We are seeing a growing number of submissions—a clear sign that our efforts toward greater accessibility are bearing fruit. With the implementation of indexing, DOI assignment, and our partnership with a collaborative authoring solutions provider, contributors now see PJC as a platform where their work can be widely seen, cited, and valued.

Today, on its 52nd year, PJC is a fully online open-access biannual peer-reviewed journal indexed under WPRIM. Its articles can also be accessed in Google Scholar and Research Gate. Currently, all articles from the year 2012 are available online. Efforts are being made to make older issues available in digital format. Since the start of its current online open-access platform, it has recorded 47,808 views of abstracts, 43,083 downloads of full articles for a total of 90,891 hits (as of May 20, 2025).

Coronary artery disease (CAD) poses a significant global health challenge. In the Philippines, despite increased availability of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), cost remains a barrier to access. This research evaluates key factors such as all-cause death, cardiovascular death, repeat revascularization and quality of life post-CABG under the Philippine Health Z Benefit Package (PZBP).

Depression and anxiety are common among patients with cardiovascular disease. With increased stress from the ongoing pandemic, it is important to evaluate these conditions. Hence, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of depression and anxiety among outpatient consults via telemedicine through the HADS-P questionnaire and to compare the clinical and socioeconomic profile of patients with HADS-P score of >/=11.

The significance of isolated calf deep vein thrombosis (ICDVT) remains unclear with current guidelines not being based on strong level of evidence. Given the uncertainties, the therapeutic approaches vary among institutions; hence, it is prudent to look at existing experience of an institution where examination of calf veins is routinely done during venous duplex ultrasound of the lower extremities. 

This study aims to determine the clinical profile and incidence of in-hospital outcomes of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) Z Benefit Package (PZBP).

Exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure (HF) leads to a lower quality of life. An increasing number of studies suggest that early initiation of guided-directed medical therapy (GDMT) leads to better outcomes. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor is one of the cornerstones in HF treatment, but its effectiveness in improving quality of life remains uncertain.

While a 600 mg loading dose (LD) of clopidogrel has demonstrated superior inhibition of platelet function compared to 300 mg LD, the clinical evidence supporting this superiority is limited. The debate centers on whether higher clopidogrel LD regimen in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) outperforms the standard 300 mg LD, with potential benefits being more pronounced in higher-risk patients.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common arrythmia to occur after cardiovascular surgery. Inflammation being pivotal in POAF perpetuation has been utilized as a therapeutic target. Owing to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, beta-blockers (BB) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) became research interests in the pursuit for an effective POAF prevention strategy. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of NAC plus BB versus BB alone in preventing POAF in cardiac surgery patients.

Among patients with macrovascular and microvascular disease, we investigated the association between sulodexide and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes and adverse events.

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) poses a therapeutic dilemma for the attending physician. Standard anticoagulation with a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) plus dual antiplatelet therapy with a P2Y₁₂ inhibitor and aspirin reduces the risk of stroke and thrombosis, but increases risk of bleeding. The effectiveness and safety of several novel oral anticoagulants are still unclear in these patients.

The patient is an 86-year-old female with isolated symptomatic severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) who presented with worsening right-sided heart failure, deemed to be high risk for surgical repair. She underwent transcatheter bi-caval valve implantation (CAVI) with the Relisys TricValve^® device which resulted in improvement of symptoms and quality of life. This marks the first successful transcatheter CAVI with the TricValve^® device in the Philippines.

Observational studies have increasingly reported transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) as an under-recognized cause of heart failure. We report the first ATTR-CM diagnosed via multi-modality imaging in the Philippines signifying an important milestone in recognition and management of this formerly believed rare disease, locally. Utilization of non-invasive imaging such as echocardiography, cardiac MRI and technetium-99m pyrophosphate scintigraphy (PYP) demonstrates the potential for accurate diagnosis as well as timely and appropriate treatment strategies.

Spontaneous isolated superior mesenteric artery dissection (SISMAD) is a rare vascular condition where the superior mesenteric artery is affected by dissection without involving other arteries. Its incidence is estimated at 0.06% to 0.08% globally. The possible causes include polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), an autoimmune disease affecting medium-sized arteries. SISMAD can manifest with various clinical presentations, from asymptomatic to acute bowel ischemia, warranting consideration when common causes of acute abdomen are ruled out. This is the case of a 44-year-old female Filipino, hypertensive, who complained of abdominal pain, initially managed as intestinal amoebiasis.