Progress of IJCDW in 2021

Abstract

Despite the challenges posed by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on all fields of life including healthcare and academics, Indian Journal of Cardiovascular Disease inWomen(IJCDW) has successfully completed its 6th consecutive years with four complete issues. Each issue brings forth original articles centered onwomen cardiac health, interesting case reports, and review articles on latest topics of the time. The other interesting sections in the journal include intervention rounds, practice in medicine, short communications, and expert opinions where the appropriate topics have been described at their best. Velam etal study on lifestyle patterns and well-being status among healthcare employees at their tertiary care hospital showed that the overall well-being was good, with males scoring over female employees.1 Female employees experienced risks with regard to their physical health. An interesting study by Fatima etal on circadian rhythm as risk factor for cardiovascular disease in shift-working nurses emphasized that work shift in which sleep is disturbed leads to mental stress and is a direct risk factor for cardiovascular disease.2 Both theses original studies highlight the need to address life stylemodifications that include regular adequate sleep. There were several original studies on heart failure patients. The get with the guidelines (GWTG) risk score based on seven parameters was developed to predict inhospital mortality in acute heart failure patients. Bodicherla etal study aimed to clarify its prognostic impact in south Indian patients admitted with acute heart failure, predicted adverse outcomes with higher GWTG score (average score of 39 predicting complications and hospitalization and 45 predicting death).3Kishore etal study on prognosis after revascularization in patients with severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction showed that severe LV dysfunction alone was the cause for mortality with no confounding factors.4 Presence of minimal coronary artery disease (CAD) is an adverse prognostic marker for morbidity not mortality in dilated cardiomyopathy as shown by Kakroo and Kishore.5 There were new insights on CAD with gender differences. According to Swaminathan and Prasath angiographic severity measured by SYNTAX score 1 increasedwith duration and number of risk factors.6 Irrespective of gender, recanalized and thrombotic coronaries are common in the young with premature CAD.7 In a single-center experience by Harini etal, women had higher bleeding incidence following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), though there was no difference in mortality.8 Women who underwent PCI tend to be older with higher rates of hypertension diabetes and obesity. E2/T ratio may be used as a predictor of CAD in postmenopausal women according to study by Khanna et al.9 According to the study by Madaka et al, high white blood cell to mean platelet volume ratio predicted worse outcome and short-term major adverse cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), with higher specificity and diagnostic accuracy in females.10 Interesting developments in the field of pulmonary hypertension were highlighted. COVID-19 predisposed to pulmonary thromboembolism, according to available literature and was confirmed by the study performed in Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, by Srikanth et al.11Akula et al study suggests a high index of suspicion for pulmonary embolism in the emergency department in a female patient with unexplained dyspnea and tachycardia who has an abnormal tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (<1.8) on bedside echo.12BaisyaandDevarasetti in their study showed that certain clusters of autoantibody predisposed to pulmonary arterial hypertension in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.13Reddy et al study lend support to use of balloon pulmonary angioplasty in patients with distal chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension with results showing improved 6-minute walk distance.14