Current Cardiology Reviews - Volume 18, Issue 1, 2022

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an expanding treatment option for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). It is considered the default strategy for the unstable presentation of CAD. PCI techniques have evolved over the last 4 decades with significant improvements in stent design, an increase in functional assessment of coronary lesions, and the use of intra-vascular imaging. Nonetheless, the morbidity and Read More

Coronary Artery Calcification (CAC) has been known to be associated with worse Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) short- and long-term outcomes. Nowadays, with the increased prevalence of the risk factors leading to CAC in the population and also more PCI procedures done in older patients and with the growing number of higher-risk cases of Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) PCI and PCI after Coronary Artery Bypa Read More

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) of Chronic Total Occlusions (CTO) represents the most challenging procedure in modern endovascular treatments. In recent years, the success rate of CTO PCI has substantially improved, owing to increasing operator expertise and advancements in CTO equipment and algorithms as well as the development of expert consensus documents. In this review, we summarize existing evide Read More

The ‘gold standard’ in the management of left main coronary artery disease has historically been coronary artery bypass surgery. Recent innovations in drug-eluting stent technology coupled with the increasing utility of physiology and imaging guidance for procedures have led to an evolving role of percutaneous coronary intervention in left main disease of low and intermediate anatomical complexity. This revasculari Read More

Invasive assessment of coronary physiology has radically changed the paradigm of myocardial revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease. Despite the prognostic improvement associated with ischemia-driven revascularization strategy, functional assessment of angiographic intermediate epicardial stenosis remains largely underused in clinical practice. Multiple tools have been developed or are under develop Read More

Introduction: The knowledge on High-Output Cardiac Failure (HOCF) has greatly improved in the last two decades. One of the advances was the identification of a new phenotype of HOCF, characterized by the absence of ventricular dilation, already associated with liver disease, Arteriovenous Fistulas (AVF), lung disease, myelodysplastic syndromes, and obesity. However, it has been noted that any aetiology can present with on Read More

Serum resistin, mainly secreted by the bone marrow, monocytes, and macrophages, contributes to many processes, including endothelial dysfunction, Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell (VSMC) proliferation, and atherothrombosis demonstrating effects on the development of hypertension and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Previously published clinical studies have shown that plasma resistin levels are significantly associat Read More

Even though, there have been many advances in maternal medical care and fertility treatments, the presence of cardiovascular disease has a significant impact on pregnancy. In pregnant women, several heart conditions, such as valvular heart disease, chronic hypertension, congenital heart defects and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies are linked to increased risk of fetal as well as maternal morbidity and mortality. To dat Read More

Background: The present investigation was designed to systematically review the antihypertensive effects of all the organic and inorganic nanoparticles in the in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials. Methods: The current study was carried out using 06-PRISMA guideline and registered in the CAMARADES- NC3Rs Preclinical Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Facility (SyRF) database. The search was performed on five English Read More

Background: Junctional Ectopic Tachycardia (JET) is an arrhythmia originating from the AV junction, which may occur following congenital heart surgery, especially when the intervention is near the atrioventricular junction. Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the effectiveness of amiodarone, dexmedetomidine, and magnesium in preventing JET following congenital heart surgery. Met Read More

Background: The optimal therapy for submassive pulmonary embolism remains in question. The following meta-analysis compiles the current evidence comparing Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis (CDT) versus Systemic Anticoagulation (SA). Methods: An electronic search through PubMed and Google scholar revealed studies comparing CDT versus SA in terms of mortality and major bleeding events. Thirty-day, 90-day, and Read More