Background There is lack of large data from South-Asian region on atrial fibrillation and it is imperative that clinical presentation, prognostic factors, management pursued, and outcomes are known for this part of the world. Once collective evidence for the region is known, region-specific guidelines can be laid forward. Objectives To evaluate clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of atrial fibrillation at a tertiary care center of Pakistan. Methods This was a retrospective study conducted at a tertiary care center of Pakistan. Period of study ranged from July–December 2018. All hospitalized patients who were admitted with atrial fibrillation as a primary or associated diagnosis were enrolled. Results A total of 636 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 68.5 ± 12 years and 49.5% (315) were male. 90.6% of the patients were admitted via emergency room. Majority (59.9%) had previously known AF and 40% developed new-onset AF during the hospital stay. Hypertension was the most common co-morbid condition (85.4%) followed by Diabetes Mellitus (40.1%). At least 9% had rheumatic heart disease. The median CHA 2 DS 2 VASc and HASBLED scores were 4 and 2 respectively. More than one-third of patients had sepsis as a primary diagnosis (36.8%). The in-hospital mortality of patients with atrial fibrillation was 6.7%. Patients with new-onset AF had higher mortality. Sepsis and stroke were independently associated with a higher mortality. There was no significant difference in median CHA 2 DS 2 VASc and HASBLED scores for patients with new-onset and previously known AF. On discharge, 83% of the eligible patients received oral anticoagulation. Conclusion There was higher prevalence of chronic co-morbid conditions in the studied population leading to a higher CHA 2 DS 2 VASC Score. Sepsis and stroke were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality.

Objectives: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) plays a pivotal role in the current era of coronary interventions. We aimed to determine the prevalence of IVUS use and clinical outcomes of IVUS-guided percutaneous treatment of coronary arteries lesions in a South Asian country. Material and Methods: It is a retrospective observational study, a total of 134 consecutive patients having done IVUS, was enrolled from January 2013 to March 2020 at a single center. Results: Out of 134 patients, 97 (72.4%) were male with a mean age of 63.1 ± 12.9 years. The prevalence of IVUS in our center was 3.0%. The most frequent comorbidity observed was dyslipidemia, n = 111 (82.8%). Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, n = 50 (37.3%), was the common mode of presentation. On coronary angiogram, the left main (LM) disease was found in n = 46 (34.3%), however, single-vessel disease, n = 51 (38.1%), was most commonly noted. IVUS utilization was higher in the left anterior descending, n = 94 (70.1%), followed by LM, n = 46 (34.3%). The LM mean minimal luminal area was 6.0 ± 2.6 mm2 and minimal luminal diameter was 4.53 mm ± 0.6 (mean). The coronary artery dissection was noted in n = 15 (11.2%). The mean duration of follow-up in our study was 40.3 ± 30.1 months. Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) were recorded in n = 13 (9.7%), which included heart failure, n = 4 (3%). Cardiovascular death and target vessel revascularization occurred in n = 3 (2.2%). Conclusion: IVUS results in a significant decrease in MACE. Our data might support the broader use of IVUS in both developed and in our part of the world.

Aims: To identify the changes in cardiovascular disease presentation, emergency room triage and inpatient diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. We collected data for patients presenting to the emergency department with cardiovascular symptoms between March–July 2019 (pre-COVID period) and March–July 2020 (COVID period). The comparison was made to quantify the differences in demographics, clinical characteristics, admission, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and in-hospital mortality between the two periods. Results: Of 2976 patients presenting with cardiac complaints to the emergency department (ED), 2041(69%) patients presented during the pre-COVID period, and 935 (31%) patients presented during the COVID period. There was significant reduction in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (8% [95% CI 4–11], p < 0.001) and heart failure (↓6% [95% CI 3–8], p < 0.001). A striking surge was noted in Type II Myocardial injury (↑18% [95% CI 20–15], p < 0.001) during the pandemic. There was reduction in cardiovascular admissions (coronary care unit p < 0.01, coronary step-down unit p = 0.03), cardiovascular imaging (p < 0.001), and procedures (percutaneous coronary intervention p = 0.04 and coronary angiography p = 0.02). No significant difference was noted in mortality (4.7% vs. 3.7%). The percentage of patients presenting from rural areas declined significantly during the COVID period (18% vs. 14%, p = 0.01). In the subgroup analysis of sex, we noticed a falling trend of intervention performed in females during the COVID period (8.2% male vs. 3.3 % female). Conclusions: This study shows a significant decline in patients presenting with Type I myocardial infarction (MI) and a decrease in cardiovascular imaging and procedures during the COVID period. There was a significant increase noted in Type II MI.

A 61-year-old male presented to the emergency department with left arm and jaw pain for three hours which started 90 minutes after receiving the first dose of Moderna vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 . He had a prior history of ischemic heart disease. Initial investigations confirmed the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. The patient was managed for non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and percutaneous coronary intervention to the right posterior descending artery was done, and he was discharged after two days of hospital stay. As the patient was doing well for many years and was compliant with medications, this event was likely triggered by the coronavirus vaccine. Healthcare providers should be aware of the side effects of the vaccine and further investigations should be carried out in high-risk patients before vaccination. However, worldwide coronavirus vaccination programs play a significant role to halt this pandemic and these rare adverse side effects of the vaccine should never discourage people from the vaccination but monitoring of evolving data by the concerned authorities is very important so that these events can be prevented in future.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the recommended modality of treatment for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, different countries now have different consensus about treatment of patients with STEMI during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this report, we describe a case of SARS-CoV-2-positive patient admitted with pneumonia. During hospital stay in COVID-19 designated special care, the patient developed inferoposterior wall myocardial infarction (MI) without haemodynamic instability and was treated successfully with thrombolytics (streptokinase) without any severe complications. To decrease the risk of in-hospital exposure to COVID-19 infection among the staff, in circumstances where there is no negative-pressure catheterisation laboratory and there is shortage in medical staff, thrombolytics can be used as a modality of treatment in low-risk, haemodynamically stable MI during this pandemic, as recommended by different cardiac societies. However, this needs further studies in order to reach local and international consensus.