It’s safe to say we are not living in normal times. This is Heart Failure (HF) in the time of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Patients with COVID-19 and preexisting cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at an increased risk of severe disease and death. Moreover, infection has also been associated with cardiac injury such as acute myocardial … Read more
This one is dedicated to all women and their families who have been affected by Peripartum Cardiomyopathy (PPCM). Seldom detected, systolic heart failure can come as a surprise especially in young women. Developing heart failure during pregnancy, in the post-partum period or any other time throughout a subsequent pregnancy is not something any woman wants … Read more
Our understanding of the genetic basis of adult-onset cardiomyopathy is rapidly evolving. Most of us learned to practice medicine in a paradigm that relied on detailed disease phenotyping, but now we have the ability to incorporate genetic and genomic information into routine clinical care. Even if you cannot remember the last time you thought about … Read more
During my general cardiology fellowship, I developed a special interest in the care of patients with inherited cardiovascular disease. By virtue of the robust clinical activity of my division’s advanced heart failure and electrophysiology programs, I was exposed to clinical dilemmas like risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in lamin … Read more
Scientific Sessions 2018 marks many firsts for me—my first time at Scientific Sessions and my inaugural blog post on the AHA Early Career Voice. Both are tremendous opportunities. I specifically sought out the Sunday morning session, “State of the Art in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.” As an internal medicine resident at Emory, I’ve had several experiences seeing … Read more
A sigmoid-shaped interventricular septum (SIS) is generally considered a normal part of the aging process and is of little clinical significance. However, certain patients with SIS may experience clinical symptoms, such as dyspnea upon effort and different types of cardiac arrhythmias. SIS is frequently observed on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and in cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) … Read more
Next to the great talks, there are also great posters at the American Heart Association. Some of these posters I would like to highlight in this blog. Muna Hammash presented that interventions such as psychoeducational before and after ICD insertion may improve perceived control and, in turn, quality of life. Dr. Misook Chung … Read more