This week on Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Brooke Aggarwal to dive deep into the fascinating intersection of behavioural science and nutrition education. Dr Brooke Aggarwal, an Assistant Professor at Columbia University Medical Center, focuses her research on how behavioural and psychological factors influence adherence to cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines. In this episode, Dr Aggarwal shares insights from her groundbreaking Family Intervention Trial for Heart Health (FIT Heart) study, unveiling the crucial role of social support and caregiver dynamics in maintaining healthy ..read more

In this episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra reunites with Dr Purvi Parwani for a deep dive into the groundbreaking data unveiled at ESC Congress 2024. Dr Parwani, Director of the Women's Cardiovascular Disease Clinic and a leading expert in her field, serves as Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Echocardiography Laboratory for Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging at Loma Linda University Health. Dr Parwani offers a comprehensive analysis of the most impactful trials presented at the congress. She delves beyond the headlines, exploring the practical implications these findings hold ..read more

In this week's episode, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes authors Dr Srihari Naidu and Lindsay Davis to discuss their newly published children's book, Lindsay's Big Heart. A leading interventional cardiologist, Dr Naidu, and patient advocate, Ms Davis, have collaborated to bring the complex heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) to life for young readers. Lindsay Davis shares her personal journey with HCM, offering a firsthand perspective on the challenges and triumphs of living with the condition. Dr Srihari Naidu discusses the importance of translating complex medical information into a for ..read more

This week on Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Dr Marc Gerdisch to discuss a groundbreaking study on reducing opioid use after cardiac surgery. Dr Marc Gerdisch is the Chief of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Co-Director of the Heart Valve Center and Atrial Fibrillation Program at Franciscan St. Francis Health. He is a senior partner at Cardiac Surgery Associates and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. Dr Gerdisch shares insights into his research on rigid sternal fixation and enhanced recovery protocols ..read more

In this enlightening episode of Parallax, which focuses on guideline directed medical therapy (GDMT), Dr Ankur Kalra is joined by two guests, Dr Georges Chahoud, a Heart Failure Cardiologist at St. Louis Cardiology Consultants in the US, and Dr Carsten Israel, Chief of Cardiology at Bethel-Clinic in Germany. Building on their expertise, they share insights on how they would personally consult colleagues on how to manage patients with new onset acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and how to optimise this management in the hospital setting. They cover key topics such as why early initiation ..read more

In this compelling episode of the Parallax Podcast, host Dr Ankur Kalra sits down with Dr Janarthanan Sathananthan, an interventional and structural cardiologist and the Chief Medical Officer of Interventional Cardiology at Boston Scientific. Dr Sathananthan recounts his life's journey, from being born in Sri Lanka during the civil war, and moving to Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Canada, and finally North America. He shares how his diverse upbringing profoundly shaped his career in cardiology. Together, Dr Kalra and Dr Sathananthan delve into cultural challenges and lessons learned from Dr Sathananth ..read more

This week on Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes Eric Radtke, Vice President at Worldwide Innovations & Technologies, Inc, and Barbara Breininger, a cardiovascular radiologic technologist and clinical manager with 26 years of experience. This special episode dives deep into the crucial topic of radiation hygiene, exploring it from the perspectives of both manufacturers and users of radiation safety products. Barbara Breininger shares her experiences traveling nationwide to educate healthcare professionals on radiation safety, emphasizing the need for collective awareness and best practices i ..read more

In this week’s Parallax, host Dr Ankur Kalra welcomes back Dr Jonathan Fisher, a cardiologist, organizational well-being leader, and bestselling author of Just One Heart: A Cardiologist’s Guide to Healing, Health, and Happiness. In this compelling conversation, Dr Fisher shares his personal experience with burnout within the US healthcare system. He provides a concise overview of the roots of Western medicine's culture and the current epidemic of physician burnout and depression. Dr Kalra then invites him to explore solutions for reversing these negative trends and enhancing patient care. Dr F ..read more

Dr Ankur Kalra’s guest this week is Dr Saraschandra Vallabhajosyula, Interventional and Critical Care Cardiologist, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the Director of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Rhode Island Hospital, the Miriam Hospital and Lifespan Cardiovascular Institute. In this episode of Parallax, they delve into the latest insights from ACC.24 through the lens of five pivotal late-breaking trials. Dr Vallabhajosyula offers a deep dive into the nuances of each study. Together, Dr Kalra and Dr Vallabhajosyula distil the comp ..read more

In this informative episode of Parallax, Dr Ankur Kalra is joined by Dr Andrew Darlington, an Advanced Heart Failure Cardiologist at Piedmont Heart Institute in Georgia. Together, Dr Kalra and Dr Darlington delve into the significance of assessing volume status in patients with heart failure, highlighting its continued relevance in 2024 despite the availability of other diagnostic tools. They caution that mistakes in evaluating volume status can have significant consequences, potentially resulting in alterations in management and negative outcomes. Dr Kalra asks Dr Darlington about his approac ..read more