Delayed coronary perforation four days after percutaneous coronary intervention with subsequent cardiac tamponade: A case report.

Coronary artery perforation (CAP) is a rare but lethal complication of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), and its incidence has been increasing with advances in PCI techniques. Delayed CAP presents a highly challenging complication, as it occurs 30 min-9 days after intervention, making subsequent diagnosis and treatment difficult. We present the case of a 63-year-old male patient who underwent PCI for an obtuse marginalis II because of posterior wall myocardial infarction. Following 4 days of uneventful postoperative stay, the patient developed angina pectoris and hypotension 4 h after reinitiation of anticoagulant therapy with edoxaban. Angiography revealed distal vessel perforation from a side branch of the obtuse marginalis II. The vessel was occluded using autologous fat embolization via a microcatheter, resulting in complete sealing of the perforation. After discharge, 4 weeks after the infarction, the patient started rehabilitation therapy. Distal vessel perforations are typically caused by wire damage. In our case, we also suspected distal wire perforation, which was initially not recognized possibly due to distal occlusion through the thrombotic material. The temporal correlation between the re-initiation of anticoagulant therapy and the occurrence of cardiac tamponade suggests that the thrombotic material was resolved due to the former. The management of delayed CAP does not differ from that of CAP; thus, this rare complication should be considered even days after PCI as it could prove lethal if not recognized early.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Nonagenarians: Procedural Outcome and Mid-Term Results.

BACKGROUND: For nonagenarians with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a feasible therapeutic option. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the procedural outcomes and mid-term follow-up in this patient group and compare this to octogenarians. METHODS: From 1359 patients who underwent TAVI at our institution between March 2009 and February 2016, 82 patients were nonagenarians and 912 were octogenarians. In nonagenarians, mean age was 91.9±1.4years and compared to octogenarians showed a significantly higher logistic EuroScore (27.7±14.8% vs. 23.1±14.4, p=0.005) and STS Score (8.5±4.8% vs. 6.3±6.7, p=0.001). RESULTS: There were no significant differences with regard to stroke rate, pacemaker implantation rate and major vascular complications between the two groups. Thirty-day mortality was 9.8% in nonagenarians and 4.1% in octogenarians (p=0.04). At 1 year, all-cause mortality increased to 30.9% vs. 18.6% (n.s.). CONCLUSION: Nonagenarians showed an increased periprocedural mortality during TAVI and higher mortality in follow-up compared to octogenarians. Age alone is not a predictive factor but indication for treatment should be carefully evaluated by the heart team on an individual basis.

Impact of Routine Invasive Physiology at Time of Angiography in Patients With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease on Reclassification of Revascularization Strategy: Results From the DEFINE REAL Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to prospectively assess the impact of routine invasive physiology at the time of angiography on reclassification of therapeutic management of multivessel disease (MVD) patients, and to assess how implementation of instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) alters the process. BACKGROUND: Routine invasive physiology in intermediate coronary lesions at the time of diagnostic angiography, primarily in patients with single-vessel disease and using fractional flow reserve (FFR), reclassifies coronary revascularization management in 26% to 44% of patients. The role of invasive physiology in patients with MVD is unclear. METHODS: In 18 centers, 484 patients undergoing diagnostic angiography disclosing MVD with lesions >40% by visual assessment were included. Investigators were asked to prospectively define their initial management strategy based on angiography and clinical information. Invasive physiology (FFR or iFR driven) was then performed and final strategy defined. Initial and final vessel, patient, procedural, and overall management were described. Reclassification was defined as the difference between initial and final strategy. RESULTS: The majority of patients were clinically stable (82.2%). Two- and 3-vessel disease was present in 73.3% and 26.7% of patients, respectively. Lesions investigated were "intermediate" with median percent stenosis, median FFR, and median iFR at 60% (interquartile range [IQR]: 50% to 70%), 0.84 (IQR: 0.78 to 0.90), and 0.92 (IQR: 0.85 to 0.96), respectively. Vessel management was reclassified by physiology in 30.0% (249 of 828) of vessels. Patient and overall management were reclassified in 26.9% (130 of 484) and 45.7% (211 of 484) of patients, respectively. Reclassification rates were high irrespective of initial management (optimal medical therapy, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass grafting), and performance and results of pre-procedural noninvasive tests. Reclassification of overall management in particular increased with the number of vessels investigated (1 vessel: 37.3%; 2 vessels: 45.0%; 3 vessels: 66.7%; p = 0.002). Incorporating iFR in the decision process was associated with investigation of more vessels (p = 0.04) and higher reclassification (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with MVD and intermediate coronary lesions, invasive physiology at time of angiography reclassifies revascularization strategy in a large proportion of cases (26.9%) and investigation of more vessels is associated with higher reclassification rates.

Impact of sheath diameter of different sheath types on vascular complications and mortality in transfemoral TAVI approaches using the Proglide closure device.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the impact of the sheath diameter on vascular complications and mortality in transfemoral aortic valve implantation. METHOD: Between 2012 and 2014, 183 patients underwent the procedure using a sheath diameter of 18-24 F. This collective was divided into two groups: group 1, with a sheath diameter of 18F (G1, n = 94), consisted of patients with 18F Medtronic Sentrant and 18 F Direct Flow sheaths, and group 2 with a sheath diameter of 19-24 F (G2, n = 89) consisted of patients with Edwards expandable e-sheath and Solopath sheaths. Perclose-Proglide® was used as a closure device in all patients. RESULTS: G1 had significantly more female patients (64.9% vs. 46.1% in G2, p = 0.01) and the average BMI was lower (26 ± 4.5% vs. 27.4 ± 4.7%, p = 0.03). There was no significant difference in the incidence of major and minor vascular complications (G1: 12.8% vs. G2: 12.4%, p = 0.9). 30-day mortality was similar in both groups (G1: 6.4 ± 2.5% [95% CI: 0.88-0.98], G2: 3.7 ± 1.9% [95% CI: 0.92-0.99]. The Kaplan Meier analysis of survival revealed no significant differences either. CONCLUSION: The difference in sheath diameter had no effect on either incidence or severity of vascular complications. There was no impact on mortality either.

Bivalirudin anticoagulation for minimal invasive transapical transcatheter aortic valve replacement in a patient with antiphospholipid antibodies.

The occurrence of lupus anticoagulant is associated with the hazard of developing an antiphospholipid syndrome, a severe prothrombotic condition which may particularly occur after major surgical trauma. This disease requires certain considerations regarding surgical strategy and anticoagulation management. We describe the perioperative management of a patient scheduled for elective aortic valve replacement and diagnosed for having antiphospholipid antibodies. The procedure was successfully performed using a minimally invasive approach via transapical aortic valve replacement and anticoagulation with the nonreversible short-acting direct thrombin Inhibitor bivalirudin.

Electrical Myostimulation (EMS) Improves Glucose Metabolism and Oxygen Uptake in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients--Results from the EMS Study.

AIMS: In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exercise training is recommended to improve glycemic control. Electrical myostimulation (EMS) of skeletal muscles is a new method to increase exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of EMS in T2DM on glucose metabolism, body composition, and exercise performance using a newly designed stimulation suit that involves trunk, leg, and arm muscles. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifteen individuals (nine males; 61.7±14.8 years old) were trained for 10 weeks twice weekly for 20 min with EMS. Effects on glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), oxygen consumption, and body composition were evaluated. RESULTS: There was a significant increase of oxygen uptake at the aerobic threshold from 12.3±0.8 to 13.3±0.7 mL/kg/min (P=0.003) and of maximal work capacity from 96.9±6.4 to 101.4±7.9 W (P=0.046), with a concomitant trend for improved maximal oxygen uptake (from 14.5±0.9 to 14.7±0.9 mL/kg/min [P=0.059]). Fasting blood glucose level decreased from 164.0±12.5 to 133.4±9.9 mg/dL (P=0.001), and HbA(1c) level decreased from 7.7±0.3% to 7.2±0.3% (P=0.041), whereas mean total weight (from 101.5±4.0 to 103.1±4.3 kg) and proportion of body fat (from 38.8±3.2% to 40.3±3.4%) remained statistically unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: EMS can improve glucose metabolism and functional performance in T2DM patients. These data suggest that EMS might emerge as a novel additional therapeutic mode of exercise training and might help patients to overcome their sedentary lifestyle.

Long-term follow-up of cardiac resynchronization therapy: mechanical resynchronization and reverse left ventricular remodeling are predictive for long-term transplant-free survival.

We sought to determine whether correction of mechanical left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony as defined by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is predictive for transplant-free long-term survival in patients (pts.) undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). In 76 CRT recipients TDI curves from the septal, lateral, anterior, and inferior basal LV were obtained at baseline and after 6 ± 4 months. A time difference between regional electromechanical delays (EMD) of ≥40 ms was considered dyssynchronous. At follow-up, pts. were classified as TDI-responders (TDI-R: dyssynchrony at baseline, corrected by CRT) versus non-responders (TDI-NR: either not dyssynchronous at baseline, or persisting dyssynchrony). Pts. were then followed by standard echocardiography over 21 ± 6 months and were re-classified as LV remodelers (LV-R: LV volume reduction of >10%) versus non-remodelers (LV-NR). The end-point during clinical long-term follow-up of 65 ± 38 months was all-cause mortality or heart transplantation. 44 out of the 76 pts. (58%) were classified as TDI-R, 32 (42%) as TDI-NR. Significant reverse LV remodeling was observed in 41 (54%) pts., while 35 (46%) did not improve LV size and function. TDI-R was associated with LV-R in 35 pts. (85%; P < 0.001). During long-term follow-up, 38 pts. (50%) reached the end point, 11 (30%) in the TDI-R group, and 27 (70%) in the TDI-NR group (P < 0.0003). Mechanical resynchronization as defined by TDI translates into a significant survival benefit in CRT recipients.