Farhana ahmed
Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiology
National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases

The Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic developed into an unprecedented global public health crisis.
The current treatment of COVID-19 has been limited to general supportive care, with provision of critical care as no approved therapies or vaccines are available. Classical and historical interventions Convalescent plasma (CP) therapy have remerged as options for the control of disease.

Zero contrast PCI is a new era of treating coronary disease patient with renal impairment. Zero contrast PCI is itself a challenging and to treat complex case like LAD Ostium added more challenge. This case is an example of the Marker wire technique where very unique and innovative idea were applied to place the stent precisely in Ostium. It is worthy to mention that this innovative idea was not found to apply before.

Interventional Cardiology Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The world is going through an unprecedented novel corona virus COVID-19 pandemic. Though appears to be in a relatively better position at present, Bangladesh, India and other South Asian countries are at ongoing risk of worsening epidemic. A significant proportion of COVID 19 patients have cardiovascular complications, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS). On the other hand, non-COVID patients may need treatment for ACS or chronic coronary syndrome. Cardiologists, nurses and allied personnel of the country have come forward boldly attending all patients even at this point of crisis. We cannot thank them enough for their untiring efforts in giving the best. Our Society and the country as a whole would remain indebted to the healthcare professionals of the country in general for the services offered to the people.

In an observational study, the more extreme the difference between weather’s daily lows and highs, the greater the rise in STEMI cases.

Wild shifts in the weather are not just confusing and annoying, they may have health implications, according to new research that links swinging temperatures with cardiovascular problems.

Contrast-associated acute kidney injury signifies a severe and usually reversible decline in kidney function that may develop within 72 hours after intravascular administration of iodinated contrast material.1 The condition is usually defined as an increase in the serum creatinine level of more than 0.5 mg per deciliter (44 μmol per liter) or an increase of at least 25% in the level from baseline. Contrast-associated acute kidney injury occurs most commonly after contrast-enhanced computed tomography, coronary angiography, or percutaneous coronary interventions, circumstances in which the volume of contrast material that is administered is large or the administration is intraarterial.

Large swings in systolic blood pressure over a series of physician visits are a sign that patients may face higher risks of all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease, stroke, and end-stage renal disease, according to a large study of US veterans.

In a fully adjusted model, higher systolic blood pressure variability—measured as a standard deviation from the baseline systolic blood pressure—was associated with an increase in all-cause mortality ranging from 10% to 80% depending on the extent of visit-to-visit variability. Similarly, the risk of coronary heart disease ranged anywhere from two- to nearly six-fold higher among individuals with variations in their measured systolic blood pressure.

New results from a network meta-analysis make the case for reducing systolic blood pressure down to levels well below the currently recommended treatment targets.

In their study published May 30, 2017, in JAMA: Cardiology, investigators report that patients treated to 120 to 124 mm Hg had the lowest risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, a finding that supports lowering the systolic blood pressure treatment target in certain patients with hypertension.

Women with mechanical heart valves require anticoagulation during pregnancy in order to prevent thromboembolic events, but each drug regimen risks harming either the mother or fetus. Now, a new meta-analysis published online this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology may help clinicians navigate that balancing act.

PARIS, France—Early data on a handful of new, second-generation bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) devices presented at the EuroPCR 2017 meeting seem to be exciting engineers and clinicians alike, but questions remain with regard to the proper trajectory for research in this field.

At present, no formal guidelines are available from major medical and Cardiology societies to guide clinicians managing cardiac tamponade. For the first time, a position statement has been made available from the European Society of Cardiology to provide updated, evidence-based recommendations for triage and clinical management of patients with cardiac tamponade.