Age as a Factor to Predict Postpericardiotomy Syndrome
We read the report by Alraies et al published in a recent issue of AJC . Their work is laudable as they have conducted one of the largest observational studies of…
Annulus Paradoxus and Constrictive Pericarditis: A Need for Revisiting the Association!
We read with great interest the work by Alraies et al published in a recent issue of The American Journal of Cardiology . The authors’ work is commendable where they have…
A New, Intriguing Hypothesis: Does Bivalirudin Reduce the Risk of Acute Kidney Disease?
In a recent letter in this journal, Dr. Zingarelli suggests the potential role of bivalirudin in reducing the risk of acute kidney disease (AKI), on top of other not bleeding-related complications,…
Differentiating Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Athletes from That in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
We are writing in reference to the report by Caselli et al that proposes a new criterion for differentiating left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) seen in athletes from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) using…
Dr. Douglas E. Wigle
Dr. Douglas Wigle died on July 3, 2013, in Toronto after a long illness at the age of 84. A lifelong Canadian, Doug left a lasting mark on North American…
Safety of Early Enrollment into Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation After Open Heart Surgery
The safety of early enrollment (<2 weeks after hospital discharge) into cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after recent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery or heart valve surgery (HVS) has not previously been…
Differential Diagnosis Between Early Repolarization of Athlete’s Heart and Coved-Type Brugada Electrocardiogram
Early repolarization (ER) is typically observed in highly trained athletes as a physiologic consequence of increased vagal tone. The variant of anterior (V1 to V3) ER characterized by “domed” ST-segment…
Usefulness of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance–Guided Management in Patients With Recurrent Pericarditis
Recurrent pericarditis (RP) affects 10% to 50% of patients with acute pericarditis. The use of steroids has been associated with increased recurrence rate of pericarditis, along with known major side…
Vascular Inflammation in Metabolically Abnormal but Normal-Weight and Metabolically Healthy Obese Individuals Analyzed With 18 F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography
Recent studies have suggested that body size phenotype may contribute to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography is a useful imaging technique for detecting vascular inflammation…
A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of the Risk of Bleeding With Apixaban Versus Vitamin K Antagonists
Apixaban is one of the new oral anticoagulants, which is prescribed as an alternative to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Concerns regarding its bleeding profile persist and require further evaluation. Therefore,…
