Some of the greatest stories are born of crisis. And sometimes it is during these worst of times when we see the best of people and institutions emerge.

In this last one and a half year, the CoVid-19 pandemic wreaked a significant impact to the way we live. Unprecedented, unpredicted, unforeseen, and unseen, this was the defining public health crisis of our time.

To determine the incidence and the associated intraoperative factors that  contribute to difficult weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) among coronary artery  bypass graft (CABG) patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study was a prospective observational cohort study conducted at a specialty  center from September 1, 2019, to May 15, 2020.

Malnutrition is a component of frailty syndrome characterized by weakness, poor nutritional status, and reduced cognitive function. Frailty has been recognized to adversely affect post–cardiovascular surgery outcomes, with studies primarily in the elderly. To date, there are no published Philippine data on malnutrition and frailty in cardiac surgery patients. 

There is ambiguity on antiplatelet therapy for post–transcatheter aortic  valve replacement (TAVR) patients for stroke prevention, but dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is  routinely started despite lack of data on effectiveness and bleeding safety of DAPT versus single  antiplatelet therapy (SAPT). This study aims to determine the effectiveness of DAPT versus SAPT  in stroke prevention and assess bleeding safety.

TStenting of the ductus is an alternative to surgical shunt in patients with  critical pulmonary stenosis who remain ductal dependent following valvuloplasty. Stents close  spontaneously after improvement of right ventricular function; however, in rare cases, stents fail  to completely endothelialize, resulting in pulmonary overcirculation. 

Ductal stenting can be a nonsurgical option and less morbid method to  provide pressure and volume overload to the regressing left ventricle in late presenters of  transposition of the great arteries, intact ventricular septum (TGA-IVS), prior to arterial switch  operation (ASO). This is a case of an infant diagnosed with TGA-IVS beyond the  neonatal period who underwent balloon atrial septostomy and ductal stenting to retrain involuted  left ventricle prior to definitive ASO. 

Atrial fibrillation (AF) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery may  lead to prolonged hospital stay and increased morbidity and mortality. Identifying people at risk  may help in the management and improve the outcome of patients undergoing this procedure. The aims of this were to determine the incidence of AF in patients who  underwent CABG surgery in ManilaMed–Medical Center Manila and whether certain factors were  associated with developing AF in patients who underwent the procedure. 

Hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity and  mortality in the Philippines. The prevalence rate of hypertension has been increasing, and this  was associated with increasing comorbidities and poor control rates. The Philippine Heart  Association–Council on Hypertension has been conducting the PRESYON studies since 1992 to  determine the present hypertension rates. This updated PRESYON-4 aimed to know the latest  numbers of hypertension cases in the country and to determine the awareness, treatment profile,  and control rates of individuals afflicted with hypertension.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of disorders of the heart and blood  vessels, which includes coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral  artery disease. It is currently the leading cause of death worldwide. Currently, there is paucity  in the available epidemiologic data of CVD in Southeast Asia (SEA). The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence, mortality rate, and associated risk factors of  CVD (specifically ischemic heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease) among adult  populations in SEA.