COVID-19

Outside of the loss of human life due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the past two years have greatly affected hospitals, health systems and the way providers deliver care. Healthcare executives are grappling with federal monetary assistance, growing burnout rates, workforce shortages and federal oversight of vaccines and testing. This channel is also designed to update clinicians on new research and guidelines regarding COVID patient treatment strategies and risk assessments.

PET imaging helps assess coronary microvascular dysfunction in long COVID patients
Researchers noted that patients appeared to have myocarditis at first, but a closer examination revealed it was something else entirely.
Do infections cause heart attacks? Lessons from COVID
COVID-19 opened the eyes of many cardiology researchers that infections may promote inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques, leading to cardiac events.
Why health equity is important in cardiology
Malissa Wood, MD, associate chief of cardiology for diversity and equity at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains the role of health equity in cardiovascular care and what her health system is doing to address it.
A cause for concern: Death after heart transplant more likely if the donor had COVID-19
Heart transplantation centers have significant risks to consider when donors test positive for COVID-19, according to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
COVID-19 linked to elevated risk of life-threatening arrhythmia
Patients with severe COVID-19 cases that required ventilation were 16 times more likely to develop ventricular tachycardia within six months, researchers found.

Video of ASNC President Mouaz Al-Mallah, MD, explaining some long-COVID cardiac symptoms might be due to coronary microvascular dysfunction. He was part of a recent study that used PET top assess myocardial perfusion that found there is impaired microvascular flow in long-COVID patients.

PET imaging helps assess coronary microvascular dysfunction in long COVID patients

Researchers noted that patients appeared to have myocarditis at first, but a closer examination revealed it was something else entirely.

September 27, 2023

Peter Libby, MD, explains how infections cause heart attacks. This came out of research taking a close look at COVID, but the inflammation from any infection may cause increased inflammation of coronary plaques that cause heart attacks. #COVID #COVID19

Do infections cause heart attacks? Lessons from COVID

COVID-19 opened the eyes of many cardiology researchers that infections may promote inflammation in atherosclerotic plaques, leading to cardiac events.

August 2, 2023

Malissa Wood, MD. explains why Mass General created a program to combat racism and health equity.

Why health equity is important in cardiology

Malissa Wood, MD, associate chief of cardiology for diversity and equity at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains the role of health equity in cardiovascular care and what her health system is doing to address it.

June 9, 2023

A cause for concern: Death after heart transplant more likely if the donor had COVID-19

Heart transplantation centers have significant risks to consider when donors test positive for COVID-19, according to new research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

May 19, 2023

Electrocardiograms analyzed by AI can offer information about mortality risk.

COVID-19 linked to elevated risk of life-threatening arrhythmia

Patients with severe COVID-19 cases that required ventilation were 16 times more likely to develop ventricular tachycardia within six months, researchers found.

April 21, 2023

Diabetes, coronary heart disease increase risk of long COVID, large new study confirms

Reviewing data from more than 800,000 patients, researchers also emphasized that patients vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to experience long-lasting symptoms.

March 24, 2023

Long-term fasting improves heart-related outcomes for at-risk COVID-19 patients

New research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting has shown that long-term intermittent fasting improved outcomes for individuals with COVID-19 who also have a history of heart disease.

March 13, 2023

Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, director of Mount Sinai Heart and general director of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research.

High dosage of blood thinners lowers 30-day morbidity for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

For patients who were hospitalized, but not yet in the ICU, those randomly assigned a higher-dose of anticoagulants had lower 30-day mortality risk than those on a lower dose.

March 10, 2023

Around the web

Health Exec

Surgeons successfully transplant pig hearts into recently deceased humans

Surgeons at NYU Langone Health successfully transplanted two genetically engineered pigs hearts into recently deceased humans in June and July.

Health Exec

Machine learning predicts drug cardiotoxicity

Machine learning is playing a key role in predicting all major forms of drug cardiotoxicity, potentially helping reduce late-stage clinical trial failures.

Health Exec

After heart attack, older patients have longer hospital stays but smaller total bills

Heart attack patients aged 65 and up stay hospitalized longer than those aged 65 or under—yet the seniors ring up significantly smaller bills per stay. The bad news is that the “savings” likely come in the form of fewer percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs, aka angioplasties) to open blocked heart arteries nonsurgically.