Patient: Male, 22Final Diagnosis: CardiomyopathySymptoms: Shortness of breath • dispnoea • chest discomfortMedication: —Clinical Procedure: Echocardiogram • cardiac MRISpecialty: CardiologyObjective:Challenging differential diagnosisBackground:Non-compaction cardiomyopathy (NCM) is a rare congenital cardiomyopathy characterized by increased trabeculation in one or more segments of the ventricle. The left ventricle is most commonly affected. However, biventricular involvement or right ventricle predominance has also been described. Clinical features of NCM are non-specific and can range from being asymptomatic to symptoms of congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, and systemic thromboembolism.Case Report:22-year-old Hispanic male presented with two month history of chest discomfort. Laboratory workup revealed an elevated brain-natriuretic-peptide of 1768 pg/ml. ECG and chest x-ray was nonspecific. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed prominent trabeculae and spongiform appearance of the left ventricle (LV) with an ejection-fraction of 15–20%; 5 of 9 segments of the LV were trabeculated with deep intertrabecular recesses also involving the right ventricle (RV) with demonstrated blood flow in these recesses on color-doppler. The biventricular spongiform appearance was morphologically suggestive for NCM with involvement of the RV. Confirmatory cardiac MRI was performed, demonstrating excessive trabeculation of the left-ventricular apex and mid-ventricular segments. Hypertrabecularion was exhibited at the apical and lateral wall of the RV. Cardiac catheterization showed an intact cardiac vessel system. The patient was discharged on heart failure treatment and was placed on the heart transplantation list.Conclusions:NCM is a unique disorder resulting in serious and severe complications. The majority of the reported cases describe the involvement of the left ventricle. However, the right ventricle should be taken into careful consideration. The early diagnosis may help to increase the event-free survival.
Medical, percutaneous interventional, and surgical treatments for the management of coronary heart disease have progressed markedly during the past decade. There is evidence to suggest that for patients with stable coronary heart disease optimal medical therapy is equal in effectiveness for lowering the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, as are revascularization procedures, such as coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous coronary intervention. The landmark Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial found no significant difference between medical therapy alone and medical therapy plus coronary artery bypass grafting with respect to the primary end point of death from any cause (all-cause mortality). However, secondary outcomes showed fewer deaths from cardiovascular causes in the surgical group versus the medical group. Medical therapy has improved over time, as have surgical techniques including myocardial preservation, and both approaches have their place, especially since chest pain relief and quality of life may benefit more in some cases by revascularization. Certainly, coronary artery bypass grafting has general acceptance for three-vessel coronary heart disease, and percutaneous coronary artery intervention is the standard of care for the involved artery in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction when the intervention can be accomplished rapidly. Medical management includes lifestyle changes that benefit coronary heart disease, drug therapy to improve prognosis, and drug therapy to improve symptoms. The key to clinical management is the selection of the procedure and/or medical management strategy that is in the best interest of the individual cardiovascular patient. In addition, discussing with patients their options and considering what best fits their wishes is especially critical when there is no clear-cut best strategy. Continued collaboration between cardiologists concentrating on medical approaches with interventionists and cardiac surgeons (heart team approach) is essential for optimal management for each individual patient.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in clinical practice. An important component of the management of patients with AF involves prevention of thromboembolism and stroke. Coumarins, such as warfarin had been the only available oral antithrombotic agent for prevention of thromboembolism for many decades. Following intestinal absorption, coumarins inhibit multiple steps of the clotting cascade that leads to inhibition of coagulation factors II, VII, IX and X. In addition to delayed and variable inhibition of coagulation, coumarin therapy has a narrow therapeutic window for optimal balance of risk and benefit, which requires regular assessment of the international normalized ratio (INR) to monitor coagulation. A quest for safer, more effective therapies that do not need monitoring has led to the development of dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. In this article, we review these newer antithrombotic agents and discuss role of these drugs in clinical practice.
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