What is DM Cardiology? Cardiology Basics
DM Cardiology (Doctor of Medicine – Cardiology) is a three year full-time course conducted at various medical colleges and institutes of national importance in India. Cardiology is the branch of medicine dealing with cardiovascular disorders.
Selection to the various medical colleges is by the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test – Super Specialty (NEET-SS), while that to institutes of national importance is by Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI CET).
NEET-SS is conducted by the National Board Of Examinations In Medical Sciences, New Delhi. INI CET is conducted by All India Institute of Med...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 16, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
What are the dangerous signs on Holter monitoring? Cardiology Basics
Holter monitoring is an ambulatory ECG monitoring, usually with a digital recorder, attached to a belt, typically for 24 to 48 hours. Two or three channels are usually recorded with an appropriate number of patch electrodes attached to the chest. Holter monitoring is usually done when a cardiac arrhythmia as the cause of symptoms is suspected. It can also be done to detect atrial fibrillation as part of post stroke workup.
Dangerous signs to look for on a Holter tracing are life threatening tachy and bradyarrhythmias. Here is a long pause which could cause syncope. This is a long sinus pause in sick sinus syndrome. Sympto...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 13, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
How to know if chest pain is due to heart disease or not? Cardiology Basics
It is not always possible to be certain about the origin of chest pain just by its characteristics as the variation between individuals is quite a bit. There can be a lot of overlap between symptoms due to heart disease and disease of other nearby organs.
Still some general observations are possible regarding chest pain originating from the heart. The typical pain of cardiac origin is a central chest pain which occurs on walking or other forms of exercise, known as effort angina. This pain is caused by insufficient blood supply to a region of the myocardium. Effort angina is commonly due to significant obstruction to a co...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 4, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Pulsed field ablation of cardiac arrhythmia
Commonest form of ablation of cardiac arrhythmias uses radiofrequency current delivered through a catheter to produce localised tissue heating and damage of the arrhythmic circuit. Pulsed-field ablation is a novel modality which employs a train of microsecond duration high amplitude electrical pulses that ablate myocardium by electroporation of the sarcolemmal membrane without measurable tissue heating. The ablation pulse waveform has multiple variable components that affect ablation efficacy and is different for different equipment [1].
Success of pulse field ablation depends on the proximity of the electrode to the targ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 2, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: ECG / Electrophysiology Source Type: blogs
Coffee good for heart health – Large study
Coffee good for heart health – Large study
Usually physicians, including me, ask patients with cardiovascular disease to avoid coffee, especially for those with cardiac arrhythmia [1]. Now, here is a study which says that taking 2-3 cups of decaffeinated, ground or instant coffee a day is associated with significant reductions in incident cardiovascular disease and mortality. Even more, ground and instant coffee, but not decaffeinated coffee was associated with reduced arrhythmia [2].
In fact, coffee consumption at 3-4 cups per day has been described as probably not harmful and perhaps even moderately beneficial in t...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 30, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD)
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an important, though rare cause of acute coronary syndrome. Management of SCAD is different from that of acute coronary syndrome due to atherosclerosis [1]. High index of suspicion is required for the diagnosis of SCAD in young patients with acute coronary syndrome. Unlike atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, management of SCAD is mostly medical, in stable patients. Revascularization is considered only in high risk patients with left main dissection, ongoing ischemia, severely limited flow, hemodynamic compromise or refractory cardiac arrhythmia [2].
It has been mentio...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 23, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Fine particulate air pollution increases ventricular arrhythmias in adolescents – study report
Fine particulate air pollution increases ventricular arrhythmias in adolescents – study report
Fine particles with aerodynamic diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure has been associated with a risk of mortality and cardiac arrhythmias in adults [1]. Now a study has shown that PM2.5 is associated with acute increased number of ventricular arrhythmias in a population based sample of otherwise healthy adolescents [2].
The study analyzed data from 322 adolescents who participated in the Penn State Child Cohort follow‐up examination. PM2.5 exposure was measured using a nephelometer. A nephelometer or aerosol photomete...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 17, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Tissue Oximetry
Discussion. Cureus. 2021 Mar 14;13(3):e13875. doi: 10.7759/cureus.13875. PMID: 33868839; PMCID: PMC8043135.
Tanidir IC, Ozturk E, Ozyilmaz I, Saygi M, Kiplapinar N, Haydin S, Guzeltas A, Odemis E. Near infrared spectroscopy monitoring in the pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory. Artif Organs. 2014 Oct;38(10):838-44. doi: 10.1111/aor.12256. Epub 2014 Jan 10. PMID: 24404951.
Zaleski KL, Staffa SJ, Kussman BD. A Survey of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society on the Use and Clinical Application of Near- Infrared Tissue Oximetry in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2022 Sep;36(9):3617-3625. doi...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 9, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Motion Sensors to Detect Age-Related Disease
Researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland have developed a motion tracking system that is intended to assist in detecting age-related disease in elderly people. The system could be installed in someone’s home or in assisted-living facilities, and consists of a series of motion sensors that can monitor for signs of unusual movement. The system can inform caregivers if an emergency arises, such as a fall, which can be detected when someone does not return to their bed at night or is stationary for a long period, for example. However, the researchers also envisage it as helping to provide early detection for a va...
Source: Medgadget - September 9, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Geriatrics Rehab unibern Source Type: blogs
Why “ Isolation of pulmonary veins ” and “ Arrest of AF ” may turn out to be two different events !
AF is not only the most common cardiac arrhythmia,it is also an extensively researched entity in cardiology literature. We are trying to rein in, this arrhythmia for the past three decades with multiple strategies. Drugs, pacemakers, ICDs devices, surgical cuts, RF catheters, and the latest technique is trying to frostbite the atrial electrical circuits with ICE. ( Karl-Heinz Kuck,N Engl J Med 2016 )
It is believed that up 60% of AF originate from pulmonary veins. What does it mean? So, when we blindly suggest PV Isolation routinely for all PAF, there is 40% futility straightaway! Apart from the hugely variable anatom...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - August 19, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: dr s venkatesan Tags: Atrial fibrillation Uncategorized affirm trial CABANA trial fire and ice study atrial fibrillation pulmonary vein isolation race trial rate vs rhythm control in af RF ablation for af right atrial focus in atrial fibrillation svc focus Source Type: blogs
CNN myocarditis fact check by a Cardiologist (me)
BY ANISH KOKA
A recent CNN article discusses approval of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 6-17. The CDC director acted after its vaccine advisers on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously to support the two dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for kids in this age group. The goal per CDC director Walensky was to “protect our children and teens from the complications of severe COVID-19 disease”
The elephant in the room that the CDC advisory group addressed is the risk of myocarditis from the vaccines that has been widely reported since April of 2021 by multipl...
Source: The Health Care Blog - August 10, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Public Health CNN myocarditis Source Type: blogs
A man in his 40s with multitrauma from motor vehicle collision
DiscussionThis is a case where clinical context is of vital importance, because the EKG manifestations of cardiac contusion are fairly unpredictable. Intramyocardial hemorrhage, edema, and necrosis of myocardial muscle cells are characteristics of cardiac contusion. All of these cause troponin elevation, making troponin a very specific marker for cardiac injury. It is suggested that a troponin that is within normal reference range at about 4-6 hours from the inciting event suggests strongly the absence of cardiac injury in blunt chest trauma (Sybrandy).The EKG is not generally sensitive for cardiac contusion. The right ven...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - August 6, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
Inferior ST elevation with reciprocal change: which of these 4 patients has Occlusion MI?
Written by Jesse McLaren, with comments by Smith and Grauer Four patients presented with cardiorespiratory symptoms, with inferior ST elevation and reciprocal change on their ECG. Which patient had occlusion MI? Note: according to the STEMI paradigm these ECGs are easy, but in reality they are difficult. First let ’s start with each ECG without clinical context. What do you think of each ECG? ECG 1: ECG 2:ECG 3:ECG 4:Now let ’s introduce some clinical context. How would this change management? Patient 1: 30 year old previously healthy, presenting with syncope, now asymptomatic with n...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - May 23, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Jesse McLaren Source Type: blogs
vMap Mapping Technology for Cardiac Arrhythmias: Interview with Mike Monko, CEO of Vektor Medical
Vektor Medical, a medtech company based in San Diego, created the vMap system, a mapping solution for cardiac arrhythmias. The system is the first to identify arrhythmia sources anywhere in the heart, including the septal wall, outflow tracts, and all four chambers. The company reports that the technology takes less than three minutes to provide a result.
The system uses 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) data to pin-point the location of an arrythmia, and so is non-invasive. Accurate mapping of arrythmia sources is important in ensuring that subsequent treatment is successful. In the case of ablation for atrial fibrillati...
Source: Medgadget - April 4, 2022 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Cardiac Surgery Cardiology Exclusive Radiology afib vektormedical Source Type: blogs
A man in his 60s with a seemingly mechanical fall and subsequent seizure. Until the ECG.
Written by Pendell MeyersA man in his 60s is brought in to the ED by EMS for a fall witnessed by his wife, followed by multiple episodes of seizure like activity. Initially the history sounded like a mechanical fall. EMS reported normal vitals with the exception of " periods of bradycardia. " The patient received multiple doses of benzodiazepines for possible seizure activity and arrived altered at the ED. He was intubated soon after arrival for airway protection in the setting of multiple seizure like episodes and very depressed mental status.Here is his initial ED ECG:What do you think?Initially this ECG was misread...
Source: Dr. Smith's ECG Blog - March 14, 2022 Category: Cardiology Authors: Pendell Source Type: blogs
