Cardiology Specialists Research Articles

Your personal virtual heart

A poet might say that each human being's heart is a unique mystery. Those of us working in the brand new field of computational medicine, however, can now model each of those unique hearts with marvelous accuracy and reveal their secrets. In my laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, my team creates computer models to simulate individual patients' hearts, which can help cardiologists carry out lifesaving treatments. Such models may soon transform medicine, ushering in a new kind of personalized health care with radically improved outcomes. . Biomedical engineers have learned how to use numerical models to generate increasingly sophisticated “virtual organs” over the past decade, and rapid developments in cardiac simulation have made the virtual heart the most complete model of all. It's a complex replica, as it must mimic the heart's workings at the molecular scale, through the cellular scale, and up to the level of the whole organ, where muscle tissue expands and contracts with every heartbeat. What's more, the modeling at these different scales must be tightly integrated to accurately render the constant feedback interactions that govern the functions of the heart.Such models have already proved their value for basic cardiac research, allowing scientists to plug in experimental data and study what goes on in both normal and diseased hearts. Now, virtual hearts are poised to deliver breakthroughs at the bedside. Starting with a patient's MRI scans, specialists in computational cardiology can create a personalized model of the patient's heart to study his or her unique ailment. Doctors can then poke and prod the computerized organ in ways that simply aren't possible with a flesh-andblood heart. With these models at their disposal, cardiologists should be able to improve therapies, minimize the invasiveness of diagnostic procedures, and reduce health-care costs. While this simulation-based medicine is still in the experimental stages, I believe upcoming clinical trials will show the real value of virtual hearts.

A management programme for suspected heart failure in primary care in cooperation with specialists in cardiology

Background: The diagnosis of new onset congestive heart failure (CHF) is often difficult as symptoms and signs are non-specific. Proper diagnostic investigations and treatments are underused in primary care.Objective: To describe a management programme for patients with suspected CHF in primary care in cooperation with specialists in cardiology.Methods: Prospective study of 102 consecutive primary care patients with suspected new onset CHF referred to an easily accessible hospital-based cardiology outpatient clinic management programme. Following clinical examination, ECG, echocardiography, blood chemistry including NT-proBNP, and assessment of NYHA class and quality of life (EQ5D), patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CHF were prescribed medication with advice on titration and target doses. Trained CHF nurses gave Information on CHF and provided follow up.Results: Half (47%) of the referred patients had the diagnosis of CHF confirmed. Low NT-proBNP values (< 300 ng/l) provided a negative predictive value of 73%. Respiratory tract diseases were common differential diagnoses. At one year of follow-up, medication in the CHF group was 86% ACE-inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, 61% ß-blocking agents, and 81% diuretics (P < 0.001 for the increase in ACE-inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers from baseline). NYHA class improved from baseline (median 2, range: 1–3) to one year (P < 0.05), whereas NT-proBNP (1491–1261 ng/l), and quality of life (EQ5D; 67–67) were unchanged.Conclusion: A management programme to optimize quality of care for patients with suspected new onset CHF in primary care, with referral to a hospital-based specialist team, can be applied successfully.

International guidelines for the management and treatment of Morquio A syndrome.

Morquio A syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis IVA) is a lysosomal storage disorder associated with skeletal and joint abnormalities and significant non-skeletal manifestations including respiratory disease, spinal cord compression, cardiac disease, impaired vision, hearing loss, and dental problems. The clinical presentation, onset, severity and progression rate of clinical manifestations of Morquio A syndrome vary widely between patients. Because of the heterogeneous and progressive nature of the disease, the management of patients with Morquio A syndrome is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving an array of specialists. The current paper presents international guidelines for the evaluation, treatment and symptom-based management of Morquio A syndrome. These guidelines were developed during two expert meetings by an international panel of specialists in pediatrics, genetics, orthopedics, pulmonology, cardiology, and anesthesia with extensive experience in managing Morquio A syndrome. © 2014 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Rationale and design of the Pan African Pulmonary hypertension Cohort (PAPUCO) study: implementing a contemporary registry on pulmonary hypertension in Africa

IntroductionPulmonary hypertension (PH) is a devastating, progressive disease with increasingly debilitating symptoms and usually shortened overall life expectancy due to a narrowing of the pulmonary vasculature and consecutive right heart...

PO-0491 Managing Neonates With Significant Congenital Heart Disease Outside Specialist Cardiac Centres: A Four-year Retrospective Study

Background It has been “standard” for deliveries with antenatal or postnatal diagnoses of significant congenital heart disease (CHD) to be managed at specialist cardiac centres (CC) soon after birth. Capacity constraint in specialist CC has called for change in practice. The appointment of Paediatricians with Expertise in Cardiology (PECs) who work closely with paediatric cardiologists within network, has allowed tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICU) to manage the appropriately selected deliveries outside CC. Patients were transferred electively to CC when specialist interventions indicated. Aim To review the outcome of neonates with significant CHD initially delivered and managed outside specialist CC. Methodology A four-year retrospective cohort study on a single institution performed. Patients were identified from electronic databases. PDAs, simple ASDs or VSDs, or minor valvular defects were excluded from study. Results A total of 40 neonates identified. Twenty (50%) were antenatal diagnoses and others (50%) postnatal. Antenatal diagnoses include aortic arch anomalies (n = 3, 15%), Fallot’s tetralogy (n = 3, 15%), DORV (n = 4, 20%) and TGA (n = 1, 5%). Seventeen (42.5%) had stable in-patient course and were discharged home for local follow-up. Fourteen (35%) were transferred to CC for specialist interventions within first month of transfer. Total in-patient care duration was 818 days, with average stay of 20.4 days (1–170). Summary We report no adverse events or unexpected outcomes in managing these neonates. Through shared care pathway with nearest specialist cardiac centre and close collaboration with the specialist cardiologists, we have helped to reduce capacity strains on cardiac centres and prevented unnecessary transfers.

The use of surrogate endpoints in regulating medicines for cardio-renal disease: opinions of stakeholders.

AimThere is discussion whether medicines can be authorized on the market based on evidence from surrogate endpoints. We assessed opinions of different stakeholders on this topic.MethodsWe conducted an online questionnaire that targeted various stakeholder groups (regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical industry, academia, relevant public sector organisations) and medical specialties (cardiology or nephrology vs. other). Participants were enrolled through purposeful sampling. We inquired for conditions under which surrogate endpoints can be used, the validity of various cardio-renal biomarkers and new approaches for biomarker use.ResultsParticipants agreed that surrogate endpoints can be used when the surrogate is scientifically valid (5-point Likert response format, mean score: 4.3, SD: 0.9) or when there is an unmet clinical need (mean score: 3.8, SD: 1.2). Industry participants agreed to a greater extent than regulators and academics. However, out of four proposed surrogates (blood pressure (BP), HbA1c, albuminuria, CRP) for cardiovascular outcomes or end-stage renal disease, only use of BP for cardiovascular outcomes was deemed moderately accurate (mean: 3.6, SD: 1.1). Specialists in cardiology or nephrology tended to be more positive about the use of surrogate endpoints.ConclusionStakeholders in drug development do not oppose to the use of surrogate endpoints in drug marketing authorization, but most surrogates are not considered valid. To solve this impasse, increased efforts are required to validate surrogate endpoints and to explore alternative ways to use them.

Clinically important atrial arrhythmia and stroke risk: a UK-wide online survey among stroke physicians and cardiologists.

A recording of ≥30 s is required for diagnosis of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) when using ambulatory electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring. It is unclear if shorter runs of atrial arrhythmia are relevant with regard to stroke risk. To assess current management of patients with atrial arrhythmia of <30 s duration detected on ambulatory ECG. Online survey. An online survey was sent to cardiologists and stroke physicians in the UK, via their national societies. A total of 205 clinicians responded to the survey (130 stroke physicians, 64 cardiologists, 11 other). Regarding diagnosis of AF, 87% of responders would accept a single 12-lead ECG. In contrast, only 45% would accept a single episode lasting <30 s detected on ambulatory monitoring. There was more agreement with regard to the decision to anticoagulate. When asked whether they would anticoagulate eight hypothetical patients with non-diagnostic paroxysms of AF, there was a mean agreement of responses of 78.6%, with up to 94.1% agreement for high-risk patients. There was a trend suggesting that stroke physicians were more likely to accept an atrial arrhythmia of <30 s as 'AF' than cardiology specialists [OR 1.63 (95% CI 0.88-3.01), P = 0.12]. There is a lack of consensus on the diagnosis and management of patients with brief runs of atrial arrhythmia detected on ambulatory ECG. Further research is needed to clarify the risk of stroke in this unique population of patients.

Prevalence of hospital malnutrition among cardiac patients: results from six nutrition screening tools.

Malnutrition is highly prevalent among hospitalized patients, ranging from 30% to 50% depending on the patient population and the criteria used for diagnosis. Identifying early those who are malnourished and at risk of malnutrition and intervening at an early stage will improve patients overall prognosis and will reduce the costs to the state. Even though cardiac patients are at risk of malnutrition, data on the prevalence of malnutrition among cardiology inpatients is limited. The aim of the study was to assess malnutrition status of the newly admitted patients in a specialist cardiology institution in Sri Lanka by internationally recommended nutrition screening and assessment tools. During study period, 322 (61.22%) males and 204 (38.78%) females were recruited. Malnutrition status assessed by each screening tool had a wide variation. According to Mini Nutritional Assessment tool 69.6% were having possible malnutrition. Malnutrition Screening Tool 47.9% to be at risk of malnutrition. Subjective Global Assessments categorized only 4.2% as malnourished on the other hand Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool categorized 20.4% and 19.6% subjects as at medium risk and high risk of malnutrition respectively. Nutritional Risk Screening detected 6.3%, 25.1% and 24.9% patients to be mildly, moderately and severely malnourished respectively. Short Nutrition Assessment Questionnaire categorized 5.0% and 17.7% patients to be moderately malnourished and severely malnourished correspondingly. In conclusion, Although malnutrition was prevalent among this population, a wide variation in the nutritional status when assessed by widely used internationally recognized tools was observed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-1801-3-412) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Profile of Czech AF 2012. Profile of atrial fibrillation patients receiving antithrombotic therapy

The profile of Czech AF 2012 is an epidemiological survey conducted by 197 Czech internal medicine and cardiology specialists who aimed to provide a comprehensive view of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and their treatment in the Czech Republic. Each specialist had to include 5 consecutive patients.It involved 982 patients with an average age of 69.9±10.04 years. The population of men was slightly higher (n=543, 55.3%), especially in the under 65 years age group; women were the majority in the age group above 75 years (44.3% of men, 55.7% of women).One quarter (25.1%) of patients were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation for less than 2 years; 23.2% for 2–5 years; 13.5% for 6–10 years, and 8.6% for more than 10 years. 20.7% of patients had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation; 58.5% indicated permanent atrial fibrillation, i.e. lasting more than one year. 58.7% of patients received medication to regulate heart rhythm; 44.0% had another antiarrhythmic medication. 13.8% of patients used their medication once a day; 55.1% twice a day, and 29.6% three times a day. 38.7% of patients were after cardioversion, 7.9% were after ablation. 91.5% of patients received warfarin alone or as dual (1.4%) therapy. Only 8.7% of patients had medium or severe kidney impairment. Only 7.5% of patients used acetylsalicylic acid, 0.2% used dual antiplatelet treatment.Only 3.0% of patients had CHADS2=0; 55.8% were at a medium risk (CHADS2=1–2), and 41.2% at a high risk (CHADS2>2). 22.1% had one associated condition; 27.5% had two associated conditions; 19.8% had three associated conditions; 28.7% had four or more associated conditions; and only 2.0% indicated no associated condition or gave no answer. The most common associated condition was hypertension (90.2%), followed by ischemic heart disease (50.9%) and diabetes mellitus (41.8%).95 patients (9.7%) had a history of embolism while receiving antithrombotic therapy. 102 patients (10.4%) had a clinically significant bleeding event while on antithrombotic therapy, 51 patients needed hospitalization.The average frequency of INR measurements was 10.2 per year (10.4 by cardiologists, 10.1 by internal medicine specialists). 61.6% were within the INR therapeutic range of 2–3. ConclusionAtrial fibrillation patients are commonly elderly, polymorbid and high-risk patients on a pharmacological medication two to three times a day. INR monitoring was close to the level described in large international studies, almost 2/3 of patients were within the therapeutic range.

PALLIATIVE CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED HEART DISEASE: A RANDOMISED TRIAL OF EARLY VERSUS DELAYED INTERVENTION

IntroductionPatients with advanced heart disease have a poor prognosis despite optimal disease-focused therapy, and rarely receive coordinated holistic assessment and care planning.Aim(s) and method(s)This project integrated professional and users' views...

Reliability and Validity of Clinician ECG Interpretation for Athletes

Electrocardiogram (ECG) with preparticipation evaluation (PPE) for athletes remains controversial in the United States and diagnostic accuracy of clinician ECG interpretation is unclear. This study aimed to assess reliability and validity of clinician ECG interpretation using expert-validated ECGs according to the 2010 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) interpretation criteria. This is a blinded, prospective study of diagnostic accuracy of clinician ECG interpretation. Anonymized ECGs were validated for normal and abnormal patterns by blinded expert interpreters according to the ESC interpretation criteria from October 2011 through March 2012. Six pairs of clinician interpreters were recruited from relevant clinical specialties in an academic medical center in March 2012. Each clinician interpreted 85 ECGs according to the ESC interpretation guidelines. Cohen and Fleiss' kappa, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated within specialties and across primary care and cardiology specialty groups. Experts interpreted 189 ECGs yielding a kappa of 0.63, demonstrating "substantial" inter-rater agreement. A total of 85 validated ECGs, including 26 abnormals, were selected for clinician interpretation. The kappa across cardiology specialists was "substantial" and "moderate" across primary care (0.69 vs 0.52, respectively, P < 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity to detect abnormal patterns were similar between cardiology and primary care groups (sensitivity 93.3% vs 81.3%, respectively, P = 0.31; specificity 88.8% vs 89.8%, respectively, P = 0.91). Clinician ECG interpretation according to the ESC interpretation criteria appears to demonstrate limited reliability and validity. Before widespread adoption of ECG for PPE of U.S. athletes, further research of training focused on improved reliability and validity of clinician ECG interpretation is warranted.

Conjoined Twins: Experience in an Irish Tertiary Centre

Conjoined twins are rare, with a reported incidence of 0.19 per 10,000 pregnancies in Europe. We discuss four spontaneous conjoined twin pregnancies presenting to a tertiary referral centre from 2005 to 2011, diagnosed on antenatal dating ultrasound. The cases were monitored closely throughout pregnancy by a multidisciplinary team, with serial surveillance, including ultrasound, fetal echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, amniocentesis and further referral to cardiology and paediatric surgery specialists, where indicated. Three female sets were determined antenatally to be not surgically separable; these infants were managed palliatively following a live birth. The male set of conjoined twins was accepted for surgical separation at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, which was successfully performed electively at 4 months. Of interest, all four parents reside within 20 km of each other, representing a possible cluster of cases. The incidence of conjoined twins in our local population is approximately 0.63 per 10,000 over an 8-year period from 2005 to 2012. This case series highlights a cluster of conjoined twins, managed to viability and delivered in a tertiary referral centre.

Shellfish allergy and relation to iodinated contrast media: United Kingdom survey.

To assess current practice of United Kingdom cardiologists with respect to patients with reported shellfish/iodine allergy, and in particular the use of iodinated contrast for elective coronary angiography. Moreover we have reviewed the current evidence-base and guidelines available in this area. A questionnaire survey was send to 500 senior United Kingdom cardiologists (almost 50% cardiologists registered with British Cardiovascular Society) using email and first 100 responses used to analyze practise. We involved cardiologists performing coronary angiograms routinely both at secondary and tertiary centres. Three specific questions relating to allergy were asked: (1) History of shellfish/iodine allergy in pre-angiography assessment; (2) Treatments offered for shellfish/iodine allergy individuals; and (3) Any specific treatment protocol for shellfish/iodine allergy cases. We aimed to establish routine practice in United Kingdom for patients undergoing elective coronary angiography. We also performed comprehensive PubMed search for the available evidence of relationship between shellfish/iodine allergy and contrast media. A total of 100 responses were received, representing 20% of all United Kingdom cardiologists. Ninety-three replies were received from consultant cardiologists, 4 from non-consultant grades and 3 from cardiology specialist nurses. Amongst the respondents, 66% routinely asked about a previous history of shellfish/iodine allergy. Fifty-six percent would pre-treat these patients with steroids and anti-histamines. The other 44% do nothing, or do nonspecific testing based on their personal experience as following: (1) Skin test with 1 mL of subcutaneous contrast before intravenous contrast; (2) Test dose 2 mL contrast before coronary injection; (3) Close observation for shellfish allergy patients; and (4) Minimal evidence that the steroid and anti-histamine regime is effective but it makes us feel better. There is no evidence that allergy to shellfish alters the risk of reaction to intravenous contrast more than any other allergy and asking about such allergies in pre-angiogram assessment will not provide any additional information except propagating the myth.

Assessment of cardiac pathology by point-of-care ultrasonography performed by a novice examiner is comparable to the gold standard

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care cardiac ultrasonography performed by a novice examiner against results from a specialist in cardiology with expert skills in echocardiography, with regard to the assessment of six clinically relevant cardiac conditions in a population of ward patients from the Department of Cardiology or the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.MethodsCardiac ultrasonography was performed by a novice examiner at the bedside and images were interpreted in a point-of-care context with dichotomous outcomes (yes/no). Six outcome categories were defined: 1) pericardial effusion (≥10 mm), 2) left ventricular dilatation (≥62 mm), 3) right ventricular dilatation (≥42 mm or ≥ left ventricular diameter), 4) left ventricular hypertrophy (≥13 mm), 5) left ventricular failure (EF ≤ 40%), 6) aortic stenosis (maximum flow velocity ≥3 m/s). The examiner was blinded to the patients’ medical history and results from previous echocardiographic examinations. Results from the interpreted point-of-care ultrasonography examination were compared with echocardiographic diagnosis made by a specialist in cardiology.ResultsA total of 102 medical and surgical patients were included. Assessments were made in six categories totalling 612 assessments. There was agreement between the novice examiner and the specialist in 95.6% of the cases; overall sensitivity was 0.91 and specificity was 0.97. Positive predictive value was 0.92 and negative predictive value was 0.97. Kappa statistics showed good agreement between observers (κ=0.88).ConclusionsThis study showed that a novice examiner was able to detect common and significant heart pathology in six different categories with good accuracy using POC ultrasonography.

Use of Expert Consensus to Improve Atherogenic Dyslipidemia Management

Introduction and objectivesAlthough atherogenic dyslipidemia is a recognized cardiovascular risk factor, it is often underassessed and thus undertreated and poorly controlled in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to reach a multidisciplinary consensus for the establishment of a set of clinical recommendations on atherogenic dyslipidemia to optimize its prevention, early detection, diagnostic evaluation, therapeutic approach, and follow-up. MethodsAfter a review of the scientific evidence, a scientific committee formulated 87 recommendations related to atherogenic dyslipidemia, which were grouped into 5 subject areas: general concepts (10 items), impact and epidemiology (4 items), cardiovascular risk (32 items), detection and diagnosis (19 items), and treatment (22 items). A 2-round modified Delphi method was conducted to compare the opinions of a panel of 65 specialists in cardiology (23%), endocrinology (24.6%), family medicine (27.7%), and internal medicine (24.6%) on these issues. ResultsAfter the first round, the panel reached consensus on 65 of the 87 items discussed, and agreed on 76 items by the end of the second round. Insufficient consensus was reached on 3 items related to the detection and diagnosis of atherogenic dyslipidemia and 3 items related to the therapeutic goals to be achieved in these patients. ConclusionsThe external assessment conducted by experts on atherogenic dyslipidemia showed a high level of professional agreement with the proposed clinical recommendations. These recommendations represent a useful tool for improving the clinical management of patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia. A detailed analysis of the current scientific evidence is required for those statements that eluded consensus.

Consenso de expertos sobre propuestas para la mejora del manejo de la dislipemia aterogénica

Introduction and objectivesAlthough atherogenic dyslipidemia is a recognized cardiovascular risk factor, it is often underassessed and thus undertreated and poorly controlled in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to reach a multidisciplinary consensus for the establishment of a set of clinical recommendations on atherogenic dyslipidemia to optimize its prevention, early detection, diagnostic evaluation, therapeutic approach, and follow-up. MethodsAfter a review of the scientific evidence, a scientific committee formulated 87 recommendations related to atherogenic dyslipidemia, which were grouped into 5 subject areas: general concepts (10 items), impact and epidemiology (4 items), cardiovascular risk (32 items), detection and diagnosis (19 items), and treatment (22 items). A 2-round modified Delphi method was conducted to compare the opinions of a panel of 65 specialists in cardiology (23%), endocrinology (24.6%), family medicine (27.7%), and internal medicine (24.6%) on these issues. ResultsAfter the first round, the panel reached consensus on 65 of the 87 items discussed, and agreed on 76 items by the end of the second round. Insufficient consensus was reached on 3 items related to the detection and diagnosis of atherogenic dyslipidemia and 3 items related to the therapeutic goals to be achieved in these patients. ConclusionsThe external assessment conducted by experts on atherogenic dyslipidemia showed a high level of professional agreement with the proposed clinical recommendations. These recommendations represent a useful tool for improving the clinical management of patients with atherogenic dyslipidemia. A detailed analysis of the current scientific evidence is required for those statements that eluded consensus.Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org/en

Informatics: Catching the Next Wave in Pharmacy Education

Informatics: Catching the Next Wave in Pharmacy Education

Advances in Cardiac Lead Extraction

Amir Zaidi speaks to Caroline Telfer, Assistant Commissioning Editor. Amir Zaidi qualified in 1989 from Manchester University (UK) and undertook postgraduate training in London and in the northwest of England. Dr Zaidi worked as a consultant cardiologist at Royal Bolton Hospital (Lancashire, UK) from 2002 until 2009 before moving to his current position of consultant at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (Manchester, UK). Dr Zaidi is currently the training program director for cardiology in North-Western Deanery and a member of the Cardiology Specialist Advisory Committee.

Cerebral Microbleeds and Macrobleeds: Should They Influence Our Recommendations for Antithrombotic Therapies?

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH, or macrobleeds) and cerebral microbleeds-smaller foci of hemosiderin deposits commonly detected by magnetic resonance imaging of older adults with or without ICH-are both associated with an increased risk of future ICH. These hemorrhagic pathologies also share risk factors with ischemic thromboembolic conditions that may require antithrombotic therapy, requiring specialists in cardiology, internal medicine, and neurology to weigh the benefits vs hemorrhagic risks of antithrombotics in individual patients. This paper will review recent advances in our understanding of hemorrhage prone cerebrovascular pathologies with a particular emphasis on use of these markers in decision making for antithrombotic use.

Management of patients with infective endocarditis by a multidisciplinary team approach

Even in the modern era of advanced diagnostic imaging, improved antibiotic therapy and potentially curative surgery, infective endocarditis remains a serious disease with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Reasons for such a persistently poor outcome may be represented by the changing epidemiology and microbiology, with new groups of patients at risk and new and more aggressive microorganisms. However, the inadequate use of both diagnostic (blood cultures and echocardiography) and therapeutic (antibiotics and surgery) means can influence the generally delayed diagnosis and poor prognosis seen in patients with infective endocarditis. We tried to identify the critical points in the management of patients with infective endocarditis and to elaborate a formal multidisciplinary approach based on the strict collaboration of specialists in infectious diseases, microbiology, cardiology and cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that this approach could increase the adherence to the published guidelines, and could represent a means to improve the outcome of patients with infective endocarditis.