UPDATED: I visited with Dr. Candice Silversides at the American Heart Association Meeting in November 2019. We talk about her area of expertise, pregnancy in adults with congenital heart disease. Links: ESC Guidelines on the Management of Cardiovascular Diseases During Pregnancy AHA Management of Pregnancy in Patients With Complex Congenital Heart Disease

I met with Dr. Frederick Ruberg from Boston University to discuss his talk from AHA 2019 titled “HFpEF: It’s a Diagnosis of Exclusion, So Exclude Other Causes!” We discuss what the diagnosis of HFpEF entails and then dive into cardiac amyloidosis and what populations should be screened for amyloid. Links to papers work via apcardiology.com … Continue reading HFpEF and Amyloid – Frederick Ruberg →

I caught up with Dr. James de Lemos from UT Southwestern at the 2019 American Heart Association meeting to discuss a number of updates in acute coronary syndromes. We cover a number of recent trials that are shaping how we think about ACS management from medications, stent deployment and the mechanism we might be overlooking. … Continue reading ACS Update – 2019 with James de Lemos →

In this episode I visit with Dr. Michelle Kittleson (@MKIttlesonMD) of Cedars-Sinai to discuss evaluation and management of patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure. We review the etiologies for decompensation, what to do with beta-blockers or RAS inhibitors and how to setup the patient for a successful discharge. Links to papers: Effects of Beta-blocker … Continue reading Decompensated heart failure with Dr. Kittleson →

In this episode I visit with Dr. Amber Khanna of the University of Colorado about some of the “simple” congenital heart defects. We discuss atrial septal defects (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD). We review useful testing to diagnose and evaluate these defects and the indications for closure. Links: 2018 ACC/AHA Guidelines for the Management … Continue reading ASDs and VSDs with Amber Khanna →

In this episode I visit with Dr. Eugene Yang to discuss the update to hypertension guidelines published in 2017 by the ACC/AHA. I asked him what were the major changes and which patients should be treated to a target of <130/80 and practical aspects to management. Links: 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Guidelines

Following up on our last discussion with Dr. Daniel Lenihan, we address the subject of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the associated cardio-toxicities. Immune checkpoint inhibitors “ease the brakes” of the immune system leading to dramatic improvements in some cancers, but rarely this can lead to profound cardiovascular compromise. Hyperlinks to references on apcardiology.com References: Cardiovascular … Continue reading Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors →

I visited with Dr. Daniel Lenihan and spoke with him about cardio-oncology and some of the common issues and concerns that arise. Cardio-oncology is a very broad field and revolves around managing cardiovascular toxicities associated with cancer therapies. We discuss the classic example of anthracycline toxicity and touch on some of the newer therapies (immune … Continue reading Cardio-Oncology →

Dr. Caroline Kahle discussed a few cases I’ve encountered during medical training. How do we perceive end of life care or code situations in complex situations? We talk about non-beneficial medical care, physician communication and some pearls Dr. Kahle has learned in her experiences in medical ethics.

I met with Dr. Thomas Maddox, the director of the Health Systems Innovation Lab at BJC/WashU, to discuss an upcoming pilot program to remotely monitor patients with heart failure. The lab has partnered with Myia Labs using technology they have developed to monitor these patients at home. We discuss the ‘ballistocardiograph’ and how they are … Continue reading Remote Monitoring in Heart Failure →