VO Max in Clinical Cardiology: Clinical Applications, Evidence Gaps, and Future Directions.

Purpose Of Review: VO₂ max is a fundamental marker of cardiorespiratory fitness with substantial prognostic and diagnostic value within the field of cardiology. This review analyzes current and emerging evidence regarding its clinical uses, highlights key evidence gaps, and explores emerging developments poised to broaden its clinical application.

Recent Findings: Evidence supports VO2 max as a powerful independent predictor for heart failure, coronary artery disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and cardiac amyloidosis, supporting it use in identifying high-risk patients for advanced interventions.

Comparing Early Intervention to Watchful Waiting: A Review on Risk Stratification and Management in Asymptomatic Aortic Stenosis.

Aortic stenosis is a progressive condition with substantial implications for morbidity and mortality. In recent years, attention has shifted toward risk stratification and the development of individualized management plans to optimize treatment outcomes. The management of asymptomatic patients has become a topic of significant controversy, as emerging studies challenge traditional watchful waiting guidelines and propose the potential benefits of early intervention.

Controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol attenuates cardiovascular risk mediated by elevated lipoprotein(a) after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an independent, causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, it is still unclear whether controlling low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to optimal levels can attenuate cardiovascular risk mediated by elevated Lp(a), especially in the setting of secondary prevention.

Methods: Adult patients with a baseline Lp(a) measurement who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and reached their LDL-C target levels (<70 mg/dl) at Mayo Clinic sites between 2006 and 2017 were included.

Lipoprotein (a) as a Cardiovascular Risk Factor in Controversial Clinical Scenarios: A Narrative Review.

Lipoprotein (a) is a complex lipid molecule that has sparked immense interest in recent years, after studies demonstrated its significant association with several cardiovascular conditions. Lp(a) promotes cardiovascular disease through its combined proatherogenic, pro-inflammatory, and prothrombotic effects. While the measurement of Lp(a) has become widely available, effective methods to reduce its concentration are currently limited.

Challenges Facing Undergraduate Medical Education in Ambulatory Care Clinics at Tertiary Care Hospitals.

: Medical education has been rapidly growing and transforming due to the enormous evolution of medicine. There have been many proficient ways to learn in medicine, but academic lectures, attending wards, and ambulatory care clinics (ACC) remain the three main ways of gaining clinical knowledge and experience for medical students. Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic shift in care by focusing on ambulatory care rather than inpatient settings, which provides a golden opportunity to reinforce medical education.