Transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the presence of a mitral prosthesis.

PURPOSE: In the current case series, we present our experience with the self-expanding CoreValve or Evolut R (Medtronic Inc.) in patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis and concomitant mitral valve prosthesis. METHODS: Twelve patients with previous mitral valve prosthesis underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement for severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis and/or aortic valve regurgitation. All patients underwent evaluation with an echocardiogram, computed tomography and coronary angiogram. After the index intervention and before discharge all patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography. All outcomes were defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria. RESULTS: Eleven patients underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement for severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis and one patient for severe aortic valve regurgitation. There was immediate improvement of patients' hemodynamic status; no cases of procedural death, stroke, myocardial infarction, or urgent cardiac surgery occurred. There was no 30-day mortality and all patients improved, with 91.6% in functional New York Heart Association class I-II. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates that in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis or regurgitation and mitral valve prosthesis, the implantation of a self-expanding aortic valve via the transfemoral route is safe and feasible, with maintained long-term results.

Catheter Closure Through a Venous Approach of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Small Pediatric Patients Using Combined Angiographic and Echocardiographic Guidance.

The standard technique of catheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) may be associated with arterial complications particularly in small pediatric patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether catheter closure of PDA in small children using an exclusive venous approach is a safe and effective alternative to closure with the standard technique. One hundred-twelve patients, aged 2 to 24 months, were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to catheter closure of PDA using the standard technique (group 1) and an exclusive venous approach (group 2), respectively. In group 2, the procedure was guided using hand injections of contrast media through the delivery sheath and 2-dimensional and color Doppler echocardiography. Group 1: the PDA diameter ranged from 2 to 5.5 mm and the device diameter ranged from 4 to 8 mm. The PDA occluders were permanently implanted in all patients. Five losses of the arterial pulses that were restored with intravenous infusion of heparin and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), and 4 groin hematomas were the main complications of the procedure. Group 2: the mean PDA diameter ranged from 2.5 to 6 mm and the device diameter ranged from 3 to 8 mm. The PDA occluders were permanently implanted in all but 2 patients. There were no complications. Complete echocardiographic closure of PDA at 1-month follow-up was observed in all 110 patients. Exclusive transvenous PDA occlusion is an effective and safe technique that prevents the arterial complications of the standard approach in small children.

Floppy mitral valve/mitral valve prolapse syndrome: Beta-adrenergic receptor polymorphism may contribute to the pathogenesis of symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Certain patients with floppy mitral valve (FMV)/mitral valve prolapse (MVP) may have symptoms that cannot be explained on the severity of mitral valvular regurgitation (MVR) alone; hypersensitivity to adrenergic stimulation has been suggested in this group defined as the FMV/MVP syndrome. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients (75 men, 23 women) with mitral valve surgery for FMV/MVP were studied. Of those 41 (42%) had symptoms consistent with FMV/MVP syndrome [29 men (39%), 12 women (52%)]; median age of symptom onset was 30 years (range 10-63 years) and median duration of symptoms prior to valve surgery was 16 years (range 3-50 years). Ninety-nine individuals (70 men, 29 women) without clinical evidence of any disease were used as controls. Genotyping of ß1 and ß2 adrenergic receptors was performed. RESULTS: ß-Adrenergic receptor genotypes (ß1 and ß2) were similar between control and overall FMV/MVP patients. Subgroup analysis of patients, however, demonstrated that the genotype C/C at position 1165 resulting in 389 Arg/Arg of the ß1 receptor was more frequent in women compared to those without FMV/MVP syndrome and to normal control women (p<0.025). This polymorphism may be related to hypersensitivity to adrenergic stimulation as reported previously in these patients. CONCLUSION: This study shows a large proportion of patients with FMV/MVP, predominantly women, had symptoms consistent with the FMV/MVP syndrome for many years prior to the development of significant MVR, and thus symptoms cannot be attributed to the severity of MVR alone. Further, women with FMV/MVP syndrome, symptoms at least partially may be related to ß1-adrenergic receptor polymorphism, which has been shown previously to be associated with a hyperresponse to adrenergic stimulation.

Percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects: immediate and mid-term results.

INTRODUCTION: The incidence of percutaneous closure of secundum atrial septal defects (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO), which has become an established therapy, is constantly increasing. In this study, which is the first in the Greek literature, we present the immediate and mid-term results from this intervention in our center. METHODS: From April 2004 to April 2008, 103 patients underwent percutaneous closure of an ASD or PFO using Amplatzer closure devices. Thirty were male, the mean age was 37 +/- 15.5 years, and the mean follow-up period 21.7 +/- 14.8 months. The procedure was successful in 102 of the above patients; 69 (mean age 36.3 years +/- 17.1, 81% female) underwent secundum ASD closure, while 33 patients (mean age 39.1 +/- 10.5 years, 16 female and 17 male) underwent percutaneous closure of a PFO due to cryptogenic stroke. RESULTS: There were no major complications during the procedure (death, device embolization or need for immediate cardiac surgery). There were minor complications in 8 (7.7%) patients (bleeding at the puncture site, transient ST elevation in the inferior leads, multiple atrial and ventricular ectopics). The transient ST elevation in the inferior leads appeared in 5 patients (5%) and was probably due to air embolization. This transient complication completely resolved within 3 minutes. During the follow-up period, no patient had a major complication (cardiac rupture, device embolization, thrombus formation, thromboembolism or infective endocarditis). Most importantly, in the patients who underwent PFO closure there were no recurrences of cryptogenic stroke during the follow-up period (24.3 +/- 14.5 months). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that using Amplatzer closure devices for atrial septal communications is both safe and effective, with sustained results over a maximum follow-up period of four years. Appropriate patient selection, as well as accurate device sizing fitting the dimensions of the defect, are important factors for the success and the safety of the method.

Left atrial function and work after surgical ventricular restoration in postmyocardial infarction heart failure.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of surgical ventricular restoration in left atrial (LA) performance and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in patients with congestive heart failure after extensive anterior myocardial infarction. METHODS: Seventeen consecutive patients (age 63 +/- 9 years, 14 male, 4 with diabetes) were studied prospectively. All patients underwent surgical ventricular restoration and concomitant coronary artery bypass surgery. LA volumes were calculated, as were peak LA kinetic energy (LAKE) and LA ejection fraction (LAEF). LV diastolic filling patterns were also assessed. RESULTS: Follow-up period was 1 year. LA size and volumes did not change significantly during the follow-up period. Two distinct groups of patients were identified: group A, in which LAEF and peak LAKE increased, and group B, in which LAEF and peak LAKE decreased. In both groups, the LAEF and peak LAKE appeared to increase or decrease simultaneously and this became evident from the first month after the surgery. However, 1 year after the operation, diastolic filling pattern was significantly different between the two groups. LA function showed improvement only in patients who demonstrated an improvement in indices of diastolic filling pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Despite improvement in clinical status and indices of LV systolic function in all patients who underwent surgical ventricular restoration for treatment of congestive heart failure as a result of LV dilatation secondary to large myocardial infarction, improvement of LA function occurs in patients with improved LV diastolic function.

Feasibility study of a temporary percutaneous left ventricular assist device in cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate a percutaneous left ventricular assist device (Tandem Heart pVAD; Cardiac Assist, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in the postcardiotomy setting. METHODS: Between August 2001 and August 2004, 11 high-risk male patients who had undergone heart failure surgery or surgical revascularization were supported by the TandemHeart postcardiotomy. The major indication for pVAD insertion was failure to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass. Three different techniques were employed for cannulation: the closed percutaneous technique, the "open transeptal" technique with percutaneous cannulas insertion, and direct central cannulation. RESULTS: The mean duration of support was 88 hours. The mean pump flow was 3.09 L/min. The weaning rate was 72.72%. Survival to discharge and at 1 and 4 years was 54.54%, 45.45%, and 36.36%, respectively. The main complication was pericardial bleeding, noted mainly in patients receiving antiplatelet treatment preoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The TandemHeart appears to be safe for temporary support after cardiotomy. It is a versatile device allowing different techniques of insertion. Device application yielded high weaning rate and satisfactory early and long-term survival.

First human implantation of a new rotary blood pump: design of the clinical feasibility study.

Surgical treatment of heart failure is emerging as one of the most challenging clinical dilemmas for patients with end-stage cardiac failure not amenable to medical treatment. One of the most intriguing techniques is the use of implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as a bridge to recovery. The early experience from our centre has shown that even short term post-cardiotomy mechanical assistance, after heart failure surgery, improves patient outcome; thus, a clinical feasibility study was designed. The hypothesis of the study is that reparative heart failure surgery combined with postoperative mechanical support, ventricular resynchronisation where indicated, and pharmacological treatment can maximise myocardial recovery. In the study a new, implantable, magnetically levitated, rotary pump will be used as a bridge to recovery. In this manuscript the first worldwide human implantation of a new, continuous-flow LVAD, the WorldHeart Rotary Pump (Levacor, WorldHeart Inc., Oakland CA), is reported. The design and the rationale of the feasibility study, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the primary and secondary end points of the clinical investigation, are delineated. In addition, the design of the new rotary pump, its general principles of operation, and the implantation technique are described.

Papillary fibroelastoma of the cardiac valves: a rare cause of embolic stroke.

Papillary fibroelastomas are rare, primary, benign cardiac tumours most frequently located in the heart valves. They are a potential cause of systemic emboli, stroke, myocardial infarction and sudden death. We present two cases of papillary fibroelastomas located in the mitral and aortic valves of patients who had suffered multiple strokes. The fibroelastomas were diagnosed using transoesophageal echocardiography and the patients were treated surgically, with broad excision of the tumours and preservation of the valves. The echocardiographic and microscopic characteristics of the fibroelastomas are analysed and methods for their differential diagnosis from other cardiac tumours are discussed in the context of the available literature.

Temporary assist device for postcardiotomy cardiac failure.

Postcardiotomy left ventricular failure (LVF) complicating a cardiac surgical procedure is usually managed with intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) counterpulsation. We report two cases of postcardiotomy LVF unresponsive to inotropic support and IABP counterpulsation that were managed successfully with the use of the TandemHeart percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD) (CardiacAssist, Pittsburgh, PA). The TandemHeart pVAD appears to be safe and effective as a bridge to recovery in the treatment of postcardiotomy cardiac failure.

Left atrial volumes, function and work before and after mitral valve repair in chronic mitral regurgitation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Despite the effect of mitral valve repair in left ventricular (LV) function having been extensively studied, investigations of left atrial (LA) performance indices are minimal. This prospective study was undertaken to analyze LA volumes, function and work in patients with chronic mitral valve regurgitation (MR) who underwent mitral valve repair; the analyses were conducted both before and six months after surgery. METHODS: Twenty patients (15 males, five females; mean age 51.4 +/- 12.5 years) with severe MR (grade IV) due to floppy mitral valve/mitral valve prolapse (FMV/MVP; anterior, posterior or both) underwent mitral valve repair. LA volumes, maximal at mitral valve opening (LAmax); minimal at valve closure (LAmin); and at onset of atrial systole (P-wave on ECG, LAP); and transmitral Doppler A-wave velocity were measured before and six months after surgery. LA stroke volume (LASV) = LAP - LAmin; LA ejection fraction (LAEF) = LASV/LAP; LA kinetic energy (LAKE) = 1/2 x LASV x 1.06 (specific gravity of blood) x A2 (dyne x cm x 10(3)); LA and LV dimensions and functions were assessed at the same time. RESULTS: NYHA functional class was improved postoperatively by at least one grade. LV systolic and diastolic dimensions were reduced significantly in all patients (p <0.001). LA volumes (LAmax, LAmin and LAP) were decreased significantly in all patients (p <0.001); LASV remained unchanged. LAEF and LAKE were increased significantly (both p <0.001). The A-wave was also increased (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: Increased LA work (LAKE) after mitral valve repair, despite a decrease in LA volumes, suggests that LA muscle dysfunction was present before surgery. LA involvement may precede LV involvement. The determination of LA performance and work will help to optimize the timing of surgery in patients with FMV/MVP and MVR.