Publications by authors named "Vikas Aggarwal"

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is thought to occur as a sequelae of thromboembolic processes in the pulmonary vasculature. The pathophysiology of CTEPH is multifactorial, including impaired fibrinolysis, endothelial dysregulation, and hypoxic adaptations. The diagnosis of CTEPH is typically delayed considering the nonspecific nature of the symptoms, lack of screening, and relatively low incidence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition with increasing hospital admissions. Prompt identification and treatment of PE patients with hemodynamic collapse are essential. Conflicting recommendations and weak evidence hinder effective management of PE, resulting in unchanged mortality rates despite advancements in therapies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Treatment options for patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and right ventricular shock (RVS) have grown exponentially. Therapy options include anticoagulation, systemic thrombolysis, catheter-based thrombolysis/ thrombectomy, and may include short-term mechanical circulatory support. However, the incidence of short-term morbidity and mortality has not changed despite the emergence of several advanced therapies in acute PE.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are a family of nuclear transcription factors that serve as the master regulator of the adaptive response to hypoxia. In the lung, HIFs orchestrate multiple inflammatory pathways and signaling. They have been reported to have a major role in the initiation and progression of acute lung injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), a sensitive and reproducible, non-invasive biomarker for type-2 (T2) inflammation in asthma, remains underutilized in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We investigated the potential role of FeNO and its relationship with blood eosinophilia in characterizing T2 airway inflammation in COPD. A single-center prospective observational study was conducted in 75 treatment-naïve adult patients with stable COPD and 75 age-sex-matched controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) undergoing pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE), obstructive disease burden predicts positive hemodynamic responsiveness. However, the effect of disease location (upper, middle, or lower lobes) and lung laterality (right or left) has not been studied.

Objectives: Examine the effect of obstructive disease location and laterality on hemodynamic response following PTE.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Exosomes, which are vesicles that are naturally derived and contain a biomolecular payload, are promising vehicles for melanoma therapy because of their biocompatibility, targeting capabilities, and stability. This review emphasizes their capacity to circumvent the constraints of conventional treatments.

Methods: We carried out a comprehensive search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2024 utilizing terms such as "exosomes," "melanoma," and "chemotherapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Frailty increases vulnerability to morbidity and mortality among elderly individuals, particularly those with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Elderly patients, especially frail ones, remain underrepresented in studies evaluating advanced PE therapies, creating uncertainty regarding therapy utilization and outcomes.

Methods: Using the National Readmission Database (NRD), elderly patients (>75 years) admitted with acute PE between 2016 and 2020 were identified via ICD-10 codes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a leading cause of cardiovascular mortality, with high-risk cases exhibiting significant heterogeneity in treatment and outcomes. Existing classification systems fail to differentiate PE patients requiring vasopressor support from those experiencing cardiac arrest. This study applies the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) shock classification to stratify high-risk PE patients and assess mortality differences.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The single access for high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (SHiPCI) technique is an intriguing alternative to traditional dual access Impella-assisted PCI, potentially reducing access-site complications. Current data is limited to retrospective case studies.

Objectives: To analyze procedural complications and clinical outcomes of SHiPCI.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There are limited data on the impact of socioeconomic factors on the management and outcomes of high-risk acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2016 to 2020, we identified adult (≥18 years) admissions with high-risk PE (defined as PE with one of: cardiogenic shock, vasopressor use, or cardiac arrest). Socioeconomic determinants included sex, race, insurance payer, and economic status.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Globally, breast cancer (BC) affects a greater number of women than any other kind of cancer, and it is the second leading cause of death after lung cancer. The current standard of care for cancer treatment is the surgical excision of the malignant tumor followed by adjuvant therapy with chemotherapy or radiation. Regrettably, the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy frequently cause harm to healthy tissues and organs, hence limiting the effectiveness of these treatments in addressing BC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prominent neurodegenerative ailment characterized by the constraints of conventional therapies stemming from insufficient medication transport to the brain. This review examines the function of polymeric nanocarriers (PNCs) in improving therapeutic efficacy for Alzheimer's disease treatment.

Methods: We analyze the principal obstacles to Alzheimer's disease drug delivery: the blood-brain barrier, the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, and multidrug resistance proteins.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Skin cancer, a common malignancy worldwide, has increased incidence and mortality. Thus, it is a public health issue and a significant illness burden, which increases treatment costs. Chemotherapy and surgery are used to treat skin cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Prostate cancer is a major worldwide health concern, and existing treatments often face challenges such as drug resistance, systemic toxicity, and insufficient targeting. Polymeric nanocarriers are currently employed as sophisticated tools in the field of oncology, offering the possibility to augment the administration and efficacy of anticancer therapies. In order to effectively eradicate prostate cancer, this review delves into the function of polymeric nanocarriers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a serious condition linked to long-term health issues, including severe right heart failure, but newer less invasive treatments like transcatheter valve interventions (TTVI) are gaining attention.
  • A study analyzing over 98,000 tricuspid valve procedures from 2011 to 2020 revealed trends in intervention types, showing a rise in TTVI and a decline in traditional surgical options.
  • Findings indicate demographic factors like age and race affect procedure choice and outcomes, with surgical interventions showing higher mortality rates; further research is needed to understand the causes of these evolving trends in treatment results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Of the 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) analyzed, 20% of participants had chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), but none specifically studied the impacts of exercise training in these patients.
  • - The study suggests that exercise training can enhance exercise capacity in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients, specifically indicated by improvements in 6-minute walk distance.
  • - It also highlights that exercise training appears to be safe for patients with CTEPH and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), challenging the common belief that exercise is risky for these individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Left atrial veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (LAVA-ECMO) in cardiogenic shock (CS) is a novel mechanical cardiocirculatory support strategy that provides robust cardiocirculatory support and simultaneous left and right atrial venting by way of a multifenestrated transeptal catheter. We performed a single-center retrospective analysis of all patients aged ≥18 years with CS who underwent LAVA-ECMO at a quaternary care institution from 2018 to 2023. Clinical outcomes and prehemodynamics and posthemodynamics were evaluated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Recent studies highlight a significant health issue known as "post-PE syndrome" (PPES) in patients who survived pulmonary embolism (PE), with cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) being useful for evaluating these individuals.
  • - A systematic review analyzed 14 studies involving 804 post-PE patients to assess their exercise capacity and ventilatory efficiency through CPET data collected before August 2023.
  • - Findings revealed no major differences in exercise capacity between patients assessed less than six months versus six months or more after PE; however, those evaluated later showed significantly better ventilatory efficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) offers treatment for severely ill patients, but outcomes for those with cardiogenic shock (CS) are not well understood.
  • A meta-analysis of five studies showed that 30-day mortality and major vascular complications were significantly higher in patients with CS compared to those without, but there were no significant differences in longer-term outcomes at one year.
  • The study suggests that while short-term risks are elevated for TAVR patients with CS, their long-term prognosis may be similar to those without CS; further research is needed to explore the timing and management strategies of TAVR for this group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Balloon pulmonary angioplasty for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) faces challenges due to the need for safe devices to cross vascular lesions, prompting a study on the piercing properties of artery walls and CTEPH lesions.
  • In a lab experiment using specimens from nine patients, researchers measured the force required to penetrate artery walls and CTEPH lesions, finding that less force was needed for lesions compared to the arterial wall.
  • The study concluded that the arterial wall is delicate and can be damaged easily, but the lower force needed to cross CTEPH lesions suggests a potential safety margin for improving balloon pulmonary angioplasty procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Catheter-based treatments are becoming important for both acute and chronic pulmonary blood clots, making it essential to understand the anatomy of pulmonary arterial branches.* -
  • A study of 179 patients undergoing angiography showed a variety of branching patterns in the pulmonary arteries, with a total of 7 patterns in the right upper lobe, 3 in the right middle lobe, and so on across the left lobes.* -
  • Notably, only 2-3 branching patterns per lobe were responsible for over 90% of the observed variations, offering valuable insights for medical professionals and future research in pulmonary interventions.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Trends in temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) use with associated outcomes and cost in cardiogenic shock secondary to decompensated chronic heart failure (HF-CS) remains poorly understood. We describe trends in tMCS use, associated outcomes, and cost in HF-CS.

Methods: We included adults enrolled in a national insurance claims dataset with HF-CS who received intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), Impella, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) without acute coronary syndrome, or postcardiotomy shock.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Infiltrative diseases (IDs), including amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, and hemochromatosis, are characterized by abnormal cellular infiltration in multiple organs, including the heart. The prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients with underlying IDs has not been well-studied. We evaluated the prevalence of IDs in patients undergoing PCI and their association with post-PCI outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF