To Treat or Not to Treat? This Is the Question About the Incidental Finding of Double Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm in A 91-Year-Old Woman.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a very uncommon clinical finding and often requires emergency surgery due to its high risk of rupture. This educational text reports the case of a 91-year-old Italian women who was incidentally discovered to have a huge double aneurysm of the sinuses of Valsalva.

[Coronary revascularization in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease]. / Strategie di rivascolarizzazione coronarica nel paziente con infarto miocardico acuto con sopraslivellamento del tratto ST e malattia multivasale.

Forty to 60% of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients present with multivessel coronary artery disease, identified during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) of the culprit lesion. At present, data about revascularization of non-culprit coronary lesions are conflicting. Nevertheless, patients with multivessel coronary artery disease have a worse outcome. Recently, several randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses compared a strategy of culprit-only revascularization vs complete revascularization (during pPCI or staged PCI of the non-culprit lesion). The majority of data show a potential benefit of complete revascularization, in particular a reduction in the composite endpoint of major adverse cardiac events, in absence of certain data regarding long-term mortality and reinfarction. Besides, it is still controversial the optimal timing of complete revascularization (during pPCI or staged PCI), as well as the best method for evaluating the lesions to be treated (angiographic vs functional assessment of ischemia). Considering all these data, the only tested and safe approach to treat multivessel coronary artery disease patients remains optimization of medical therapy with long-term prescription of newer antiplatelet agents (ticagrelor and prasugrel) and aggressive lipid-lowering therapy (LDL <70 mg/dl). At the same time, a complete coronary revascularization strategy with PCI, especially guided by ischemia and based on patient lesions and comorbidity, may further improve outcomes.

To Treat or Not to Treat? This Is the Question… About the Incidental Finding of Double Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm in A 91-Year-Old Woman

ABSTRACT Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a very uncommon clinical finding and often requires emergency surgery due to its high risk of rupture. This educational text reports the case of a 91-year-old Italian women who was incidentally discovered to have a huge double aneurysm of the sinuses of Valsalva.

The role of percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty as a bridge for transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

AIMS: Many inoperable patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) are not immediately eligible for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We evaluated the role of percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) in this setting. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 210 consecutive patients referred to our institution for BAV, we identified three groups: immediately eligible for TAVI (n=65, 31%), excluded from TAVI (n=67, 32%), BAV as a bridge to TAVI (n=78, 37%). This last group comprised patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction, frailty or enfeebled status, symptoms of uncertain origin, critical conditions, moderate-to-severe mitral valve regurgitation, need of major non-cardiac surgery. Outpatient clinic visit and echocardiography were performed around one month after BAV to decide the final therapeutic strategy. Mean age was 81±8 years and the vast majority of patients had comorbidities and high-risk features. The incidence of periprocedural adverse events was 6.4%: 5.1% death (four patients: one procedural complication, three, natural disease progression), 1.3% minor stroke. After BAV, 46% of these patients were deemed eligible for TAVI, and 28% for cardiac surgery. Patients who underwent TAVI after bridge BAV showed 94% 30-day survival. CONCLUSIONS: BAV is a safe and effective tool to bridge selected patients to TAVI when indications are not obvious.

Impact of a territorial ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction network on prognosis of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to assess the effect of a territorial system of care for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) on the outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 720 patients who experienced a witnessed OOHCA of presumed cardiac origin during a four-year period in an area with a STEMI network and for whom resuscitation was attempted. RESULTS: Overall, 242 (33.6%) patients had return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), 645 (90%) died before discharge. We observed a trend toward decreased overall mortality for OOHCA between the years 2004 and 2007, both in the entire population and in patients with ROSC (2004=94%; 2005=89%; 2006=85%; 2007=89%; P=0.064; 2004=81%; 2005=69%; 2006=65%; 2007=60%; P=0.076, respectively). On multivariable analysis, age, crew-witnessed arrest and presence of shockable rhythm were independent predictors of mortality. Patients who experienced OOHCA in the year 2006 (OR=0.47; 95% CI: 0.21-1.05; P=0.07) and 2007 (OR=0.51; 95% CI: 0.23-1.12; P=0.09) showed a strong trend toward decreased risk of mortality compared to year 2004. In patients with ROSC, the year 2007 was associated with a significant lower risk of mortality compared to year 2004 (OR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.15-0.96; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a territorial network of care for STEMI appears to be associated with reduced mortality OOHCA patients.