Atrial Fibrillation

Latest News


CME Content


The optimal approach to subclinical hypothyroidism continues to be debated. Experts disagree over screening for thyroid dysfunction, the threshold TSH level for treatment, and the upper limit of normal of the TSH reference range.

Five days after starting aspirin and warfarin with an enoxaparin bridge for new-onset atrial fibrillation, a 92-year-old man presented with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The patient appeared ill and was tachycardic. He had dry mucous membranes; pale sclerae; diminished bowel sounds; and a large, tender left lower abdominal mass. Hematocrit was 22% (baseline, 39%); hemoglobin, 6.8 g/dL; blood urea nitrogen, 65 mg/dL; and creatinine, 3.2 mg/dL (baseline, 1.3 mg/dL). His "pre-renal" ratio was 20. These findings were consistent with bleeding and acute renal failure. He also had a supratherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) of 4.1.

An 82-year-old man presents with shoulder pain resulting from a fall the day before. He has had intermittent episodes of light-headedness, chest pain, and "flutterings in the chest" over the past week--including one this morning. Episodes last about 2 hours and resolve spontaneously. He denies any loss of consciousness, weakness, or worsening of symptoms with exertion. He also denies headache, abdominal pain, and other injuries. His medical history includes coronary artery disease (treated with bypass grafting 10 years earlier); prostate cancer; and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, for which he is receiving chemotherapy.

DALLAS -- Myocardial infarction survivors who have ventricular dysfunction as measured by an ejection fraction of less than 40% should receive implantable cardioverter defibrillators to prevent sudden cardiac death.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Even though anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation may boost the chance of an intracranial bleed slightly in older patients, the benefits of the therapy outweigh the risk of a hemorrhage, according to researchers here.

NEW YORK -- Stroke risk trumps age, gender or other history of heart disease in determining which atrial fibrillation patients benefit from anticoagulation, according to revised guidelines issued today by the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology.

We describe a case in which a patient received thrombolytic therapy after he presented with a clinical picture consistent with submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). Two months later, a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor was diagnosed, and the patient died with metastatic disease. The filling defect in the left main pulmonary artery originally interpreted as PE was in fact a tumor. This case describes an unusual presentation of a rare disease (malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor) mimicking a submassive PE.

A middle-aged woman is experiencing episodes of chest pain and fatigue. Although stress test results are positive for ischemia, coronary angiography reveals open arteries. What next step would you take?

PHILADELPHIA -- Gleevec (imatinib), the major prominent symbol of the age of targeted anti-cancer drugs, can on occasion cause serious cardiotoxicity with congestive heart failure, according to researchers.

GRONINGEN, The Netherlands -- Two decades after they were treated with Adriamycin (doxorubicin) for osteogenic sarcoma or malignant fibrous histiocytoma, the cardiac status of 22 long-term survivors continues to worsen.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Although the prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction has increased, survival rates for these patients with diastolic heart failure remain similar to those with a reduced ejection fraction, according to two studies.