Quality control in treating patients with patent foramen ovale: 7-year-experience of the Heart and Brain team of the Careggi University Hospital.

BACKGROUND: The right comprehension of ischemic stroke pathogenesis guarantees the best prevention therapy. The term "patent foramen ovale (PFO) related stroke" has been proposed for those events where PFO is supposed to be pathogenetic, but their definition is challenging. A multidisciplinary evaluation in a "Heart & Brain" team (HBteam) including stroke neurologists and interventional cardiologists was therefore highly recommended in the recent guidelines of secondary stroke prevention. OBJECTIVE: We aimed at describing the organization of the HBteam of Careggi-University-Hospital of Florence (Italy), and the results of the first seven years of activity. METHODS: In 2016 Interventional Cardiologists and Stroke Neurologists set up an outpatient clinic for the joined evaluation of patients with PFO and other cardio/neurological conditions. A specific diagnostic-therapeutic hospital plan was produced for PFO patients. Patient empowerment was guaranteed by a hospital explicative webpage, a booklet regarding risks/benefits of PFO closure and a 3D heartmodel to simulate the intervention. Data were collected in a dedicated registry. RESULTS: We evaluated 594 patients for PFO, 40 for left atrial appendage closure and 38 for other conditions. In 20% of PFO-patients, HBteam diagnosis was discordant from that of referring physicians, 14% were stroke misdiagnoses. We advised against closure in 53% of patients. At follow-up 94% of closed patients had no/minimum residual shunt; 3 patients had a cerebral ischemic event. CONCLUSIONS: A dedicated HBteam represents a unique opportunity to share decisions with patients after a thorough empowerment process. The joining of cardioneurological skills allows a better classification of PFO-patients, reducing futile interventions.

Retrospective Analysis of Transcranial Doppler Patterns in Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Patients: Feasibility of Cerebral Circulatory Arrest Diagnosis.

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) is able to detect cerebral hemodynamic changes in real-time. Impairment of cerebral blood flow during veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment is referred to in the literature. Several cerebrovascular complications can affect VA ECMO patients, eventually leading to brain death (BD). Transcranial Doppler is a worldwide accepted technique for cerebral circulatory arrest (CCA) diagnosis for BD confirmation, and in Italy, it is mandatory in certain clinical conditions. Nowadays, no data have been published on the use of TCD as a confirmation test in VA ECMO patients evolved to BD. The aim of our study was to investigate the feasibility of TCD in CCA diagnosis during VA ECMO treatment. Thirty-two TCD examinations, performed in 25 patients on VA ECMO, were retrospectively analyzed, and factors that could be responsible for TCD waveforms abnormalities were reviewed. Differences in TCD patterns were detected depending on values of left ventricular ejection fraction and the absence or presence of intraaortic balloon pump (IABP). Four categories of different TCD patterns were then identified. In five BD patients, diagnostic CCA patterns in all cerebral arteries were identified by TCD. Our data suggest that cerebral hemodynamic changes due to both residual cardiac function and the effects of IABP can be detected by TCD in VA ECMO patients. In the case of BD, TCD seems to be a reliable instrumental test for CCA diagnosis in patients on VA ECMO when a pulsatile flow is maintained (native or IABP support).