The American journal of the medical sciences
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Pathophysiologically, an elevated left ventricular (LV) filling pressure is the major reason for heart failure (HF) readmission. The 2016 American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) guidelines provide a simplified algorithm for the echocardiographic assessment of LV filling pressure; however, this algorithm is yet to be sufficiently validated. ⋯ The present study demonstrated that echocardiographic assessment of elevated LAP based on the 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines is clinically valid for predicting readmission in patients with HF.
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality in the United States. Physiologic stress of pregnancy can induce several hemodynamic changes that contribute to an increased risk of cardiac complications in the peripartum period. There are ongoing efforts to improve cardiovascular mortality in pregnant patients. Understanding trends in cardiovascular complications during pregnancy may provide insight into improving care for high-risk pregnancies. ⋯ There are concerning increases in certain cardiac complications during pregnancy. This is likely due to increasing age at the time of pregnancy and associated comorbidities.