Constrictive pericarditis heart failure in a patient with atrial fibrillation: A diagnostic challenge.

Constrictive pericarditis is an infrequent cause of heart failure. Diagnosis is challenging and requires a high level of suspicion. Subtle echocardiographic findings, as the pericardial bounce, could be the clue to diagnosis.

Prognostic value of SYNTAX score and SYNTAX score II in an 'all-comers' population treated with angoplasty.

OBJECTIVES: The SYNTAX score and SYNTAX score II have a high predictive capacity for adverse cardiovascular events. We aimed to demonstrate that both scores were good predictors of long-term adverse outcomes in an 'all-comers' population treated with a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: In the study, we included 785 patients who received an angioplasty at our center between January 2011 and December 2012. The patients were distributed in tertiles according to the SYNTAX score and SYNTAX score II values; for the SYNTAX score - low ≤6.5 (n = 225); mid >6.5, <11.5 (n = 229); high ≥11.5 (n = 221); and for the SYNTAX score II PCI: low ≤20.5 (n = 226); mid >20.5, < 29.6 (n = 221); and high ≥29.6 (n = 218). RESULTS: The rates of major adverse cardiovascular events, death, cardiac death and new revascularizations at 3 years were significantly higher in the highest tertile of both the scores. For SYNTAX score: major adverse cardiovascular events, 12-15.3-21.7%, P < 0.001; death, 7.6-8.3-14%, P = 0.04; cardiac death, 3.2-2.7-7.5%, P = 0.03; new revascularizations, 4.5-8.6-10.4%, P = 0.001. For SYNTAX score II PCI: major adverse cardiovascular events, 8-10.9-28.9%, P < 0.001; death, 3.1-3.6-21.5%, P < 0.001; cardiac death, 0.9-0.5-11.4%, P < 0.001; new revascularizations, 4.5-8.2-11.3%, P = 0.03. CONCLUSION: The SYNTAX score II showed better predictive capacity than the SYNTAX score for major adverse cardiovascular events, death and cardiac death, with no difference noted for new revascularizations, and it was an independent predictor for these events in an 'all-comers' population.

Role of echocardiography in a patient with suspected acute pulmonary embolism: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Approximately half of pulmonary embolism cases are diagnosed in an emergency context. The classic symptoms of pulmonary embolism are absent in intensive care unit patients who are under sedation and on mechanical ventilation. In this scenario, after the development of sudden, severe hypotension, pulmonary embolism must be considered and included in a differential diagnosis according to the cause of admission. Echocardiography may be of further help in a differential diagnosis of the cause of shock. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 44-year-old Caucasian man who was admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia and respiratory failure and who required invasive mechanical ventilation. During admission, the patient developed sudden, severe hypotension that was refractory to treatment. An adequate diagnosis with transthoracic echocardiography was unachievable because of a poor echocardiographic window. However, the combined use of electrocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography established pulmonary embolism as a high-probability diagnosis based on findings of right ventricular pressure overload and right ventricular dysfunction. The unfavorable hemodynamic situation of the patient prevented his transfer to carry out other complementary tests that could confirm the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Fibrinolytic and anticoagulant therapies were administered immediately, and a favorable clinical outcome was achieved. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the fundamental role that echocardiography played in a patient in the intensive care unit who presented with shock secondary to pulmonary embolism with an unfavorable hemodynamic situation and in whom an unnecessary transfer to perform other complementary diagnostic tests was avoided. The combined use of electrocardiography and echocardiography provided a complete differential diagnosis, identifying the cause of shock and allowing the initiation of specific treatment without further delay. Knowledge of the echocardiographic results that are characteristic of pulmonary embolism can aid in the diagnosis.

Clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of ischemic mitral regurgitation: a review.

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is a frequent complication after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) associated with a worse prognosis. The pathophysiological mechanisms of IMR are not fully understood, but it is known to be a complex process in which ventricular remodelling is the main causal factor. The various imaging techniques in cardiology and echocardiography fundamentally have contributed significantly to clarify the mechanisms that cause and progressively aggravate IMR. At present, different therapeutic options, the most important of which are cardio-surgical, address this problem. Nowadays the improvement in cardiac surgery and transcatheter therapies, have shown a therapeutic advance in IMR management. IMR is a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with heart failure and depressed left ventricular (LV) systolic function. However, it remains controversial whether mitral regurgitation (MR) in these patients is a consequence of dilation and dysfunction of the LV, or whether it contributes to worsening the prognosis of the ventricular dysfunction. Given that echocardiography has a fundamental reference role in the identification, graduation of severity and evaluation of the therapeutics used in the treatment of MR, we are going to focus on it over the rest of the imaging techniques. In contrast to primary MR the benefits of mitral surgery in patients with secondary MR are uncertain. Therefore, we will comment fundamentally on the role of mitral surgery in patients with IMR, with an update of the different surgical interventions available, without forgetting to mention the other therapeutic options currently available.