AP Cardiology

In this episode I visit with Dr. Eugene Yang to discuss the update to hypertension guidelines published in 2017 by the ACC/AHA. I asked him what were the major changes and which patients should be treated to a target of <130/80 and practical aspects to management. Links: 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Guidelines

Following up on our last discussion with Dr. Daniel Lenihan, we address the subject of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the associated cardio-toxicities. Immune checkpoint inhibitors “ease the brakes” of the immune system leading to dramatic improvements in some cancers, but rarely this can lead to profound cardiovascular compromise. Hyperlinks to references on apcardiology.com References: Cardiovascular … Continue reading Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors →

I visited with Dr. Daniel Lenihan and spoke with him about cardio-oncology and some of the common issues and concerns that arise. Cardio-oncology is a very broad field and revolves around managing cardiovascular toxicities associated with cancer therapies. We discuss the classic example of anthracycline toxicity and touch on some of the newer therapies (immune … Continue reading Cardio-Oncology →

Dr. Caroline Kahle discussed a few cases I’ve encountered during medical training. How do we perceive end of life care or code situations in complex situations? We talk about non-beneficial medical care, physician communication and some pearls Dr. Kahle has learned in her experiences in medical ethics.

I met with Dr. Thomas Maddox, the director of the Health Systems Innovation Lab at BJC/WashU, to discuss an upcoming pilot program to remotely monitor patients with heart failure. The lab has partnered with Myia Labs using technology they have developed to monitor these patients at home. We discuss the ‘ballistocardiograph’ and how they are … Continue reading Remote Monitoring in Heart Failure →

In 2002, NEJM published the AFFIRM trial, showing no difference in outcomes between patients with atrial fibrillation treated with rate or rhythm control strategy. But does that mean rate control should be the default treatment method? In this episode I discuss this topic with Dr. Mitch Faddis and Dr. Philip Cuculich and their approach to … Continue reading Atrial Fibrillation →

I met with Dr. Alan Braverman to talk about aortic diseases (aka aortopathies) such as Marfan’s disease, Ehlers-Danlos and Loeys-Dietz. We discuss everything from clinical presentations and genetics to treatments. Articles referenced: NEJM Atenolol vs Losartan in Marfan’s

Dr Christie Ballantyne is the chief of cardiology and cardiovascular research at Baylor College of Medicine. He gave grand rounds on cardiovascular disease prevention at Washington University in St. Louis. I interviewed him about the commonly used risk calculators and how he assesses cardiovascular risk in the office. REDUCE-IT Trial on NEJM.org

AP Cardiology is coming up on one year next month and with that milestone, I wanted to ask for your participation in a short survey. There are 5 questions, and I’m just want to get an idea of who my audience is (so I can tailor the episodes better), what you enjoy and get any … Continue reading Listener Survey →

What patients should you be testing for cardiac amyloidosis? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Daniel Lenihan, an expert in cardiac amyloidosis. We review the exciting advances in the field of cardiac amyloidosis from epidemiology to treatments. You might be surprised to hear how common this condition is. Links to articles referenced: 1) Cardiac amyloid … Continue reading Cardiac Amyloidosis – Dr Lenihan →

In this episode I visit with Dr. John Gorcsan, an expert in echocardiography and strain imaging, to discuss the utility of ejection fraction. We discuss how EF came to be used in clinical practice, the importance of it in heart failure and the variation in measurement. We introduce strain imaging and what that adds to … Continue reading Beyond Ejection Fraction with Dr John Gorcsan →

In this episode I meet with Dr Murali Chakinala, an expert in pulmonary hypertension at Washington University in St Louis. We review the groupings of pulmonary hypertension, diagnosis and management considerations.

In this episode I visit with Dr Richard Bach, the director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at Washington University. We talk about everything from diagnosis, risk of exercise, medical management, indications for myectomy and alcohol ablations. Link to transcript on MedPage Today

The first patient treated with tPA in an acute myocardial infarction was at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. In this episode, I talked with one of the key players in making that happen, Dr Phil Ludbrook. It’s a great bit of medical history that I hope you enjoy! Link to original case series of 7 patients published in … Continue reading History of tPA in acute MI with Dr Phil Ludbrook →

Second part with Dr Karen Joynt Maddox discussing alternative payment models. In part one, we discussed the history of how quality measures began to be collected to being used in current reimbursement. In part two, we discuss some of the limitations of these models and the unanticipated consequences on some populations. Link to transcript on … Continue reading Alternative Payment Models Part 2 with Dr Karen Joynt Maddox →