Minimally invasive bail-out transthoracic coiling of giant cardiac pseudoaneurysm with good long-term result.

BACKGROUND: We report a case of successful minimally invasive transthoracic coiling of a left ventricle pseudoaneurysm after iatrogenic cardiac perforation with a good long-term result. The pseudoaneurysm could be repaired neither by an open surgery because of poor general state of the patient nor interventionally because of a partial sealing with an Amplatzer Septal Occluder blocking the tight neck of the aneurysm. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a transthoracic coiling of the left ventricle pseudoaneurysm using a direct ultrasound-guided puncture via intercostal access below the lingula. The access puncture was performed during a single lung apnea at the end of an expiration phase with a contralateral single lung ventilation. The patient successfully recovered and has been followed-up during the 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Transthoracic coil embolization is a minimally invasive treatment option for otherwise inoperable patients with cardiac pseudoaneurysms with good long-term results.

Continuous Direct Left Atrial Pressure: Intraprocedural Measurement Predicts Clinical Response Following MitraClip Therapy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the additional utility of measuring left atrial (LA) pressure as a complement to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and Doppler imaging. BACKGROUND: The efficacy of the MitraClip (MC) is assessed intraoperatively by TEE. However, TEE measures are operator dependent and can be influenced by left ventricular (LV) function and changes in LA compliance. METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing MC therapy with continuous left-sided heart pressure measurements were analyzed. LA V-wave pressure (LAvP), LA mean pressure (LAmP), LV systolic pressure, and LV end-diastolic pressure were measured continuously. LA pressures were indexed to LV pressures to account for changes in afterload during the procedure. RESULTS: Most patients (70%) had degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR). TEE MR grade decreased from 3+ to 0+. LAvP (p < 0.001), LAmP (p = 0.007), LV end-diastolic pressure (p = 0.001), LAvP index (p < 0.001), and LAmP index (p = 0.001) decreased significantly, and LV systolic pressure(p = 0.009) significantly increased after MC therapy. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, intraprocedural increase of LAmP index, but not post-MC ≥2+ residual MR, was significantly associated with rehospitalization due to heart failure (hazard ratio: 3.377; 95% CI: 3.180 to 3.585; p = 0.007) and with New York Heart Association functional class III to IV (hazard ratio: 1.497; 95% CI: 1.006 to 2.102; p = 0.005) in the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the value of real-time monitoring of LA pressure during MC therapy to predict clinical outcomes. An increase in LAmP was a predictive of worse clinical outcomes at short-term follow-up, independent from echocardiographic findings.