Isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis in a pediatric patient with down syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis (IPE) accounts for less than 2% of all infective endocarditis patients. It is commonly associated with several predisposing factors, including intravenous drug use (IVDU) and congenital heart disease. The most common causative pathogens of IPE are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus viridans. We report a Down's syndrome patient with IPE and with no standard risk factors caused by the rare pathogen Acinetobacter spp. This led to respiratory failure and systemic infection due to septic pulmonary emboli. Early elective surgery was decided upon as the patient was no longer responding to medical therapy, and his clinical condition was worsening over time. CASE PRESENTATION: A 15-year-old male with Down syndrome and no underlying heart defect presented with a 3-month history of episodic fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed large vegetation on the pulmonary valve leaflet, another mobile mass at the pulmonary artery bifurcation, and severe pulmonary regurgitation. Serial blood cultures isolated Acinetobacter spp. Despite initial antibiotic therapy, the patient continued to have sepsis, unresolved vegetations, and developed life-threatening complications and respiratory distress, which convinced us to perform a pulmonary valve replacement surgery with a homograft. After surgery, the patient recovered and was discharged on the ninth postoperative day (POD). CONCLUSION: This report highlights IPE's diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, alongside the importance of a comprehensive cardiopulmonary workup in patients with unexplained fever, sepsis, and pulmonary symptoms, even without typical risk factors. Based on the patient's aggravating condition despite medical treatment, early surgical intervention and pulmonary valve replacement were deemed crucial. However, there still needs to be a definitive guideline on when and how surgery should be performed in patients with complicated IPE, especially in pediatric patients.

Echocardiographic estimation of left ventricular filling pressures in heart transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic estimation of left ventricular filling pressure in heart transplant (HTx) recipients is challenging. The ability of echocardiography to detect elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) in HTx patients was assessed in this study. RESULTS: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 39 HTx recipients who were candidates for endomyocardial biopsy as a part of their routine post-transplantation surveillance. Doppler transthoracic echocardiography was done before the procedure, and left heart catheterization was done during the endomyocardial biopsy. Thirty-nine patients (15 female, 24 male), with a mean age of 39.6 years (range 13-70), were enrolled. A strong relation was observed between lateral E/e' and LVEDP (R = 0.64, P value < 0.001) and average E/e' and LVEDP (R = 0.6, P value < 0.001). The best cutoff value for LVEDP prediction was the average E/e' ≥ 6.8 with a sensitivity of 96.15% and specificity of 68.5% for the prediction of LVEDP more than or equal to 20 mmHg. Two predictive models comprising age, gender, and lateral E/e' or average E/e' were also proposed. A significant relationship was also found between LVEDP and left ventricular global longitudinal strain (R = - 0.31, P value < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Lateral E/e' was the best predictor of LVEDP. The cutoff of average E/e' had the best validity for the estimation of LVEDP. Despite the strong observed association, echocardiographic parameters cannot be considered a surrogate for invasive LVEDP measurements when seeking information about left ventricle filling pressure on heart transplant recipients.

Successful Pregnancy after a Heart Transplant in Iran: A Case Report.

Pregnancy after a heart transplant is a concern for many female recipients, and it remains a medical challenge that raises many questions. A 24-year-old woman, gravida 3, para 0, contacted us for obstetric care in the first trimester of gestation, about 3 years after an orthotopic cardiac transplant. She was a known case of dextrocardia with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries. The transplant had been performed for severe retractable heart failure, manifesting during her previous lost pregnancy. The course of the current gestation was uneventful. The patient's cardiovascular function was good throughout the pregnancy. She was admitted to the hospital for dyspnea at 35 weeks and 4 days of gestational age. A cardiovascular consult and echocardiography were performed. The results were within the normal range, and labor pains explained the patient's dyspnea. Because of labor pain, a repeat Cesarean section was performed at 35 weeks and 4 days of gestational age. A male baby weighing 2700 g, with an Apgar score of 7/9, was delivered. The patient was discharged after delivery with enoxaparin (40 mg), prednisolone (5 mg), levothyroxine, and mycophenolate mofetil (500 mg) without any complications. Follow-up was carried out at 1 month, and no abnormality was found. Here, we report a case of a successful pregnancy in a young woman after a heart transplant.

Frequency of musculoskeletal complications among the patients receiving solid organ transplantation in a tertiary health-care center.

Solid organ transplantation is an important lifesaving procedure mainly performed in patients with end-stage organ failure such as liver cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, and end-stage renal disease. While these complications are among the most preventable adverse effects of solid organ transplantation, these are generally neglected by physicians. Accordingly, this study was performed to evaluate the frequency of musculoskeletal complications among the patients receiving solid organ transplantation in a tertiary health-care center in a developing country. This cohort study was performed from 2000 to 2009, among fifty patients receiving organ transplantation (liver, heart, and lung) attending to a training hospital in Tehran, Iran. The main variables were musculoskeletal complaints and findings that were measured according to patients' self-report and clinical examination. The mean age of the patients was 40.2 ± 10.9 years ranging from 5 to 58 years. Twenty out of 50 patients (40%) had musculoskeletal complaints that the most common complaint was the arthralgia. Also, the mechanical arthritis was the most common clinical finding in clinical examination (24%). Low serum level of vitamin D (74.4%) and high serum alkaline phosphatase level (27.9%) were the most common biochemical abnormalities in understudy population. Finally, it may be concluded that nearly forty percent of patients receiving solid organ transplantation may develop musculoskeletal findings and/or complaints. These complications may be found and treated with regular examinations to reduce the burden of disease.

Iranian Society of Cardiac Surgeons COVID-19 task force version II, restarting elective surgeries.

Given the nature of heart disease and the importance of continuing heart surgery during the pandemic and its aftermath and in order to provide adequate safety for the surgical team and achieve the desired result for patients, as well as the optimal use of ICU beds, the medical team, blood, blood products, and personal protective equipment, it is essential to change the usual approach during the pandemic. There are still a lot of evidences and experiences needed to produce the perfect protocol. Some centers may have a special program for their centers during this period of epidemics that can be respected and performed. Generally, in pandemic conditions, the use of non-surgical approaches is preferred if similar outcomes can be obtained.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients with Advanced Left Ventricular Dysfunction: Excellent Early Outcome with Improved Ejection Fraction.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) referred for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is increasing. Preoperative LVD is an established risk factor for early and late mortality after revascularization. The aim of the present study was to assess the early outcome of patients with severe LVD undergoing CABG. METHODS: Between December 2012 and November 2014, 145 consecutive patients with severely impaired LV function (ejection fraction ≤ 30%) undergoing either on-pump or off-pump CABG were enrolled. The primary end point was all-cause mortality. Different variables (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative) were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 58.7 years (range, 34 to 87 years), and 82.8% of the patients were male. The mean preoperative LV ejection fraction was 25.33 ± 5.07% (10 to 30%), which improved to 26.67 ± 5.38% (10 to 40%) (p value < 0.001). An average of 3.85 coronary bypass grafts per patient was performed. Significant improvement in mitral regurgitation was also observed after CABG (p value < 0.001). Moreover, 120 patients underwent conventional CABG (82.8%) and 25 patients had off-pump CABG (17.2%). In-hospital mortality was 2.1% (3 patients). Patients who underwent off-pump CABG had higher operative mortality than did those undergoing conventional CABG despite a lower severity of coronary involvement and a significantly lower number of grafts (p value < 0.050). Conversely, morbidity was significantly higher in conventional CABG (p value < 0.050). CONCLUSION: CABG in patients with severe LVD can be performed with low mortality. CABG can be considered a safe and effective therapy for patients with a low ejection fraction who have ischemic heart disease and predominance of tissue viability.