Heart failure (HF) is a major health problem in India with a postadmission mortality of 20%–30%. Medication adherence ranges from 25% to 50%, and the tolerance of guideline-based medication is low for Indian patients. We took out guidelines on HF in 2015, and this update covers the changes which have occurred in HF management in the past 2 years. As a number of new drugs such as angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor and ivabradine have been approved for use in India, devices such as implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy are becoming more accessible and more left ventricular assist devices and transplants are being done in India, there is need for clear guidelines for the use of each which are practical for India.

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A case of heart failure (HF) presents for the first time. The management of HF from the first visit to the subsequent visits based on the current guidelines is discussed using this case. Management of the comorbidities is also discussed.

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Introduction: Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a least understood complication of diabetes which is often underdiagnosed. It causes resting tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension, and exercise intolerance and is associated with higher cardiovascular mortality in diabetic patients. This stresses the need of early diagnosis of CAN to prevent higher mortality rates. Materials and Methods: Fifty cases of diabetes mellitus with no clinical evidence of cardiac disease were subjected to cardiac autonomic function (CAF) tests according to Ewing's criteria which included heart rate (HR) variability during deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver ratio, HR response on standing, blood pressure (BP) response to standing, and BP response to sustained handgrip to find the prevalence of CAN. Results: In this study, among 100 patients (50 case and 50 control), we found CAN in 52%. Out of which, parasympathetic neuropathy was seen in 52% of cases, and sympathetic neuropathy was seen in 26% of cases. CAF tests of HR variability during deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver ratio, HR response to standing, BP response to standing, and BP response to sustained handgrip found abnormal response in 68%, 40%, 52%, 12%, and 14%, respectively. Diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy were significantly associated with CAN (P = 0.0001, S). Conclusion: Prevalence of CAN among diabetics was 52%, and parasympathetic CAF tests are more sensitive for the detection of CAN than sympathetic CAF tests. Development of CAN in diabetic patients may lead to increased morbidity; thence, they should be routinely evaluated for CAN using these bedside tests.

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Introduction: Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is characterized by diastolic dysfunction, biatrial enlargement, and normal or near-normal systolic function. RCM is the rarest kind among cardiomyopathies with a severe outcome. Methods: Here, we present the clinical outcomes of thirty RCM patients recruited from a tertiary care unit of India, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. For clinical assessment, patients underwent electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization, and endomyocardial biopsy whenever required. Results: Out of 190 patients with cardiomyopathy, 100 had dilated cardiomyopathy, 60 had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and 30 had idiopathic RCM and were recruited for the study. Out of these thirty patients, 63.3% were males. A maximum number of patients were diagnosed in their second to third decade of life. Atrial fibrillation (73.3%) and ST-T abnormalities (76.6%) were common. Most of the patients showed the early age of onset with symptoms emerging in the first and second decades of life. Shortness of breath and fatigue were found to be common symptoms. No familial cases were found. Conclusion: RCM in India is a sporadic disease, rare, and occurs in the young. Prognosis of RCM is still worse than any other cardiomyopathy.

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In patients with pulmonary thromboembolism, right heart thrombi are uncommon or underdiagnosed. They may form in situ or arise due to migration from the peripheral venous system. Their presence in pulmonary embolism indicates a grave prognosis and complicates treatment decisions. We report a case of mobile right ventricular thrombus with massive pulmonary thromboembolism who had a rapid fatal course despite early treatment.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) provides machines with the ability to learn and respond the way humans do and is also referred to as machine learning. The step to building an AI system is to provide the data to learn from so that it can map relations between inputs and outputs and set up parameters such as “weights”/decision boundaries to predict responses for inputs in the future. Then, the model is tested on a second data set. This article outlines the promise this analytic approach has in medicine and cardiology.

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In the third quarter of 2017, culprit only percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) fares better in acute myocardial infarction with shock, guided de-escalation antiplatelet therapy seems noninferior, drug-eluting stent (DES) better in elderly patients undergoing PCI, DES with ultrathin struts proves superior, atrial fibrillation ablation improves left ventricular function in idiopathic cardiomyopathy, and edoxaban beneficial in preventing cancer-associated venous thromboembolism.

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AIIMS was established in 1956 to establish world class standards in medical care, education and research. This article highlights some of its development in pictures.

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