Non-Pharmacological Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide. It is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, especially due to the increased risk of ischemic stroke and systemic embolism in these patients. For this reason, thromboembolism prevention is the cornerstone of managing AF, and oral anticoagulation is nowadays the first-line treatment. However, since most thrombi form in the left atrial appendage and anticoagulant therapy may have side effects and be contraindicated in some patients, surgical and percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) have emerged as a non-pharmacological alternative. This review summarizes all existing evidence on surgical and percutaneous LAAO.

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: Rediscovering an Old Cause of Myocardial Infarction.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an uncommon, but not insignificant cause of acute coronary syndrome that overwhelmingly affects middle-aged women. The pathophysiology of coronary dissection appears to be an outside-in mechanism, where the initiating event is not an intimal tear but rather the formation of an intramural hematoma, which compromises blood flow by reducing the arterial lumen. Considering this mechanism, it is clear to see how intracoronary imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound, are most accurate in the diagnosis. However, they carry a high rate of complications and are therefore generally avoided when the clinical scenario and angiographic appearance both support the diagnosis of spontaneous coronary artery dissection. The natural history of the disease is toward healing of the vessel wall and restoration of blood flow. Therefore, conservative medical management is the preferred approach unless there are high-risk factors such as hemodynamic instability, signs of ischemia and severe proximal or multivessel lesions, in which percutaneous or surgical revascularization should be considered. Perioperative evaluation of these patients must take into account several aspects of this disease. Most of these patients will be receiving single or dual antiplatelet therapy, so one must consider the timing of the event and the surgical hemorrhagic risk when deciding to stop these therapies. Extracoronary vascular disease also must be assessed because it can have an effect on patient monitoring and risk of postoperative complications.

Anterior Iliac Spine Avulsion Fracture Treatment Options in Young Athletes.

Purpose: The aim of this research is to perform a literature review of the treatments available for the anterior iliac spines avulsion fracture on the young subjects. Material and Methods: We performed a systematic literature search for studies on spines avulsion fractures in young subjects from January 1, 2013, to February 2018; abstracts were screened by a single reviewer. For those studies meeting the eligibility criteria, full-text articles were obtained. Results: From 112 studies found only six articles were included in this systematic review. All the studies belonged to level IV of scientific evidence. 64 patients suffered an anterior inferior iliac spine fracture while patients 36% patients suffered an anterior superior iliac spine fracture. 93.2% underwent conservative treatment and 6.8% underwent surgery. Conclusions: The anterior iliac spine avulsions fractures are rare injuries that occur in young male athletes and the conservative option is the most selected treatment modality.