Percutaneous therapeutic approaches to closure of cardiac pseudoaneurysms.

Cardiac and aortic pseudoaneurysms are rare complications following myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery. They are characterized by a contained cardiac or aortic rupture within surrounding tissue and have a high mortality rate if left untreated. Percutaneous treatment of cardiac pseudoaneurysms might be a feasible treatment option in patients who are at high risk of reoperative surgery. There is limited literature on the outcomes and the approaches to percutaneous treatment of these pseudoaneurysms. We review nine cases of cardiac and aortic pseudoaneurysms and percutaneous techniques for closure. Pseudoaneurysms were categorized anatomically as left ventricular posterior (posterobasal or posterolateral), left ventricular outflow tract, left ventricular apical, and ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms. Two patients with posterior pseudoaneurysms (one posterobasal treated with an Amplatzer Septal Occluder device, and one wide-mouthed posterolateral pseudoaneurysm which was not closed, are described. We further describe two left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysms treated successfully with percutaneous coil embolization, one left ventricular apical pseudoaneurysm treated with coils, and three ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms treated with a septal occluder device or vascular plug. We review the technical approaches, device selection strategies, outcomes, and complications with these percutaneous treatment options. The size of the pseudoaneurysm dimensions of its neck and relative anatomy, particularly to the coronaries and valves, are critical issues to be addressed before percutaneous treatment of these pseudoaneurysms.

Protected carotid artery stenting in patients at high risk for carotid endarterectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the 30-day, six-month, and one-year outcomes of carotid artery stenting (CAS) and carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in male veterans, and to identify any predictors of adverse outcomes. CAS has been shown to be non-inferior to CEA in patients at high-risk for CEA. The outcome of CAS compared to low-risk CEA is less clear. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 96 consecutive patients who underwent CAS (N = 31) or CEA (N = 65). The cumulative 30-day, six-month, and one-year incidence of ipsilateral transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke, restenosis or reocclusion, need for target vessel revascularization, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and death were compared. RESULTS: All patients in the CAS group were at high risk for CEA. Among the CEA group, 50 (76.9%) were at high risk and the remaining 15 (23.1%) were considered to be at low risk. The cumulative incidence of adverse outcomes with CAS and CEA, respectively, at 30 days (3.2% vs 9.2%, P = ns), six months (3.2 vs 18.5%, P = 0.047), and one year (9.7% vs 18.5%, P = ns) favored CAS. This difference was primarily due to adverse events in the high-risk CEA patients. There was no significant difference in outcome between the CAS and low-risk CEA groups. The independent significant predictors for adverse outcomes within six months were the group (P = 0.047) and number of risk factors (P = 0.01). Interestingly, the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) predicted adverse outcomes within one year (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: CAS may be superior to high-risk CEA with better six-month outcomes. The outcomes with CAS were not significantly different compared to low-risk CEA, suggesting that CAS may be non-inferior to low-risk CEA.

Cardiac troponin I levels are a marker of myocardial dysfunction in subarachnoid hemorrhage and predicts poor neurologic outcome.

We evaluated the prognostic significance of myocardial dysfunction and associated cardiac troponin I elevation in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Forty-one patients with no prior cardiac history and who presented with spontaneous SAH were prospectively studied. The LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and regional wall motion by echocardiogram were studied upon admission (Day 0), Day 1 and Day 3 following SAH. Serial troponin I levels, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) were compared in patients with and without LV wall motion abnormality (WMA). Eight patients (20%) had evidence of WMA, of which five (63%) had global hypokinesis and the rest had regional WMA. Patients with WMA had significantly lower LVEF (30% vs 62%, p<0.001) at Day 0, significantly higher troponin I (0.938 vs 0.077, p<0.001) and significantly lower admission GCS (8.2 vs 14.1, p<0.001) compared to those without WMA. LV systolic function improved in 25% of patients by Day 3. Neurologic outcome (GOS) was adversely related to increase in troponin I levels (p=0.04), whereas WMA predicted poor neurologic status (GCS) (P<0.01) and increased hospital stay (P<0.01). Cardiac troponin I levels appear to be a sensitive marker of myocardial dysfunction, which occurred in 20% of patients with SAH, and helps predict poor neurologic outcome.

Bedside assessment of cardiac hemodynamics: the impact of noninvasive testing and examiner experience.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of cardiac filling pressures is critical in the diagnosis and management of patients with dyspnea or heart failure. Echocardiography and B-natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing are commonly used to estimate these pressures, but their incremental value beyond physical examination remains unknown. METHODS: Right and left heart filling pressures were prospectively estimated as "normal" or "abnormal" by staff cardiologists and cardiovascular trainees based upon physical examination findings alone, or examination coupled with echocardiographic and BNP data in patients referred for cardiac catheterization. Net reclassification improvement was calculated to determine whether echocardiographic/BNP data had incremental value in the determination of right and left heart pressures. RESULTS: Two hundred fifteen observations were made by 9 examiners in 116 consecutive patients. Right and left heart pressures were accurately predicted from examination alone in 71% and 60% of observations, respectively. Examination-based accuracy was greater for staff cardiologists compared with trainees for right heart (82 vs 67%, P=.03) and left heart pressures (71% vs 55%, P=.03). Exposure to echocardiographic and BNP data did not enhance accuracy beyond bedside examination alone, both for left heart pressures (net reclassification improvement=-0.004; 95% confidence interval, -0.12-0.12) and right heart pressures (net reclassification improvement=0.02, 95% confidence interval, -0.09-0.13). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac filling pressures can be estimated from physical examination with modest accuracy, which is enhanced with experience. While echocardiographic and BNP data predict cardiac filling pressures, they may not provide information of incremental value beyond examination alone. Rigorous teaching and practice of cardiac examination skills should continue to be emphasized during medical training.