Left Atrial Myxoma Presenting as Persistent Dizziness.

Cardiac masses are divided into benign tumors and malignant tumors. The tumor can cause valvular obstruction and embolization phenomenon. To elucidate the etiology of cardiac masses, we rely on the use of echocardiograms in combination with the clinical picture of the patient. We describe an interesting case report of a 71-year-old woman who presented with persistent dizziness for one day. MRI brain showed multiple, small, scattered foci of acute infarction. The patient was treated with aspirin and atorvastatin. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a mass in the left atrium. Afterward, the tumor was removed surgically and histopathology was consistent with atrial myxoma.

30-day readmission prevention program in heart failure patients (RAP-HF) in a community hospital: creating a task force to improve performance in achieving CMS target goals.

In 2012, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would penalize any hospitals that had 30-day readmission rates for heart failure (HF) patients above 20%. Mather Hospital Northwell Health, a community teaching hospital, organized a proactive task force to meet these goals. We describe our hospital-wide Readmission Prevention in Heart Failure (RAP-HF) project. We focused on the following interventions: early identification of patients at risk for readmission, discipline-specific mitigation planning by the interdisciplinary rounding team, enhanced medication education for heart failure patients, education of family/caregivers on medication and heart failure symptoms, facilitation in scheduling of post-discharge follow up visits and hard-wired communication between hospital and post-discharge care providers. We saw a 25.53% decrease in 30-day readmission rates.

A Rare but Reversible Cause of Lithium-Induced Bradycardia.

Lithium is a well-known medication that has been used for many years to treat mood disorders. One of its side effects is cardiotoxicity, which usually occurs at serum lithium levels > 1.5 mEq/L but rarely occurs when therapeutic levels of lithium are used. Other causes of bradycardia should be eliminated by performing a detailed workup that includes calcium level, thyroid function, and cardiac workup, with consideration of any medication interactions. Lithium-induced bradycardia is reversible upon discontinuation of lithium, but irreversible sinus node can occur and may warrant permanent insertion of a pacemaker to maintain sinus rhythm when long-term lithium therapy is required. Herein, we describe the case of a 42-year-old woman who presented with symptomatic bradycardia. Bipolar disorder was described in her past medical history, and she was receiving lithium therapy. A detailed workup indicated bradycardia secondary to lithium use. Her condition improved after discontinuation of the lithium, and normal sinus rhythm was restored over the next three days.