Episodes Archives - Cardionerds

Duke cardiology fellow, Rahul Loungani, interviews Dr. Jonathan Piccini, director of the Electrophysiology Clinical Trials Program and Arrhythmia Core Laboratory at Duke University, about atrial fibrillation management in patients with heart failure. They discuss rate vs rhythm control and strategies for both, new onset AF in the context of critical illness, wearable devices in AF, escalation of therapy in AF, ideal patient for catheter ablation, and AF patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy.

On the CardioNerds Heart Failure topic page you’ll podcast episodes, references, guest experts and contributors, and so much more.

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Jonathan P. Piccini, MD, MHS is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center and the Duke Clinical Research Institute. His research interests include the conduct of clinical trials and the assessment of cardiovascular therapeutics for the care of patients with heart rhythm disorders. At present, he is the Director of the EP Clinical Trials Program and Arrhythmia Core Laboratory at Duke University. He also serves on the Clinical Working Group of the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines – Atrial fibrillation (GWTG-Afib) registry program. He is an associate editor for the American Heart Journal and serves on the editorial board of Heart Rhythm, the European Heart Journal, and the Journal of Cardiac Electrophysiology. He is the Principal Investigator of the data and coordinating center for ORBIT AF, a 25,000 patient registry focused on quality of care and improving outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation. He is also the PI of the GENETIC AF clinical trial, the first clinical trial to study genotype-directed rhythm control therapy for atrial fibrillation. He also serves on the steering committees of multiple international randomized trials focused on the treatment of atrial fibrillation.  Dr. Piccini has more than 175 publications in the field of heart rhythm medicine. Clinically, his focus is on the care of patients with atrial fibrillation and complex arrhythmias, with particular emphasis on catheter ablation and lead extraction.

Dr. Rahul Loungani completed medical school at the medical university of SC and then traveled to Baltimore for internal medicine training in the Osler Residency Program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.  Here he fell in love with the management and hemodynamics of critically ill patients. He is currently a third-year cardiology fellow at Duke University Medical Center where he will also be pursuing fellowship in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology next year. His current interests are in Cardiac amyloid, In particular its arrhythmic manifestations, early diagnosis, and novel therapeutics. He also loves teaching the housestaff and was awarded the Cassell-Saperstein award at Duke,  recognizing the fellow who most demonstrates a commitment to teaching and passion for clinical education. Outside of the hospital loves being a new dad to baby Arya

Vanderbilt fellows, Richa Gupta and Jessica Huston, interview past HFSA president Dr. JoAnn Lindenfeld, Director of Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation Section at Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute about the nuts and bolts of cardiac transplantation. Topics discussed include organ allocation, recipient selection, high risk donors, short and long term complications, and what non-transplant physicians should know about immunosuppressive medications.

On the CardioNerds Heart Failure topic page you’ll podcast episodes, references, guest experts and contributors, and so much more.

Take me to the Heart Failure Topic Page

Dr. JoAnn Lindenfeld, is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation Section at Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.  She is the past president of the Heart Failure Society of America and serves on editorial boards of numerous journals including JACC, JACC Heart Failure and JHLT.  She is also a member of the AHA/ACC/HFSA heart failure guideline writing committee and was previously chair of the HFSA practice guidelines for the 2006 and 2010 guidelines. In addition to this she’s been an investigator in multiple large-scale clinical trials including the COAPT trial and has served on numerous steering committees, end point committees and data and safety monitoring committees. She is the author of a more than 300 original papers, reviews, and book chapters in the field of heart failure and heart transplantation.

Dr. Richa Gupta completed medical school at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and stayed on for internal medicine training in the Osler Residency Program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.  She is currently a third-year cardiology fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she will also be pursuing fellowship in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology next year.  Her current interests include post-transplant outcomes, the genetics of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy, the sequelae of mechanical circulatory support and applications of cardiac MRI. She also loves teaching the housestaff and medical students and getting them excited about all things heart failure.  Outside of the hospital she loves horror movies, food, travel and good exercise.

Dr. Jessica Huston is an Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she also completed her Cardiovascular Medicine fellowship and served as chief fellow. Prior to her time at Vanderbilt she completed residency at the University of Utah. Her clinical and research interests include pulmonary vascular remodeling in heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure. Outside the hospital she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her son.

Carine and Dan delve into left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) 101 with Dr. Steven Hsu, heart failure specialist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. We get big picture, we get detail oriented and we hit the highlights for the psycho-social-and medical management of our LVAD patient population.

On the CardioNerds Heart Failure topic page you’ll podcast episodes, references, guest experts and contributors, and so much more.

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Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Primer – Youtube

Dr. Steven Hsu received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He did his medical training on the Osler Medical Service, during which he also served as an Assistant Chief of Service. He then completed cardiology and advanced cardiomyopathy training at Hopkins. Dr. Hsu takes care of patients with advanced cardiomyopathies, Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD), and heart transplants. He serves as the medical director of the MCS program. He is also funded by an NIH/NHLBI K23 and leads a translational research effort studying the physiologic and molecular characteristics of right ventricular failure in the setting of pulmonary hypertension.

More about this series:
In conjunction with the 2020 Heart Failure Awareness Week, sponsored by the Heart Failure Society of America the CardioNerds are supporting the society’s efforts to promote heart failure awareness, patient education, and heart failure prevention by launching our Heart Failure Awareness CardioNerds Series. This series is a tribute to Dr. David Taylor. Dr. Taylor (aka “DOT”) was a heart failure attending at the Cleveland Clinic.  He died on Wednesday, February 5th 2020. We remember him for the legend he is. A passionate clinician, skilled educator, devoted mentor.  His legacy lives on within us. #foreverDOT

Amit and co-fellow Dr. Kartik Telukuntla discuss advanced heart failure therapies, or salvage therapies, with Dr. Jerry Estep, section head of heart failure at the Cleveland Clinic.

On the CardioNerds Heart Failure topic page you’ll podcast episodes, references, guest experts and contributors, and so much more.

Take me to the Heart Failure Topic Page

Dr. Jerry Estep earned his bachelor of arts at the University of Texas, Austin and subsequently received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed internal medicine residency training at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and went back to Baylor for his cardiology and heart failure fellowship training. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic in 2018 as our section head for the division of heart failure and transplant, Dr. Estep was the Section Head of Heart Failure at Methodist DeBakey in Houston, Texas. Dr. Estep has been involved in numerous clinical trials and co-authored over a 100 peer reviewed articles. He has a special interest in advanced heart failure strategies that include mechanical circulatory support devices and has published heavily on the percutaneous placement of intra-aortic balloon pump in the axillary artery as a long-term  support option to bridge patients to transplant. We are really appreciative of Dr. Estep’s time, expertise and amazing discussion regarding advanced heart failure therapies for the cardionerds cardiology podcast.

Dr. Kartik Telukuntla completed medical school in the University of Miami and internal medicine residency at University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a general cardiology fellow at the Cleveland Clinic and is slated to continue on for advanced heart failure fellowship.

Amit and co-fellow Kartik Telukuntla talk to Dr. Randall Starling, former president of the HSFA about his approach to guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for Heart Failure.

On the CardioNerds Heart Failure topic page you’ll podcast episodes, references, guest experts and contributors, and so much more.

Take me to the Heart Failure Topic Page

Dr. Randall Starling obtained his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s in Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh and medical degree from Temple University. He went back to University of Pittsburgh for his internal medicine residency training and then went to Ohio State University for his cardiology fellowship. He stayed on as faculty at Ohio State until 2005 at which time he joined the Cleveland Clinic. He is the former section head of the Division of Heart Failure and former Vice Chairman of the Cardiovascular Medicine Department. Dr. Starling has been the principal investigator on numerous clinical trials and most recently completed his tenure as President of the Heart Failure Society of America. We are really appreciative of his time and knowledge as we discuss GDMT for Heart Failure.

Dr. Kartik Telukuntla completed medical school in the University of Miami and internal medicine residency at University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a general cardiology fellow at the Cleveland Clinic and is slated to continue on for advanced heart failure fellowship.

This series is a tribute to Dr. David Taylor. Dr. Taylor (aka “DOT”) was a heart failure attending at the Cleveland Clinic.  He died on Wednesday, February 5th 2020. We remember him for the legend he is. A passionate clinician, skilled educator, devoted mentor.  His legacy lives on within us. #foreverDOT

Dan and Carine chat with cardiomyopathy expert Dr. Ed Kasper with regards to his approach to the new onset heart failure patient. This episode is dedicated to Dr. Kasper’s mentor and friend, Dr. Kenneth L. Baughman.

On the CardioNerds Heart Failure topic page you’ll podcast episodes, references, guest experts and contributors, and so much more.

Take me to the Heart Failure Topic Page

Dr. Edward K. Kasper, is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Natural Sciences. He earned his M.D. at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. His internship and residency in Internal Medicine and assistant chief of service (ACS) of the Thayer service as well as his fellowship in Cardiology, were completed at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he then joined the faculty in 1993. He is currently the E. Cowles Andrus Professor of Cardiology and Director of Clinical Cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Dr. Ken Baughman served as director of the cardiology division at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., before being recruited to Brigham Hospital in 2002.

He was such a hero in cardiology. Dr. Myron Weisfeldt, a cardiology great in his own right, called Dr. Baughman a physician’s physician, and an exemplar of how you can lead and teach as a model to others. His thousands of patients knew him and benefited from his great expertise and his care. Dr. Gary Gottlieb, president of Brigham Hospital at the time,  said His passion for his patients was woven into the fabric of our hospital,” He represented the very best in medicine … He cared so deeply for each and every person he touched. Not only was he an extraordinary clinician, but he was a respected and accomplished researcher and brilliant mentor to dozens of young men and women who benefited from his nurturance and wisdom.”

Learn more about Dr. Ken Baughman from a moving tribute authored by Dr. Roger Blumenthal. 

In conjunction with the 2020 Heart Failure Awareness Week, sponsored by the Heart Failure Society of America the CardioNerds are supporting the society’s efforts to promote heart failure awareness, patient education, and heart failure prevention by launching our Heart Failure Awareness CardioNerds Series.

This series will include topics that include the evaluation to new onset heart failure, approach to guideline directed medical therapy, approach to advanced heart failure therapies, LVAD 101, heart transplantation 101, atrial fibrillation and heart failure, structural interventions in heart failure, an in-depth discussion on heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, an approach to palliative care in heart failure and so much more!

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This heart failure series is a tribute to Dr. David Taylor. Dr. Taylor was a heart failure attending at the Cleveland Clinic.  He died early morning of Thursday, February 5th 2020.  We remember him for the legend he is. A passionate clinician, skilled educator, devoted mentor.

We also dedicate the series in memory of Dr. Ken Baughman who served as director of the cardiology division at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., before being recruited to Brigham Hospital in 2002.  He was such a hero in cardiology. Dr. Myron Weisfeldt, a cardiology great in his own right, called Dr. Baughman a physician’s physician, and an exemplar of how you can lead and teach as a model to others. For more on Dr. Baughman, please visit the heart failure topics page. 

Dr. Ron Witteles from Standford university provides an approach to cardiac amyloid and specifically AL (Light-Chain) Cardiac Amyloidosis. The discussion is lead by Amit and Dr. Ashley Bock. This episode is the fourth and final part of our immersive journey into the jungle of beta-pleated sheets in the heart. We focus on AL amyloidosis in this episode. Flutter moment by Lois Adamski.

On the CardioNerds Cardiac Amyloid Topic Page you will find podcast episodes, infographic, references, guest contributors, flutter stars, and so much more.

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Dr. Ronald Witteles is a graduate of Northwestern University where he earned his B.A. in Biology, and of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. with Honors.  He then moved west to Stanford University where he completed IM residency and Cardiology fellowship training, serving as both Chief Resident and Chief Fellow. He subsequently joined the faculty at Stanford, and is currently appointed as Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine). He has served as Program Director for the Stanford University Internal Medicine Residency Training Program for more than 10 years, where he leads a residency program of approximately 140 residents.  He is Co-Director of the Stanford Amyloid Center – one of the nation’s largest centers in the country which specializes in the treatment of patients with amyloidosis, and he leads an active research program in this area. He also serves as Co-Director of the Stanford Multidisciplinary Sarcoidosis Program, and he is a national leader in Cardio-Oncology, serving as Associate Editor for the country’s premier journal dedicated to the field, JACC: CardioOncology. 

Dr. Ashley Bock earned her medical degree at the University of Colorado and completed her internal medicine residency training at Duke University.  From there she came to the Cleveland Clinic for general cardiology fellowship and advanced heart failure training. She joins our team today to discuss AL cardiac amyloidosis with Dr. Witelles.

Cardionerds (Daniel Ambinder and Carine Hamo) chat with Dr. Virginia Hahn about her work profiling HFpEF patients via endomyocardial biopsy only to find a significant proportion of patients with unsuspected cardiac amyloid. This is followed by a high yield discussion with Dr. Joban Vaishnav about ATTR cardiac amyloid treatment and management options. Flutter moment by David Ambinder (MS IV).

On the CardioNerds Cardiac Amyloid Topic Page you will find podcast episodes, infographic, references, guest contributors, flutter stars, and so much more.

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Cardiac imaging for Amyloid – Youtube 

Dr. Virginia Shalkey Hahn is a fourth-year Cardiology fellow at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. She earned her medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she stayed for residency. She moved to Johns Hopkins for Cardiology fellowship (after a 1 year hiatus as an ICU hospitalist). During fellowship, she completed 2 years on the NIH T32 Training grant and one year as chief fellow. She feels passionate about translational heart failure research and mothering her 2 young children.

Dr. Joban Vaishnav completed her undergraduate and medical school training at St. Louis University. She has since been at Johns Hopkins for residency, cardiology fellowship, and advanced heart failure fellowship. Her early research pursuits were in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. From this, and from her advanced heart failure training, she developed a strong clinical interest and research interest in early diagnosis and treatment of cardiac amyloidosis.

In addition to the great discussion on Cardiac Amyloid ATTR treatment, we are excited to have Dan’s brother, David, join the Cardionerds cardiology podcast to share a special flutter moment! David Ambinder is a 4th year medical student at the University of Maryland and will be starting urology residency this coming July at Westchester Medical Center. He grew up in New York and graduated from Touro College before heading to Baltimore for medical school. He enjoys spending time with his wife Samantha and 3 lovely children.

• Carine Hamo, MD
• Daniel Ambinder, MD

Amit and Dr. Zach Il’Giovine learn about multimodality imaging in amyloid from Dr. Paul Cremer at the Cleveland Clinic. On their way to Dr. Cremer’s office, they run into Dr. Eoin Donnellan and discuss some incredible fellow research related to cardiac amyloid from an electrophysiologic perspective.

On the CardioNerds Cardiac Amyloid Topic Page you will find podcast episodes, infographic, references, guest contributors, flutter stars, and so much more.

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Dr. Paul Cremer earned a Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Following completion of his internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he worked as a physician for two years at the Navajo IHS Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility in Chinle, Ariz. He then continued his postdoctoral training with a three-year fellowship in cardiovascular medicine and a subsequent two-year fellowship in advanced cardiovascular imaging, both at Cleveland Clinic. He joined the Cleveland Clinic staff in 2017. He is the director of the Cleveland Clinic CCU.  He enjoys swimming and reading fantasy books with his daughters. He joins the cardionerds cardiology podcast to shed insight on cardiac amyloid imaging.

Dr. Eoin Donnellan is a 3rd year Cardiology Fellow at the Cleveland Clinic and all-around nice guy. He received his medical degree from University College Cork in Ireland before heading to the big city to continue his training at the Mater Hospital in Dublin. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the Cleveland Clinic and will start EP Fellowship this July. Outside of the hospital he enjoys long nature walks, whispering sweet nothings, searching for the deeper meaning in little things, and watching thought-provoking and highly entertaining television programs such as This is Us and The Bachelor.

Dr. Zachary Il’Giovine is a general cardiology fellow at the Cleveland Clinic. He received his medical degree from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine before completing internal medicine training at Duke University. He has clinical interests in advanced heart failure and cardiac critical care. Outside of the hospital he loves playing soccer and spending time with his wife Clare and son Luca.