Heart Failure Success Series

Welcome to the Heart Success Series! 

This series was created in memory of Dr. David Taylor. We thank our partners at the Heart Failure Society of America which is a multidisciplinary organization working to improve and expand heart failure care through collaboration, education, research, innovation, and advocacy. Its members include physicians, scientists, nurses, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists. Learn more at hfsa.org.

CardioNerds Heart Success Series

Podcast Episodes

Dr. Amit Goyal (CardioNerds co-founder), Dr. Jessie Holtzman (House Faculty in CardioNerds Academy and cardiology fellow at UCSF), and Dr. Megan McLaughlin (CardioNerds Scholar and cardiology fellow at UCSF) discuss stimulant-associated cardiomyopathy with Dr. Jonathan Davis (Associate Professor at UCSF the Director of the Heart Failure Program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital) and Dr. Soraya Azari (Associate Clinical professor at UCSF, with specialty in hospital medicine, primary care, HIV medicine, and addiction medicine).  

Methamphetamine-associated heart failure admissions have steadily increased in the United States over the past decade. Substance use disorders more broadly are thought to complicate at least 15% of all heart failure hospitalizations and amphetamine use has been shown to be an independent predictor of heart failure readmission across the country. At safety net and public hospitals, these numbers may rise even higher. This episode reviews the pathophysiology of stimulant associated cardiomyopathy, highlights treatment options for stimulant use disorder, and discusses novel models of co-management of heart failure and substance use disorder. 

Notes were drafted by Dr. Jessie Holtzman. Audio editing by CardioNerds academy internPace Wetstein.

The CardioNerds and Pulm PEEPs have joined forces to co-produce this important episode, delving into the management of decompensated right ventricular failure in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Joining us for this informative discussion are Pulm PEEPs co-founders, Dr. David Furfaro and Dr. Kristina Montemayor, along with Dr. Leonid Mirson (Internal Medicine Resident at Johns Hopkins Osler Medical Residency and Associate Editor of Pulm PEEPs), Dr. Bavya Varma (Internal Medicine Resident at Johns Hopkins, rising Cardiology Fellow at NYU, and CardioNerds Academy graduate), Dr. Mardi Gomberg-Maitland (Medical Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at George Washington Hospital), and Dr. Rachel Damico (Pulmonologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital). Audio editing by CardioNerds Academy Intern, student doctor Adriana Mares.

CardioNerds (Dr. Amit Goyal), Dr. Sonu Abraham (CardioNerds Ambassador from Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA) discuss left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) and the implications of renal dysfunction with Dr. Brian Houston and Dr. Nisha Bansal. This episode will focus on the intersection of left ventricular assist devices and renal dysfunction. Patients with a combination of heart failure and renal dysfunction overall have a guarded prognosis and their management poses unique challenges to the clinician. We initially discuss the basics of an LVAD and general approach to LVAD candidacy evaluation. We then discuss specific implications of acute kidney injury, presence of preexisting CKD, and end stage renal disease in patients with/being considered for an LVAD. Risk factor identification and prognostication allows for appropriate selection of the right candidates for an LVAD in the context of renal disease. Dr. Brian Houston is the Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support program at Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Nisha Bansal is an Associate Professor and the Arthur Stach Family Endowed Professor in the Division of Nephrology, an investigator at the Kidney Research Institute, the Director of Nephrology Clinical and Research Education, and the Director of the Kidney-Heart Service at the University of Washington. Notes were drafted by Dr. Sonu Abraham and episode audio was edited by student Dr. Chelsea Amo-Tweneboah.

It’s another session of CardioNerds Rounds! In these rounds, Dr. Loie Farina (Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Fellow at Northwestern University) joins Dr. Jane Wilcox (Chief of the Section of Heart Failure Treatment and Recovery at Northwestern University) to discuss the nuances of HFpEF diagnosis and management. Dr. Wilcox is also the Associate Director of the T1 Center for Cardiovascular Therapeutics in the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and Director of the Myocardial Recovery Clinic at Northwestern University. Dr. Wilcox is a prolific researcher, clinician, and thought leader in Heart Failure and we are honored to have her on CardioNerds Rounds! Notes were drafted by Dr. Karan Desai. Audio editing by CardioNerds Academy Intern, student doctor Akiva Rosenzveig.

CardioNerds  (Amit GoyalDaniel Ambinder) and special co-host Dr. Mark Belkin, join the Journal of Cardiac Failure Family to discuss the 2022 ACC/AHA/HFSA Guideline for The Management of Heart Failure. The JCF Editor-In-Chief Dr. Robert Mentz, Deputy Editor Dr. Anu Lala, and FIT editors — Dr. Vanessa Bluemer, Dr. Ashish Corrhea, and Dr. Quinton Youmans — share their hot takes and practical takeaways from the guidelines.

At JCF, we’re privileged to share this important document that will support improved care for those living with heart failure,” stated Editor-in Chief Dr. Robert J. Mentz and Deputy Editor Anu Lala. “The 2022 guidelines convey patient-centered updates regarding the language we use to communicate disease considerations (e.g., stages of HF) and practice-changing guidance around the diagnosis and management of HF including newer therapeutics (e.g., SGLT2i). There is an emphasis not only on managing HF but also on how to treat important comorbidities as part of the holistic care for patients living with HF.”

CardioNerdsAmit Goyal and Daniel Ambinder, join Duke University CardioNerds Ambassador and CorrespondentDr. Kelly Arps for the diuretic showdown of a lifetime. Join us for this Cardiology vs. Nephrology discussion and respective approach to volume overload and diuretic strategies with Dr. Michael Felker (Professor of Medicine with tenure in the Division of Cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine), and Dr. Matt Sparks (Founding member of the Nephrology Social Medial Collective and #NephJC and Associate Professor of Medicine and Program Director for the Nephrology Fellowship Program at Duke University School of Medicine). Episode introduction, audio editing and Approach to Diuretic Resistance infographic by Dr. Gurleen Kaur (Director of the CardioNerds Internship).

CardioNerds (Amit GoyalDaniel Ambinder) and Dr. Mark Belkin, (CardioNerds Correspondent) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (CardioNerds Ambassador) from University of Chicago are honored to bring to you the Dr. Milton Packer perspective on the evolution of the neurohormonal hypothesis as part of The CardioNerds Heart Success Series.

In part 6 Dr. Packer reflects on a conversation he had with Dr. Eugene Braunwald about mentorship and its role in immortality. This episode is particularly meaningful to the CardioNerds team as mentorship and sponsorship is such an important part of the CardioNerds mission.

CardioNerds (Amit GoyalDaniel Ambinder) and Dr. Mark Belkin, (CardioNerds Correspondent) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (CardioNerds Ambassador) from University of Chicago are honored to bring to you the Dr. Milton Packer perspective on the evolution of the neurohormonal hypothesis as part of The CardioNerds Heart Success Series.

In part 5, Dr. Packer shares his thoughts on the term “guideline directed medical therapy,” guidelines in general, and the challenges of using the ejection fraction to measure systolic function.

CardioNerds (Amit GoyalDaniel Ambinder) and Dr. Mark Belkin, (CardioNerds Correspondent) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (CardioNerds Ambassador) from University of Chicago are honored to bring to you the Dr. Milton Packer perspective on the evolution of the neurohormonal hypothesis as part of The CardioNerds Heart Success Series.

In part 4, Dr. Packer shares his perspective on the revolutionary SGLT2 inhibors. We discuss the mechanisms of action and the data regarding their role in the care of heart failure patients. This episode is particularly historic in that Dr. Packer shares his thoughts about the EMPEROR-PRESERVED trial well before the data was available. Also see Dr. Mark Belkin’s DocWire News article EMPEROR’s New Groove? Empagliflozin Provides Long-Awaited Treatment for HFpEF where Dr. Packer is quoted as saying “we are pleased to have the first trial in patients with HFpEF that shows an unequivocally positive and clinically important result. We are looking forward to many secondary papers that will provide detailed information about what we have found, and what it means for patients.”

CardioNerds (Amit GoyalDaniel Ambinder) and Dr. Mark Belkin, (CardioNerds Correspondent) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (CardioNerds Ambassador) from University of Chicago are honored to bring to you the Dr. Milton Packer perspective on the evolution of the neurohormonal hypothesis as part of The CardioNerds Heart Success Series. In part 3 Dr. Packer reflects on the value of neutral trials and recounts the journey that led to the PARADIGM Trial.

CardioNerds (Amit GoyalDaniel Ambinder) and Dr. Mark Belkin, (CardioNerds Correspondent) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (CardioNerds Ambassador) from University of Chicago are honored to bring to you the Dr. Milton Packer perspective on the evolution of the neurohormonal hypothesis as part of The CardioNerds Heart Success Series. In part 2 Dr. Packer shares his journey as the trailing spouse and tells the story of how the neurohormonal hypothesis was developed.

CardioNerds (Amit GoyalDaniel Ambinder) and Dr. Mark Belkin, (CardioNerds Correspondent) and Dr. Shirlene Obuobi (CardioNerds Ambassador) from University of Chicago are honored to bring to you the Dr. Milton Packer perspective on the evolution of the neurohormonal hypothesis as part of The CardioNerds Heart Success Series.

In part 1 Dr. Packer discusses taking risks, upsetting people and the ridiculousness of humanity and how stand-up comedy helped contribute and shape his career in cardiovascular medicine. Dr. Packer also discusses how the study of afterload agents in heart failure and the discovery of tachyphylaxis with prazosin helped inspire a long and prosperous career in academic cardiology by changing the status quo.

CardioNerds Amit GoalDaniel Ambinder, & Dr. Alex Pipilas (FIT, Boston University) discuss the clinical examination in patients with heart failure with Dr. Mark Drazner, professor of medicine, clinical chief of cardiology, and medical director of the LVAD and Cardiac Transplantation Program at UT Southwestern. In this pearl laden episode, they discuss how the exam can be used to non-invasively assess a patient’s hemodynamic status, risk stratify and inform prognosis, and guide management. They also discuss ways to master the evaluation of the JVP and categorize patients based on their RA:PCWP ratio.

The role of palliative care in the management of heart failure is discussed by palliative care expert, Dr. Rab Razzak, clinical associate professor and clinical director of palliative care at University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center. CardioNerds host Amit Goyal is joined by special guest interviewer, Dr. Arsalan Derakhshan, Assistant Program director at Case Western Internal Medicine residency program and the head of the Global Health Pathway as well as co-host of the Clinical Problem Solvers podcast!

Dr. Robert Mentz, director of the Heart Failure section in the Duke Division of Cardiology, discusses diureticsanti-hyperglycemic therapies including SGLT2/GLP1 agents, angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNi)iron as therapies for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). Additionally, study design and ongoing research in HFpEF is discussed. At the end of the episode Dr. Mentz provides an additional update that highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced clinical trials around the world. Special thanks to guest interviewers, Duke cardiology fellows, Dr. Kelly Arps and Dr. Rahul Loungani!

We discuss Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) with Dr. Kavita Sharma, director of the Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Program and interim director of Advanced Heart Failure Transplant section at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. CardioNerds hosts Carine Hamo and Daniel Ambinder are joined by Dr. Beth Feldman (resident at The Johns Hopkins Hospital). Topics discussed include a definitionsdiagnosisphenotypic presentations, inpatient management of acute decompensated heart failure, role of dopamine, advanced therapies of HFpEF, and the Paraglide trial.

Structural interventions in heart failure are discussed by Dr. Jeffrey Moses, Director of Interventional Therapeutics at Columbia University Medical Center Director of Advanced Cardiac Interventions at St Francis Hospital and Heart Center in Roslyn, NY. CardioNerds hosts Amit Goyal and Daniel Ambinder are joined by Dr. Jackie Latina (Cardiology fellow at The Johns Hopkins Hospital). Topics discussed include percutaneous intervention and complex and high-risk coronary intervention (CHIP), treatment of functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, aortic stenosis, and the utility of interatrial shunt devices for the treatment congestive heart failure.

Duke cardiology fellow, Rahul Loungani, interviews Dr. Jonathan Piccini, director of the Electrophysiology Clinical Trials Program and Arrhythmia Core Laboratory at Duke University, about atrial fibrillation management in patients with heart failure. They discuss rate vs rhythm control and strategies for both, new onset AF in the context of critical illness, wearable devices in AF, escalation of therapy in AF, ideal patient for catheter ablation, and AF patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Vanderbilt fellows, Richa Gupta and Jessica Huston, interview past HFSA president Dr. JoAnn Lindenfeld, Director of Heart Failure and Heart Transplantation Section at Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute about the nuts and bolts of cardiac transplantation. Topics discussed include organ allocation, recipient selection, high risk donors, short and long term complications, and what non-transplant physicians should know about immunosuppressive medications. 

Carine and Dan delve into LVAD 101 with Dr. Steven Hsu, heart failure specialist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. We get big picture, we get detail oriented and we hit the highlights for the psycho-social-and medical management of our LVAD patient population.

Amit and co-fellow Dr. Kartik Telukuntla discuss advanced heart failure therapies, or salvage therapies, with Dr. Jerry Estep, section head of heart failure at the Cleveland Clinic.

Amit and co-fellow Dr. Kartik Telukuntla learn from Dr. Randall Starling, former president of the HFSA, about his approach to guideline-directed medical therapy in heart failure.

Dan and Carine chat with cardiomyopathy expert Dr. Ed Kasper with regards to his approach to the new onset heart failure patient. This episode is dedicated to Dr. Kasper’s mentor and friend, Dr. Kenneth L. Baughman. 

See photos discussed in this episode and tribute to Dr. Baughman

In conjunction with the 2020 Heart Failure Awareness Week, sponsored by the Heart Failure Society of America the CardioNerds are supporting the society’s efforts to promote heart failure awareness, patient education, and heart failure prevention by launching our Heart Failure Awareness CardioNerds Series. 

This series is a tribute to Dr. David Taylor. Dr. Taylor (aka “DOT”) was a heart failure attending at the Cleveland Clinic.  He died on Wednesday, February 5th 2020. We remember him for the legend he is. A passionate clinician, skilled educator, devoted mentor.  His legacy lives on within us. #foreverDOT

Colleagues and friends record their cherished memories, stories, and life lessons learned from Dr. Taylor.

CardioNerds Heart Failure Episode Collection

A Tribute to the Life and Legacy of
Dr. David Taylor

  • Steve Nissen – 5:03
  • Sandy Galvin – 7:29
  • Mike Militello – 8:45
  • Andres Carmona – 9:26
  • Millie Pejnovic – 11:02
  • Kia Afshar – 11:38
  • Sanjeep (Sean) Bhattacharya – 13:40
  • Liane Porepa – 15:06
  • Bret Sperry – 16:04
  • Josef Stehlik – 17:12
  • Bill Wilke – 19:07
  • Paulino Alvarez – 20:39
  • Kay Kendall – 22:44
  • Mazen Hanna – 22:08
  • David Xu – 29:26
  • Ilke Sipahi – 30:40
  • Anupam Basuray – 31:54
  • Amanda Vest – 33:13
  • Paul Cremer – 34:40
  • Rebecca Reay – 37:45
  • Jerry Estep – 42:09
  • Venu Menon – 45:33
  • Wilson Tang – 48:51
  • Randall Starling – 50:22
Dr. Ken Baughman
Dr. Baughman and is wife, Cheryl. Photo courtesy of Roger S. Blumenthal, MD

In Memory of Dr. Ken Baughman

Dr. Ken Baughman served as director of the cardiology division at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., before being recruited to Brigham Hospital in 2002. 

He was such a hero in cardiology. Dr. Myron Weisfeldt, a cardiology great in his own right, called Dr. Baughman a physician’s physician, and an exemplar of how you can lead and teach as a model to others. His thousands of patients knew him and benefited from his great expertise and his care. Dr. Gary Gottlieb, president of Brigham Hospital at the time,  said His passion for his patients was woven into the fabric of our hospital,” He represented the very best in medicine … He cared so deeply for each and every person he touched. Not only was he an extraordinary clinician, but he was a respected and accomplished researcher and brilliant mentor to dozens of young men and women who benefited from his nurturance and wisdom.”

Learn more about Dr. Ken Baughman from a moving tribute authored by Dr. Roger Blumenthal. 

Bioptome #1 used by Dr. Baughman
Dr. Thomas Traill (L), Dr. Baughman (C), Dr. Stephen Achuff (R)
Dr. Kasper wearing Dr. Baughman's conductors cap gifted to him by a patient
Saman Nematollahi, MD

Saman Nematollahi, MD 

Saman grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He completed his undergrad at the University of Arizona with dual degrees in Physiology and Spanish Literature. He spent some time after undergrad working in a neuroscience lab before starting med school at the University of Arizona. He then moved to NYC where he completed residency at Columbia. His clinical interests include management of immunocompromised hosts, and his research interest is in medical education. He loves to play soccer with his wife and son. He is master educator, appeared on and has authored many important tweetorials (links below). He has also appeared on the hit medical podcast, The Clinical Problem Solvers.