Abstract Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscular disease genetically linked to the DMD gene, which encodes dystrophin, a protein that is crucial for the integrity of skeletal muscle and myocytes. This condition follows an X-linked inheritance pattern. Female carriers are typically asymptomatic; however, they may develop cardiomyopathy, making screening for structural heart disease advisable. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, defined by reduced global longitudinal strain (GLS), in asymptomatic female […]

Abstract Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) can lead to progressive heart failure (HF) by depositing insoluble amyloid fibrils within the myocardial extracellular space, resulting in an infiltrative and restrictive cardiomyopathy. Although CA was previously perceived as rare and incurable, recent advances in diagnostics and emerging therapies have been changing this outlook. It is crucial to spread awareness about CA to facilitate earlier diagnosis and proper therapeutic interventions, enhancing patient prognosis and survival. Currently, there is an estimated delay of 2 years from […]

Introduction As the number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached tens of millions worldwide, the understanding of its clinical manifestations has grown. These have been described as a range of systemic repercussions resulting from an interplay between direct organ damage and exaggerated host immune response. , In a descriptive case series study of COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, 44% of patients had either elevated cardiac biomarkers or new changes in electrocardiogram (ECG) and imaging exams, and 34% of […]

Abstract Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is widely used in the evaluation of patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and some of these patients have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). However, this test presents specific challenges because of the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias during maximal levels of exercise. Objective: To evaluate the safety of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with ICD. Methods: The study included patients with ICD who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing between 2007 and 2015. The tests were completed once the […]