Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2), emerging in Wuhan, China and developing into a pandemic with rapidly emerging cardiovascular manifestations

Objective: Delirium is a frequently encountered clinical condition in hospitalized patients and is known to be associated with poor outcomes. This study aims to assess the impacts of delirium in elderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) following ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods: We queried the National Inpatient Samples from 2010 to 2014 to identify all patients aged 65 and older, and admitted with a primary diagnosis of STEMI undergoing PCI by using the International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Edition-Clinical Modification diagnosis codes. The patients with delirium from this cohort were further evaluated. Multivariate regression model with SPSS Statistics 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA) was used to study the association between delirium and clinical outcomes including in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS). Results: Out of weighted 42 980 patients aged ≥65 years with STEMI and PCI, delirium was present in 774 patients, accounting for 1.8% of this cohort. These patients were found to be older and had more underlying co-morbidities, compared to those without delirium [Median Charlson score 2 (1; 3) vs. 0 (0; 2); P < 0.001]. In-hospital mortality in STEMI patients with delirium was significantly higher than those without delirium [42.7% vs. 7.6%; unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 9.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.55–12.57; P < 0.001; adjusted OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.13–3.04; P = 0.014]. Conclusion: Older age and comorbidities are known predisposing factors for delirium, which is in turn associated with higher in-hospital mortality and increased LOS in elderly patients with STEMI who undergo PCI. This study underscores the role of delirium and implicates the importance of further studies in recognition and targeted care of delirium.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) catalyzes the conversion of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, a co-substrate for homocysteine re-methylation to methionine. Its deficiency leads to an increased serum level of homocysteine, which is well-known to be associated with premature coronary artery disease (CAD). Our case demonstrates the association of MTHFR polymorphism with premature CAD and myocardial infarction (MI) despite normal homocysteine levels. Screening for MTHFR polymorphisms in addition to homocysteine levels may be considered for patients presenting with premature CAD and a normal lipid profile. Aggressive risk reduction with lifestyle modifications and guideline-driven medical therapy supplementation might be necessary for secondary cardiovascular disease prevention until more specific therapeutic options are available for this subgroup of patients.

Cardiac tamponade is a potentially life-threatening disorder believed to be commonly associated with hypotension and even shock. However, many patients with subacute tamponade are indeed hypertensive at initial presentation. We present a case of a 76-year-old female with hypertensive crisis in the settings of cardiac tamponade whose blood pressure normalized after pericardiocentesis.

Introduction: The impact of demand ischemia on clinical outcomes in patients with delirium remains largely unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the effects of demand ischemia in older patients with delirium on in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS) using the largest US inpatient care database, National Inpatient Sample (NIS).Methods: We obtained data from the year 2010 to 2014 National Inpatient Sample (NIS). We used the International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Edition-Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis codes to identify all the records with a primary or secondary diagnosis of delirium with or without demand ischemia and other clinical characteristics. We then compared in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS) in patients with and without demand ischemia.Results: We analyzed 232,137 records. Patients with demand ischemia had higher overall in-hospital mortality than those without demand ischemia (28 vs. 12%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for clinical comorbidities and complications, demand ischemia was no longer associated with increased in-hospital mortality (OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.96–1.35; p = 0.141). However, further analysis with the exclusion of critically ill patients with non-cardiogenic shock or mechanical ventilation showed a significant association of demand ischemia with increased in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.13–1.71; p = 0.002). Among non-critically ill survivors, patients with demand ischemia had a longer median LOS [4, (3–7) days] than those without demand ischemia [4, (2–6) days] (p < 0.001). However, the difference was not statistically significant after adjustment for covariates.Conclusion/Relevance: Demand ischemia did not affect mortality in critically sick patients. In non-critically ill patients, however, demand ischemia was significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality, likely due to the severity of the underlying acute illness. Measures aimed at mitigating risk factors that contribute to delirium and/or demand ischemia need to be explored.