HEART INTERNATIONAL – VOLUME 15 ISSUE 1 – 2021

Welcome to the summer 2021 edition of Heart International. This issue contains 9 informative review articles on a range of topics which we hope will be of interest to all cardiovascular practitioners, regardless of subspecialism. We begin with a review by Chu and Gupta, who explore the use of etripamil nasal spray, a novel preparation […]

Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) defines a group of cardiac arrhythmias where the underlying mechanism is dependent upon structures at or above the level of the atrioventricular node. The recent PRE-EMPT study retrospectively evaluated health records of over 4.2 million people in the USA, estimating PSVT incidence at 73/100,000, and national prevalence at 168/100,000 (translating into […]

There are several beneficial effects of statins on the progression of atherosclerosis, and there have been significant advancements in pharmacotherapies for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, substantial residual cardiovascular (CV) risk remains, and there is an unmet need to reduce the residual risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events.1 There is increased focus on the role […]

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a severe manifestation of systemic atherosclerotic disease that commonly refers to lower-extremity arterial involvement. The global burden of PAD is estimated to involve over 200 million patients, with prevalence increasing by 24% over the past decade.1 In contrast to myocardial infarction and stroke, which are declining in the USA, the […]

Pericarditis is the most common form of pericardial disease, with an incidence of 27.7 cases per 100,000 population per year.1 Approximately 15–30% of patients with acute pericarditis will have a first recurrence within 18 months despite optimal medical therapy. Half of these patients will fail to achieve complete remission and will continue to have recurrent […]

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is encountered on a daily basis in the field of medicine. Between 2009 and 2012, the global prevalence of CAD was 154 million, based on data from the Global Burden of Disease study; for the same period in the USA, it was approximately 15.5 million, based on data collected by the […]

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has seen worldwide explosive growth. The current USA guidelines no longer use risk in choosing between TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement, and the European guidelines have extended the recommendation for TAVR to lower risk groups.1,2 This rapid expansion has been driven by data from randomized trials showing TAVR as […]

Heart failure (HF) is an increasingly prevalent clinical syndrome resulting from a variety of disease processes impeding the heart’s ability to effectively circulate blood. With advances in care and a steadily growing and aging population, HF management is becoming a foremost priority in developed nations like the USA, where HF is expected to affect more […]

Heart failure (HF) is a highly prevalent and morbid disease in the USA, imposing a significant burden on patients, hospitals and the health system. The prevalence of HF continues to increase, with over 650,000 new HF cases diagnosed annually.1 There are over 6.2 million people with HF in the USA,2 with an expected increase to 8 million […]

Multivessel disease is common amongst patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Previous studies have shown that up to 40–65% of patients presenting with STEMI have multivessel disease.1 Pooled analyses of STEMI trials from the fibrinolytic and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) eras reveal that the presence of obstructive multivessel disease has been associated with […]