Ivana Ibrahim Garza, MD

Day 2 of AHA Scientific Sessions was fantastic!! 😍 thank you to our outstanding speakers & to all the amazing FITs! @AHAScience @American_Heart 👏👏

4/4 #medtwitter

3/4 #medtwitter

2/4 #MedTwitter

1/4 #medtwitter

Our superstar Dr. Anouti representing ⁦@utmbcardiology⁩ at the Houston Shock Symposium - insightful & engaging discussions on the management of cardiogenic shock - Proud to see him emerging as a regional leader in this field #Cardiology #CardiogenicShock ⁦@utmbhealth⁩

In beautiful Scottsdale AZ for the State of the Art Echo Conference! 😍 sounds like the perfect Valentine’s Day to me! ❤️ @MShalabCardUTMB @DeaaAbuJazar

If your patient is on vasopressors, they’re not “hemodynamically stable.” Thanks for coming to my TED talk :) #MedTwitter

Thrilled that both @BalissMichelle @WashUMedicine and I @SLUgastro have successfully performed the first cases of full-thickness resection with the novel FTR Padlock in STL! Advancing therapeutic endoscopy with brilliant women colleagues! 🎉 #WomeninEndoscopy #AdvancedEndoscopy

#medtwitter #humor

The grind doesn’t stop, but we make it look good! 🩺✨ Our 3rd-year @UTMBHealth Cardiology fellows are officially in Board Review mode. Loving the team spirit and the laughs along the way. The finish line is in sight! 🏁❤️ @docHJ Future cardiologists, currently crushing it! #UTMB #Cardiology #BoardPrep #FellowLife

Every Dr should read this extremely well-written opinion piece in @Open_HeartBMJ 'We are losing the ability to think critically. We are losing the distinction between doing more and doing better. Precision without purpose is not progressing. Volume without value is not success"

🔥🫀 Inflammation is no longer a hypothesis—it’s a therapeutic target The 2025 ACC Scientific Statement on Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease marks a turning point: inflammation is now recognized as a causal, measurable, and actionable driver of cardiovascular risk, not just a bystander . 🧠 Key paradigm shift Even in statin-treated patients with optimal LDL-C, residual inflammatory risk—best captured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)—strongly predicts recurrent events and cardiovascular death. In fact, post-statin hsCRP is often more prognostic than LDL-C itself. 📏 Measure what you want to treat The statement makes a bold recommendation: 👉 Near-universal hsCRP screening in both primary and secondary prevention. hsCRP <1 mg/L → low risk 1–3 mg/L → intermediate risk 3 mg/L → high inflammatory risk Persistently elevated hsCRP (>2 mg/L) identifies patients who remain vulnerable despite guideline-directed therapy. 💊 Anti-inflammatory therapies: what works (and what doesn’t) ❌ Broad immunosuppression failed (e.g. methotrexate in CIRT). ✅ Targeted inflammation inhibition works: Canakinumab (CANTOS) proved the inflammation hypothesis—reducing events without lowering LDL-C. Low-dose colchicine (0.5 mg/day) reduced recurrent CV events by ~25% and is now FDA-approved for secondary prevention. 🚧 New frontiers: IL-6 inhibition (ziltivekimab, clazakizumab) in CKD, HFpEF, ACS—results expected soon. 🧘‍♂️ Lifestyle is anti-inflammatory medicine Mediterranean/DASH diets 🥗, omega-3 intake 🐟, exercise 🏃‍♀️, weight control, and smoking cessation are explicitly framed as anti-inflammatory interventions, not just “healthy habits.” 🖼️ Imaging: promising, not ready Advanced imaging of vascular inflammation (e.g. perivascular fat attenuation index) is exciting—but not yet for routine clinical use. 🔮 Bottom line Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease with lipid involvement. The time has come to treat cholesterol and inflammation—with biomarkers, lifestyle, and targeted therapies—moving cardiovascular prevention into a new era 🚀

Cardiac rehab saves lives, improves quality of life, and is a cost-effective intervention. We need to continue to break down barriers that prevent participation. #ACCCVT @ACCinTouch @UTSWMedCenter acc.org/Latest-in-Card…

🤍forever a favorite

You’re the king of reading 5 NEJM articles a night 😂