The pulmonary embolism rule-out criteria (PERC) was designed to identify patients in whom the risk of testing outweighs the benefits (the “test threshold”, which for pulmonary embolism (PE) was calculated as a 2% prevalence). Continue reading “Pulmonary Embolism Rule-out Criteria (PERC)”
Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a rare inherited arrhythmia syndrome leading to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, despite a structurally normal heart. Diagnosis is based on a specific electrocardiogram pattern, observed either spontaneously or during a sodium channel blocker test. Continue reading “Diagnostic Criteria for the Brugada Syndrome (BrS)”
Vasospastic angina (VSA) is a variant form of angina pectoris, in which angina occurs at rest, with transient electrocardiogram modifications and preserved exercise capacity. VSA can be involved in many clinical scenarios, such as stable angina, sudden cardiac death, acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmia or syncope. Continue reading “Diagnostic Criteria for Vasospastic Angina (VSA)”
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited cardiomyopathy that predominantly affects the right ventricle. With a prevalence in the range of 1:5000 to 1:2000 persons, ARVC is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death in young people and in athletes. Continue reading “Criteria for the Diagnosis of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC)”
With the introduction of more sensitive cardiac biomarkers, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) collaborated to redefine MI using a biochemical and clinical approach, and reported that myocardial injury detected by abnormal biomarkers in the setting of acute myocardial ischaemia should be labelled as MI. Continue reading “Universal Definitions of Myocardial Injury and Myocardial Infarction”
Hypertension is the most common condition seen in primary care and leads to myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, and death if not detected early and treated appropriately. Patients want to be assured that blood pressure (BP) treatment will reduce their disease burden, while clinicians want guidance on hypertension management using the best scientific evidence. Continue reading “Recommendations for Management of Hypertension (JNC 8)”
The relationship between BP and cardiovascular (CV) and renal events is continuous, making the distinction between normotension and hypertension, based on cut-off BP values, somewhat arbitrary. However, in practice, cut-off BP values are used for pragmatic reasons to simplify the diagnosis and decisions about treatment. Continue reading “2018 ESC/ESH Classification of Arterial Hypertension”
The changes improve the diagnosis of ARF among moderate/high-risk populations and re-establish the Jones criteria as the international gold standard for ARF diagnosis.
Continue reading “The 2015 Jones Criteria for Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF)”
HMG CoA-reductase inhibitors or statins are clearly the most effective class of drugs for lowering LDL cholesterol. Those drugs have been associated with a beneficial impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Continue reading “Comparative Effectiveness of Statin Therapy”
PVD can be categorized using the Fontaine or Rutherford classification system. Each system grades PVD from no symptoms to major tissue loss and can be used at diagnosis and to evaluate the progression or improvement of symptoms.
Continue reading “Classification of Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)”
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