Pennsylvania Heart and Vascular Group / Roosevelt Boulevard

Mayo Clinic has 1000 employees out of work due to having COVID - 19: https://tinyurl.com/y3zalkjt

Blood pressure typically falls by 10% while sleeping. Such a patient is labeled a dipper. If it falls less than 10% the patient is labeled a nondipper. Dipper status is strongly related to cardiovascular mortality. Unfortunately, ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM) are not reimbursable by the insurance companies and ABPM never caught on.

Bad news from the UK: https://tinyurl.com/y6b6bzlv

On the day in 1977, Andreas Gruntzig of Zurich, Switzerland was the first to successfully dilate a stenotic coronary artery in a patient. The procedure was performed on a 38-year-old patient with 85% stenosis of the left anterior descending artery.

Plan for return to exercise after diagnosis of COVID - 19. This protocol is endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Sports and Exercise Cardiology Section. The protocol starts with symptom severity and may require blood work and imaging. https://tinyurl.com/y4dngzo6

A study from Australia shows a dramatic increase in hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation between 1993 and 2013. Hospitalizations for AF now exceeds hospitalizations for MI or CHF: https://tinyurl.com/yykf98e5

A narrowed heart valve (such as aortic stenosis) causes chest pain, shortness of breath, and shortened life span. Replacing an aortic valve used to require heart surgery. In selected cases, the aortic valve can now be replaced in the cath lab without surgery.

Ranked by cause of death, heart disease is number one. Ranked by cost of hospital care, heart disease is number four. Septicemia is really expensive: https://tinyurl.com/yx9l6o66

Electrical activity in the heart starts in the top two chambers (the atria). The activation sequence can be mapped and color coded. If appropriate, the pattern of activation can be modified giving the patient an opportunity to prevent heart rhythm abnormalities from recurring. This service is available when needed from PHVG cardiologist Dr. Brad Bacik at Jefferson Northeast.

Endoscopic bypass surgery by T. Sloane Guy MD at Jefferson. No sternotomy scar. Discharged one day after surgery. Really impressive.

Rene Favalaro, from Argentina working at The Cleveland Clinic, performed the first coronary artery bypass surgery in 1968. Here is an interview with Dr. Favalaro recorded in 1997. He passed away in 2000. Video coutresy of Vanderbilt University: https://tinyurl.com/y356tx32

Patient wearing a monitor was brushing his teeth. Tracing looks like ventricular tachycardia but it is artifact. The QRS complexes "March Out".

Study from Germany shows 78% of COVID-19 patients have cardiac involvement. Cardiac involvement evaluated using cardiac MRI: https://tinyurl.com/y6plsg97

For the first time, women outnumber men in medical school: https://tinyurl.com/yb6m5mn7

Starr-Edwards valve - the first prosthetic mechanical valve (also called a ball in cage valve).

American College of Emergency Room Physicians encourages bystander CPR despite COVID-19. Wear a mask while doing chest compressions. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is not necessary: https://tinyurl.com/y2ml3r23

Robotic mitral valve repair by Dr. Sloane Guy at Jefferson. No sternotomy incision! https://tinyurl.com/yyecjkht