Cardiovascular diseases and psoriasis have been well established as separate entities, however, there is uncertainty with regards to a link between the two diseases. A few environmental, psychological and social factors have been implicated as potential common risk factors that may exacerbate the two diseases, and an array of complex immune and non-immune inflammatory mediators can potentially explain a plausible link. Pharmacotherapy has also played a role in establishing a potential association, especially with the advent of biological agents which directly act on inflammatory factors shared by the two diseases. This review will look at existing evidence and ascertain a potential correlation between the two.

A 75-year-old man of Asian descent presented to the acute medical unit with signs and symptoms suggestive of a community-acquired pneumonia. He had multiple comorbidities and was relatively immunocompromised as a result. Initial investigations supported the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia complicated by a cavitating lung lesion, and the patient was treated as per hospital guidelines. He continued to deteriorate despite appropriate therapy and developed a hydropneumothorax, requiring the insertion of a chest drain. A diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis () was made based on microbiology results from pleural aspirate, and patient was treated with intravenous antifungals. The patient was referred to the thoracic team for consideration of surgical intervention but was not suitable due to his multiple comorbidities. This case highlighted the importance of early consideration of fungal infection in patients with multiple risk factors and the need for aggressive therapy to ensure the best outcome.

We present a case of subclavian artery perforation with mediastinal hematoma following elective percutaneous coronary intervention. A conservative approach was preferred over invasive correction. Although no outcome data exist specifically for subclavian artery injury, registry data in patients with iatrogenic aortic dissection suggest that long-term outcomes are good without vascular repair. ( Level of Difficulty: Advanced. )

The surgical myomectomy for hypertrophied myocardium in patients with HOCM is a well-established and evidence-based treatment modality. However, with the drawback of exposing the patient to major surgery and prolonged post-operative periods, cardiologists together with their surgical peers found the advent of a potentially less invasive procedure. This has been accomplished by the installation of alcohol through the coronary arteries in order to shrink the diseased and hypertrophied muscle area with an aim to alleviate the symptoms in the first instance if not completely curing the pathology as an endeavor goal. Nevertheless, with this invention, a few complications have started to emerge. The main drawback was heart block, which could require permanent pacemaker insertion in most of the cases. In the interim, there is no clear pathway or guideline to decide which treatment option would be the best, and there is no certain inclusion or exclusion criteria incorporate patients who can undergo either one of the modalities. In this review, four studies were scrutinized to investigate the major consequences of each route, especially focusing on the proportion of complete heart block. Also, the role of MRI in the delineation of the resected area either surgically or by alcohol administration is studied in detail. After reviewing these articles, it has been concluded that despite alcohol septal ablation being less invasive approach, surgical therapy remains the preferred treatment modality and it is preferred treatment modality and so far, it is the gold standard option in the management of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Nevertheless, it could not be overlooked the lack of strong RCTS in such area which could be one of the main points that future trialists need to consider.