Introduction Pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, accounting for over 50,000 deaths per year in the United States. PE coexists with other cardiac and pulmonary diseases and remains a diagnosis that continues to elude clinicians. Indeed,…
Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by fatigue, breathlessness, and edema caused by an abnormality of heart function. While the etiologies of HF differ, and HF can occur with reduced or preserved ejection fraction, or with low or…
Introduction Substantial changes in cardiac structure can occur in the months to years following a completed myocardial infarct (MI), particularly if the culprit coronary artery supplied a large territory or flow was not rapidly restored. These changes may be clinically…
Introduction A major goal of the echocardiographic examination is the assessment of left ventricular (LV) structure and systolic function. This plays a critically important role in the diagnosis, risk evaluation, and management of patients with suspected or established cardiovascular disease.…
Introduction Ultrasound imaging is ubiquitous in medical practice and is used to image all regions of the body, including soft tissues, blood vessels, and muscles. The machines used for ultrasound imaging range from small hand-held ultrasound devices no bigger than…
Additional content is available online at Elsevier eBooks for Practicing Clinicians Introduction Over the past decade appreciation has grown that viral diseases can affect the cardiovascular system and contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Influenza accounts for a substantial number of…
Additional content is available online at Elsevier eBooks for Practicing Clinicians The pathophysiologic definition of heart failure (HF)—the “inability of the heart to pump blood to the body at a rate commensurate with its needs, or to do so only…
Additional content is available online at Elsevier eBooks for Practicing Clinicians Modern cardiovascular medicine prides itself on being evidence based. Virtually all the therapeutic advances that have informed the treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease have resulted from the findings…