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This review, which details 2 DAPT risk scoring systems and includes a treatment guide, can help ensure that you deliver the right treatment to the right patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the health risks associated with use of ionizing radiation such as X-rays for medical diagnosis and treatment purposes. It mentions the risk of tissue injury, cataract injury and genetic alteration along with potential cancer risk for patients, staff and operators. It also states the need for radiation awareness integrating radiation safety into the laboratory quality program.

Introduction: Patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) have a higher incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Hence, it is crucial to evaluate CAD before renal transplantation. This study compares the utility of pharmacologic single‐photon emission computed‐tomography (SPECT) imaging directly to coronary angiography for diagnosis of CAD with correlation to cardiovascular risk factors. Method: Retrospective review of asymptomatic renal failure patients who underwent both SPECT and coronary angiography to identify obstructive CAD between the years 2008‐2016. Ninety‐four ESRD subjects were evaluated. Results: Myocardial perfusion SPECT study found, when compared to coronary angiography demonstrated for CAD, the sensitivity of 93.3% with a specificity of 73.4%. Importantly, the negative predictive value for coronary artery disease was 96%. With seven or more cardiac risk factors, 66.7% of patients had obstructive coronary artery disease. Among all the risk factors examined, patients with a previous history of coronary artery disease had a 68% risk of obstructive coronary artery disease. Conclusion: Comparing myocardial perfusion imaging SPECT findings with coronary angiography in patients with ESRD, a sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 73% were observed. Of all the risk factors examined, patient with the previous history of CAD was the single most significant risk factor for CAD in 68% of cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines, which provide the treatment options and medical care related to myocardial infarction (MI). Topics addressed include the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and thrombus aspiration in patients with ST-elevation MI (STEMI), recommendations for aspiration thrombectomy, and clinician-patient relationship.

Patients with heart disease are frequently treated with supplemental oxygen. Although oxygen can exhibit vasoactive properties in many vascular beds, its effects on the coronary circulation have not been fully characterized. To examine whether supplemental oxygen administration affects coronary blood flow (CBF) in a clinical setting, we measured in 18 patients with stable coronary heart disease the effects of breathing 100% oxygen by face mask for 15 mm on CBF (via coronary Doppler flow wire), conduit coronary diameter, CBF response to intracoronary infusion of the endothelium-dependent dilator ACh and to the endothelium-independent dilator adenosine, as well as arterial and coronary venous concentrations of the nitric oxide (NO) metabolites nitrotyrosine, NO2-, and NO3-. Relative to breathing room air, breathing of 100% oxygen increased coronary resistance by ∼40%, decreased CBF by ∼30%, increased the appearance of nitrotyrosine in coronary venous plasma, and significantly blunted the CBF response to ACh. Oxygen breathing elicited these changes without affecting the diameter of large-conduit coronary arteries, coronary venous concentrations of NO2-, and NO3-, or the coronary vasodilator response to adenosine. Administering supplemental oxygen to patients undergoing cardiac catheterization substantially increases coronary vascular resistance by a mechanism that may involve oxidative quenching of NO within the coronary rnicrocirculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 10 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention involving the right coronary artery, a new procedure for adjunctive temporary transfemoral pacing of the left ventricle through the coronary sinus was tested. The procedure was successful in 8 of 10 patients and could be performed in <5 minutes by experienced operators and supervised cardiology fellows. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]