News & Updates

Long-term anticoagulation therapy is often recommended for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to reduce their risk of stroke, but gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common complication that presents a significant challenge. Patients with a history of GIB have heightened risks of recurrent bleeding events, hence interruption or discontinuation of anticoagulants is often warranted. When and how to restart anticoagulant therapy following an episode of GIB has been debated. MIMS Doctor interviewed Dr Pipin Kojodjojo, Cardiologist and Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Asian Heart & Vascular Centre, Singapore, to gather his perspectives on how to manage anticoagulant therapy after a GIB episode.

Among perimenopausal women, lower total bilirubin concentrations may indicate an increased likelihood of new-onset hypertension, as reported in a cross-sectional study.

In patients with heritable cardiac disease arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), mounting cardiac symptoms and healthcare use seem to precede sudden cardiac death (SCD), a recent study has found.

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is a progressively debilitating disease with a formidable symptom burden and an average survival of 2–5 years from diagnosis. In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration approved tafamidis (Vyndamax) as the first disease-modifying therapy for ATTR-CM. Since then, tafamidis has been approved for the treatment of ATTR-CM in over 55 countries including Japan, Australia, and Singapore. MIMS Doctor interviewed Dr Tang Hak Chiaw, consultant cardiologist at Novena Heart Centre, Singapore, about the types and clinical presentation of ATTR-CM in Singapore, and the role of tafamidis in the treatment of this often underdiagnosed and fatal disease of the heart muscle.

Individuals with prediabetes appear to be at an elevated risk of developing myocardial infarction (MI) as well as requiring coronary interventions, according to a study presented at ENDO 2022.

Reducing sedentary behaviour (SB) by about an hour – without intentionally incorporating exercise or any moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) into a daily regimen – improved cardiometabolic outcomes in adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS), a Finnish study suggests.

Implementation of an integrated care team (ICT) in primary care results in enhanced clinical and process outcomes relative to usual care (UC), with more patients who have noncommunicable disease achieving treatment goals at 1 year, a Singapore study has shown.