The American journal of medicine
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This study examined how certain aspects of residential neighborhood conditions (ie, observed built environment, census-based area-level poverty, and perceived disorder) affect readmission in urban patients with heart failure. ⋯ The effect of high poverty is partly explained by high rates of hypertension and diabetes in these areas. Improving diabetes and blood pressure control or structural aspects of impoverished areas may help reduce hospital readmissions.
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Embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) represents a heterogeneous subgroup of patients with cryptogenic stroke, in which despite an extensive diagnostic workup the cause of stroke remains uncertain. Identifying covert atrial fibrillation among patients with ESUS remains challenging. ⋯ Accumulating evidence indicate that long-term continuous monitoring, especially in selected patients with ESUS, significantly increases the possibility of atrial fibrillation detection, suggesting it may be a cost-effective tool in secondary stroke prevention. This review summarizes available evidence related to the use of long-term cardiac monitoring and the use of implantable cardiac monitoring devices in patients with ESUS.
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The diagnostic accuracy of the stethoscope is limited and highly dependent on clinical expertise. Our purpose was to develop an electronic stethoscope, based on artificial intelligence (AI) and infrasound, for the diagnosis of aortic stenosis (AS). ⋯ Our initial findings show that an AI-based stethoscope with infrasound capabilities can accurately diagnose AS. AI-based electronic auscultation is a promising new tool for automatic screening and diagnosis of valvular heart disease.
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Epidemiological data on the associations of microvascular disease with atrial fibrillation are scarce. We evaluated the associations of diabetes-related microvascular disease in multiple vascular beds and its burden with incident atrial fibrillation among adults with type 2 diabetes. ⋯ In a large cohort of adults with type 2 diabetes, the presence of microvascular disease and its burden were independently associated with higher risk of incident atrial fibrillation.