Unmasking a Silent Threat: Office-Based Diagnosis of an Ascending Aortic Dissection With Transthoracic Echocardiography.

Type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is a potentially life-threatening diagnosis that can present with elusive symptomatology. A high degree of clinical suspicion is necessary for prompt diagnosis and management. We describe a case of a transthoracic echo (TTE) in a non-suspicious clinic patient diagnosed with TAAD. A 66-year-old Caucasian male presented for a routine clinic visit with one episode of acute severe chest pain. An echocardiogram was ordered for further workup of hypertension and chest discomfort. The echocardiogram demonstrated an ejection fraction of 60% without significant valvular abnormalities. There was suspicion of aortic pathology, which required multiple attending to review the images. The final interpretation was TAAD with a thrombus present in the false lumen. The patient then presented to the Emergency Department. A computed tomographic angiography was performed, which subsequently confirmed the TAAD. The patient was admitted to the cardiovascular ICU and ultimately underwent a successful repair of the dissection. The patient had an unremarkable post-operative course and was ultimately discharged home. Our case demonstrated a diagnosis of TAAD by office-based TTE as the original imaging modality. While this was unconventional, a TAAD should remain on the differential diagnosis when being ordered for the patient's with uncontrolled hypertension with chest pain as a presenting symptom.

COVID-19 and Cardiomyopathy in African Americans: An Early Single-Center Experience.

Introduction The 2019 coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on our society. Although most patients report minimal symptoms, a small proportion of patients have reported significant respiratory symptoms that led to admission to the inpatient medical ward or even the intensive care unit. Complications and long-term sequela of COVID-19 are still being reported and studied. The presence of cardiomyopathy, whether established or new-onset and its effect on inpatient mortality, admission to the intensive care unit or length of stay hasn't been studied.  Methods All inpatient hospitalizations in our database between March 1, 2020, and April 30, 2020, due to COVID-19 were reviewed. Patients who had at least a limited echocardiogram during this time were included in the study if they were above the age of 18. Patients were then assigned to three groups. The first group had patients with normal left ventricular systolic function. The second group had established cardiomyopathy that persisted throughout admission. The third group had patients who were found to have new-onset cardiomyopathy during admission.  Results The inpatient mortality, although high and variable, wasn't significantly different between the three groups. Also, there was no significant difference between admission to the intensive care unit, disposition at discharge, or oxygenation status at 24 hours between the three groups. The length of stay in the established cardiomyopathy group was markedly lower, and we suspect that could be due to more aggressive discussions about end-of-life care.  Conclusion Early COVID-19 experience at our center revealed a relatively high mortality rate that was primarily due to respiratory failure. The presence of established or new cardiomyopathy didn't appear to alter the outcomes significantly early in the pandemic.

Mobile Atheroma in the Left Internal Carotid Artery: A Case of Impending Doom!

A 69-year-old male presented for evaluation of a carotid bruit. Carotid ultrasound demonstrated the unique finding of a large, highly mobile atheroma in the proximal left internal carotid artery. The presence of a mobile atheroma confers an even higher risk of stroke, so this presentation posed a dilemma in terms of endovascular versus open surgical management strategies. In patients with carotid artery disease, the risk of stroke is related to plaque rupture and distal embolization. The patient underwent successful carotid stenting without periprocedural complications. Our case reports the unusual occurrence of a highly mobile atheroma as the initial presentation of carotid artery disease treated safely with percutaneous carotid artery stenting.

Evaluating the Appropriateness of Pulmonary Embolism Admissions in a Community Hospital Emergency Department.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a diagnosis on the broader spectrum of venous thromboembolic (VTE) disease. The diagnostic key for clinicians is detecting which patients have a "high risk" of complications or mortality and who are in the "low-risk" population. The Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (PESI) and HESTIA scores are validated risk stratification tools to determine if patients diagnosed with PE can be successfully managed in the outpatient versus inpatient setting. We aimed to investigate the appropriateness of PE admissions to our institution based on the risk stratification recommendations from PESI and HESTIA scores. We retrospectively identified 175 patients admitted with a diagnosis of PE over one year at our hospital. Baseline demographics, length of admission, and admitting diagnoses were collected for all patients included in this study. PESI and HESTIA scores were then calculated for all included patients. The average PESI score was 91.65 (95% confidence interval: 86.33, 96.97). There were 87 patients (49.7%) that had a low or very low PESI score of fewer than 85 points. Fifty-seven patients (33.7%) presented with a HESTIA score of 0. The risk stratification score indicates these patients as low risk, and appropriate for outpatient management. However, they were instead admitted to the hospital which contributes to increased costs, risk of adverse events, etc. There were 0 mortalities reported for patients in the "low or very low risk" groups, with four reported mortalities in the "very high risk" groups.  In our cohort, 33.7%-49.7% of admissions for PE were risk-stratified as "low risk" and qualified for outpatient management based on HESTIA and PESI risk stratification scores, respectively. The underutilization of validated risk scores upon initial diagnosis of PE may lead to worse outcomes and increased healthcare expenditure.

Assessing the Impact of Intensified Hypertension (HTN) Treatment Guidelines: A Single Center Experience.

INTRODUCTION:  Hypertension (HTN) is an independent risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and premature death. In 2017 there was a shift in the definition of HTN by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), as well as the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA), resulting in lower blood pressure (BP) readings meeting criteria for diagnosis. Our study aimed to explore the impact the change had on a single cardiology practice's management of patients with HTN. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of a single cardiology practice. We separated the time into two categories: 12 months before and 12 months after the reclassification of HTN categories in November 2017. A paired t-test analysis was done comparing averaged blood pressures (BPs) in each of the two time periods, as well as the number of medications in each time period and several subgroup analyses. RESULTS: A total of 441 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients were prescribed an average of 2.61 ± 1.20 medications at baseline, and 2.74 ± 1.22 medications post-reclassification (p < 0.0001). There was an average of 0.82 ± 1.28 medication changes per patient. The overall average BP was 133.7 ± 14.1/76.4 ± 9.5 at baseline, and 131.3 ± 13.1/76.7 ± 7.7 after the recategorization [Δ -2.41 (95% CI 1.18-3.63)/0.269 (95% CI -0.29 to 0.459); p<0.0001 for systolic blood pressure (SBP), p=0.467 for diastolic blood pressure (DBP)]. CONCLUSION: The change in definition of HTN significantly impacted this single cardiology practice. There was a statistically significant increase in antihypertensive medications prescribed with an expected decrease in BP observed in this study.

Successful Medical Management of an Acute Ascending Aortic Dissection After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

Aortic dissection is an acute and life-threatening disease entity. Mortality rates increase every hour after the presentation. Typical treatment includes medical management of blood pressure and heart rate control followed by prompt transfer to an operating room for surgical repair. We present a case of medically managed Stanford type A aortic dissection in a postoperative coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patient. A 77-year-old man with a past medical history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia presented after an outpatient nuclear stress test demonstrated a reversible inferior wall defect. He was subsequently referred to a cardio-thoracic surgeon and underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Three weeks later, the patient presented to the emergency department complaining of a productive cough, nausea, vomiting, and fever. He was diagnosed with sepsis secondary to pneumonia. A CT chest demonstrated a new 3.9 cm long segment of dissection in the ascending thoracic aorta. Due to postoperative recovery from recent CABG, a decision was made to treat the ascending thoracic aortic dissection (Stanford type A) medically. He was advised to continue intensive antihypertensive medications and close follow-up with a cardiologist and cardiothoracic surgeon on an outpatient basis. Subsequent follow-up CT chest angiography at one month, four months, and 12 months later did not demonstrate the progression of the ascending aortic dissection. Decisions to deviate from the usual care should best be taken in a multidisciplinary team approach. Patients should clearly be informed about the rationale behind these complex decisions.

Cardiac sarcoidosis presenting as constrictive pericarditis.

In patients with cardiac sarcoidosis, the sarcoid granulomas usually involve the myocardium or endocardium. The disease typically presents as heart failure with ventricular arrhythmias, conduction disturbances, or both. Constrictive pericarditis has rarely been described in patients with sarcoidosis: we found only 2 reports of this association. We report the case of a 57-year-old man who presented with clinical and hemodynamic features of constrictive pericarditis, of unclear cause. He was admitted for treatment of recurrent pleural effusion. After a complicated hospital course, he underwent pericardiectomy. His clinical and hemodynamic conditions improved substantially, and he was discharged from the hospital in good condition. The pathologic findings, the patient's clinical course, and his response to pericardiectomy led to our diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis presenting as constrictive pericarditis. In addition to the patient's case, we discuss the nature and diagnostic challenges of cardiac sarcoidosis. Increased awareness of this disease is necessary for its early detection, appropriate management, and potential cure.