Updates in Structural Cardiovascular Interventions: Key Insights from Recent Studies.

The year 2024 brought remarkable advancements and high-quality evidence to the field of cardiovascular interventions [...].

Present and Future Surgical Options for Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Tricuspid regurgitation, once considered a relatively benign condition, has now gathered significant attention due to new evidence showing its impact on both short- and long-term follow-up. While surgical intervention remains the established standard approach for treating severe tricuspid regurgitation, current guidelines provide Class I indication for intervention in only a limited set of scenarios. This review delves into the present and future perspectives of surgical tricuspid regurgitation management, examining aspects such as disease prognosis, surgical indications, outcomes, and a comprehensive overview of past and upcoming clinical trials.

A deep dive into the percutaneous mitral valve data.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review offers insights into percutaneous mitral valve management, emphasizing pivotal trials that contributed to its evolution. RECENT FINDINGS: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a highly prevalent heart valve disease, with surgical intervention being the gold standard for managing primary MR. However, a notable proportion of patients face ineligibility criteria or are at high surgical risk, particularly in the setting of secondary MR. To fill this gap, transcatheter therapies have emerged as less invasive alternatives. Initially guided by the EVEREST trial criteria, transcatheter leaflet repair techniques have shown impressive technological improvements, addressing nowadays a wide range of anatomical scenarios. Evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of transcatheter leaflet repair is derived from pivotal trials, including EVEREST II, COAPT, MITRA-FR, and CLASP IID, and large multicenter registries including EXPAND, EXPAND G4, and EuroSMR. However, not all patients meet the anatomical and clinical criteria for leaflet repair. For those patients, transcatheter mitral valve replacement may be a minimally invasive option and multiple clinical trials are current underway. SUMMARY: From MitraClip to newer and more innovative technologies, the landscape of percutaneous mitral valve interventions continues to evolve, offering new hopes to patients who may not be ideal candidates for conventional surgery.

Impact of Mitral Regurgitation Etiology on Mitral Surgery After Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair: From the CUTTING-EDGE Registry.

BACKGROUND: Although >150,000 mitral TEER procedures have been performed worldwide, the impact of MR etiology on MV surgery after TEER remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to compare outcomes of mitral valve (MV) surgery after failed transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) stratified by mitral regurgitation (MR) etiology. METHODS: Data from the CUTTING-EDGE registry were retrospectively analyzed. Surgeries were stratified by MR etiology: primary (PMR) and secondary (SMR). MVARC (Mitral Valve Academic Research Consortium) outcomes at 30 days and 1 year were evaluated. Median follow-up was 9.1 months (IQR: 1.1-25.8 months) after surgery. RESULTS: From July 2009 to July 2020, 330 patients underwent MV surgery after TEER, of which 47% had PMR and 53.0% had SMR. Mean age was 73.8 ± 10.1 years, median STS risk at initial TEER was 4.0% (IQR: 2.2%-7.3%). Compared with PMR, SMR had a higher EuroSCORE, more comorbidities, lower LVEF pre-TEER and presurgery (all P < 0.05). SMR patients had more aborted TEER (25.7% vs 16.3%; P = 0.043), more surgery for mitral stenosis after TEER (19.4% vs 9.0%; P = 0.008), and fewer MV repairs (4.0% vs 11.0%; P = 0.019). Thirty-day mortality was numerically higher in SMR (20.4% vs 12.7%; P = 0.072), with an observed-to-expected ratio of 3.6 (95% CI: 1.9-5.3) overall, 2.6 (95% CI: 1.2-4.0) in PMR, and 4.6 (95% CI: 2.6-6.6) in SMR. SMR had significantly higher 1-year mortality (38.3% vs 23.2%; P = 0.019). On Kaplan-Meier analysis, the actuarial estimates of cumulative survival were significantly lower in SMR at 1 and 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of MV surgery after TEER is nontrivial, with higher mortality after surgery, especially in SMR patients. These findings provide valuable data for further research to improve these outcomes.

Investigating the unmet need for the treatment of tricuspid regurgitation.

INTRODUCTION: Tricuspid regurgitation has been increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant entity with a long-term prognostic impact on quality of life and survival. Despite this, there are still some unmet clinical needs regarding the management of tricuspid regurgitation that require further investigation. AREAS COVERED: This review addresses current evidence for the treatment of tricuspid regurgitation, focusing primarily on new catheter-based technologies. In addition, we discuss recent registries and clinical trial outcomes. EXPERT OPINION: A multimodality and multiparametric integrative approach has been preconized to assess tricuspid regurgitation mechanism and severity, and new technologies have been developed to address the main causative factors of tricuspid regurgitation. Matching the right device to the right patient and deciding when is the best time for intervention are major challenges in the management of tricuspid regurgitation.

New Practices in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: How I Do It in 2023.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) went through a huge evolution in the last decades. Previously performed under general anesthesia, with transoperative transesophageal echocardiography guidance and using cutdown femoral artery access, the procedure has now evolved into a minimalist approach, with local anesthesia, conscious sedation, and the avoidance of invasive lines becoming the new standards. Here, we discuss the minimalist TAVI approach and how we incorporate it into our current clinical practice.

Cardiomyopathy Induced by Artificial Cardiac Pacing: To Whom, When, Why, and How? Insights on Heart Failure Development.

Coordinated and harmonic (synchronous) ventricular electrical activation is essential for better left ventricular systolic function. Intraventricular conduction abnormalities, such as left bundle branch block due to artificial cardiac pacing, lead to electromechanical "dyssynchronopathy" with deleterious structural and clinical consequences. The aim of this review was to describe and improve the understanding of all the processes connecting the several mechanisms involved in the development of artificially induced ventricular dyssynchrony by cardiac pacing, most known as pacing-induced cardiomyopathy (PiCM). The chronic effect of abnormal impulse conduction and nonphysiological ectopic activation by artificial cardiac pacing is suspected to affect metabolism and myocardial perfusion, triggering regional differences in the activation/contraction processes that cause electrical and structural remodeling due to damage, inflammation, and fibrosis of the cardiac tissue. The effect of artificial cardiac pacing on ventricular function and structure can be multifactorial, and biological factors underlying PiCM could affect the time and probability of developing the condition. PiCM has not been included in the traditional classification of cardiomyopathies, which can hinder detection. This article reviews the available evidence for pacing-induced cardiovascular disease, the current understanding of its pathophysiology, and reinforces the adverse effects of right ventricular pacing, especially right ventricular pacing burden (commonly measured in percentage) and its repercussion on ventricular contraction (reflected by the impact on left ventricular systolic function). These effects might be the main defining criteria and determining mechanisms of the pathophysiology and the clinical repercussion seen on patients.

Totally Percutaneous Repair of an Aortic Arch Dissection: A Case Report.

Although the endovascular repair of descending thoracic aorta diseases is an already consolidated procedure, this approach is not well-established for ascending aorta and arch pathologies. A 71-year-old male patient who had undergone an open ascending aorta replacement ten years ago presented with a huge dissected aortic arch aneurysm. Vascular accesses were obtained with ultrasound-guided punctures, followed by aortic arch exclusion using aortic endoprostheses and the chimney-graft technique for preserving supra-aortic branches flow. This case demonstrates the feasibility of a totally percutaneous aortic arch repair provided that careful preprocedural planning and a dedicated team are available for such a challenging intervention.

Cardiomyopathy Induced by Artificial Cardiac Pacing: To Whom, When, Why, and How? Insights on Heart Failure Development

ABSTRACT Coordinated and harmonic (synchronous) ventricular electrical activation is essential for better left ventricular systolic function. Intraventricular conduction abnormalities, such as left bundle branch block due to artificial cardiac pacing, lead to electromechanical "dyssynchronopathy" with deleterious structural and clinical consequences. The aim of this review was to describe and improve the understanding of all the processes connecting the several mechanisms involved in the development of artificially induced ventricular dyssynchrony by cardiac pacing, most known as pacing-induced cardiomyopathy (PiCM). The chronic effect of abnormal impulse conduction and nonphysiological ectopic activation by artificial cardiac pacing is suspected to affect metabolism and myocardial perfusion, triggering regional differences in the activation/contraction processes that cause electrical and structural remodeling due to damage, inflammation, and fibrosis of the cardiac tissue. The effect of artificial cardiac pacing on ventricular function and structure can be multifactorial, and biological factors underlying PiCM could affect the time and probability of developing the condition. PiCM has not been included in the traditional classification of cardiomyopathies, which can hinder detection. This article reviews the available evidence for pacing-induced cardiovascular disease, the current understanding of its pathophysiology, and reinforces the adverse effects of right ventricular pacing, especially right ventricular pacing burden (commonly measured in percentage) and its repercussion on ventricular contraction (reflected by the impact on left ventricular systolic function). These effects might be the main defining criteria and determining mechanisms of the pathophysiology and the clinical repercussion seen on patients.

Totally Percutaneous Repair of an Aortic Arch Dissection: A Case Report

ABSTRACT Although the endovascular repair of descending thoracic aorta diseases is an already consolidated procedure, this approach is not well-established for ascending aorta and arch pathologies. A 71-year-old male patient who had undergone an open ascending aorta replacement ten years ago presented with a huge dissected aortic arch aneurysm. Vascular accesses were obtained with ultrasound-guided punctures, followed by aortic arch exclusion using aortic endoprostheses and the chimney-graft technique for preserving supra-aortic branches flow. This case demonstrates the feasibility of a totally percutaneous aortic arch repair provided that careful preprocedural planning and a dedicated team are available for such a challenging intervention.

The Heart in the Transcatheter Intervention Era: Where Are We?

It is so exciting to imagine that the heart, once considered an untouchable organ, is now routinely approached by so many different techniques and with a wide array of invasiveness [...].

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Pure Native Aortic Regurgitation: The Last Frontier.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) to treat patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is a well-established procedure. Even though cases series have reported TAVI use in high-risk patients with pure native aortic regurgitation, this is still considered an off-label intervention, especially when the aortic annulus dimensions are beyond the recommended by prosthesis manufacturers. Herein, we provide an updated review regarding the transcatheter treatment of pure native aortic regurgitation and illustrate this issue by presenting a clinical case of a patient with pure aortic regurgitation and a large aortic annulus who received a self-expanding non-dedicated transcatheter heart valve.

Balloon Fracturing Valve-in-Valve: How to Do It and a Case Report of TAVR in a Rapid Deployment Prosthesis.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to treat degeneration of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs), called as valve-in-valve (ViV), is becoming a key feature since the number of BHVs requiring intervention is increasing and many patients are at high risk for a redo cardiac surgery. However, a TAVR inside a small previous cardiac valve may lead to prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) and not be as effective as we hoped for. An effective option to decrease the chance of PPM is to fracture the previous heart valve implanted using a high-pressure balloon. By performing a valve fracture, the inner valve ring of small BHVs can be opened up by a single fracture line, allowing subsequent implantation of a properly sized transcatheter heart valve, without increasing substantially the procedure risk. In this article, we provide a step-by-step procedure on how to safely and properly fracture a BHV and report a case of a TAVR in a degenerated rapid deployment valve.

Preoperative TAVR Planning: How to Do It.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a well-established treatment option for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) whose procedural efficacy and safety have been continuously improving. Appropriate preprocedural planning, including aortic valve annulus measurements, transcatheter heart valve choice, and possible procedural complication anticipation is mandatory to a successful procedure. The gold standard for preoperative planning is still to perform a multi-detector computed angiotomography (MDCT), which provides all the information required. Nonetheless, 3D echocardiography and magnet resonance imaging (MRI) are great alternatives for some patients. In this article, we provide an updated comprehensive review, focusing on preoperative TAVR planning and the standard steps required to do it properly.

Minimum requirements in emergency kits for bailout strategies in TAVR complications.

INTRODUCTION: The proportion of patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis treated by transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasing, driven by favorable outcomes from randomized trials and current valve guidelines recommendations. Despite device and technique improvements having reduced procedural morbidities, complications during or immediately after TAVR still carries significant mortality risk. METHODS: We propose a check-list of essential items to anticipate potentially life-threatening complications in TAVR. RESULTS: Purpose of this review is to discuss the most common life-threatening complications during TAVR from a troubleshooting perspective, depicting the minimum required equipment needed in emergency situations. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention of complications remains the most important strategy to optimize outcomes in TAVR procedures. Each specialized Center should institute and make easily accessible standardized emergency kits for the most common life-threatening conditions during TAVR that should be readily available in the cath-lab or hybrid operating room.

Management and Outcome of Failed Percutaneous Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Plasty: Insight From an International Registry.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the incidence, management, and outcome of patients who experienced MitraClip (Abbott Vascular) failure secondary to loss of leaflet insertion (LLI), single leaflet detachment (SLD), or embolization. BACKGROUND: Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair with MitraClip is an established therapy for the treatment of mitral regurgitation (MR), but no data exist regarding the prevalence and outcome according to the mode of clip failure. METHODS: Between January 2009 and December 2020, we retrospectively screened 4,294 procedures of MitraClip performed in 19 centers. LLI was defined as damage to the leaflet where the MitraClip was attached, SLD as demonstration of complete separation between the device and a single leaflet tissue, and clip embolization as loss of contact between MitraClip and both leaflets. RESULTS: A total of 147 cases of MitraClip failure were detected (overall incidence = 3.5%), and these were secondary to LLI or SLD in 47 (31.9%) and 99 (67.3%) cases, respectively, whereas in 1 (0.8%) case clip embolization was observed. MitraClip failure occurred in 67 (45.5%) patients with functional MR, in 64 (43.5%) patients with degenerative MR, and 16 (10.8%) with mixed etiology. Although the majority of MitraClip failures were detected before discharge (47 intraprocedural and 42 in the hospital), up to 39.5% of cases were diagnosed at follow-up. In total, 80 (54.4%) subjects underwent a redo procedure, either percutaneously with MitraClip (n = 51, 34.7%) or surgically (n = 36, 24.5%) including 4 cases of surgical conversion of the index procedure and 7 cases of bailout surgery after unsuccessful redo MitraClip. After a median follow-up of 163 days (IQR: 22-720 days), 50 (43.9%) subjects presented moderate to severe MR, and 43 (29.3%) patients died. An up-front redo MitraClip strategy was associated with a trend toward a reduced rate of death at follow-up vs surgical or conservative management (P = 0.067), whereas postprocedural acute kidney injury, age, and moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation were independent predictors of death. CONCLUSIONS: MitraClip failure secondary to LLI and SLD is not a rare phenomenon and may occur during and also beyond hospitalization. Redo MitraClip strategy demonstrates a trend toward a reduced risk of death compared with bailout surgery and conservative management. A third of those patients remained with more than moderate MR and had substantial mortality at the intermediate-term follow-up.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement for structural degeneration of previously implanted transcatheter valves (TAVR-in-TAVR): a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) represents a valid treatment for patients with aortic valve stenosis and high or intermediate surgical risk. However, biological transcatheter valves can also experience a structural degeneration after years, and a redo-TAVR procedure (TAVR-in-TAVR) can be a valid option. We revised the current available literature for indications, procedural and technical details and outcome on TAVR-in-TAVR procedures for degenerated TAVR valves. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in the public medical database for scientific articles on TAVR-in-TAVR procedures for degenerated transcatheter valves. Data on demographics, indications, first and second transcatheter valve type and size, mortality, complications and follow-up were extracted and analysed. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies (1 multicentre, 3 case series, 9 case reports) were included in this review, with a total amount of 160 patients treated with TAVR-in-TAVR procedures for transcatheter valve failure. The mean age was 74.8 ± 7.8 with 84 males (52.8%). The mean elapsed time from the first TAVR procedure was 58.1 ± 23.4 months. Main indication for TAVR-in-TAVR was pure stenosis (38.4%, with mean gradient of 44.5 ± 18.5 mmHg), regurgitation (31.4%), mixed stenosis and regurgitation (29.5%) and leaflet thrombosis (8.8%). Procedural success rate was 86.8%, with second TAVR valve malposition occurred in 4 cases (2.5%). The hospital mortality rate was 1.25% (2/160). Post-procedural echocardiographic control showed moderate regurgitation in 5.6% of patients (9/160) and residual transvalvular mean gradient ≥20 mmHg in 5% of cases. Postoperative complications included major vascular complications (8.7%), new pacemaker implantation (8.7%), acute kidney failure (3.7%), stroke (0.6%) and coronary obstruction (0.6%). The mean follow-up time was 6 ± 5.6 months with 1 non-cardiovascular death reported. CONCLUSIONS: TAVR-in-TAVR represents a valid alternative to standard surgery for the treatment of degenerated transcatheter valves in high-risk patients. Despite these promising results, further studies are required to assess durability and haemodynamic performances of the second TAVR valve.