Cardiology

Resistant hypertension is common among patients with type 2 diabetes, and is strongly associated with microvascular disease.

In this installment, we look at underlying causes of metabolic acidosis, approaches for evaluating patients with suspected metabolic acidosis, and why measurement of the anion gap is of great usefulness in these cases.

New research suggests that low testosterone levels may indicate that men face a greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

As more practices and hospitals enter the digital age with Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other health information technology tools, a recent article points out that all those efforts are only half the battle.

Implementation of Massachusetts health care reform reduced all-cause mortality and mortality from causes amenable to health care

Efficacy of anti-inflammatory or antibiotic treatment in patients with non-complicated acute bronchitis and discoloured sputum: randomised placebo controlled trial

Determining if a child or adolescent has hypertension is complex and requires use of gender, age, and height specific readings. This study used a simplified approach of systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings compared to height as a screening tool for the diagnosis of hypertension in Chinese children.

Researchers from upstate New York have developed software that can detect atrial fibrillation by analyzing video from ordinary webcams.

New research indicates that atrial fibrillation (AF) eliminates the benefits that treatment with beta-blockers otherwise produces in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

When you weigh the potential benefits to the patient against the risk of treatment-related adverse effects and drug-drug interactions, most diabetic patients will benefit from treatment with statins.

Otezla (apremilast) is an oral, selective phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis for whom phototherapy or systemic therapy is appropriate.

New research indicates that doctors who treat anaphylaxis with intravenous epinephrine rather than intramuscular or subcutaneous injections are increasing the risk that patients will suffer overdoses or other adverse reactions.

Anil Asgaonkar, MD, provides an overview of the signs, symptoms, and causes that are frequently associated with hyponatremia, and outlines several standard treatment approaches.

Researchers in Wisconsin recently announced the discovery of a gene which could help explain certain traits seen in patients diagnosed with diabetes.

Is one beta blocker better than another for patients born with long QT syndrome? In a report published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Abeer Abu-Zeitone, PhD, and colleagues found that in their study group, nadolol worked best at preventing a recurrent serious cardiac event and that propranolol, the oldest beta-blocker available, did the worst.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has had a change of heart. The group is now recommending doctors treating heart attack patients for arterial blockages should treat lesions in both cardiac arteries, not just the "culprit" artery that led to the MI.

Effective management requires clinicians to recognize the underlying conditions and symptoms causing the patient's decrease in serum sodium levels and provide treatment tailored to that patient.

In this issue of Cardiology Review, we cover a wide variety of topics while saying goodbye to the summer of 2014.

In this edition of Clinical Forum, we asked 3 Cardiology Review editorial board members to comment on the role of renal denervation following the publication of the SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial results.

In their recent article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vivek Y. Reddy, MD, and Jeffrey W. Olin, DO, noted "there are few areas in medicine that have gained as much prominence as quickly, or have been as widely dismissed as quickly, as catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation for the treatment of resistant hypertension.

The 74th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) brought together more than 17,300 attendees from more than 121 countries. This year's program included 96 symposia, 50 oral abstract sessions, 10 interest group discussions, 18 meet-the-expert sessions, and 10 special lectures and addresses. Cardiology Review is covering 6 of the top sessions.

Despite the availability of lipid-lowering and antihypertensive drugs, lifestyle changes could prevent 79% of myocardial infarction (MI) in men, a Swedish study found. The drugs can be effective but "adherence to a healthy lifestyle still has an impressive impact" and avoids any pharmalogical side effects, according Agneta Akesson, PHD, of the Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden. Writing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology[link TK], Akesson concludes that "A healthy diet together with low-risk lifestyle practices and absence of abdominal adiposity may prevent the vast majority of MI events in men."

The optimal duration of DAPT following PCI with drug-eluting stents remains dubious.

The presence of coronary collateral circulation should be cardioprotective and beneficial, but the demonstration of such benefit has been more challenging.

This interesting study compared the effectiveness of human-led versus website-based counseling to reduce CHD risk.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus tripled in the last 20 years. What has that meant for rates of complications?

The use of various dietary supplements by patients will probably continue, so medical practitioners must be able to advise patients about potential harms and benefits.

Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a once-weekly subcutaneous injection to improve glycemic control, along with diet and exercise, in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have long known the benefits of ease and convenience that comes with using an insulin pump instead of relying on multiple daily insulin injections to control their condition. A recent study has shown that using a pump is also associated with positive effects on long-term cardiovascular risk and mortality.