Outcomes of Ultrafiltration in community-based hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine outcomes of ultrafiltration in real world community-based hospital settings. BACKGROUND: Ultrafiltration (UF) is an accepted therapeutic option for advanced decompensated heart failure (ADHF). the feasibility of UF in a community hospital setting, by general cardiologists in a start-up program had not been objectively evaluated. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the first-year cohort of ADHF patients treated with UF from 10/1/2019 to 10/1/2020, which totaled 30 patients, utilizing the CHF Solutions Aquadex FlexFlow™ System with active UF rate titration. RESULTS: Baseline patient characteristics were similar to RCTs: mean age 63, 73 % male; 27 % female; 53 % Caucasian; 47 % African American; 77 % had LVEF ≤ 40. The baseline mean serum creatinine (Cr) was 1.84 ±0.62 mg/dL, mean GFR of 36.95 ±9.60 ml/min. HF re-admission rates were not significantly different than prior studies (17.2 % at 30 d, 23.3 % at 60 d, but in our cohort, per patient HF re-admission rates were reduced significantly by 60 d (0.30 p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Our analysis showed success with UF in mainstream setting with reproducible results of significant volume loss without adverse renal effect, mitigation of recurrent Hdmissions, and remarkable subjective clinical benefit.

Diabetic foot ulcer: A comprehensive review of pathophysiology and management modalities.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a debilitating and severe manifestation of uncontrolled and prolonged diabetes that presents as ulceration, usually located on the plantar aspect of the foot. Approximately 15% of individuals with diabetes will eventually develop DFU, and 14%-24% of them will require amputation of the ulcerated foot due to bone infection or other ulcer-related complications. The pathologic mechanisms underlying DFU are comprise a triad: Neuropathy, vascular insufficiency, and secondary infection due to trauma of the foot. Standard local and invasive care along with novel approaches like stem cell therapy pave the way to reduce morbidity, decrease amputations, and prevent mortality from DFU. In this manuscript, we review the current literature with focus on the pathophysiology, preventive options, and definitive management of DFU.

Is early invasive management as ST elevation myocardial infarction warranted in de Winter's sign?-a "peak" into the widow-maker.

de Winter's sign was first described by de Winter et al. in 2008 as a new electrocardiographic (EKG) pattern of acute proximal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion. Instead of the normal presentation of ST elevation, it is described as depression of ST segment at the J point in the precordial leads V1-V6, which are upsloping leading to hyper-acute T waves, with ST elevation in aVR. The initial retrospective systematic analysis proved this sign to be present in about 2% of anterior myocardial infarction. This review aims to address the important question of mode and urgency of intervention, on detection of de Winter's sign. In this review, we take a look at the de Winter's sign EKG characteristics, accuracy in diagnosis, typical patient presentation, and the outcomes of early intervention. We conducted a Medline search using various combinations of "de Winter's sign," "STEMI equivalent," "cardiac catheterization," and "thrombolysis" to identify pivotal research articles published before June 1, 2019, for inclusion in this review. Concurrently, major practice guidelines, trial bibliographies, and pertinent reviews were examined to ensure inclusion of relevant trials. A consensus among the authors was used to choose items for narrative inclusion. The following section reviews data from pivotal trials to determine the need for early invasive management in de Winter's sign. Research articles reviewed evaluating cardiac catheterization in de Winter's sign. de Winter's sign, although rare (~2%), should be promptly recognized, as it reveals underlying severe coronary artery pathology, frequently involving the LAD which is associated with a high rate of mortality. This systematic review emphasizes awareness and strong consideration of early activation of the cardiac catheterization lab with PPCI; which may yield better treatment outcomes. The evidence suggests that de Winter's sign, presenting with ST depression and T wave elevation, should indeed be treated as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) equivalent, with prompt recognition and early intervention.

Apple Watch, Wearables, and Heart Rhythm: where do we stand?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) poses a major health concern in the United States by affecting over 5 million people accounting for at least 15% to 25% of strokes. It can be asymptomatic or subclinical with its first presentation being stroke in 18%, and AF being only detected at the time of stroke. With evidence of subclinical AF associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke, recent developments indeed point towards wearables, especially smart watches, being quite effective and representing a novel method for screening for silent AF in the general population, and thereby reducing mortality and morbidity associated with it. This manuscript aims to review whether the photoplethysmography (PPG) technology, employed in the wearables to monitor heart rate, is accurate enough to aid in the diagnosis of AF that may remain asymptomatic or paroxysmal. It also explores the option of actually employing this method in the general population, the feasibility of this mode of diagnosis, sensitivity and specificity of this method compared to the conventional electrocardiogram (EKG), and the actual follow up with a practitioner and subsequent treatment of AF, if diagnosed. We conducted a Medline search using various combinations of "smart watch" "atrial fibrillation" "wearables", and "Kardia" to identify pivotal randomized trials published before June 1, 2019, for inclusion in this review. Concurrently, major practice guidelines, trial bibliographies, and pertinent reviews were examined to ensure inclusion of relevant trials. A consensus among the authors was used to choose items for narrative inclusion. The following section reviews data from pivotal trials to determine the effectiveness of smart watch technology in detecting AF in the general population. Trials reviewed evaluated apple watch, Kardia, Samsung wearables in diagnosis of AF. The fact that there is an increase in consumer use of wearables, smart devices, which can serve as health monitoring devices that can be used as a non-invasive, ambulatory assessment of heart rate and rhythm, is definitely novel. Intermittent short EKG recordings repeated over a longer-term period produced significantly better sensitivity for AF detection, with 4 times as many cases diagnosed compared with a single time-point measurement. Since there are limitations and further research into this new field is required, the wearable technology may not serve as the ultimate tool for diagnosis of AF, rather a nidus for the general population to seek medical advice for confirmation on being notified of having an irregular rhythm leading to prevention of morbidity and mortality associated with it.