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Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is a clinically heterogeneous cardiac disease that is associated with ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The authors discuss the diagnosis and genetic basis of AC, and how disruption of desmosomal crosstalk with the nucleus, gap junctions, and ion channels might underlie the pathophysiology of this condition.
A subanalysis of the REACH Registry provides a contemporary 'real-world' demonstration of the impact of ethnic and racial differences in cardiovascular risk factors and mortality. This work reinforces the growing notion of ethnicity-specific variations in the risks and outcomes associated with atherothrombotic disease.
The 2011 United Nations summit on noncommunicable diseases (of which cardiovascular diseases are the major component) heralded a new era in global health priorities and strategy. However, clinicians and health administrators alike might overlook the potential convergence of communicable and noncommunicable pathways to heart disease in individuals and communities with cardiovascular risk factors.
The practice of same-day discharge after uncomplicated percutaneous coronary intervention in the USA has been analyzed using a large database including >700,000 patients and, overall, is safe when compared with patients who stay in hospital overnight, but is still rarely used.
A study by Li and coworkers demonstrates that antihypertensive-drug use and untreated hypertension in pregnancy increase the risk of congenital malformations. Supported by the results of meta-analysis, this study heralds a major shift in our understanding of the fetal risks of hypertension and the medications used to treat this condition.
In this state-of-the-art Review, Michele De Bonis and colleagues discuss the optimal management of patients with degenerative or function mitral regurgitation, from established surgical techniques to new percutaneous technologies. They also provide an overview of the use of echocardiography in the assessment of MR.
In late 2010 and in 2011, the results of the first randomized controlled trial of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) were received with much excitement. In this Review, Dr. Rodés-Cabau discusses the main characteristics of transcatheter valves and the TAVI procedure, and evaluates the acute and late outcomes associated with TAVI.
