Archive for 'Cardiology' Category

Guide to QT Prolongation & Torsades de Pointes – Drugs of Risk

The University of Arizona Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics provides a handy list of medications associated with Torsades de Pointes, a ventricular tachyarrhythmia often seen in the setting of hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia, diarrhea, or alcoholism. Torsades has the dangerous potential for degeneration into ventricular fibrillation and is treated with magnesium sulfate infusion and, [...]

Pharm Friday – Antiplatelet Agents Overview

Another home run from our friends at Pharmamotion: Classification: ADP Antagonists: thienopyridines act by inhibiting the ADP-dependent pathway of platelet activation. These drugs have no direct effect on prostaglandin metabolism. Ticlopidine …is approved for secondary prevention of thrombotic strokes in patients intolerant of aspirin and for prevention of stent thrombosis in combination with aspirin. adverse [...]

SYNTAX Trial: PCI vs CABG for Severe CAD

Rationale: Several trials comparing PCI involving bare-metal stents with CABG in patients with multivessel disease [ARTS I Trial, MASS II Trial, ERACI-II Trial & AWESOME Trial] showed similar survival rates but higher revascularization rates among patients with bare-metal stents at 5 years. Others have shown a significant long-term survival advantage with surgery [SOS Trial]. Studies [...]

Heart Sounds & Cardiac Exam Primer

Blaufuss Medical Multimedia Laboratories offer a free interactive tutorial worthy of a closer look. Cardiac Exam Module heart sounds tutorial quiz detailed animation of S2 splitting. Electrocardiogram Module Supraventricular tachycardia tutorial Interactive ECG viewer interpretations & detailed explanations. http://blaufuss.org/

News: Patching Heart Holes without Surgery

Method for patching ventricular defects may help postpone or obviate surgery. The patch successfully closed ventricular septal defects (VSDs)–or ruptures in the wall between the right and left ventricles–in nearly all patients, allowing blood to circulate normally again and relieving fluid back-up in the lungs. After recovery, patients were able to return to active lives. [...]