Letter to the Editor
Outcomes of selexipag for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in an Asian population
Dear Editor,
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive condition characterised by increased pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance, resulting in right ventricular dysfunction...
Letter to the Editor
Suboptimal adherence to medical therapy in patients undergoing lower limb angioplasty in Singapore
Dear Editor,
Chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI) is the advanced stage of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and patients with this condition face a very high risk...
Commentary
Approach to bradyarrhythmias: A proposed algorithm
Bradyarrhythmias are common and occur in both physiological and pathological states. Bradycardia is defined as a heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per...
Editorial
Diabetes: Know thy foe
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, Singapore’s Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung mentioned, “After the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, we need to tackle...
Review Article
Ablation therapies for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and patient-level network meta-analysis
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a pertinent health condition that is seeing a sustained rise in global incidence and prevalence.1 In particular, paroxysmal AF (PAF),...
Editorial
Catheter ablation as first-line treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
Pharmacotherapy has been the mainstay of atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment. As AF progresses from paroxysmal to persistent, electrical and structural remodelling of the atria...
Original Article
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease screening in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cost-effectiveness and price threshold analysis
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing epidemic and has become a major cause of liver-related mortality and indication for liver transplantations globally....
Original Article
Impact of aortic annular size and valve type on haemodynamics and clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation
The management of severe aortic stenosis (AS) in patients with small aortic annulus (SAA) represents a therapeutic challenge due to the increased mortality and...
Original Article
Sex and ethnicity modified high 1-year mortality in patients in Singapore with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically significant arrhythmia and is associated with increased risks of stroke, dementia, heart failure (HF) and death.1...
Editorial
Different strokes for different folks
Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most common arrhythmia since William Harvey’s observation of fibrillating auricles in open chest animal models in 1628. Willem Einthoven...
Original Article
Interaction of sex and diabetes in Asian patients with heart failure with mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common comorbidity worldwide with global prevalence among adults above 18 years of age increasing from 4.7% in 1980 to...
Editorial
Impact of sex and diabetes in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction
With increasing global awareness of sex differences in the heart failure population and the new entity of heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction...
Letter to the Editor
Iatrogenic atrial septal defect after catheter ablation—to close or not to close?
Dear Editor,
Transseptal access to the left heart is increasingly performed for electrophysiological procedures and for structural heart disease interventions such as balloon mitral valvuloplasty...
Commentary
Cardiac sarcoidosis: Difficulties in diagnosis and treatment
Sarcoidosis is a multisystem, granulomatous disorder of unknown aetiology. It affects the lungs in 90% of cases, but is also known to affect other...
Editorial
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Singapore: Can we do better?
Cardiac arrests are unpredictable events that frequently result in death or significant residual morbidity among survivors. These sudden events affect not only the individual,...
Editorial
Sepsis and cardiovascular events: The story so far
Sepsis is a state of life-threatening organ dysfunction that results from a dysregulated host immune response to infection.1 Sepsis is a common condition that...
Letter to the Editor
Previous history of hyperthyroidism in emergency department patients with atrial fibrillation does not increase the risk of thromboembolism and death
Dear Editor,
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED) and is a major risk factor for thromboembolic events. The clinical decision...
Original Article
Diagnosis and management of polycystic ovary syndrome: Perspectives of clinicians in Singapore
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder estimated to affect 4–21% of women, depending on the diagnostic criteria used.1 Clinical manifestations of the...
Editorial
Pressures, indexes and peripheral arterial disease: Time to rethink our approach?
Most patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are asymptomatic. Despite the absence of symptoms, these patients have a significantly increased risk of death and...
Original Article
Drug Treatment of Hypercholesterolaemia
Serum cholesterol has been established as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). There is a linear association between serum cholesterol level...
Original Article
Goldberger’s Triad in Dilated Cardiomyopathy—Can it Predict the Severity of Left Ventricular Dysfunction?
In 1982, Goldberger described a novel electrocardiogram (ECG) triad that was highly specific for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure (attributable to...
Others
Thyroid Storm Presenting as Jaundice and Complete Heart Block
Thyroid storm is defined as a severe and often life-threatening exacerbation of thyrotoxicosis which is usually characterised by hyperthermia, tachycardia, severe agitation and altered...
Others
Hyperthyroidism with Gynaecomastia as the Initial Complaint: A Case Report
Gynaecomastia is not a commonly recognised feature among the myriad symptoms and signs associated with hyperthyroidism. A review of the literature disclosed only eight...
Others
Simultaneous Transcatheter Valvuloplasty and Amplatzer Septal Occlusion for Pulmonary Valvar Stenosis and Secundum Atrial Septal Defect
Congenital pulmonary valvar stenosis (PVS) and secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) are relatively common forms of congenital heart disease (CHD). Since the first successful...
Others
Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Combined Hypercalcaemia and Hypokalaemia—Case Report
The electrocardiographic abnormalities in isolated hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia have been well documented in the literature. However, electrocardiogram (ECG) findings in combined hypercalcaemia and hypokalaemia...
Original Article
Five Paediatric Case Reports of the Use of Adenosine in Supraventricular Tachycardia
Adenosine has been shown to be effective in terminating supraventricular tachycardia in adults and children. However, the use of adenosine has not been previously...
Others
Urinary 2/16α-hydroxyestrone Ratio: Correlation with Serum Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 and a Potential Biomarker of Breast Cancer Risk
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Singapore with age-standardised incidence rates increasing markedly from 26.8 to 38.7 per 100 000...
Others
A Case Series of Paget’s Disease of Bone: Diagnosing a Rather Uncommon Condition in Singapore
Sir James Paget’s description in 1877 of “a form of chronic inflammation of bones” which now bears his name was based entirely on clinical...
Others
A Case Report of a Patient with Bronchial Carcinoid Tumour and Late Presentation of Cushing’s Syndrome
Cushing’s syndrome is usually easy to recognise clinically. Determining the cause of non-iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome is, on the other hand, often a diagnostic enigma.
This...
Review Article
Interventional Electrophysiology and its Role in the Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmia
Cardiac arrhythmias are disorders of the electrical system of the heart which can present as benign ectopics or as life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac...
Others
Incessant Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia and Tachycardia-related Cardiomyopathy: Therapeutic Options and Potential for Cure
Incessant ectopic atria tachycardia (IEAT) is a rare and insidious arrhythmia which is frequently misdiagnosed and if untreated, leads to ‘exhaustion’ of the myocardium...
Review Article
Intracoronary Brachytherapy: The Beginning of the End of Restenosis?
Restenosis remains a major clinical problem 20 years after the introduction of coronary angioplasty by Andreas Gruentzig in the treatment of coronary artery disease....
Original Article
The Effect of Fenofibrate on Insulin Sensitivity and Plasma Lipid Profile in Non diabetic Males with Low High Density Lipoprotein/Dyslipidaemic Syndrome
Hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance have been postulated to relate directly to both hypertension and coronary artery disease in type II diabetes and possibly also...
Review Article
Homocysteine and Atherosclerotic Disease: The Epidemiologic Evidence
Homocysteine is a thiol-containing amino acid formed during the metabolism of methionine. The metabolic fate of homocysteine may be influenced by the alterations in...
Others
T Wave Alternans and Acute Rheumatic Myocarditis: A Case Report
T wave alternans, an electrical cardiac alternans in which there is a beat-to-beat variation in the amplitude, shape or the polarity of the T...
Others
Measurement of Obesity by Anthropometry and Bioelectric Impedance Analysis: Correlation with Fasting Lipids and Insulin Resistance in an Asian Population
Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This risk is partially mediated by the correlation between obesity and other coronary artery disease risk...
Original Article
Trends in Mortality, Incidence, Hospitalisation, Cardiac Procedures and Outcomes of Care for Coronary Heart Disease in Singapore, 1991-1996
In line with trends in many high-income countries, Singapore has experienced some declines in mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) since the 1980s. Whether...
Original Article
A Study to Assess the Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Soluble Fibre (Minolest®) on Lipid Levels in Normal Subjects with Hypercholesterolaemia
Hypercholesterolaemia is one of the major risk factors in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). In recent years, many non-prescription treatments have become...
Review Article
Regulation of Insulin Secretion by Nerves and Neuropeptides
The pancreatic islets of Langerhans were described by Paul Langerhans in 1869. They are distributed throughout the entire pancreas forming in adults approximately 1%...
Original Article
Initial Experience With an Autocapture Pacemaker System
The longevity of a pacemaker generator varies directly with the total deliverable amount of electrical charge (Q, in coulombs) and inversely with the rate...
Others
Hypoglycaemia from Islet Cell Hyperplasia and Nesidioblastosis in a Patient with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus—A Case Report
A 57-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for perforated left tubo-ovarian abscess and found to have newly diagnosed diabetes with an admission blood...
Others
The Differential Diagnosis of Supraventricular Tachycardia Using Clinical and Electrocardiographic Features
Noninvasive evaluation of the mechanism of the arrhythmia is important in the management of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). It guides one in the choice of...
Original Article
Cardiac Marker Point-of-care Testing: Evaluation of Rapid On-site Biochemical Marker Analysis for Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction
In the present era of revascularisation therapy, rapid and accurate diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is important, as these patients may benefit from...
Editorial
Orlistat (Xenical) in the Management of Obesity
The term “obesity” implies an excess of adipose tissue (fat) and excess adiposity is a health risk. In most cases it develops in the...
Others
The Molecular Pathogenesis of Obesity: An Unfinished Jigsaw Puzzle
Obesity is one of the most common health problems in Singapore with escalating prevalence, affecting about 6% of the Singapore population above 18 years...
Others
1990-2000: Progress in Determining High Blood Pressure Genes
Essential hypertension and its complications, coronary heart disease, stroke and renal failure are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in western societies.1 While the...
Others
Cardiovascular Disease: Genes and Public Health
The excitement surrounding the Human Genome Project and its impending completion has raised expectations of the possibilities for genetics in common disease. It is...
Original Article
Incidence of Ischaemic Heart Disease and Stroke in Chinese, Malays and Indians in Singapore: Singapore Cardiovascular Cohort Study
Comparisons of disease frequency in different ethnic groups help to unravel the contributions of nature and nurture in their aetiology and to identify environmental...
Original Article
Technetium-99m Sestamibi for the Assessment of Myocardial Salvage Following Reperfusion Therapy in Acute Myocardial Infarction
Reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction is feasible with thrombolytic therapy as well as acute percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Both modalities of treatment...
Original Article
A Rational Alternative for the Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus in High Risk Individuals
The “gold standard” for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus has all along been the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). As diabetes mellitus defines a...
Original Article
Initial Experience of Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Supraventricular Tachycardia in Paediatric Patients
Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is well-recognised as one of the commonest rhythm disorders in children. There may be few symptoms, but many experience palpitations,...
Others
Diagnosis of Pacemaker Lead Infection Using Transoesophageal Echocardiography: A Case Report
The expanding indications for permanent cardiac pacing mandate an awareness of the potential complications associated with device implantation. After failure of pacing and sensing,...
Original Article
Evaluation of a Rapid Screening Test for Microalbuminuria with a Spot Measurement of Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio
In 1989, the St Vincent Declaration was formulated by all European countries to address the growing problem of diabetes, with the general goals of...
Letter to the Editor
Graves’ disease after COVID-19 vaccination
Dear Editor,
Case 1 was a 41-year-old man with a history of primary hyperthyroidism. At the time of diagnosis, thyroglobulin antibodies were elevated although no...
Original Article
Pericarditis and myocarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in a nationwide setting
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in much morbidity and mortality worldwide. The development of mRNA vaccines has heralded much hope in...
Original Article
Severe Diabetes in Remission: A Singapore’s Perspective
Diabetic ketoacidosis is generally believed to be the result of an acute and severe degree of insulin insufficiency, classically occurring at the presentation of...
Editorial
Obesity in Singapore
The word obesity implies an excess of adipose tissue (fat) and not merely an excess of body weight. An increase in body weight may...
Others
Isolated Non-compaction of Ventricular Myocardium: A Report of Three Cases
Non-compaction of ventricular myocardium is a rare morphogenic arrest of compaction of the ventricular myocardial fibres during intrauterine life. Usually, the left ventricle is...
Original Article
Impairment of Endothelial Function—A Possible Mechanism for Atherosclerosis of a High-fat Meal Intake
The impairment of endothelial vasodilatory function has been considered an early event in atherogenesis. This has been studied in association with various cardiovascular risk...
Others
A Rare Cause of Syncope in a Patient with Diabetes Mellitus—A Case Report
Hypoglycaemia is a common medical emergency. It presents either with symptoms of neuroglycopaenia, such as episodes of visual blurring, confusion, convulsions and sometimes coma...
Original Article
Body Mass Index Profile in Hong Kong Chinese Adults
Obesity is considered a chronic disease and not just a social stigma due to the associated morbidity and early mortality. Obesity has now become...
Others
Problem-based Learning (PBL) as an Approach in the Teaching of Biochemistry of the Endocrine System at the Angeles University College of Medicine
The Angeles University College of Medicine (AUCOM) was established in 1983 with a curriculum that is conventionally teacher-centred. Biochemistry is a basic science subject...
Others
46, XY Female—A Case Report
The phenotypic sex of an individual is usually male if that person’s genotype is 46, XY since the SRY gene on the Y chromosome,...
Others
A Case Report of Primary Hyperparathyroidism with Severe Bony Involvement and Nephrolithiasis
Primary hyperparathyroidism is said to have evolved from a disease of “bones, stones and groans”, to one that is largely asymptomatic with a relatively...
Original Article
A Preliminary Study of the Utility of Combined Cardiac Markers in the Evaluation of Patients Presenting Early with Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome
The management of patients presenting with chest pain of recent onset can prove to be a diagnostic challenge. These patients vary from having atypical...
Others
Current Therapeutic Strategies for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is now recognised as a metabolic syndrome and although the treatment paradigm has shifted from one that focuses solely on...
Original Article
Homocysteine, Folate and Vitamin B12 as Risk Factors for Acute Myocardial Infarction in a Southeast Asian Population
Since the beginning of the last decade, hyperhomocysteinaemia has been identified as a risk factor for acute coronary syndromes. A few large prospective studies...
Others
Treating Thyrotoxicosis with Radioiodine
Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormone and is actively taken up by thyroid follicles. This is the physiological basis for the use...
Original Article
Myocardial Infarction in Singapore: A Nationwide 10-year Study of Multiethnic Differences in Incidence and Mortality
Rapid urbanisation and increasing affluence have improved the socioeconomic status of Asians. This, however, has brought with it new socioeconomic and medical problems resulting...
Original Article
A Preliminary Evaluation of a Disease Management Programme for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in a Primary Healthcare Setting
Chronic diseases are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. In most developed countries, the problems of a rising prevalence of...
Review Article
Rheumatic Heart Diseases in Pregnancy
Rheumatic heart disease comprises acute rheumatic fever following group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal infection of the tonsillopharynx, and its long-term sequelae of heart valve fibrosis...
Review Article
Thyroid Diseases in Pregnancy
Abnormalities of thyroid function associated with pregnancy encompass both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. These may have been present before the onset of pregnancy, or occurred...
Original Article
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Call for Systematic Tracing
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. In Singapore, the prevalence of diabetes has increased dramatically from 4.7% in 1984 to 8.6% in 1998....
Commentary
Statins and Bone Morphogenetic Proteins: New Pathways in Bone Formation
Osteoporosis is a major public health problem causing considerable morbidity and mortality in Asian women. It is estimated that half of the world’s hip...
Others
Allopurinol Hypersensitivity Syndrome and Acute Myocardial Infarction—Two Case Reports
Allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome is an idiosyncratic drug reaction characterised by an acute and severe multiorgan disease. It usually begins 2 to 6 weeks (up...
Original Article
Comparing Fasting Plasma Glucose against Two-hour Post-load Glucose Concentrations for the Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus and Glucose Intolerance in Singaporean Hospital Patients
Prior to 1997, the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in asymptomatic individuals was based upon the 1985 World Health Organisation (WHO) diagnostic criteria in which,...
Others
Two Case Reports on Incessant Left Ventricular Tachycardia: Curative Therapy with Radiofrequency Ablation
Left ventricular tachycardia is a recognisable condition in patients with otherwise structurally normal heart. It may arise from various foci in the left ventricle.
This...
Review Article
Prevention of Restenosis after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: The Continuing Challenge
Since Andreas Gruntzig first demonstrated its use in humans in 1977, the utilisation of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) has grown tremendously throughout the...
Others
Clinical Update on Osteoporosis
Fractures, the most serious complication of osteoporosis, are increasing and constitute an evolving public health problem in terms of disability, mortality and cost. A...
Commentary
The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010: For Prevention and Treatment of Musculoskeletal Disease
The theme of this issue of the Annals, Academy of Medicine at the beginning of the year is suitably on osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, with its...
Commentary
Osteoporosis—A Worldwide Problem and the Implications in Asia
Osteoporosis is a condition characterised by low bone mineral density, microarchitectural deterioration of bony tissue, and a consequent increase in fracture risk. With rapid...
Review Article
Bone Fragility in Asian and Caucasian Men
Bone fragility in men has been receiving greater attention during the last few years. Epidemiological studies have been done in Caucasian and Asian populations.
This...
Review Article
Steroid-induced Osteoporosis
Corticosteroids are known to affect bone through multiple pathways (Fig. 1), influencing both bone formation and bone resorption, and these mechanisms have been reviewed....
Review Article
Medical Treatment of Osteoporosis—Increasing Options
The current practice and management of osteoporosis differs greatly from even the recent past. Up to 15 years ago, bone mineral density (BMD) measurements...
Review Article
Osteoporosis Risk Factor Assessment and Bone Densitometry—Current Status and Future Trends
Osteoporosis affects predominantly elderly women; although younger women and men may also be affected. Demographically, the number and proportion of the elderly (aged 65...
Review Article
Osteoporosis in Relation to Menopause
Singapore has a rapidly ageing population. In 1990, only 6% of the population was above the age of 65 years but this percentage of...
Review Article
An Asian Perspective to the Problem of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is regarded as an important public health problem in many Caucasian populations. Much of the research on epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, genetic and molecular...
Editorial
Osteoporosis: A Treatable Disease
Osteoporosis twenty years ago was a very different disease from what we know of it today. At that time a diagnosis of osteoporosis was...
Others
A Case Series of Sotalol-induced Torsade de Pointes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation – A Tale with a Twist
In the light of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) which suggested that class I antiarrhythmics may be linked to an increase in mortality,...
Others
The Diagnosis and Management of Hypercalcaemia
Hypercalcaemia is a relatively common clinical problem with the widespread use of routine biochemical screening. Population studies have suggested a prevalence of 3% in...
Original Article
Immediate and Mid-Term Safety and Efficacy of Single Lead VDD Pacemakers for Patients with Atrioventricular Block and Normal Sinus Node Function—A Single Centre Experience
In patients requiring a cardiac pacemaker for any indication, the ideal goal of therapy is to achieve atrioventricular (AV) synchrony. This replicates the normal...
Others
The Perils of Puberty
Adolescence is a biopsychosocial maturational process, with the biological changes including completion of linear growth and sexual maturation (puberty), maturation of enzyme systems such...
Images in Medicine
Torsades de pointes in a woman presenting with syncope
A 57-year-old woman presented with first onset syncope, which was witnessed by her family members. It occurred in the middle of a conversation and...
Original Article
Spironolactone Does Not Prevent Restenosis After Coronary Stenting in Humans
High restenosis rate, which has been documented to occur in approximately 30% to 50% of cases, still remains a major concern, although percutaneous transluminal...
Original Article
How Much do Diabetic Patients Know About Diabetes Mellitus and its Complications?
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common and growing healthcare problem in Singapore with a prevalence of 9% in 1998. Since the 1990s, the Ministry...
Review Article
Nuclear Cardiology in Singapore: A Review
The past decade has witnessed significant advances and rapid growth in the field of nuclear cardiology. In Singapore, our experience has been similar to...
Review Article
Stem Cell Cardiomyoplasty: State-of-the-Art
Congestive heart failure (CHF) remains the most common diagnosis made in cardiology wards today. At present, no long-term therapeutic option for end-stage CHF is...
Review Article
Medical Therapy in Heart Failure – Is Polypharmacy Necessary?
The clinical syndrome of heart failure is recognised by a characteristic pattern of haemodynamic, renal, neural and hormonal responses. Heart failure is the end-stage...
Review Article
Coronary Artery Disease: Comprehensive Evaluation by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major health problem worldwide. With advances in CAD intervention and improvements in treatment and management of CAD, there...
Review Article
Drug-eluting Stents: The End of Restenosis?
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the preferred revascularisation approach for most patients with coronary artery disease because, with comparable clinical outcomes in selected patients,...
Original Article
Coronary Artery Ectasia: A Ten-year Experience in a Tertiary Hospital in Singapore
Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is the abnormal dilatation of a segment of the coronary artery to a diameter of at least 1.5 times that...
Original Article
Pilot Survey of the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Failure in Primary Care: A Singaporean Perspective
Congestive heart failure is an increasingly common disorder and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries around the world. It is...
Original Article
High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein is Predictive of Medium-term Cardiac Outcome in High-risk Asian Patients Presenting With Chest Pain Syndrome Without Myocardial Infarction
Patients with chest pain often pose a diagnostic conundrum to the attending physician especially when symptoms are not typical of angina and the electrocardiogram...
Editorial
Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery in Singapore: The Next Lap
Fourteen years ago, an editorial in the Annals announced the coming of age of cardiology in Singapore. Among the issues raised in that editorial...
Others
Clinical Indications for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanning
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a broad framework for clinicians considering the use of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning for their...
Review Article
Clinical Applications of Positron Emission Tomography in Cardiology: A Review
Ischaemic heart disease associated with depressed left ventricular function is a common clinical management dilemma. There is overwhelming evidence that such patients have a...
Editorial
Positron Emission Tomography – A Vital Component of Molecular Imaging
Contemporary medical imaging is progressing towards quantification of tissue function in addition to merely providing anatomical information, as illustrated by the rising use of...
Others
Unravelling the Mystery in a Case of Persistent ACTH-independent Cushing’s Syndrome
A Malaysian Chinese male patient, CMO, first presented at the age of 22 years with a 2-week history of severe spontaneous low backache with...
Others
16th Seah Cheng Siang Memorial Lecture – The Changing Face of Cardiology Practice, Training and Research in Singapore
Professor Seah Cheng Siang was one of the most illustrious physicians of his era. During his professional career, he held the following positions: Head,...
Editorial
Building Collaboration in Cardiac Imaging
Publicity about new developments in medical technology is not at all unusual. But the degree with which multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) for coronary artery...
Others
A Hyperthyroid Patient with Measurable Thyroid-stimulating Hormone Concentration – A Trap for the Unwary
Free thyroxine (FT4), total tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyrotropin (TSH) are the commonly measured biochemical indices in the assessment of thyroid function in a patient...
Others
Guidelines on Cardiac CT in Singapore (2006)
The heart is difficult to image because of its complex wall motion and variability of the cardiac cycle. Recent advances in 16 and 64-slice...
Original Article
Diabetes Outcomes in Specialist and General Practitioner Settings in Singapore: Challenges of Right-Siting
The long lasting debate on the role of generalists and specialists in the management of diabetes is still ongoing. Nonetheless, the last 3 decades...
Original Article
The Association of Smoking with Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in Non-diabetic Patients
Metabolic syndrome (MS) is conceptualised as a constellation of physiologic or anthropometric abnormalities. Typically, it includes excess weight, hyperglycaemia, elevated blood pressure, low concentration...
Original Article
Hepatitis B Virus Infection and the Risk of Coronary Atherosclerosis
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease, is the leading cause of death for both men and women. CAD is usually caused...
Editorial
Diabetes in Asia – From Understanding to Action
In the present pandemic of diabetes and obesity, 60% of the affected population will come from Asia. Between India and China, these two most...
Original Article
Concomitant Coronary Artery Disease Among Asian Ischaemic Stroke Patients
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality following ischaemic stroke. The annual risk for myocardial infarction following ischaemic stroke is approximately...
Original Article
Improving Door-to-balloon Times in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction: The Value of an Audit-driven Quality Initiative
Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been shown to be superior to thrombolytic therapy in terms...
Original Article
Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, and Selenium Levels in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis. Can Magnesium Play a Key Role in Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition in which an increased risk of fracture takes place due to a reduction of bone mineral content. It occurs as...
Original Article
Risk Factor Profile and Treatment Patterns of Patients with Atherothrombosis in Singapore: Insight from the REACH Registry
Atherothrombosis is a global problem that affects every ethnic group. It can lead to ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction or vascular death.
This article is available...
Letter to the Editor
Non-compaction Cardiomyopathy Presenting with Classical Angina Pectoris
Non-compaction cardiomyopathy (NCC) is an unclassified cardiomyopathy, previously known as “spongy left ventricular myocardium”. It is characterised by prominent myocardial trabeculations and deep intertrabecular...
Letter to the Editor
A Case of Myopericarditis in a Patient with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Community-acquired Pneumonia
We described a healthy and physically active 41-year-old man who presented to a private practitioner with right axillary pain and fever. Physical examination revealed...
Original Article
The Relation Between Insulin Resistance Determined by Haemostatic Modelling and Slow Coronary Flow
Slow coronary flow (SCF) is a well recognised clinical entity, characterised by delayed opacification of coronary arteries in the presence of normal coronary angiogram....
Commentary
Improving Access to Outpatient Cardiac Care at the National Heart Centre – A Partnership Between Specialists and Primary Care
There is evidence that shows that the use of healthcare delivered by private providers, particularly procedures and hospital care, depends on supply. For example,...
Original Article
Consequences of Right Siting of Endocrinology Patients – A Financial and Caseload Simulation
Right siting, defined as “patients treated in the most appropriate locations by medically competent teams at the lower possible cost”, has been on the...
Original Article
Pattern and Outcome of Subsidised Referrals to Cardiology Specialist Outpatient Clinics
Singapore faces an increasing demand for public healthcare from an ageing population in need of chronic care. At our cardiology specialist outpatient clinics, the...
Original Article
The Angiographic Aspects of Myocardial Bridges in Turkish Patients who have Undergone Coronary Angiography
Myocardial bridge, intramural coronary artery, coronary artery over bridging and myocardial loop are essentially the different terms used to designate the same phenomenon. Myocardial...
Original Article
Metabolic Control in Type 2 Diabetes Correlates Weakly with Patient Adherence to Oral Hypoglycaemic Treatment
Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting Singaporeans. In 2004, 8.2% of the population was afflicted, placing a significant burden...
Review Article
Management of Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Reperfusion Options
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death globally. More than 920,000 myocardial infarctions (MI) are diagnosed annually in the United States. Of these,...
Original Article
Elevated Level of Carbonyl Compounds Correlates with Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes
With rapid development of therapy, the mortality from acute complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) has decreased, but mortality from chronic complications like diabetic nephropathy...
Letter to the Editor
A Case of Acute Myocardial Infarction 24 hours after Acute Ischaemic Stroke
It is well known that thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may lead to disintegration of pre-existing intracardiac thrombi with subsequent cerebral embolisation. It...
Editorial
The Growing Burden of Cardiovascular Disease: Role of the Arterial-Cardiac Interaction
World Heart Day was inaugurated to increase global awareness that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world’s leading cause of death, claiming, according to the...
Letter to the Editor
Comparison of Cardiac Output Measurement by Arterial Waveform Analysis and Pulmonary Artery Catheter in Mitral Stenosis
Cardiac output (CO) is a vital measurement that influences clinical decision-making. Although thermodilution via a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is considered the gold standard...
Images in Medicine
Unusual Pacemaker Lead Placement in an Unsuspecting Heart
A 51-year-old man, with a negative cardiac medical history, presented with symptomatic 2:1 atrioventricular block. A permanent pacemaker was implanted.
This article is available only...
Original Article
Peripheral Arterial Disease in Community-based Patients with Diabetes in Singapore: Results from a Primary Healthcare Study
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a significant complication of diabetes mellitus and accounts for the majority of amputations among these patients with diabetes. In...
Letter to the Editor
Embolised Injection Needle Fragment to the Heart, Mimicking a Subcutaneous Charm Needle
Embolisation of a fragmented injection needle to the heart is rare, even in intravenous drug abusers. The presence of an embolised needle fragment to...
Original Article
Foot Screening for Diabetics
Prevalence of diabetes is high in Singapore (8.2%). Five per cent to 15% of diabetics developed foot ulcers. In fact, the lifetime risk for...
Original Article
Transcatheter Closure of Atrial Septal Defects – Is Balloon Sizing Still Necessary?
Device closure of atrial septal defects through the transcatheter approach has now been well accepted as an option to surgical treatment. A range of...
Original Article
Factors Affecting the B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Stroke Patients
The term “stroke” comprises all diseases in which a region of the brain is transiently or continuously affected by ischaemia or haemorrhage, and/or in...
Original Article
Eighteen-Month Clinical Safety and Efficacy Outcomes of Sirolimus-, Paclitaxel- and Zotarolimus-drug Eluting Stents in Diabetic Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Complex Coronary Artery Stenosis
Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have higher incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality compared with non-diabetic patients. The underlying mechanism is due to the...
Original Article
Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes for Contrast-induced Nephropathy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Normal Serum Creatinine
Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a common complication post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). CINis associated with increased morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospitalisation and long-term renal impairment.
This article...
Original Article
Brachial Approach for Coronary Angiography and Intervention: Totally Obsolete, or a Feasible Alternative When Radial Access is Not Possible?
The possible methods of reaching the coronary vasculature using a percutaneous technique are limitless: the radial, femoral, brachial, ulnar, subclavian and axillary arteries, and...
Original Article
The Singapore National Healthcare Group Diabetes Registry – Descriptive Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is one of the most challenging global health problems in the 21st century. It is associated with excess mortality and significant morbidity...
Others
Angioplasty on an Infarct-related Anomalous Right Coronary Artery Arising from Posterior Coronary Sinus
A 60-year-old chronic smoker had delayed presentation (>18 hours) of acute inferior myocardial infarction with electrocardiogram showing 1.0 mm ST-segment elevation in leads II,...
Others
Complete Atrioventricular Block Complicating Acute Anterior Myocardial Infarction can be Reversed with Acute Coronary Angioplasty
Complete atrioventricular block (AVB) develops in more than 5% of patients with myocardial infarction (MI). These patients have poorer outcomes compared to those without...
Review Article
Acute Myocardial Infarction in Pregnant Women
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. It typically occurs in middle-aged or elderly people with cardiovascular risk...
Review Article
Risk Stratification for Sudden Cardiac Death after Acute Myocardial Infarction
In today’s modern era of evidence-based medicine and interventional cardiology, most patients who suffer an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are started on medication with...
Review Article
Adjunctive Pharmacologic Agents and Mechanical Devices in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) has been shown to be superior to thrombolysis in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), with...
Review Article
Management of Antiplatelet Therapy During Acute Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: New Strategies and Therapeutics
Platelet adhesion, activation, and aggregation are stimulated during an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the result of intimal injury due to rupture of an atherosclerotic...
Review Article
Risk Assessment Models in Acute Coronary Syndromes and Their Applicability in Singapore
Strategies for managing cardiovascular disease are evolving rapidly. This evolution and improvement in care is responsible for reducing mortality especially in patients presenting with...
Review Article
Current Trends in Diagnostic Biomarkers of Acute Coronary Syndrome
Advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have led to the marked increase in development of biomarkers for diagnosis,...
Review Article
Update on Clinical Imaging of Coronary Plaque in Acute Coronary Syndrome
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) encompasses the clinical spectrum of unstable angina (UA) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Most ACS are precipitated by luminal thrombi...
Review Article
Panic Attack and its Correlation with Acute Coronary Syndrome – More Than Just a Diagnosis of Exclusion
Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a life-threatening condition which benefits from prompt evaluation and proper treatment, such that it would be considered negligent for...
Review Article
Research on Psychoneuroimmunology: Does Stress Influence Immunity and Cause Coronary Artery Disease?
In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in exploring the relationship between psychological stress and various health conditions. An enlarging body of evidence...
Original Article
Clinical and Angiographic Findings of Complete Atrioventricular Block in Acute Inferior Myocardial Infarction
Complete atrioventricular block (AVB) complicates inferior wall myocardial infarction (MI) in 11% to 15% of cases. It usually clusters with conditions indicative of poor...
Original Article
Reperfusion Strategy and Mortality in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction among Patients with and without Impaired Renal Function
Randomised controlled trials have demonstrated better outcomes with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) over fi brinolytic therapy in the treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial...
Original Article
Gender Disparity in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Coronary Syndromes – Does it Still Exist in Contemporary Practice?
Globally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the single most common cause of death among women; and in parallel with an increasing life expectancy, the proportion...
Original Article
The Impact of Gender on the Outcomes of Invasive versus Conservative Management of Patients with Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Recent studies have suggested differences in clinical outcomes between men and women following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Some studies have indicated poorer survival of...
Original Article
Framingham Risk Score Inadequately Predicts Cardiac Risk in Young Patients Presenting with a First Myocardial Infarction
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The Framingham Risk Score (FRS) was derived from the Framingham Heart Study...
Editorial
Acute Coronary Syndrome: from Epidemiology to Treatment
The term “acute coronary syndrome” (ACS) was introduced a decade ago to describe a spectrum of conditions resulting in acute myocardial ischaemia. It comprises...
Original Article
Off-Pump versus On-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Procedures: Postoperative Renal Complications in an Asian Population
To date, the major part of routine cardiac surgery is performed using extracorporeal circulation with cardioplegic arrest. Regardless the technique of cardioplegia, temporary renal...
Original Article
Comparison of Oral Glucose Insulin Sensitivity with Other Insulin Sensitivity Surrogates from Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests in Chinese
Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases leading to higher morbidity and mortality. These...
Images in Medicine
Catheter Entrapment During Cardiac Electrophysiology Study
A 50-year-old man underwent cardiac electrophysiology study for palpitations. Under fluoroscopic guidance, 1 deflectable decapolar and 2 quadripolar diagnostic catheters
were introduced smoothly into the...
Original Article
Kidney Cancer and Diabetes Mellitus: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Taiwan
Kidney cancer accounts for 3% to 4% of all cancers. In a systematic review by Mathew and et al,2 the incidence of kidney cancer...
Letter to the Editor
Treatment of Coronary In-stent Restenosis with Drug-eluting Balloon Catheter: Real-world Outcome and Literature Review
Dear Editor,
Currently, coronary stent implantation is employed in approximately 90% of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) cases. Despite the use of drug-eluting stents (DES), coronary...
Original Article
Electrocardiograph Changes, Troponin Levels and Cardiac Complications After Orthopaedic Surgery
Following orthopaedic surgery, approximately 5% of patients sustain cardiac complications which leads to increased morbidity and mortality. The mortality rate after hip fracture is...
Original Article
Long-term Outcomes of Medical Therapy Versus Coronary Revascularisation in Patients with Intermediate Stenoses Guided by Pressure Wire
Although coronary angiography has been used as the “gold standard” imaging technique for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, it is essentially a lumenogram...
Images in Medicine
Chest Pain, Something is Not Right…Or Left
A 46-year-old female was referred for evaluation of central chest pain unrelated to exertion. She was known to have diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia....
Original Article
A Novel “Box Lesion” Minimally Invasive Totally Thoracoscopic Surgical Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common and severe cardiac arrhythmia. It affects 0.4% to 1% of the general population, and the prevalence of...
Original Article
Improved door-to-balloon time for primary percutaneous coronary intervention for patients conveyed via emergency ambulance service
Early reperfusion of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been shown to result in better outcomes,1-3 and guidelines for treatment of STEMI recommend a...
Commentary
Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy: The emerging role of cardiac amyloid imaging
Transthyretin amyloidosis (or ATTR amyloidosis) is an under-recognised multisystemic disorder, arising from misfolding of transthyretin proteins into insoluble amyloid fibrils. As amyloid fibrils deposit...
Original Article
New-onset cardiovascular risk factors following liver transplantation: A cohort analysis in Singapore
Malnutrition is well described in liver cirrhosis. The hyperdynamic circulation and altered metabolism in cirrhosis result in a hypercatabolic state which accelerates tissue breakdown....
Commentary
ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in post-COVID-19 patients: A case series
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with thromboembolic phenomenon in the early phase of disease. Growing evidence suggests a hypercoagulable state as well...
Editorial
Medical management of PAD: Expand or consolidate?
In this issue of the Annals, a rapid review of adherence to evidence-based medical treatment highlights an important and underappreciated aspect of the management...
Letter to the Editor
Dynamic mitral regurgitation treated with MitraClip
The dynamic nature of mitral regurgitation (MR) has been well appreciated but clinically under-recognised. In addition, evidence on therapeutic options for dynamic MR has...
Letter to the Editor
Percutaneous paravalvular leak repair for severe aortic regurgitation after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)
Paravalvular leaks (PVLs) are not uncommon after surgical valve replacement. The need for re-operation for clinically significant leaks is between 1 and 3%. Percutaneous...
Original Article
Impact of dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation and myResponder mobile app on bystander resuscitation
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with a global incidence of 62 cases per 100,000 person-years. In addition, there...
Letter to the Editor
Cerebral venous thrombosis in a patient with mild COVID-19 infection
Emerging reports suggest venous and arterial thromboembolic diseases can complicate recovery from COVID-19. Postulated mechanisms include hypercoagulability, hypoxia, immobilisation, excessive inflammation and diffuse intravascular...
Letter to the Editor
Adipsic diabetes insipidus and SGLT2 inhibitor: A perplexing conundrum
A 70-year-old man with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and alcohol dependence presented intoxicated, with occipital scalp lacerations after a...
Review Article
Metformin use in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease: An evidence-based review
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose. The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)....