Thermoluminescent dosimetry was used to measure the radiation exposure to the skin, thyroid and gonads in 50 consecutive pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization and angiocardiography using cine photofluorography. Average exposures were 17.1 R to the skin, 2.3 R to the thyroid and 0.1 R to the gonads. Fluoroscopy accounted for approximately 80% of the skin and thyroid exposure and cine photofluorography for 20-25%. Occasional primary-beam irradiation was the major contributor to gonad exposure. Internal scatter of the incident x-ray beam was primarily responsible for thyroid exposure, so that infants received relatively high exposures; one receiving 7.3 R. The thyroid was not frequently in the primary beam. The significance of high radiation exposure to the thyroid, and in particular its relationship to thyroid carcinoma, are discussed. The results are compared with other series in the literature and relative exposures of cine photofluorography and serial filming are contrasted.
One hundred patients underwent excretory urography and a comparison was made of ten-minute, well-collimated images that were obtained with both par-speed and rare-earth screens, the latter being 6.5 times faster than the par-speed calcium tungstate screens. Radiation dose was greatly reduced with the rare-earth screens. There were fewer inferior examinations, even though fine detail was imaged poorly, and there was a slightly increased quantum mottle, which was only a minor problem at this low 65 kVp. Since quantum mottle increases with kVp, however, our results are not applicable to higher kVp examinations. Despite reduced detail and increased mottle, the overall image quality obtained with the rare-earth screen was superior to the image quality obtained with the par-speed screen.
Introduction: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a marker of significant atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and is associated with greater healthcare burden and worse prognosis in individuals with chronic inflammatory disease (CID). We aimed to investigate temporal trends and disparities of PAD-related mortality in populations with CID from 1999-2020 across six common CIDs (i.e., chronic viral hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus). Methods: United States (US) PAD and CID-related mortality and demographic data from 1999- 2020 were extracted from the CDC database through the multiple-cause-of-death files. Ageadjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 1,000,000 and 95% confidence intervals were standardized to the 2000 US population. The mortality trends were analyzed using Joinpoint Regression. Results: A total of 22,175 PAD-related deaths were recorded in the population with CID between 1999 and 2020. Mortality remained stable during the 22-year period (AAPC -0.04%, p=0.95) with a cumulative AAMR of 4.64. Mortality was highest in rural counties (AAMR 5.27), and among non-Hispanic Black populations (AAMR 7.06). Among the CID subtypes, PAD mortality was highest in populations with RA (AAMR 2.48) and lowest in populations with psoriasis (AAMR 0.11). Conclusion: Our findings highlight the disparities of PAD mortality in patients with CID, with the Black population and rural communities disproportionately affected. Further investigation with individual- level data is warranted to identify the contributing factors for the observed disparities.
Introduction: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is associated with a significant mortality risk, with untreated cases showing a five-year survival rate of just 50%. However, there is a scarcity of data on how DCM-related mortality rates have changed over time. Goals: How have temporal trends and demographic disparities in DCM mortality evolved in the United States over time? Methods: Mortality/demographic data (i.e. sex, race, ethnicity, and area of residence) in adults in the US spanning from 1999-2020 were sourced from the CDC-WONDER database, using ICD-10 code I42.0. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 1,000,000 population were standardized to the 2000 US population. Temporal trends in mortality were assessed using log-linear regression, with results expressed as the average annual percentage change (AAPC). Results: A total of 168,702 DCM deaths were recorded between 1999-2020. DCM-related AAMR declined from 34.00 [95% CI, 33.31-34.69] in 1999 to 17.17 [16.74-17.59] in 2020, with AAPC -3.47%, p<0.001. Higher mortality was observed in males (AAMR 33.94 [33.74-34.15]) than females (AAMR 14.68 [14.56-14.80]), in non-Hispanic populations (AAMR 24.06 [23.94-24.18]) compared to their Hispanic counterparts (AAMR 16.68 [16.35-17.01]), and in rural regions (AAMR 23.31 [23.03-23.59]) compared to urban regions (AAMR 23.31 [23.19-23.44]). Black populations (AAMR 41.89 [41.42-42.36]) and residents of the Midwestern US region (AAMR 26.14 [25.89-26.39]) experienced the highest mortality rates. Conclusions: DCM-related mortality halved between 1999 and 2020. However, the burden of mortality disproportionately affected males and Black populations. Further research is essential to uncover the underlying factors contributing to these disparities.
Antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) poses a dilemma. We compared outcomes of dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT) (direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs)/warfarin + antiplatelets) vs triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT) (DOACs/warfarin, aspirin, and P2Y12 inhibitor) in this population. Multiple databases were searched from inception to December 17, 2023 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing DAT vs TAT in patients with AF and ACS. Outcomes included major adverse cardiac events (MACE), bleeding events, stroke, stent thrombosis, and myocardial infarction (MI). Relative risk and 95% confidence intervals were estimated with a random-effects model using the inverse-variance technique. We assigned
No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A 31-year-old male fire fighter with a history of recurrent “atypical pneumonia,” environmental and drug allergies, nasal polyps, asthma, and Crohn's disease (not on immunosuppressants) was transferred from an outside hospital for management of acute hypoxic respiratory failure with peripheral eosinophilia. Prior to admission he reported a 2-week history of worsening dyspnea, productive cough and wheezing, prompting an urgent care visit where he was prescribed amoxicillin-clavulanate for suspected community acquired pneumonia. Despite multiple days on this medication, his symptoms significantly worsened until he was unable to lie flat without coughing or wheezing. He was ultimately admitted to an outside hospital where his labs were notable for a leukocytosis to 22,000 and peripheral eosinophilia with an absolute eosinophil count of 9700 cells/microL. His blood cultures and urine cultures were negative, and a radiograph of the chest demonstrated bilateral nodular infiltrates. With these imaging findings combined with the peripheral eosinophilia there was …
Hyperlipidemia is a major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, but limited data on its mortality trends in CVD over time. We assessed annual hyperlipidemia-related CVD mortality trends in the United States, including the COVID-19 pandemic's impact.
Background: Hyperlipidemia (HLD) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Little is known regarding temporal variation in CVD mortality related to HLD. The COVID-19 pandemic added complexity to factors influencing CVD mortality. Question: What are the yearly trends and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HLD-related CVD mortality in the United States? Methods: Mortality and demographic data for adults were obtained from CDC repository from 1999-2020, using ICD-10 codes HLD (E78.0-E78.5) and CVD (I00-I99). Age adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 1,000,000 population was standardized to the 2000 US population. Log-linear regression models evaluated mortality shifts. Average annual percentage change (AAPC) from 1999-2019 was used to calculate projected AAMR in 2020, subsequently compared to actual 2020 death rates to estimate pandemic-attributed excess deaths. Results: A total of 483,155 HLD-related CVD deaths were recorded between 1999-2020. Despite the CVD mortality decline in general population, HLD-related CVD AAMR rose from 36.33 [95% CI, 35.52-37.13] in 1999 to 99.77 [98.67-100.87] in 2019. Ischemic heart diseases (AAMR 49.39) were the most common causes of death while hypertension had the highest annual mortality increase (AAPC +10.23%) in populations with HLD. Higher HLD-related CVD mortality was observed in males (AAMR 104.87) than females (AAMR 61.93), in those ≥75 years (AAMR 646.45) than 35-75 years (AAMR 54.11), in non-Hispanic (NH) (AAMR 82.49) than Hispanic (AAMR 58.98) populations, and in rural (AAMR 89.98) than urban (AAMR 78.94) regions. NH Black populations (AAMR 84.35) and Western US regions (AAMR 96.88) had the highest HLD-related CVD. The first year of COVID-19 pandemic resulted in 10.55% excess HLD-related CVD death, with the most prominent increase in the 35-75 years age group (14.23%), Hispanic (17.96%), Black (14.82%), and urban (11.68%) populations. Conclusions: Our study revealed an increase in HLD-related CVD mortality which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher CVD mortality disproportionately affected males, Black, elderly (≥75 years), and rural populations with HLD. Further research is needed to validate our findings and identify contributing factors.
Thermoluminescent dosimetry was used to study the dose received by 50 consecutive paediatric patients. The average thyroid exposure was 7.7 R and the average gonad exposure 0.35 R. The relative contribution of both fluoroscopy and serial film radiography was calculated and over 70% of the thyroid dose comes from the use of the roll film changer. The significance of high thyroid dose is discussed and it is concluded that serial film changers no longer have a primary role in the study of congenital heart disease.
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