TEACHABLE MEDICAL NEWS

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Tag: heart

Can a surgical implant in the heart prevent blood clot formation during atrial fibrillation?

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On July 27, 2025

In cardiovascular system

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. heart chapter – description of blood flow through the chambers of the  heart 
  2. blood chapter – mechanism of blood clotting
  3. hemodynamics chapter – connection of atria to systemic veins and systemic arteries

The news item:  Recently the following report appeared online:

Durham VA Performs Second Watchman Procedure in North Carolina, First in VISN 6 | VA Durham health care | Veterans Affairs

On August 21, 2023, the Durham VA Health Care System achieved a significant medical milestone as it became the second hospital in North Carolina and the first facility in VA’s Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network to perform the Watchman FLX Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device procedure.

The article describes the first implantation of the Watchman FLX Pro device for left atrial appendage closure, and that the device is used to reduce the incidence of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation who can not tolerate long-term use of blood thinners. The article also describes atrial fibrillation as a form of arrhythmia.

So, Why Do I Care??  There are over 10 million Americans with atrial fibrillation, and all of them have an increased risk of stroke. Because strokes can have debilitating consequences, it is important to prevent atrial fibrillation or stop the process of blood clot formation. While pacemakers and blood thinners serve to prevent atrial fibrillation in most people, in patients who cannot tolerate long-term blood thinner treatment other treatment alternatives must be used.

Plain English, Please!!!  First, let’s talk about the connection between stroke and the atria of the heart. A stroke is a consequence of a blood clot blocking blood flow through an artery in the brain. During atrial fibrillation the muscle of the atria shivers, and the ejection of blood from the atria slows down. Think about when your teeth chatter in the cold. Your jaw muscles shiver and cannot create force. Similarly, the atria cannot create force to push out blood. Blood clots form with ease in such very slowly flowing blood. The critical location for the formation of blood clots can be pinpointed to the appendage of the left atrium. From there normal blood flow takes the blood clots from the left atrium to the arteries of the brain.

Second, let’s talk about the atrial appendage. While the atrium is a chamber shaped like a wide-open cave, the appendage is shaped like a pocket of a pita bread. The opening of the pocket is connected to the

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How can finerenone help patients with both kidney disease and heart disease?

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On March 30, 2025

In cardiovascular system, endocrine system, urinary system

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. urinary system chapter – parts of the nephron and their functions
  2. endocrine system chapter – location and action of receptors for lipid-soluble hormones
  3. heart chapter within cardiovascular system – location of myocardium in the heart wall

The news item:  Recently the following article appeared online:

Utilization of Finerenone by Patients With T2D, CKD | Docwire News

Two years after its approval, researchers studied the use of finerenone in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The report states that finerenone – a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist – is approved for several medical conditions (type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, heart failure) where glomerular filtration rate was declining. The author states that utilization rate is still low for this drug.

So, Why Do I Care??  In the USA alone the combined number of people suffering from type II diabetes, chronic kidney disorder (CKD), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and heart failure is over 100 million. Those disorders cause the death of over 500,000 people every year, and force many patients into hospitalizations, and into major changes in the quality of life. Therefore, it is worth finding and using new pharmaceutical treatments that may lower those disease and death numbers.

Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about what is the shared, common, physiological malfunction in CKD, ESRD, and heart failure. In all three disorders damaged cells start inflammation, and the tissue is repaired by formation of scar tissue. In the case of CKD and ESRD the kidney accumulates unusually large amount of connective tissue (develops fibrosis) made by overstimulated fibroblast. In heart failure the myocardium portion of the heart wall accumulates unusually large amount of connective tissue. In the kidneys the filtration by the nephrons is slowed down by fibrosis, while in the heart the contraction of the ventricles is made difficult by the fibrosis.

Second, let’s talk about why fibrosis appears in the kidneys and in the heart. During early stage kidney disease and early-stage heart disease the cells of the nephron in the kidneys, and the cardiac muscle cells

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Can we lower the need for hospitalization by preventing the clumping of proteins in the heart?

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On February 25, 2025

In cardiovascular system, cellular basis of life

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – concept of one gene, one protein
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – concept of gene mutation leading to protein malfunction
  3. heart chapter – layers of the heart wall
  4. heart chapter – conduction system of the heart and arrhythmias

The news item:  Recently the following article appeared online:

NHS England ” First ever life-saving treatment for rare heart condition available on the NHS

NHS patients with a life-threatening heart condition are set to benefit from a cutting-edge new medicine which can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death. The drug, tafamidis, is the first ever approved treatment for a cohort of patients in England with a rare heart condition known as transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), where clumps […]

The reporting states that the drug tafamidis treats patients with transthyretin amyloidosis cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), and that this disease comes from deposition of clumped proteins in the heart, presents symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, fainting, and may result in heart failure and death. In clinical trials tafamidis reduced hospitalizations by 41%.

So, Why Do I Care??  ATTR-CM currently affects about 6 million people un the USA, and 5-7000 new diagnoses happen each year. Heart disease limits daily activity of the patients, and lower their quality of life; therefore, designing treatments is always a positive development.  Because amyloidosis can appear in many organs, tafamidis might show the potential path to the treatment of those disorders.

Plain English, Please!!!  First, let’s talk about what amyloidosis is. In general terms, amyloidosis is an abnormal accumulation of proteins into clumps large enough to be seen through a light microscope. Many times those clumps interfere with the normal functioning of organs. In the case of ATTR-CM the transthyretin gene has mutations that cause the transthyretin protein to be misshaped. The normal transthyretin proteins join together in groups of four, because some amino acids create sticky surfaces that hold the four proteins together. Picture four eggs, each having a drop of glue at the pointed end. When four eggs are touching each other at their pointed ends they are stuck together like the four transthyretin proteins, and because the sticky surfaces are all covered up, no more eggs can be part of this complex.  When the transthyretin protein is misshapen, the positions of the sticky surfaces change on the protein, and thousands of eggs (proteins) would stick to each other randomly, forming large clumps of eggs (proteins), the amyloids.

Second, let’s talk about how amyloidosis damages the heart. The clumps of transthyretin pile up in between the cardiac muscle cells, and with time connective tissue builds up next to the amyloids. The

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Can you die by drinking too much stimulants like charged lemonade?

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On June 26, 2024

In cardiovascular system

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. heart chapter – order of contraction of chambers during cardiac cycle
  2. heart chapter – contraction of cardiac muscle cells are causing the contraction of heart chambers
  3. heart chapter – structures in the conduction system of the heart
  4. heart chapter – relationship of the ECG wave forms to contraction of heart chambers

The news item: Recently the following news appeared online:

Family sues Panera Bread after college student who drank Charged Lemonade dies

Panera Bread is facing a lawsuit from the family of 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student Sarah Katz, who died after drinking a “charged lemonade.”

The article states that a college student age 21 died of cardiac arrest as a consequence of drinking a “Charged lemonade” drink.The drink had 390 mg of caffeine. The article also states that the student has been suffering from long QT syndrome which is caused by a malfunctioning of the heart’s electrical system.  The syndrome causes fainting or heart palpitations upon excitement or exercise.

So, Why Do I Care??  Disorders of the heart may not show any symptoms during a sedentary life style. In the US alone there are over 100,000 people who has the long QT syndrome, and 2000-3000 people die a sudden death because of it. Because the symptoms appear mostly during stressful conditions, and therefore remain hidden in many people. If you know you have a heart disorder it is important to use your prescribed medications, and if you have symptoms of heart disorders then it is important to have them evaluated by medical professionals.

Plain English, Please!!!

First, let’s talk about heart rhythms. In order for the heart to move, to pump blood, the chamber must contract in a sequence during a single heartbeat.  The atria contract first, and then, after a short delay, the ventricles contract. This proper order of contractions is orchestrated by electric impulses from the heart’s natural internal pacemaker, the conduction system. This conduction system activates the muscle of atria or ventricles just like a band-leader of a marching band directs the use of musical instruments during a parade.

Second, let’s talk about long QT syndrome. The name of the syndrome comes from name of wave forms on electrocardiograms. The Q wave represents the first step in the contraction of the ventricles, and the

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How can a pharmaceutical such as Entresto treat heart failure?

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On June 26, 2023

In cardiovascular system

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. heart chapter – functional difference in the thickness of myocardium of atria and ventricle wall
  2. heart chapter – conduction system delivers nerve impulses to myocardium
  3. heart chapter — importance of stroke volume
  4. hemodynamics chapter – effects of angiotensin and ANP on blood pressure and volume

The news item:  Recently the following news report appeared:

Advancement in heart failure medication helping patients at MercyOne

There are some medical issues that are an easy fix and then there are some that are more complex, like heart failure. For those with early signs of heart failure, an advancement in medication is making all the difference for patients at MercyOne…

The article discusses the new drug Entresto that moderates symptoms in heart failure patients. The patient interviewed for this article had Guillain-Barre syndrome that caused severe heart arrhythmia.

So, Why Do I Care??  Heart failure indicates a malfunctioning of one of the most important organ in the body. Over 6 million people in the USA have heart failure, and it is listed as cause of 13% of all deaths.  Heart failure results in worsening quality of life because of the inability to hold a job, inability to participate in social activities and in family life.

Plain English, Please!!! First let’s talk about what heart failure is. Most important to understand here is that heart failure doesn’t mean that the heart stops working. Heart failure means that the heart can not pump enough blood to maintain normal functions of all organs. Heart failure may start with moderately decreased  ability and it may then progress to further loss of pumping to the point where life can not be maintained with very low level of pumping. Loss of pumping ability, the heart failure, may be the consequence of malfunctioning heart valves, arrhythmias (abnormal delivery of nerve impulses to the heart muscle), or the damage or thickening (hypertrophy) of the heart wall.

Second, let’s talk about why hypertrophy of the heart wall can lead to heart failure. While it is intuitive to picture why malfunctioning heart valves, or arrhythmias can cause heart failure, it is not that intuitive to see why thickening (hypertrophy) of the heart wall can be damaging. In most cases hypertrophy thickens

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Can a practical artificial heart fit in a backpack?

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On July 28, 2019

In cardiovascular system

TeachableMedicalNews article 07282019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cardiovascular system chapter – importance of the heart’s functioning
  2. cardiovascular system chapter – importance of heart valves, myocardium, conduction system for proper heart function
  3. cardiovascular system chapter – devices that replace faulty parts of the heart, or the entire heart in patients

 

This article is the work of Mallory Riggs.

 

Can a practical artificial heart fit in a backpack?

The news item:

The use of an artificial heart in a backpack was reported by Express website:

Mother carries heart in rucksack following severe heart failure

THANKS to her amazing rucksack Selwa Hussain is celebrating the New Year her family feared she would never see.

 

 

The article reports on Selwa, a law school graduate, a wife and a mother, who has a portable artificial heart.  The article describes her symptoms that lead to the diagnosis of heart failure.  The article states that a heart transplant wasn’t an option for her, so she was connected to an artificial heart, and eventually she received a portable version of it.

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