Clinical Cardiology Alert – July 1, 2014
July 1, 2014
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Do Brief Episodes of Device-Detected Atrial Fibrillation Warrant Anticoagulation?
Asymptomatic episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) are often detected when interrogating implanted pacemakers or defibrillators. -
Leadless Pacemakers: Coming Soon to an Electrophysiology Lab Near You
Implantable pacemakers have existed for decades. Although numerous bells and whistles have been added, the essential components of pacemakers have remained unchanged. -
Get Thee to the Pharmacy! Delays in Clopidogrel After Coronary Stenting Can be Deadly
During my final year of interventional cardiology training, a woman in her 60s was brought emergently to the cath lab in cardiogenic shock, with diffuse ST-segment elevations. She had undergone PCI of the LAD and RCA just over a week earlier at an outside hospital. -
Diurnal Variation in Troponin T
The advent of highly sensitive troponin assays has shown detectable levels in apparently healthy subjects. Persistently elevated levels (> 99% percentile) can be observed in patients with a variety of chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease (CAD), making the accurate diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) challenging. -
Risk Model for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
The introduction of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been a transformative step in the treatment of severe aortic stenosis. Patients who are ineligible or very high-risk for open surgery are now routinely treated with this less-invasive option. -
The Risk of Medical Liability
Medical professional liability studies most often use aggregated data across all physicians in a specialty and lack data on those who were not sued.