Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

Contributing Writer https://www.thecardiologyadvisor.com

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC, is an Atlanta-based journalist, licensed psychotherapist, and Ayurvedic health coach, creator of the body-positive wellness company Bettie Page Fitness, and author of 2 books – The Little Book of Bettie: Taking a Page from the Queen of Pinups and Bettie Page: The Lost Years. She holds a BS in psychology from Georgia State University and an MA in counseling psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology. Tori has also managed a medical practice and was instrumental in developing Georgia’s multispecialty telemedicine program. Photograph courtesy of Brooklyn Brat Images.

All articles by Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

pulmonary arterial hypertension xray front view

Pulmonary Vasculature

Pulmonary Artery Denervation for the Treatment of PAH

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

December 28, 2020

Pulmonary artery denervation has been found to reduce the sympathetic activity of the pulmonary circulation.

Implantable Defibrillator in surgeon's hands

Heart Failure

A Closer Look at Advances in Cardiovascular Electronic Devices

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

December 22, 2020

Can energy be harvested from the body or environment and converted into electrical energy to replace or supplement batteries in cardiovascular devices?

Dyslipidemia

Update on Lipid-Lowering Therapies for CVD

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

November 24, 2020

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease represents the top global cause of morbidity and mortality.

Vascular Medicine

ASH 2020 Guidelines on Venous Thromboembolism Management

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

November 23, 2020

The American Society of Hematology released evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of DVT and PE in patients without cancer.

2015 saw a great leap forward in the development and use of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin) inhibitors. This past July, the FDA approved alirocumab (Praluent, Regeneron), followed 1 month later by the approval of a second PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab (Repatha, Amgen). The drugs were approved for use in addition to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy in adult patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or those with clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease requiring additional LDL-C lowering. A third drug, bococizumab (Pfizer), is currently in development. Data from large, long-term randomized controlled outcomes trials—ODYSSEY Outcomes (alirocumab), FOURIER (evolocumab), and SPIRE (bococizumab)—are anticipated to provide clear answers as to the drugs' impact on cardiovascular events and safety profiles. –from "The Promise of PSCK9 Inhibitors by Brian Ellis,” published 11/9/15.

Dyslipidemia

Expert Q&A: Reassessing Risk-Based LDL-C Targets

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

November 18, 2020

Lipid-lowering therapies are key to the prevention of cardiovascular (CV) events and CV-related mortality.

ACS

Re-evaluating DAPT Duration, Monotherapy Selection After PCI

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

November 9, 2020

Current guidelines recommend a 12-month-long DAPT to reduce the risk for ischemic and thrombotic events following percutaneous coronary intervention.

Heart Failure

Peripheral Determinants of Oxygen Utilization During Exercise in HFpEF

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

September 24, 2020

Patients with HFpEF have substantial exercise intolerance, which may be due to peripheral factors.

Pulmonary Vasculature

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Associated With CHD: Developments in Treatments, Remaining Gaps According to Experts

Tori Rodriguez, MA, LPC, AHC

August 17, 2020

PAH associated with CHD is linked to significant reductions in survival and quality of life, especially for patients progressing to Eisenmenger syndrome.