Aims and Scope
Recent Articles
Feasibility of Telephone-Based Cardiology Consultation: Comparison of Resource Use and Outcomes vs In-Person Consultation
Martin E. Matsumura, Kelly Austin, Yasser Khalil, James C. Blankenship, Bryan Martin
Introduction:
The COVID-19 (Coronavirus infectious disease 2019) pandemic has highlighted the need for alternative modalities to connect with outpatients beyond in-person clinic visits. In the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of a telephone-based teleconsultation cardiology service and compared the use of testing and outcomes between teleconsultation and traditional in-office consultations
Methods:
The study took place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic July 2019 to March 2020. Consult lists were reviewed by a cardiologist for patients appropriate for teleconsultation. Those patients were contacted directly and, if agreeable, a consultation was completed and any required testing was arranged. A series of patients seen in the clinic, matched for a reason for consultation and consulting a cardiologist, were compared in terms of testing frequency and outcomes.
Results:
Of 157 patients who felt appropriate for teleconsultation, 100 (63.7%) were successfully contacted and a teleconsultation was completed. Comparing patients undergoing teleconsultation with a matched series of patients seen in person in the clinic, there were no significant differences in testing utilization or outcomes, including emergency room or hospital admission within 30 days of consultation or death or adverse cardiac events at six months following consultation.
Conclusion:
Telemedicine can be successfully utilized as an alternative to traditional clinic consultation for selected patients needing cardiology consultation. This consultative modality does not appear to lead to utilization of increased testing or decreased quality or patient outcomes. Larger studies are needed to assess this mode of consultation.
August 24, 2021
Articles
- August 20, 2021
High Sensitivity C-reactive Protein in Patients with Coronary Artery in-stent Restenosis: A Case-control Study
April 19, 2021
Prognostic Value of Troponin I in COVID-19 Patients
February 15, 2021
Myocarditis in a Young Patient with Celiac Disease; A Case Report and Literature Review
March 22, 2021Role of Warburg Effect in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Potential Treatment Option
August 20, 2021Relationship between Physiological Health Status, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults in Two Arab Countries
August 24, 2021Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence Prevention after Electrical Cardioversion in High-Risk Patients – Benefits of Non-Antiarrhythmic Drugs
Editor's Choice
The Role of Echocardiography in the Optimization of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives
Michael Spartalis, Eleni Tzatzaki, Eleftherios Spartalis, Christos Damaskos, Antonios Athanasiou, Efthimios Livanis, Vassilis Voudris
Background:
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has become a mainstay in the management of heart failure. Up to one-third of patients who received resynchronization devices do not experience the full benefits of CRT. The clinical factors influencing the likelihood to respond to the therapy are wide QRS complex, left bundle branch block, female gender, non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (highest responders), male gender, ischaemic cardiomyopathy (moderate responders) and narrow QRS complex, non-left bundle branch block (lowest, non-responders).
Objective:
This review provides a conceptual description of the role of echocardiography in the optimization of CRT.
Method:
A literature survey was performed using PubMed database search to gather information regarding CRT and echocardiography.
Results:
A total of 70 studies met selection criteria for inclusion in the review. Echocardiography helps in the initial selection of the patients with dyssynchrony, which will benefit the most from optimal biventricular pacing and provides a guide to left ventricular (LV) lead placement during implantation. Different echocardiographic parameters have shown promise and can offer the possibility of patient selection, response prediction, lead placement optimization strategies and optimization of device configurations.
Conclusion:
LV ejection fraction along with specific electrocardiographic criteria remains the cornerstone of CRT patient selection. Echocardiography is a non-invasive, cost-effective, highly reproducible method with certain limitations and accuracy that is affected by measurement errors. Echocardiography can assist with the identification of the appropriate electromechanical substrate of CRT response and LV lead placement. The targeted approach can improve the haemodynamic response, as also the patient-specific parameters estimation.
December 19, 2017
Other Post
- November 17, 2017
Barnidipine Real-Life Efficacy and Tolerability in Arterial Hypertension: Results from Younger and Older Patients in the BASIC-HT Study
November 16, 2017
Trends in Stroke-Related Mortality in the ABC Region, São Paulo, Brazil: An Ecological Study Between 1997 and 2012
September 30, 2017
Impact of Post-Exodontia Bleeding in Cardiovascular Patients: A New Classification Proposal
September 30, 2017
Validation of the EuroSCORE II in a Greek Cardiac Surgical Population: A Prospective Study
January 24, 2017
Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction in Humans: Tale or Myth
January 15, 2016
Testosterone and Cardiovascular Disease
