Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease; cardiac involvement is a recognized complication, with pericardial effusion being one of the most frequent manifestations. Here, we present a patient with massive pericardial effusion in a known SLE patient without hemodynamic instability, highlighting concepts of pericardial compliance and physiological adaptation in autoimmune disease. We present a case of a 33-year-old female with a known history of SLE who presented with progressively worsening pleuritic chest pain over three weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis case study explores the journey of an 80-year-old male patient with a history of hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease after coronary artery bypass grafting, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure. Nine months before he presented to the emergency department, he had undergone mitral valve clipping for severe mitral valve regurgitation. Despite initial improvement, the patient experienced return of symptoms, including dyspnea at rest and lower limb edema.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown)
August 2024
Background: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a multifactorial process that involves predisposing factors and precipitating stressors. Genetic abnormality has been implicated to play a mechanistic role in the development of SCAD. This systematic review aims to summarize the current evidence concerning the link between SCAD and genetic abnormalities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 72-year-old woman with recently diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer, who underwent cardiac bypass and bioprosthetic mitral valve replacement presented to our cancer center with lightheadedness, severe fatigue, and shortness of breath. Initial blood tests showed mild hemolytic anemia. The patient also complained of occasional bright red bleeding per rectum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe implantation of cardiac pacing devices, such as pacemakers and implanted cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), has significantly improved patient outcomes in the treatment of a range of cardiac arrhythmias. Right ventricular (RV) pacing lead perforation is an uncommon but potentially dangerous complication that can occur despite technical breakthroughs. RV lead perforation, which can result in right ventricular perforation as well as possible pulmonary or vascular harm, is caused by the pacing lead breaking through the myocardial wall.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is the ripping of the epicardial coronary artery wall without any trauma, coronary procedures, or rupture of atherosclerotic plaque. Intimal rip, intramural hematoma, and false lumen formation are the hallmarks of this disease, which may result in coronary blood flow obstruction and myocardial ischemia. The role of SCAD in acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and sudden death has come to light more and more, particularly in young females and those with few typical atherosclerotic risk factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced pericarditis and pericardial myocarditis are common entities; however, the development of pericardial effusion post-COVID-19 infection has only been reported in about 5% of cases. Rapid and acute progression to pericardial tamponade is uncommon, and progression to effusive constrictive pericarditis (ECP) and pericardial decompression syndrome (PDS) is an even rarer phenomenon. We describe these phenomena in this report to raise awareness and aid clinicians in the early diagnosis and management of these conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Heart Assoc
April 2024
Background: Percutaneous heart valve procedures have been increasingly performed over the past decade, yet real-world mortality data on valvular heart disease (VHD) in the United States remain limited.
Methods And Results: We queried the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database among patients ≥15 years old from 1999 to 2020. VHD and its subtypes were listed as the underlying cause of death.
J Innov Card Rhythm Manag
March 2024
Sarcoidosis is a disease that involves multiple organs, including the cardiovascular system. While cardiac sarcoidosis has been increasingly recognized, the impact of sarcoidosis on atrial fibrillation (AF) is not well established. This study aimed to analyze the impact of sarcoidosis on in-hospital outcomes among patients who were admitted for a primary diagnosis of AF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTakotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is a severe, acute, reversible, and self-limited cardiac dysfunction. It usually affects postmenopausal women and is mostly triggered by physical or emotional stressors. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of doses of different types of COVID-19 vaccines are being administered globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF, considered among the enteric-fever-causing pathogens, is associated with a range of human infections, including gastroenteritis, bacteremia, and osteomyelitis. -induced mesenteric adenitis and terminal ileitis resembling acute appendicitis have been reported in the literature. Here, we present a rare case of a patient presenting with severe acute active ileitis and colitis mimicking Crohn's disease with no prior history of inflammatory bowel disease and found to have group B bacteremia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlob Cardiol Sci Pract
August 2023
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), often associated with atherosclerosis. However, SCAD has been increasingly recognized as a distinct entity, especially in young females without traditional cardiovascular risk factors. We present a case of a 56-year-old female with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who developed multivessel SCAD involving the right coronary artery (RCA) and ramus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 and influenza B can have similar presentations and are self-limited in most cases. They are rarely associated with fatal cardiovascular complications. Coronavirus and influenza B-induced myocarditis is a rare but reversible cause of cardiogenic shock.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is the current treatment of choice for good surgical candidates with moderate to severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). As transcatheter aortic valvular replacement (TAVR) has shown an improved one and two-year all-cause mortality, it has been chosen for moderately symptomatic severe AS patients. The purpose of this review was to perform a clinical comparison of TAVR vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an uncommon disease which can lead to acute coronary syndrome especially in young females. The risk factors associated with SCAD include connective tissue disorder, atherosclerosis, hormonal disturbances, history of physical and emotional stressors. Based on angiographic assessment SCAD is divided into three types.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAortic dissection (AD) is an injury to the innermost layer of the aorta, leading to the formation of a false lumen. AD usually presents with tearing chest pain radiating to the back and is a medical emergency. Other common symptoms include abdominal pain, diaphoresis, loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, stroke-like symptoms, or leg pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Emerg Trauma Shock
December 2021
Carotid artery dissection begins as a tear in one of the carotid arteries of the neck, which allows blood under arterial pressure to enter the wall of the artery and split its layers. The result is either an intramural hematoma or an aneurysmal dilatation. It is a significant cause of neurological signs and symptoms in all age groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAscending aortic is an uncommon site for arterial thrombosis and ascending aortic thrombosis is a very rare phenomenon with a high fatality rate. Marijuana is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the United States and a few cases have been reported on the association of marijuana with vascular thromboembolism. However, the pathophysiology and exact mechanism are still not well studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a grave medical condition that is defined as a separation of the coronary artery wall layer. This presentation is rare in males and can be triggered by cardio-circulatory stress, such as exercise and emotional stress. Sexual intercourse is considered potent cardiovascular stress that can be strenuous and cause rapid and significant changes in the heart rate and blood pressure which can predispose SCAD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEsophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is one of the forefronts of minimally invasive modalities with excellent safety records and tremendous capability but despite its accolades and functions, there are still very rare complications including air embolism. It is a life-threatening condition that could lead to a significant increase in morbidity and mortality. However, there are limited data for incidence of air embolism in association with gastrointestinal endoscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRadiol Case Rep
September 2021
Left ventricular thrombus typically occurs in patients with impaired left ventricular function such as aneurysm, dilated cardiomyopathy, or post-myocardial infarction. Untreated HIV infection is known to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism and cardiovascular disease. However, the pathophysiology remains uncertain; some studies have proposed chronic inflammation as the underlying etiology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSAGE Open Med Case Rep
June 2021
Hypothermia defined as a core body temperature less than 35°C causes hundreds of deaths annually in the United States. It can occur in a variety of clinical settings, including environmental exposure, shock, infection, metabolic disorders, alcohol, or drug toxicity, and malnutrition. This condition can affect many different organ systems and may lead to serious complications including cardiac arrhythmia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAortic dissection is a life-threatening condition that may present as severe acute chest or abdominal pain, especially in high-risk patients, and should raise a high index of suspicion for aortic dissection when occurring after moderate-to-high-intensity activities, such as sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse leads to physiological stress on the body causing an abrupt elevation in blood pressure and shearing force against the vessel wall. This shearing force increases the risk of vessel wall dissection.
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