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Int J Cardiol 2019 Jan 2. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address:

Background: Peaks and troughs in cardiovascular events correlated with seasonal change is well established from an epidemiological perspective but not a clinical one.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the recruitment, baseline characteristics and outcomes during minimum 12-month exposure to all four seasons in 1598 disease-management trial patients hospitalised with chronic heart disease. Seasonality was prospectively defined as ≥4 hospitalisations (all-cause) AND >45% of related bed-days occurring in any one season during median 988 (IQR 653, 1394) days follow-up. Read More

J Hum Hypertens 2019 Jan 10. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Primary Care Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Rd, OX2 6GG, Oxford, England.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects ~3% of the general population and is twice as common with hypertension. Validation protocols for automated sphygmomanometers exclude people with AF, raising concerns over accuracy of hypertension diagnosis or management, using out-of-office blood pressure (BP) monitoring, in the presence of AF. Some devices include algorithms to detect AF; a feature open to misinterpretation as offering accurate BP measurement with AF. Read More

J Clin Med Res 2019 Jan 3;11(1):21-25. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Internal Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital Staten Island, 475 Seaview Ave, Staten Island, NY 10305, USA.

Background: "There is a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). There is also strong evidence that proper OSA management can reduce AF recurrence." Polysomnography is the gold standard for OSA diagnosis, but screening tests, such as STOP-BANG, have been successful in identifying patients at risk for OSA. Read More

JAMA Surg 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska, Omaha.

Importance: Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis are eligible for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) if the 30-day surgical complication rate is less than 3% and the patient's life expectancy is at least 5 years.

Objective: To develop a risk prediction tool to improve patient selection for CEA among patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In this cohort study, veterans 65 years and older who received both carotid imaging and CEA in the Veterans Administration between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2009 (n = 2325) were followed up for 5 years. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2018 Dec;6(23):460

Department of Internal Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) was first described in Japan in the 1980s. It is described as an acute but often reversible left ventricular (LV) dysfunction mainly triggered by emotional or physical stress. Multiple variants of TTC have been reported including reverse Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (rTTC) which is a variant characterized by the basal akinesis/hypokinesis associated with apical hyperkinesis that resolves spontaneously. Read More

Med Sci Monit 2019 Jan 2;25:52-60. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND Effective early management of cerebral infarction patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) is undermined by an inability to predict who is at highest risk of stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 577 TIA patients with symptoms lasting no more than 1 hour were prospectively investigated and divided into a TIA group and a transient symptoms associated with infarction (TSI) group based on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging findings after hospital admission. The baseline characteristics, symptoms of TIA, features of disease onset, and findings from clinical examinations were compared between the 2 groups. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2019 Jan;8(1):e010959

2 Heart Research Institute Charles Perkins Centre The University of Sydney Australia.

Background This eH ealth implementation study aimed to evaluate strategies to promote opportunistic atrial fibrillation ( AF ) screening using electronic screening prompts and improve treatment using electronic decision support ( EDS ) software. Methods and Results An electronic screening prompt appeared whenever an eligible patient's (aged ≥65 years, no AF diagnosis) medical record was opened in participating general practices. General practitioners and practice nurses offered screening using a smartphone ECG, with validated AF algorithm. Read More

Case Rep Vasc Med 2018 21;2018:6273538. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, USA.

We present a case of a 78-year-old female with history of diastolic heart failure and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation on apixaban presenting with worsening shortness of breath. She underwent transesophageal echocardiogram showing severe aortic stenosis with a valve area of 0.8 cm2. Read More

Indian Heart J 2018 Nov - Dec;70(6):828-835. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

Thrombosis Research Institute, London, UK; University College London, London, UK.

Background: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry.

Methods And Results: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). Read More

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2018 Dec 1;4(12):1629-1637. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

Division of Cardiology, West Virginia School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the incidence and clinical impact of device related thrombus (DRT) following precautions left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO).

Background: Device-related thrombus is a known complication of LAAO. However, data on the incidence of DRT and its impact on outcomes are limited. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Dec;97(51):e13830

Department of Neurology & Pediatrics, Emory University, United States.

We evaluated the utility of left atrial volume index (LAVI) and markers of coagulation and hemostatic activation (MOCHA) in cryptogenic stroke (CS) patients to identify those more likely to have subsequent diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), malignancy or recurrent stroke during follow-up.Consecutive CS patients who met embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) who underwent transthoracic echocardiography and outpatient cardiac monitoring following stroke were identified from the Emory cardiac registry. In a subset of consecutive patients, d-dimer, prothrombin fragment 1. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Dec;97(51):e13623

Cardiology Department, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University.

Rationale: Anti-thrombosis therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) management and stroke prevention is an important aspect of disease management. Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are recommended by guidelines for AF management. However, if one can switch one NOAC to another when the former showed a poor effect has not been fully determined. Read More

Stroke 2018 Dec;49(12):2866-2871

From the Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.

Background and Purpose- A quarter of acute strokes occur in patients hospitalized for another reason. A stroke recognition instrument may be useful for non-neurologists to discern strokes from mimics such as seizures or delirium. We aimed to derive and validate a clinical score to distinguish stroke from mimics among inhospital suspected strokes. Read More

J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) 2019 Feb;20(2):59-65

Heart Rhythm Management Center, Postgraduate program in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing.

Background: The present study sought to evaluate the incidence of cerebrovascular events in a large cohort of patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) analysing possible predictors, clinical characteristics and prognosis of cardioembolic events secondary to atrial fibrillation.

Methods: A total of 671 consecutive patients (age 42.1 ± 17. Read More

Liver Int 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.

Background & Aims: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with increased cardiovascular disease. Atrial fibrillation is a prominent risk marker for underlying cardiovascular disease with a prevalence of 2% in patients <65 years old. Atrial fibrillation prevalence in NASH is unknown. Read More

Am J Med Case Rep 2018 ;6(9):180-183

Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center/Health + Hospitals Kings County Brooklyn, NY 11203 USA.

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a wide range of clinical features and variable clinical course. SLE tends to affect women during childbearing years and is characterized by multi-organ involvement. Cardiac complications in SLE, which have been described to occur in about 50% of the cases, contributes to significant morbidity and mortality in this population. Read More

Comput Biol Med 2019 Jan 22;104:310-318. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Neural Engineering, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Center for Arrhythmia Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Introduction: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, presenting a significant independent risk factor for stroke and thromboembolism. With the emergence of m-Health devices, the importance of automatic detection of AF in an off-clinic setting is growing. This study demonstrates the performance of a bimodal classifier for distinguishing AF from sinus rhythm (SR) that could be used for automated detection of AF episodes. Read More

J Atr Fibrillation 2018 Aug 31;11(2):2038. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Department of Cardiology, Centre hospitalier Edmond Garcin, Aubagne, France.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder observed in clinical practice. It carries high morbidity and mortality rates, primarily related to heart failure, stroke and death. Validation of noninvasive markers in the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and risk stratification is relevant in this clinical setting. Read More

Curr Probl Cardiol 2018 Oct 17. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent hereditary cardiac disease characterized by the presence of left ventricular and/or septal hypertrophy in the absence of other underlying cardiac disorders. Patients of HCM have a broad range of clinical presentation from being asymptomatic to severely ill condition requires hospitalization and urgent management. Broadly, HCM is classified in two variants: obstructive and nonobstructive. Read More

J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2018 Nov 22. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Unidad de Neurología Vascular, Servicio de Neurología, Departamento de Neurología y Psiquiatría y Departamento Paciente Crítico, Clínica Alemana de Santiago. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago and Departamento de Ciencias Neurológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Background: Echocardiography (ECO) is frequently used as a screening test in patients with acute ischemic brain disease. We aimed to evaluate the additional information and therapeutic impact resulting from ECO in these patients.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study performing ECO on consecutive patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attacks, admitted to our centre between February 2013 and May 2017. Read More

Heart Fail Clin 2019 Jan 24;15(1):55-64. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Department of Medicine, Cardiology Division, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Room 1159, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Electronic address:

Atrial fibrillation often occurs as a cause or consequence of heart failure. Clinical outcomes are worse when atrial fibrillation and heart failure coexist. There are important sex-related differences in the incidence, prevalence, pathophysiology, treatment, and outcomes of these patients. Read More

J Am Soc Nephrol 2018 Dec 12;29(12):2787-2793. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio; and

Anticoagulant-related nephropathy (ARN) is a newly recognized form of AKI in which overanticoagulation causes profuse glomerular hemorrhage, which manifests on renal biopsy as numerous renal tubules filled with red cells and red cell casts. The glomeruli show changes, but they are not sufficient to account for the glomerular hemorrhage. We were the first to study ARN, and since then, our work has been confirmed by numerous other investigators. Read More

J Cardiol Cases 2018 Nov 27;18(5):175-179. Epub 2018 Aug 27.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.

Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is reported to represent a hemodynamic pattern similar to that of constrictive pericarditis (CP), which should be clearly differentiated for appropriate management. We report the case of a patient with severe TR due to atrial fibrillation (AF) in whom hemodynamic monitoring played a role in the selection of the management strategy. An 81-year-old Japanese man with chronic AF was admitted due to worsening heart failure. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Oct;97(43):e12947

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital.

Osteoporosis and atrial fibrillation (AF) are common in post-menopausal women. Vitamin D and bisphosphonates are widely used to treat osteoporosis, and these may have different effects on the risk of AF.The goal of this study was to evaluate whether different agents for treating osteoporosis modulate the risk of AF in a population-based database. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Oct;97(43):e12622

Department of Geriatric, Medical Care Centre, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Captial Medical University.

This study aimed to explore the relationship of D-dimer level with the risk stratification of ischemic stroke, and determine whether high D-dimer levels could be used as a risk factor of ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).This single-center, retrospective study recruited NVAF patients who did not undergo anticoagulant therapy. These patients were divided into 2 groups: ischemic stroke group and no-stroke group. Read More

Can J Cardiol 2018 Nov 1;34(11):1449-1460. Epub 2018 Aug 1.

Research Center, Montréal Heart Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Cardiovascular Genetics Center, Montréal Heart Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address:

Arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy (AIC) is characterized by left ventricular systolic dysfunction for which the primary cause is arrhythmia. The hallmark of AIC is its reversibility once the arrhythmia is properly controlled. Any tachyarrhythmia can potentially cause AIC (often called "tachycardiomyopathy"), with atrial fibrillation (AF) being by far the most common in clinical practice. Read More

Turk J Med Sci 2018 Oct 31;48(5):1036-1040. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Background/aim: Recovery after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) can be complicated, leading to postoperative morbidity. The roles of hematologic and surgery-related parameters are important. The main purpose of this study is to determine the role of preoperative and postcardiopulmonary bypass neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on postoperative recovery. Read More

Cerebrovasc Dis 2018 1;46(3-4):186-194. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

Department of Neurology, TOYOTA Memorial Hospital, Toyota, Japan.

Background: Emergency medical services are an important part of acute stroke management. We devised a prehospital stroke scale, the TOYOTA prehospital stroke scale for tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) intravenous therapy (TOPSPIN) for triaging patients with ischemic stroke and especial indications for intravenous t-PA therapy in December 2006; this scale comprises 5 items including consciousness, atrial fibrillation, language disorder, disturbance of the upper extremities, and disturbance of the lower extremities. The aim of this study was to analyze the results of 10 years of TOPSPIN implementation and to distinguish ischemic stroke from hemorrhagic stroke in the real world. Read More

Tex Heart Inst J 2018 08 1;45(4):221-225. Epub 2018 Aug 1.

Guidelines suggest that patients who receive implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for primary prevention should be expected to live more than one year after placement. However, tools for validating this prognosis are not sufficiently predictive. We sought to identify definitive predictors of one-year survival after ICD placement. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2018 Aug;7(15):e009351

2 Department of Electrical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven The Netherlands.

Background Long-term continuous cardiac monitoring would aid in the early diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation ( AF ). This study examined the accuracy of a novel approach for AF detection using photo-plethysmography signals measured from a wrist-based wearable device. Methods and Results ECG and contemporaneous pulse data were collected from 2 cohorts of AF patients: AF patients (n=20) undergoing electrical cardioversion ( ECV ) and AF patients (n=40) that were prescribed for 24 hours ECG Holter in outpatient settings ( HOL ). Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2019 Jan 4;42(1):38-45. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

Background: Implantable loop recorders (ILRs) are effective in achieving symptom-rhythm correlation. However, diagnostic yield in routine clinical practice is not well established.

Methods: Patients undergoing ILR implantation between April 2010 and May 2015 were included. Read More

Br J Anaesth 2018 Nov 18;121(5):1034-1040. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Anaesthesia and Pain Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Background: Repeated remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) during weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass and in the early postoperative period may confer protection against acute kidney injury (AKI). We evaluated the effect of repeated RIC on the incidence of AKI in patients undergoing valvular heart surgery.

Methods: Patients were randomised into either the RIC (n=120) or control (n=124) group. Read More

JMIR Res Protoc 2018 Oct 15;7(10):e181. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Tunisian Society of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Tunis, Tunisia.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important health problem in Tunisia. A significant change in the epidemiological pattern of heart disease has been seen in the last 3 decades; however, no large prospective multicenter trial reflecting national data has been published so far. Robust data on the contemporary epidemiological profile and management of AF patients in Tunisia are limited. Read More

Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018 Dec 11;18(12):1591-1596. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

APHP, DHU FAST, Department of Geriatrics, Pitié Salpêtrière - Charles Foix University Hospital, Paris, France.

Aim: Myocardial infarction without chest pain misleads the clinician, resulting in a diagnosis delay and an increase of mortality. The main objective of the present study was to determine the risk factors of atypical presentation in older patients with myocardial infarction.

Methods: All consecutive patients aged ≥75 years presenting with myocardial infarction and hospitalized in the cardiology intensive care unit were included in the present prospective multicenter observational study. Read More

Trends Cardiovasc Med 2018 Sep 20. Epub 2018 Sep 20.

Divisions of Cardiology and Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States.

Although amiodarone is considered the most effective antiarrhythmic agent, its use is limited by a wide variety of potential toxicities. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive "bench to bedside" overview of the ways amiodarone influences thyroid function. We performed a systematic search of MEDLINE to identify peer-reviewed clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and other clinically relevant studies. Read More

Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep 2018 Sep 25;2018. Epub 2018 Sep 25.

Department of Pediatrics, Tokai University School of Medicine Hachioji Hospital, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan

Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH), which is primarily caused by mutations in the thyroid hormone (TH) receptor beta (THRB) gene, is dominantly inherited syndrome of variable tissue hyposensitivity to TH. We herein describe a case involving a 22-year-old Japanese man with RTH and atrial fibrillation (AF) complaining of palpitation and general fatigue. Electrocardiography results revealed AF. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2018 Sep;6(17):330

Department of Internal Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA.

Background: Cardiac involvement in the sarcoidosis is known to ensue with diverse clinical forms and its investigation is challenging at times. This article features the under-perceived burden, patterns, and outcomes of different arrhythmias, which may have a prognostic significance in patients with sarcoidosis.

Methods: We queried the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 2010-2014 to recognize sarcoidosis, arrhythmia, and comorbidities affecting hospitalizations. Read More

Circulation 2018 Oct 23;138(14):1387-1398. Epub 2018 Aug 23.

Cardiomyopathy Unit and Genetic Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy.

Background: A better understanding of the factors that contribute to heterogeneous outcomes and lifetime disease burden in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is critically needed to improve patient management and outcomes. The Sarcomeric Human Cardiomyopathy Registry (SHaRe) was established to provide the scale of data required to address these issues, aggregating longitudinal datasets curated by eight international HCM specialty centers.

Methods: Data on 4591 HCM patients (2763 genotyped), followed for a mean of 5. Read More

J Cardiol Cases 2018 Jul 26;18(1):29-32. Epub 2018 Apr 26.

Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cummings School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Thyroid hormones and the cardiovascular system are strongly intertwined with known risk of coronary disease, atrial fibrillation, and cardiomyopathy. Pericardial effusions are commonly seen in cases of severe hypothyroidism, however large to massive pericardial effusions with cardiac tamponade are exceptionally rare. We report a case of a patient presenting with hypertensive emergency and a concomitant diagnosis of primary hypothyroidism with a large pericardial effusion and early echocardiographic features of tamponade. Read More

Hemoglobin 2018 May 1;42(3):189-193. Epub 2018 Oct 1.

c Dipartimento of Clinical and Biological Sciences , Turin University, San Luigi Gonzaga , Torino , Italy.

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AFib) in β-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients has increased in the last few years, reaching up to 33.0%. Several factors may drive this value to even more in the next few years. Read More

Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) 2018 Nov 27;71(11):941-951. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Unidad de Arritmias, Consorcio Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.

Introduction And Objectives: This report describes the findings of the 2017 Spanish Catheter Ablation Registry.

Methods: Data collection was retrospective. A standardized questionnaire was completed by each of the participating centers. Read More

Intern Emerg Med 2019 Jan 25;14(1):71-76. Epub 2018 Sep 25.

Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40447, Taiwan.

The objective of the study was to explore the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in various populations of patients with organ transplantation (OT). We used a large national data set from Taiwan to investigate the incidence of AF after OT. Frequency matching method used to match controls: OT patients were 4:1. Read More

Hemoglobin 2018 Sep 25:1-4. Epub 2018 Sep 25.

a Department of Women, Child and General and Specialized Surgery , University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli' , Naples , Italy.

A 20-year-old male affected by transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (β-thal), was prescribed intensive chelation therapy with deferoxamine (DFO) and deferiprone (DFP) because of severe hepatic and cardiac iron overload and β-blocker and warfarin to manage a previous event of atrial fibrillation (AFib) and heart failure. After a few months, he developed critical liver failure, renal tubulopathy and severe electrolyte imbalance. Laboratory and instrumental evaluations were performed to carry out differential diagnosis of acute liver failure and an exclusion diagnosis of drug induced liver injury (DILI) was made. Read More

Cardiovasc Ultrasound 2018 Sep 25;16(1):19. Epub 2018 Sep 25.

Centrum Voor Hart-en Vaatziekten (CHVZ), Department of Cardiology, UZ Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide. Nowadays, AF ablation is a valuable treatment option. It has been shown that the left atrium (LA) diameter is a predictor of AF recurrence after cryoballoon ablation (CBA). Read More

Front Physiol 2018 7;9:1211. Epub 2018 Sep 7.

Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

The development of improved diagnosis, management, and treatment strategies for human atrial fibrillation (AF) is a significant and important challenge in order to improve quality of life for millions and reduce the substantial social-economic costs of the condition. As a complex condition demonstrating high variability and relation to other cardiac conditions, the study of AF requires approaches from multiple disciplines including single-cell experimental electrophysiology and computational modeling. Models of human atrial cells are less well parameterized than those of the human ventricle or other mammal species, largely due to the inherent challenges in patch clamping human atrial cells. Read More

QJM 2018 Dec;111(12):875-879

Department of Cardiology, Wexham Park Hospital, Frimley Health NHS Trust, Slough, UK.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Many patients do not experience symptoms before a first major cardiovascular event. Resting electrocardiogram (ECG) may help identify asymptomatic individuals with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. Read More

BMC Health Serv Res 2018 Sep 19;18(1):723. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Moi University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 4606, Eldoret, 30100, Kenya.

Background: Warfarin is a drug with narrow therapeutic index used in the management of thromboembolic disorders. Several factors affect its plasma concentrations with a resultant risk of toxicity. We examined the database of patients on warfarin therapy in order to establish the factors that affect the stability of INR and correlated them to clinical outcomes in resource limited settings. Read More

Neurosurg Clin N Am 2018 Oct 16;29(4):575-583. Epub 2018 Aug 16.

Department of Neurosurgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Temple University Hospital, 3401 North Broad Street, Suite C540, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA. Electronic address:

Management of anticoagulation and antiplatelet medications after neurosurgery can be complex, especially given that these patients have multiple medical comorbidities. In turn, neurosurgical patients are at high risk for the development of venous thromboembolism after surgery, so neurosurgeons must consider the use of pharmacologic prophylaxis. Developments in endovascular neurosurgery have produced therapies that require close management of antiplatelet medications to prevent postoperative complications. Read More

Neurosurg Clin N Am 2018 Oct;29(4):529-535

Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center, 300 Pasteur Drive Room R211, MC 5327, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Electronic address:

Long-term anticoagulant therapy prevents thrombosis. Management of neurosurgical patients with conditions such as atrial fibrillation, mechanical heart valves, and other prothrombotic states necessitates application of a strategy to mitigate hemorrhagic complications of anticoagulation. Development of direct oral anticoagulants, which include the direct thrombin and factor X inhibitors, yields new considerations to be had, in particular, the introduction of reversal agents. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2018 11;271:345

Department of Cardiology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, 155 Nanjing North Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110001, China. Electronic address: