Case Report: Non-ischemic Papillary Muscle Rupture due to MRSA Myocarditis with Concurrent Thromboembolic Myocardial Infarction Secondary to Infective Endocarditis.

Non-ischemic papillary muscle rupture (PMR) is rare. PMR caused by myocarditis in the presence of concurrent infective endocarditis (IE) and myocardial infarction (MI) has not been described. We report a 46-year-old male with recurrent MRSA bacteremia who presented in septic shock and suffered cardiac arrest. Echocardiography revealed acute mitral valve regurgitation resulting from posteromedial PMR. An intra-aortic balloon pump was implanted. Angiography revealed thrombotic occlusion of a small distal left circumflex artery. Emergent mitral valve replacement surgery was performed. MRSA myocarditis and IE were diagnosed by tissue cultures. Coexistence of myocarditis, IE, and MI poses a challenge in determining etiology.

A Case of Intraventricular Coronary Artery Perforation Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in the Setting of Myocardial Bridge of Left Anterior Descending Artery.

Coronary artery perforation during percutaneous coronary intervention is a rare but potentially fatal complication. Intraventricular rupture is more commonly seen in setting of myocardial bridging where the epicardial coronary artery takes an intramuscular course. We describe a case of acute thrombotic in-stent restenosis of the intramyocardial (myocardial bridge) distal left anterior descending artery complicated by intraventricular perforation in the setting of an anterior ST elevation myocardial infarction managed by covered stenting.

Complex Coronary Intervention - When Time Is of Essence: Ping Pong Technique.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. The prognosis and treatment of which is dependent on various factors including type, size, localization and extent of the coronary plaque and severity of the stenosis. Management of critical ostial left main CAD poses peculiar challenges. The present case report demonstrates a unique percutaneous coronary intervention technique helpful in the management of such complex left main coronary lesions.

ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Due to an Ectatic Infarct-Related Coronary Artery: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Coronary artery ectasia is an infrequent finding seen in a localized or diffuse fashion in patients undergoing coronary angiogram. This angiographic entity is attributed to coronary artery atherosclerosis. The ectatic coronary artery segment may be a culprit and perpetuate the thrombus formation in patients with acute myocardial infarction due to the altered normal laminar flow and deranged platelet and endothelial activation. Besides, it may lead to slow flow/no-reflow during the percutaneous coronary intervention and constitutes a significant management challenge. In this article, we report three patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction from the culprit ectatic infarct-related artery and discuss the various management strategies.

Impact of Emergency Medical Service Provider Training and Institutional Volume Experience on ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patient Outcomes in Rural Setting.

INTRODUCTION: Rural sites provide management challenges for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. The impact of emergency medical service (EMS) training and institutional volume experience on STEMI outcomes was examined. METHODS: All STEMI patients transferred to Sanford from 32 sites in rural South Dakota from 2010-2019 were analyzed. "Time to electrocardiogram (EKG)" (TEKG) and "Time from EKG to Thrombolytics" (TThrom) were calculated. Sites were compared based on EMS training (advanced life support (ALS) vs. basic life support (BLS)) and institutional volume experience (less than or equal to five vs. greater than five STEMI). RESULTS: 514 STEMI patients from 32 sites in South Dakota were analyzed. Average TEKG was 20 (±15) and 14 (±10) minutes for ALS and BLS trained services, respectively (p=0.25). More experienced sites had an average TEKG of 26 (±15) minutes, while sites with ≤ five STEMI patients had an average time of 15 (±13) minutes. TThrom did not differ significantly between sites based on our metrics. CONCLUSION: The present study concludes that EMS provider training (BLS vs ALS) and institutional volume experience do not significantly impact patient-related outcomes when treating STEMI patients. This result is possibly attributed to increased educational efforts for rural health care providers in general and the establishment of the South Dakota statewide STEMI Network "Mission: Lifeline" which standardized STEMI care and improved connectivity between remote responders and the larger PCI-capable facilities.

New and Emerging Technology in Cardiovascular Therapeutics.

The last decade has seen the introduction of a number of important technological innovations in the management of advanced cardiovascular disease. These include transcatheter aortic valve replacement systems, a transcatheter mitral valve repair device, a left atrial appendage occluder device, coronary bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, leadless fully implantable pacemaker systems, wireless implantable pulmonary artery pressure monitors, transcatheter left ventricular assist pumping devices, drug-coated balloons, and robotic percutaneous coronary intervention devices. With the exception of drug coated balloon platforms, all have been utilized in our institution for patients from South Dakota and neighboring states. The objective of this study is to briefly describe these innovative devices, summarize the evidence for their benefit, and offer helpful pearls for the primary care providers who are key members of the care team for these patients.

Dietary Supplement Use in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

IMPORTANCE AND OBJECTIVE: Dietary supplements and herbs (called naturoceuticals) are commonly used by Americans, but little is known about their use in cardiovascular disease patient populations. The objective was to evaluate naturoceutical use in a sample population of cardiovascular disease patients in the U.S. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A non-blinded, single medical center clinic open questionnaire was delivered to cardiovascular clinic patients with known cardiovascular diseases. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES, AND RESULTS: Estimation of naturoceutical usage prevalence and frequency in the sample population of cardiovascular disease patients. A total of 163 patients (n = 99 males, 64 females) participated (mean age: males, 66 years; females, 64 years). Overall, 76.7 percent of participants reported using naturoceuticals. Of them, about 63.2 percent took more than one type, and 90.3 percent reported daily usage. Of the naturoceuticals reportedly being taken, multivitamins containing vitamin K were the most commonly consumed (32.3 percent male, 29.7 percent female), followed by vitamin D (23.2 percent male, 31.3 percent female) and fish oil (24.2 percent male, 15.6 percent female). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The present study revealed that naturoceutical use was very popular in cardiovascular disease patients, largely due to the belief that they could reduce and/or prevent symptoms and disease in general. The benefits and hazards of those naturoceuticals being used concurrent with other prescription medications were discussed.

Isolated Quadricuspid Aortic Valve as a Cause of Insufficiency-Predominant Aortic Valve Disease.

Quadricuspid aortic valve is a rare cause of symptomatic aortic regurgitation. It tends to present earlier than degenerative native valve aortic regurgitation but with similar symptoms. The condition can occur in isolation or in association with other congenital cardiac abnormalities. Surgical intervention before the development of left ventricular failure is critical to improve long term survival. We describe a case of severe aortic regurgitation due to isolated quadricuspid valve morphology that was treated surgically.

Post-Complex Myocardial Infarct Pseudoaneurysm Rupture and Subsequent Complications.

Ventricular pseudoaneurysm is an uncommonly encountered complication of myocardial infarction (MI) in the era of percutaneous coronary intervention. Its presentation can be very non-specific, and diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion. Urgent surgical repair is generally warranted to prevent potentially catastrophic complications. We present a case of patient who presented several days after his index MI. He was ultimately diagnosed with a ruptured pseudoaneurysm, and despite best efforts had a complicated hospital course.

Clinical factors associated with physician choice of femoral versus radial access: A real-world experience from a single academic center.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze clinical factors associated with operator's preference in selection of femoral versus radial access for angiography and percutaneous intervention (PCI) procedures. BACKGROUND: There has been an increase in radial access in cardiac catheterization and PCI in the last few decades. METHODS: Data from 11 226 consecutive cardiac catheterization procedures were collected from Sanford University Medical Center (University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine) from 2011 to 2015. RESULTS: In the overall cases, clinical factors that favored upfront femoral access include patients presenting as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or emergent, coronary artery bypass graft, body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m2 and age ≥70 years, whereas morbidly obese patients (BMI ≥35) and age <70 favored upfront radial access. Radial access in the overall group had lower fluoroscopy time (6.5 vs 8.4 min, P < 0.0001) and lower contrast use (68.8 vs 80.6 cc, P < 0.0001). In the PCI group, efficacy of upfront radial access is less evident with radial fluoroscopy time (10.1 vs 11.0 min, P < 0.0028) and contrast use being higher in radial group (113.8 vs 108.2 cc, P < 0.037). Interventional cardiologists were more efficient in diagnostic cases than non-interventional cardiologists. CONCLUSION: STEMI or emergent cases and elderly patients favor upfront femoral access. As BMI increases and age decreases, radial access is progressively favored. In diagnostic cases, radial access appears to be superior to femoral access in efficacy, but the distinction is less obvious in PCI and STEMI or emergent cases.

Robotic-Assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of a Saphenous Vein Graft Stenosis using a FilterWire EZ Embolic Protection.

Robotic-assisted coronary angioplasty has been utilized to decrease radiation exposure to cardiologists, and to diminish risk of orthopedic and ergonomic injuries caused by wearing heavy lead during long procedures. The efficacy and safety of robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention for relatively low-risk lesions was demonstrated in the PRECISE study. Successful percutaneous coronary interventions using robotic system for treatment of complex high-risk lesions have been reported in few case series so far. We describe a successful robotic-assisted coronary angioplasty for a complex lesion of saphenous vein graft using a FilterWire EZ embolic protection. This case illustrates the feasibility to use robotic-assisted angioplasty for complex cases.

Prosthetic Aortic Valve Endocarditis Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a life-threating complication, resulting in high in-hospital and one-year mortality. With the ongoing evolution of transcatheter aortic interventions, the proportion of endocarditis cases encountered by health care providers will continue to rise. Early diagnosis of infective endocarditis is of paramount importance to institute appropriate treatment with antibiotics and/or surgery to avoid negative clinical outcomes. In this review, we outline our experience with two cases of infective endocarditis following transcatheter aortic valve implantation and briefly review the literature on the incidence, microbiology, diagnosis, and management of this condition.

Recurrent In-stent Restenosis in the Area of Previous Stent Fracture: A Management Dilemma.

Drug eluting stents (DES) have been increasingly being used for treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD) and have been shown to be very effective in prevention of primary in-stent restenosis (ISR). However DES have been increasingly associated with acute to subacute risk of stent fractures (SF). There is also a paucity of data about different management strategies for SF, especially in the long term. We present a case of recurrent ISR in an area of previous acute SF at the touchdown of saphenous venous graft (SVG) to first diagonal artery (D1). In our knowledge this is the first case reported of recurrent ISR due to prior acute stent fracture in a saphenous venous graft. It presents an interesting management dilemma with multiple layers of stent in the area of recurrent ISR which was managed with balloon angioplasty with good results.

Coronary Artery Perforation Spilling into Right Ventricle: A Rare Complication of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Injury to the coronary circulation during percutaneous interventions is an existent risk. One of these is coronary artery perforation that can have grave consequences. Fortunately, this is rare and overall there is a declining incidence of complications due to technological advances and extensive experience over time. Predictors of coronary artery perforation include the administration of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, the use of hydrophilic guide wires, and the use of noncompliant high-pressure intracoronary balloons. Complex coronary lesions and the presence of total chronic occlusion are additional risk factors. In this paper, we present a rare class III coronary artery perforation with spilling into the right ventricle. Our case exemplifies all the aforementioned risk factors for perforation. The perforation was successfully sealed with a polytetrafluoroethylene covered stent and the patient remained hemodynamically stable.

A Case of an Acute Myocardial Infarction Post Thrombolytic Treatment of Ischemic Stroke - A Management Dilemma.

Acute ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction are emergency clinical events that require prompt intervention. Concurrent occurrence of both events magnifies the complexity of the clinical management. We present a case of a patient who presented with acute ischemic stroke, complicated by acute myocardial infarction shortly after thrombolytic was administered. This case highlights the importance of individualization of management especially in complex cases where there are no clear specific guidelines to follow.

Acute Stent Fracture During Balloon Post Dilation of an Everolimus Eluting Stent.

Coronary artery stent fracture is a well described complication during percutaneous intervention, with rates ranging from 0.84 to 8.4 percent in first generation drug eluting stents. Complications of stent fractures usually present with symptoms of acute coronary syndrome or progressive angina days, months to years after initial implantation. We present a case of an acute stent fracture during post balloon dilation of an everolimus eluting stent at a critical stenosis junction of a saphenous vein graft to the first diagonal of the left anterior descending artery. A shorter oversized drug eluting stent was placed to cover the stent fracture with good angiographic results. To our knowledge, this is the first incidence in literature of an acute stent fracture in a saphenous vein graft.

Rural United States Experience of Incorporation of a Technologically Advanced and Procedurally Complex Cardiovascular Program - the Sanford Trans-Catheter Aortic Valve Replacement Experience.

Trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2012 for treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis in non-surgical and high risk patients. Implementation of this complex procedure requires a comprehensive heart team approach. Rural demographics in the Midwest pose many challenges related to low volumes of operations both at institutional and individual levels, leading to serious concerns about the quality of care delivered in such a setting. We compared the TAVR data at the University of South Dakota Sanford Medical Center to the national registry with the aim of looking at differences in outcomes of this procedure in a rural setting.

Complete first generation drug eluting stent fracture and yet another quantum leap in interventional cardiology.

Coronary artery stent fracture is a recognized complication of drug eluting stents. It has been reported more commonly with the use of Cypher stent. Currently, there are no specific recommendations regarding the management of this entity. Routine screening for stent fractures should be avoided as not all stent fractures lead to clinically significant outcomes.