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Editorial
. 2014 Apr 1;129(13):1375-7.
doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.008712. Epub 2014 Feb 12.

Preventing cardiovascular complications of acute infection: a missed opportunity?

Allan J Walkey  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Preventing cardiovascular complications of acute infection: a missed opportunity?

Allan J Walkey. Circulation. .
No abstract available

Keywords: Editorials.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr. Walkey has received funding from NHLBI K01HL116768 “Atrial Fibrillation in Sepsis”, and has no other potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Acute infections may result in systemic inflammation to cause sepsis. Sepsis may produce cardiovascular complications through numerous mechanisms. These include direct cardiac injury from catecholamines and inflammation (severe sepsis), supply-demand mismatch, inflammation-induced plaque rupture, or secondary injury from other dysfunctional organ systems and organ replacement therapies. Development of one cardiovascular complication may lead to further cardiovascular injury (e.g., myocardial injury→atrial fibrillation→stroke). In addition to early, goal directed therapy of severe sepsis, further opportunities to prevent cardiovascular complications may exist. Currently, evidence is lacking as to which therapies may be most effective in preventing specific cardiovascular complications, or whether preventing cardiovascular complications improves patient-centered outcomes.
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Comment on

References

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