Implementation of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Without On-Site Cardiac Surgery or Perfusion Support: A Tale of Two County Hospitals.

Patients with refractory respiratory and cardiac failure may present to noncardiac surgery centers. Prior studies have demonstrated that acute care surgeons, intensivists, and emergency medicine physicians can safely cannulate and manage patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Harborview Medical Center (Harborview) and Hennepin County Medical Center (Hennepin) are both urban, county-owned, level 1 trauma centers that implemented ECMO without direct, on-site cardiac surgery or perfusion support. Both centers 1) use an ECMO specialist model staffed by specially trained nurses and respiratory therapists and 2) developed comparable training curricula for ECMO specialists, intensivists, surgeons, and trainees. Each program began with venovenous ECMO to provide support for refractory hypoxemic respiratory failure and subsequently expanded to venoarterial ECMO support. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created an impetus for restructuring, with each program creating a consulting service to facilitate ECMO delivery across multiple intensive care units (ICUs) and to promote fellow and resident training and experience. Both Harborview and Hennepin, urban county hospitals 1,700 miles apart in the United States, independently implemented and operate adult ECMO programs without involvement from cardiovascular surgery or perfusion services. This experience further supports the role of ECMO specialists in the delivery of extracorporeal life support.

Coronary Artery Disease in Chronic Kidney Disease: Need for a Heart-Kidney Team-Based Approach.

Chronic kidney disease and coronary artery disease are co-prevalent conditions with unique epidemiological and pathophysiological features, that culminate in high rates of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including all-cause mortality. This review outlines a summary of the literature, and nuances pertaining to non-invasive risk assessment of this population, medical management options for coronary heart disease and coronary revascularisation. A collaborative heart-kidney team-based approach is imperative for critical management decisions for this patient population, especially coronary revascularisation; this review outlines specific periprocedural considerations pertaining to coronary revascularisation, and provides a proposed algorithm for approaching revascularisation choices in patients with end-stage kidney disease based on available literature.

A Pericardial Pin: Embolization of an Inferior Vena Cava Filter Strut Presenting as Acute Pericarditis.

A 39-year-old man presented with chest pain initially attributed to viral pericarditis. He was found to have an embolized inferior vena cava filter strut that perforated the right ventricle. Inferior vena cava filter fracture and embolization should be considered in patients with chest pain and pericardial effusion. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.).

Protamine-Induced Bradycardic Arrest in a Diabetic Patient.

Protamine sulfate is a common reversal agent of systemic heparinization used during procedures. While the exact epidemiology of adverse events is unknown, prior allergic response to protamine-containing compounds or concomitant use of neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin is associated with an increased risk of tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias. We present a case of a 68-year-old woman with no prior history of protamine sulfate intolerance that suffered bradycardic arrest following protamine infusion. Healthcare providers should recognize the potential for life-threatening tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias following protamine reversal, especially in diabetic patients at risk for autonomic dysfunction; medication and allergy review are encouraged prior to heparin reversal, especially in diabetic patients.

An international comparison of factors affecting quality of life among patients with congestive heart failure: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore associations among twenty formal and informal, societal and individual-level factors and quality of life (QOL) among people living with congestive heart failure (CHF) in two settings with different healthcare and social care systems and sociocultural contexts. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We recruited 367 adult patients with CHF from a single heart failure clinic within two countries with different national social to healthcare spending ratios: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States (US), and Nijmegen, Netherlands (NL). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey study. We adapted the Social Quality Model (SQM) to organize twenty diverse factors into four categories: Living Conditions (formal-societal: e.g., housing, education), Social Embeddedness (informal-societal: e.g., social support, trust), Societal Embeddedness (formal-individual: e.g., access to care, legal aid), and Self-Regulation (informal-individual: e.g., physical health, resilience). We developed a survey comprising validated instruments to assess each factor. We administered the survey in-person or by mail between March 2017 and August 2018. OUTCOMES: We used Cantril's Self-Anchoring Scale to assess overall QOL. We used backwards stepwise regression to identify factors within each SQM category that were independently associated with QOL among US and NL participants (p<0.05). We then identified factors independently associated with QOL across all categories (p<0.05). RESULTS: 367 CHF patients from the US (32%) and NL (68%) participated. Among US participants, financial status, receiving legal aid or housing assistance, and resilience were associated with QOL, and together explained 49% of the variance in QOL; among NL participants, financial status, perceived physical health, independence in activities of daily living, and resilience were associated with QOL, and explained 53% of the variance in QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Four formal and informal factors explained approximately half of the variance in QOL among patients with CHF in the US and NL.

Appropriateness of Cardiac Troponin Testing: Insights from the Use of TROPonin In Acute coronary syndromes (UTROPIA) Study.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine the appropriateness of cardiac troponin (cTn) testing among patients with cTn increases. METHODS: This is a planned secondary analysis of the Use of TROPonin In Acute coronary syndromes (UTROPIA, NCT02060760) observational cohort study. Appropriateness of cTn testing was adjudicated for emergency department patients with cTn increases >99th percentile and analyzed using both contemporary and high-sensitivity (hs) cTnI assays according to sub-specialty, diagnoses, and symptoms. RESULTS: Appropriateness was determined from 1272 and 1078 adjudication forms completed for 497 and 422 patients with contemporary and hs-cTnI increases, respectively. Appropriateness of cTnI testing across adjudication forms was 71.5% and 72.0% for cTnI and hs-cTnI, respectively. Compared with emergency physicians, cardiologists were less likely to classify cTnI orders as appropriate (cTnI: 79% vs 56%, P < .0001; hs-cTnI: 82% vs 51%, P < .0001). For contemporary cTnI, appropriateness of 95%, 70%, and 39% was observed among adjudication forms completed by cardiologists for type 1 myocardial infarction, type 2 myocardial infarction, and myocardial injury, respectively; compared with 90%, 86%, and 71%, respectively, among emergency physicians. Similar findings were observed using hs-cTnI. Discordance in appropriateness adjudication forms occurred most frequently in cases of myocardial injury (62% both assays) or type 2 myocardial infarction (cTnI 31%; hs-cTnI 23%). CONCLUSIONS: Marked differences exist in the perception of what constitutes appropriate clinical use of cTn testing between cardiologists and emergency physicians, with emergency physicians more likely to see testing as appropriate across a range of clinical scenarios. Discordance derives most often from cases classified as myocardial injury or type 2 myocardial infarction.

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection in a Healthy Woman after Initiating a High-Intensity Interval Training Workout Program.

Although several risk factors are associated with spontaneous coronary artery dissection, strenuous activity is an uncommon risk factor for women. We report a case of a patient who developed spontaneous coronary artery dissection shortly after starting F45, a highly strenuous fitness program. As high-intensity exercise regimens become more mainstream, clinicians should more readily consider spontaneous coronary artery dissection in young patients with history of recent strenuous activity when presenting with symptoms concerning for acute coronary syndrome.

Type 1 and 2 Myocardial Infarction and Myocardial Injury: Clinical Transition to High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I.

BACKGROUND: Studies addressing patients with type 2 myocardial infarction and myocardial injury, including the impact of using high-sensitivity (hs) cardiac troponin (cTn) assays on their incidence are needed. METHODS: Ours is a prospective, observational US cohort study. Consecutive emergency department patients with serial cTnI measurements were studied. Outcomes included 180-day mortality and major adverse cardiac events, including 2-year follow-up for those with myonecrosis. RESULTS: Among 1640 patients, using a contemporary cTnI assay, 30% (n = 497) had ≥1 cTnI >99th percentile, with 4.7% (n = 77), 8.5% (n = 140), and 17% (n = 280) classified as type 1 myocardial infarction, type 2 myocardial infarction, and myocardial injury, respectively. Compared with patients without myonecrosis, 180-day mortality was higher for type 2 myocardial infarction (4% vs 13%, P < .0001) (adjusted hazard ratio 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-4.8; P = .0005) and myocardial injury (4% vs 11%, P < .0001) (adjusted hazard ratio 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.0; P = .02), both with mortality >20% at 2 years. Predictors of 2-year mortality for type 2 myocardial infarction included age, congestive heart failure, and beta-blockers. Relative to the contemporary cTnI assay, hs-cTnI had less myonecrosis (30% vs 26%, P = .003) and acute myocardial infarction (13.2% vs 10.8%, P = .032), including fewer type 2 myocardial infarctions (8.5% vs 6.3, P = .01), with no difference in myocardial injury (17% vs 15%, P = .1). CONCLUSIONS: cTnI increases are encountered in approximately a third of patients, the majority due to nonatherothrombotic conditions. Compared with patients without myonecrosis, type 2 myocardial infarction and myocardial injury have worse short-term outcomes, with mortality rates >20% at 2 years. hs-cTnI assay does not lead to more myocardial injury or infarction.

Diagnostic Performance of High Sensitivity Compared with Contemporary Cardiac Troponin I for the Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: We examined the diagnostic performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) vs contemporary cTnI with use of the 99th percentile alone and with a normal electrocardiogram (ECG) to rule out acute myocardial infarction (MI) and serial changes (deltas) to rule in MI. METHODS: We included consecutive patients presenting to a US emergency department with serial cTnI onclinical indication. Diagnostic performance for acute MI, including MI subtypes, and 30-day outcomes were examined. RESULTS: Among 1631 patients, MI was diagnosed in 12.9% using the contemporary cTnI assay and in 10.4% using the hs-cTnI assay. For ruling out MI, contemporary cTnI ≤99th percentile at 0, 3, and 6 h and a normal ECG had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.5% (95% CI, 98.6-100) and a sensitivity of 99.1% (95% CI, 97.4-100) for diagnostic and safety outcomes. Serial hs-cTnI measurements ≤99th percentile at 0 and 3 h and a normal ECG had an NPV and sensitivity of 100% (95% CI, 100-100) for diagnostic and safety outcomes. For ruling in MI, contemporary cTnI measurements had specificities of 84.4% (95% CI, 82.5-86.3) at presentation and 78.7% (95% CI, 75.4-82.0) with serial testing at 0, 3, and 6 h, improving to 89.2% (95% CI, 87.1-91.3) by using serial cTnI changes (delta, 0 and 6 h) >150%. hs-cTnI had specificities of 86.9% (95% CI, 85.1-88.6) at presentation and 85.7% (95% CI, 83.5-87.9) with serial testing at 0 and 3 h, improving to 89.3% (95% CI, 87.3-91.2) using a delta hs-cTnI (0 and 3 h) >5 ng/L. CONCLUSIONS: hs-cTnI and contemporary cTnI assays are excellent in ruling out MI following recommendations predicated on serial testing and the 99th percentile with a normal ECG. For ruling in MI, deltas improve the specificity. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02060760.

Discordance between ICD-Coded Myocardial Infarction and Diagnosis according to the Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding is the standard diagnostic tool for healthcare management. At present, type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) classification by the Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) remains ignored in the ICD system. We determined the concordance for the diagnosis of MI using ICD-9 coding vs the Universal Definition. METHODS: Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was measured by both contemporary (cTnI) and high-sensitivity (hs-cTnI) assays in 1927 consecutive emergency department (ED) patients [Use of TROPonin In Acute coronary syndromes (UTROPIA) cohort] who had cTnI ordered on clinical indication. All patients were adjudicated using both contemporary and hs-cTnI assays. The Kappa index and McNemar test were used to assess concordance between ICD-9 code 410 and type 1 MI (T1MI) and type 2 MI (T2MI). RESULTS: Among the 249 adjudicated MIs using the contemporary cTnI, only 69 (28%) were ICD-coded MIs. Of 180 patients not ICD coded as MI, 34 (19%) were T1MI and 146 (81%) were T2MI. For the ICD-coded MIs, 79% were T1MI and 21% were T2MI. A fair Kappa index, 0.386, and a McNemar difference of 0.0892 (P < 0.001) were found. Among the 207 adjudicated MIs using the hs-cTnI assay, 67 (32%) were ICD coded as MI. Of the 140 patients not ICD coded as MI, 27 (19%) were T1MI and 113 (81%) were T2MI. For the ICD-coded MIs, 85% were T1MI and 15% T2MI. A moderate Kappa index, 0.439, and a McNemar difference of 0.0674 (P < 0.001) were found. CONCLUSIONS: ICD-9-coded MIs captured only a small proportion of adjudicated MIs, primarily from not coding T2MI. Our findings emphasize the need for an ICD code for T2MI.

Review of vasodilators in acute decompensated heart failure: the old and the new.

Despite substantial improvements in treatment for chronic heart failure, morbidity and mortality for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) remain high. Treatment of ADHF is focused on controlling symptoms rather than improving long-term outcomes. The vasodilators nitroglycerin (NTG) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) have been used in ADHF for decades, but, since the development of nesiritide 10 years ago, interest in new vasodilators has grown. Therapies that improve not only hemodynamics and symptoms but also long-term outcomes are in high demand, and numerous new vasodilatory agents have been investigated, including various natriuretic peptides, soluble guanylyl cyclase agents, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system-modifying agents, and others. A review of the literature shows that few of them rise to the challenge set by NTG and SNP.