation and affects regional myocardial function. Although recognition of LBBB on the surface electrocardiogram is straightforward, dissecting its effect…
Non-Invasive Monitoring of Cerebral Perfusion During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Procedure
We read the report by Nuis et al on the frequency and cause of stroke during and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The investigators reported a 9% stroke incidence (19…
Authors’ Reply
We thank Pang et al for their insightful comments about noncollapsibility, a mathematical phenomenon unrelated to confounding whereby the odds ratio of a total cohort does not equal the weighted average…
Mixing of Confounding and Non-Collapsibility: A Notable Deficiency of the Odds Ratio
We read with interest the report by Chan and Redelmeier about Simpson’s paradox in medical studies. Using a hypothetical example, the investigators aimed to draw clinicians’ attention to this paradox…
Clinical Characteristics, Haemodynamics and Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension in Sarcoidosis in a Single Centre, and Meta-Analysis of the Published Data
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in sarcoidosis is associated with bad outcomes. Although there is interest in using pulmonary vasodilators (PVs) for PH in sarcoidosis, there are few data to support their…
Usefulness of Inducible Ventricular Tachycardia to Predict Long-Term Adverse Outcomes in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy
The role of the electrophysiologic (EP) study for risk stratification in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is controversial. We investigated the role of inducible sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT)…
Managing Patients With an Indication for Anticoagulant Therapy After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Patients who undergo transcatheter aortic valve implantation are generally discharged on dual-antiplatelet therapy. However, many of these patients also have indications for anticoagulant therapy, and it is unclear what the…
