Lung Rest with Femoro-Femoral Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for COVID-19 Severe Pneumonia with Pneumomediastinum.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sometimes causes severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Here, we report the case of a 35-year-old man with obesity who showed severe respiratory failure from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Immediate high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the chest after endotracheal intubation revealed a significant pneumomediastinum with diffuse ground-glass opacity and consolidation. Ventilator management was difficult with low tidal volume and low positive end expiratory pressure. Therefore, we administered extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to allow lung rest and prevent further progression of the pneumomediastinum and maintain oxygenation. Since implementing ECMO, the patient's oxygenation has stabilized and follow-up HRCT of the chest revealed dramatic improvement of the pneumomediastinum. We gradually tapered off ECMO and employed a pressure-control mode. He was extubated on day 11. To our knowledge, this is the first reported patient who showed complete pneumomediastinum recovery from COVID-19 pneumonia with ECMO.

Rationale and Design of Low-dose Administration of Carperitide for Acute Heart Failure (LASCAR-AHF).

BACKGROUNDS: Despite current therapies, acute heart failure (AHF) remains a major public health burden with high rates of in-hospital and post-discharge morbidity and mortality. Carperitide is a recombinantly produced intravenous formulation of human atrial natriuretic peptide that promotes vasodilation with increased salt and water excretion, which leads to reduction of cardiac filling pressures. A previous open-label randomized controlled study showed that carperitide improved long-term cardiovascular mortality and heart failure (HF) hospitalization for patients with AHF, when adding to standard therapy. However, the study was underpowered to detect a difference in mortality because of the small sample size. METHODS: Low-dose Administration of Carperitide for Acute Heart Failure (LASCAR-AHF) is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous carperitide in hospitalized patients with AHF. Patients hospitalized for AHF will be randomly assigned to receive either intravenous carperitide (0.02 µg/kg/min) in addition to standard treatment or matching standard treatment for 72 h. The primary end point is death or rehospitalization for HF within 2 years. A total of 260 patients will be enrolled between 2013 and 2018. CONCLUSION: The design of LASCAR-AHF will provide data of whether carperitide reduces the risk of mortality and rehospitalization for HF in selected patients with AHF.

Admission hyperglycemia is an independent predictor of acute kidney injury in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute hyperglycemia are associated with unfavorable outcomes. The impact of acute hyperglycemia on the development of AKI after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), however, remains unclear. This study was undertaken to assess the relationship between admission glucose and incidence of AKI after AMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study consisted of 760 patients with AMI admitted to the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center within 48h after symptom onset. Blood sample was obtained on admission and repeated sampling was done at least every 1 or 2 days during the first week. AKI was diagnosed as increase in serum creatinine ≥0.3mg/dl or ≥50% within any 48h. Ninety-six patients (13%) had AKI during hospitalization for AMI, and these patients had higher in-hospital mortality than those without AKI (25% vs. 3%, P<0.001). Patients with AKI had higher plasma glucose (PG) on admission than those without (222±105mg/dl vs. 166±69mg/dl, P<0.001). The incidence of AKI increased as admission PG rose: 7% with PG <120mg/dl; 9% with PG 120-160mg/dl; 11% with PG 160-200mg/dl; and 28% with PG >200mg/dl (P<0.01). On multivariate analysis admission PG was an independent predictor of AKI (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.18, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Admission hyperglycemia might have contributed to the development of AKI in patients with AMI.

Prone position ventilation and femoro-femoral veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for COVID-19 treatment.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Approximately 5% of COVID-19 patients who suffer from pneumonia develop critical respiratory failure. Here, we report the case of a healthy 52-year-old man who had respiratory failure owing to SARS-CoV-2 infection and was treated using femoro-femoral veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) and prone position ventilation (PPV). After this treatment, his blood oxygen levels, chest high-resolution computed tomography findings, and clinical parameters significantly improved. He was decannulated from VV-ECMO on day 6 and finally extubated on day 11. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of SARS-CoV-2-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome that was successfully treated with a combination of femoro-femoral VV-ECMO and PPV.

Coronary Artery Embolism Caused by BioGlue Surgical Adhesive After Type A Acute Aortic Dissection Repair.

Coronary artery embolism due to BioGlue surgical adhesive after repair of type A acute aortic dissection is a rare condition. We report a case of BioGlue coronary artery embolism after type A acute aortic dissection repair confirmed using intravascular ultrasound imaging and pathological examination. It was successfully treated with percutaneous coronary intervention. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Comparison of Long-Term Mortality in Patients With Previous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Versus Without Optimal Medical Therapy.

Although current guidelines have highlighted the importance of evidence-based optimal medical therapy (OMT) in patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the effect of OMT on post-CABG patients requiring secondary coronary revascularization on prognosis remains unknown. We sought to examine the impact of OMT on post-CABG patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as secondary revascularization. A total of 632 consecutive post-CABG patients who underwent PCI between 2001 and 2013 at our hospital (84% men, median age 71 years) were divided into 2 groups: patients who were discharged with OMT and patients who were discharged without OMT (non-OMT). OMT was defined as the combination of an antiplatelet agent, statin, ß blocker, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker. Despite having a higher prevalence of clinical comorbidities, patients with OMT (n = 163) had a lower prevalence of all-cause death than those without OMT (n = 469) during a median follow-up of 95 months (OMT group 21.5%, non-OMT group 34.1%, p = 0.002). Both groups had similar procedural success rates. In a propensity-matched cohort (n = 146 each), OMT was associated with lower rates of all-cause death and cardiac death than non-OMT 8 years after PCI. In multivariable analysis, OMT was an independent predictor of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.34 to 0.72, p <0.001). In conclusion, OMT plays a protective role and reduces all-cause death in post-CABG patients requiring subsequent PCI. Outside of the domain of coronary revascularization, OMT could be considered an essential treatment in this patient population.

Validation of the Coronary Artery Bypass Graft SYNTAX Score (Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus) as a Prognostic Marker for Patients With Previous Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as secondary revascularization in patients with previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery remain uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively evaluated 434 consecutive patients with previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery hospitalized for PCI between 2004 and 2011 (men 84%, age 71 (interquartile range, 66-76) years) and calculated the coronary artery bypass graft Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus score (CSS) before (baseline CSS) and after PCI (post-PCI CSS). Patients were divided into 2 groups based on median post-PCI CSS: low-score (≤23; n=217) and high-score groups (>23; n=217). Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were defined as the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and unplanned repeat revascularization for myocardial ischemia. The median baseline and post-PCI CSS were 30 (interquartile range, 21-40) and 23 (interquartile range, 14.5-33.5), respectively. During a median follow-up of 69 months, the prevalence of MACE and cardiac death differed significantly between the 2 post-PCI CSS groups (MACE: low, 13.8%; high, 28.6%; P<0.001; cardiac death: low, 6.2%; high, 16.7%; P=0.002). In multivariable analysis, the high post-PCI CSS divided by the median was associated with substantially greater cumulative MACE (hazard ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.31-3.34; P=0.002) and cardiac death (hazard ratio, 2.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-3.98; P=0.042) compared with the low post-PCI CSS. Net reclassification improvement analysis revealed that post-PCI CSS resulted in significantly improved prediction of MACE and cardiac death compared with baseline CSS. CONCLUSIONS: In this external validation study, the CSS was a potential prognostic factor after subsequent PCI, even for previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients.

Clinical Predictors for Delayed or Inappropriate Initial Diagnosis of Type A Acute Aortic Dissection in the Emergency Room.

BACKGROUND: Initial diagnosis of acute aortic dissection (AAD) in the emergency room (ER) is sometimes difficult or delayed. The aim of this study is to define clinical predictors related to inappropriate or delayed diagnosis of Stanford type A AAD. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 127 consecutive patients with type A AAD who presented to the ER within 12 h of symptom onset (age: 69.0 ± 15.4 years, male/female = 49/78). An inappropriate initial diagnosis (IID) was considered if AAD was not included in the differential diagnosis or if chest computed tomography or echocardiography was not performed as initial imaging tests. Clinical variables were compared between IID and appropriate diagnosis group. The time to final diagnosis (TFD) was also evaluated. Delayed diagnosis (DD) was defined as TFD > third quartile. Clinical factors predicting DD were evaluated in comparison with early diagnosis (defined as TFD within the third quartile). In addition, TFD was compared with respect to each clinical variable using a rank sum test. RESULTS: An IID was determined for 37% of patients. Walk-in (WI) visit to the ER [odds ratio (OR) 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-6.72, P = 0.048] and coronary malperfusion (CM, OR = 6.48, 95% CI = 1.14-36.82, P = 0.035) were predictors for IID. Overall, the median TFD was 1.5 h (first/third quartiles = 0.5/4.0 h). DD (>4.5 h) was observed in 27 cases (21.3%). TFD was significantly longer in WI patients (median and first/third quartiles = 1.0 and 0.5/2.85 h for the ambulance group vs. 3.0 and 1.0/8.0 h for the WI group, respectively; P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that WI visit was the only predictor for DD (OR = 3.72, 95% CI = 1.39-9.9, P = 0.009). TFD was significantly shorter for appropriate diagnoses than for IIDs (1.0 vs. 6.0 h, respectively; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: WI visit to the ER and CM were predictors for IID, and WI was the only predictor for DD in acute type A AAD in the community hospital.

Coronary steal due to ruptured right coronary aneurysm causing myocardial infarction in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 34-year-old female with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed an acute inferior myocardial infarction while hospitalized for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus sepsis. An emergent coronary angiography revealed an ectatic proximal left coronary artery and a huge aneurysm (37 mm × 32 mm) in the mid-portion of the right coronary artery, which had ruptured into the right atrium. A "steal phenomenon" due to significant left to right shunt resulting from the ruptured aneurysm was the cause of the myocardial infarction. Infection of the wall of the aneurysm might have contributed to the growth and the rupture in the presence of a pre-existing coronary aneurysm.

Trends in the clinical and pathological characteristics of cardiac rupture in patients with acute myocardial infarction over 35 years.

BACKGROUND: There is little known about whether the clinical and pathological characteristics and incidence of cardiac rupture (CR) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have changed over the years. METHODS AND RESULTS: The incidence and clinical characteristics of CR were investigated in patients with AMI, who were divided into 3 cohorts: 1977-1989, 1990-2000, and 2001-2011. Of a total of 5699 patients, 144 were diagnosed with CR and 45 survived. Over the years, the incidence of CR decreased (1977-1989, 3.3%; 1990-2000, 2.8%; 2001-2011, 1.7%; P=0.002) in association with the widespread adoption of reperfusion therapy. The mortality rate of CR decreased (1977-1989, 90%; 1990-2000, 56%; 2001-2011, 50%; P=0.002) in association with an increase in the rate of emergent surgery. In multivariable analysis, first myocardial infarction, anterior infarct, female sex, hypertension, and age >70 years were significant risk factors for CR, whereas impact of hypertension on CR was weaker from 2001 to 2011. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) was a significant protective factor against CR. In 64 autopsy cases with CR, myocardial hemorrhage occurred more frequently in those who underwent PPCI or fibrinolysis than those who did not receive reperfusion therapy (no reperfusion therapy, 18.0%; fibrinolysis, 71.4%; PPCI, 83.3%; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: With the development of medical treatment, the incidence and mortality rate of CR have decreased. However, first myocardial infarction, anterior infarct, female sex, and old age remain important risk factors for CR. Adjunctive cardioprotection against reperfusion-induced myocardial hemorrhage is emerging in the current PPCI era.