History was made recently with the inaugural and first ever continuing medical education conference on artificial intelligence (#AI) in Cardiology. While most of the presentations were on artificial intelligence or cardiology or both, several sessions also made reference to other fields in which AI has been or is being used, such as Oncology. There was … Read more
“If echocardiographers are to stand still, depend on standard 2D echo imaging using equipment produced a decade ago and not upgraded since, perform “ejectionfractionograms,” focus primarily on the left ventricle and simply ‘‘eyeball’’ the other chambers, and avoid new methods such as strain imaging and contrast echo because they are perceived as ‘‘a waste of … Read more
Over the history of echocardiography, there have been a multitude of research studies on the feasibility, reproducibility and the prognostic values of different echocardiographic parameters in different disease groups. Fifty years later, no single echocardiographic parameter is unique for assessment of the cardiac structure and function. Even the most widely used measurement for left ventricle … Read more
Selection of Patients for Systemic Thrombolysis in Pulmonary Embolism (PE) Selecting the correct patient for systemic thrombolysis necessitates a thorough assessment of the patient’s preexisting comorbidities, mode of presentation and focused clinical examination to assess the immediate risk of hemodynamic collapse, the risk of long term complications, and the risk of major bleeding associated with the … Read more
There were several exciting developments in 2018 with regards to cardiac imaging. The role of the cardiac imager is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s cardiology practice environment and bridges across several subspecialties in Cardiology, such as electrophysiology with the use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the placement of left atrial appendage closure devices. These devices … 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
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein. There may scarcely be any other sphere of medicine than interventional cardiology where the quote is more applicable. In 2017, the paradigm shifting ‘Objective Randomised Blinded Investigation With Optimal Medical Therapy of Angioplasty in Stable Angina’ – ORBITA trial … 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
“If echocardiographers are to stand still, depend on standard 2D echo imaging using equipment produced a decade ago and not upgraded since, perform ‘‘ejectionfractionograms’’, focus primarily on the left ventricle and simply ‘‘eyeball’’ the other chambers, and avoid new methods such as strain imaging and contrast echo because they are perceived as ‘‘a waste of … Read more