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Channel: cardiomyopathy – The American Journal of Medicine Blog

Not What It Looks Like

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Not What It Looks Like: A Transient Cardiomyopathy

12-735 Figure1_cropSignificant cardiac signs and symptoms developed in a young patient undergoing treatment for a severe infection. The 23-year-old man presented with a left groin abscess and a 5-day history of fever. Computed tomography (CT) showed findings consistent with fasciitis (Figure 1). He was initially treated with intravenous vancomycin, ampicillin-sulbactam, and clindamycin. On hospital day 2, he developed severe chest pain, dyspnea, and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia.

The patient had a temperature of 99° F (37.2° C), a heart rate of 115 beats per minute, a blood pressure of 118/68 mm Hg, a respiratory rate of 35 breaths per minute, and an oxygen saturation of 95% on 100% oxygen delivered via a nonrebreather mask. Bilateral inspiratory crackles and a loud S3 gallop were present. A 12-lead electrocardiogram demonstrated sinus tachycardia with ST-segment depressions of 0.5-1 mm in leads V3 through V4 (Figure 2). An x-ray of the chest showed pulmonary edema and small bilateral pleural effusions (Figure 3). The patient’s troponin-T level was elevated at 1.12 ng/mL. Eight hours later, this peaked at 1.89 ng/mL. His creatine phosphokinase level was 726 IU/L; the creatine kinase-MB level, 73 ng/mL.

To read this article in its entirety, please visit our website. (If you follow the link to our website, you can view the videos submitted with this article.)

– Bryan J. Piccirillo, MD, Michael Gavin, MD, James D. Chang, MD

This article originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.


Misconceptions and Facts About Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (video)

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There are many misconceptions about cardiomyopathy. For example, it is thought that people with cardiomyopathy are destined to die young. In this interview, Dr. Joseph S. Alpert, editor-in-chief of The American Journal of Medicine, discusses a new review which outlines common misconceptions and facts about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Related Research Misconceptions and Facts About Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy as a Cause of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Young: A Meta-Analysis

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Sudden cardiac death is often linked with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in young athletes, but with a divergence of study results. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the prevalence of sudden cardiac deaths associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy vs sudden cardiac deaths associated with structurally normal hearts. Methods A structured search of MEDLINE was conducted for studies published […]

Power Failure: Acromegalic Cardiomyopathy

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Presentation During his college years, the patient, at 6 ft, 8 in and 280 lb, aroused the attention of professional basketball scouts. But exertional fatigue and shortness of breath truncated his athletic aspirations. These symptoms continued in the ensuing years, necessitating approximately 15 hospitalizations at outside institutions for progressive dyspnea. No discernible etiology was established […]

Demographics and Epidemiology of Sudden Deaths in Young Competitive Athletes (video)

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  Sudden deaths in young, seemingly healthy competitive athletes are tragic events, often with wide media coverage and high public visibility. There is substantial interest in establishing the cause of these deaths and the roles that race and gender may play. In a new study published in The American Journal of Medicine, investigators report that […]

Demographics and Epidemiology of Sudden Deaths in Young Athletes

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  Sudden deaths in young competitive athletes are tragic events, with high public visibility. The importance of race and gender with respect to sport and the diagnosis and causes of sudden death in athletes has generated substantial interest. Methods The US National Registry of Sudden Death in Athletes, 1980-2011, was accessed to define the epidemiology […]

Achieving Extended Longevity and Quality of Life for Senior Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

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To read this article in its entirety please visit our website. – This article originally appeared in the November 2017 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

Elevated High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Is Associated with Hyponatremia in Hypertensive Patients

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  Recently, the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) showed that intensive lowering of systolic blood pressure is beneficial, but is associated with more adverse events. Hyponatremia was notably more frequent in the intensive treatment group. Investigating its risk factors is crucial for preventing this complication. Our objective in this study was to identify risk […]

Importance of Genetic Testing in the Diagnosis of Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis

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To the Editor: Systemic amyloidosis results from extracellular deposition of fibrillar material derived from aggregation of precursor proteins into insoluble beta-pleated sheets. The most frequently recognized types are due to prolonged inflammation, deposition of immunoglobulin light chains, and accumulation of transthyretin, a tetrameric protein synthesized in the liver. Transthyretin amyloidosis can occur owing to wild-type […]




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