2025 October - 41 articles
Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is strongly associated with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and may serve as a marker of vascular pathology. Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors are the mainstay of treatment. Considering this lin...
Subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS) is a frequent cause of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction in children. Surgical resection is the standard treatment, yet recurrence requiring reintervention remains a significant concern. We aim to ide...
Background: Pulse field ablation (PFA) is a novel ablation technology with efficacy and safety, potentially making it a preferred ablation technology for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). There is no optimal procedural workflow established to opti...
We are grateful to Dr. Al Ebrahim for his thoughtful and constructive commentary on our historical review of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) [...]
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of bifurcation lesions remain one of the most technically challenging areas in interventional cardiology. Careful planning and execution are needed to preserve main vessel and side branch patency, with evolvin...
We read with great interest the historical review by Leivaditis et al [...]
Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including valvular heart disease (VHD), remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Case Presentation: W...
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement has become a widely accepted alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement even in younger, lower-risk patients with longer life expectancy. The increasing use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement is lea...
Background: Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are vital for managing arrhythmias but carry a notable risk of infection, which increases patient morbidity, mortality, and healthcare burden. This review examines current evidence on risk fa...
Background: Isometric handgrip (IHG) exercise reduces blood pressure (BP) in both normotensive and hypertensive individuals. However, there are few studies specifically addressing its effects in hypertensive patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD)...
(1) Background: There has been an increase in the utilization of the minimally invasive vertical right axillary thoracotomy approach for repairing congenital heart defects in children recently. We aim, in the current study, to evaluate the outcomes o...
Background: Conventional HF treatment in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) resulting in restrictive cardiomyopathy is debated due to absent trial evidence in this specific sub-population of heart failure (HF) patients. Current European Soci...
Minimal access techniques are increasingly shaping the landscape of cardiac surgery [...]
For decades, atrial fibrillation (AF) has been managed through a narrow lens—prevent strokes, rate or rhythm control, and accept recurrences as inevitable [...]
(1) Background: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the gold standard for diagnosing patent foramen ovale (PFO) in cryptogenic ischemic stroke. However, false-positive diagnoses remain clinically relevant, exposing patients to unnecessary invas...
Blood pressure variability (BPV) is linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and systemic inflammation in adults, but its relevance in young, healthy populations remains unclear. This study examined the association between short-term BPV and inflammato...
Background: Perioperative hypotension is a frequent but underrecognized complication during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Although reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and low baseline blood pressure have been linked to h...
Anticoagulation therapy with unfractionated heparin (UHF) is a mandatory treatment for many critically ill patients. While the gold standard for monitoring this therapy remains the laboratory-based aPTT (aPTT-lab), the need for immediate results has...
Aortic stenosis (AS) is a common degenerative valvular disease in elderly patients, causing obstruction of left ventricular outflow and presenting with symptoms such as angina, syncope, and heart failure. Although surgical aortic valve replacement (S...
Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is common in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). While invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is the gold standard for coronary evaluation, coronary computed tomography angiograph...
Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Guidelines favor direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), but real-world Croatian data are scarce. Methods: A prospective dua...
Background: Up to 40% of people with hypertension (HTN) develop mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease during their lifetime. This study aimed to compare physical and cognitive performance in older adults, classified as non-HTN or wi...
Malignant cerebral infarction (MCI) is rare but often fatal. Early identification helps guide monitoring and decompressive surgery. This study evaluated whether serum biomarkers add predictive value beyond clinical and imaging data in severe stroke p...
Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS). The impact and significance of AF in this patient population needs to be further clarified. Method: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studie...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) are pathologies that impact mortality and morbidity worldwide. These chronic diseases have multiple causes, and they share some common clinical symptoms, such as diaphragm d...
The epicardium plays a pivotal role in heart development, regeneration, and disease response through its contributions to multiple cardiac lineages and its dynamic paracrine signaling. Recent advances in lineage tracing, single-cell technologies, and...
Left ventricular (LV) hypertrabeculation is increasingly recognized as a phenotype that may reflect physiological adaptation, particularly in athletes exposed to chronic overload, although its functional relevance remains uncertain. This study evalua...
Evidence has suggested that post-exercise heart rate recovery (PHRR) is a useful tool in evaluating cardiac autonomic function. Altered cardiac autonomic function is characterized by heightened sympathetic activation and the abnormal reactivation of...
Arrhythmias significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). While postoperative factors predisposing to arrhythmias are well-established, early electrophysiological alterations in pediatric CHD rem...
(1) Background: Physical activity, altered metabolic parameters, and socio-economic status may affect electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters in children. However, a direct comparison of their effects on resting ECG has not yet been performed. (2) Meth...
Atherosclerosis is a complex systemic inflammatory metabolic disease, which originates from endothelial dysfunction and progresses through plaque formation involving vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and macrophage uptake of modified low-density l...
Homocysteine has long been studied as a potential cardiovascular risk factor due to its biochemical role in endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and thrombogenesis. Despite strong epidemiological and mechanistic support, the trans...
Clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular disease has undergone revolutionary changes over the last decades thanks to rapid developments in medical imaging modalities significantly enhancing the diagnostic performance of cardiac imaging in cardiovascular...
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is recommended as part of routine care in people with congenital heart disease. A significant difference has been observed in many CPET parameters, depending on the ergometer and exercise protocol used. The aim...
Background: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) is an infiltrative cardiomyopathy that frequently progresses to symptomatic heart failure (HF), often with mildly reduced or reduced ejection fraction (EF). Standard therapies are limited in NYH...
Bedside echocardiography stands as a cornerstone diagnostic tool in internal medicine, offering rapid, real-time evaluation of cardiac structure and function across a wide spectrum of acute and chronic conditions. Its application, particularly when c...
Cardiac surgery, now a routine medical intervention, was once deemed unthinkable—not merely due to technical limitations, but because of deep-seated cultural, religious, and philosophical prohibitions. This article traces the historical and eth...
Context and Objective: Post-Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) mortality exhibits extreme heterogeneity that conventional meta-analyses fail to explain, limiting the clinical utility of evidence synthesis and hindering accurate prognostic...
Myocardial hypoxia is a major cause of cardiac dysfunction, triggering cellular injury and apoptosis. This study aims to investigate the effects of subacute hypoxia on cardiac remodeling and mitochondrial oxygen consumption. This study is based on a...
Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has become a cornerstone in the non-invasive evaluation and management of cardiovascular disease, offering clinicians detailed anatomical and functional information that directly influences patient care. This review f...
Childhood-onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a cardiac disorder presenting unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in children that require tailored clinical attention compared to HCM arising at other life stages. Despite this, current t...
