Management of iatrogenic aortal dissection as a complication of coronary intervention: wait and watch.

Iatrogenic aortic dissection (AD) is quite a rare complication during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The exact mechanism of iatrogenic AD during PCI is unknown. A standard of care in the management of iatrogenic AD is still lacking. We describe a case of an 83-year-old man, with an aortocoronary bypass graft, who underwent complex PCI with rotational atherectomy catheterization with a radial approach for a chronic right coronary artery stenosis, complicated by AD. According to our experience, retrograde dissection into the aorta during PCI can be sealed with a coronary stent that covers the coronary ostium and should be treated conservatively in most circumstances, unless complication like extension of dissection into other vessels or pericardial effusion or hemodynamic instability occurs.

Functional mitral regurgitation: are we treating the real target?

Functional mitral regurgitation is a form of valve insufficiency in the presence of anatomically normal mitral valve. The cause of functional mitral regurgitation is left ventricular remodelling that tethers valve leaflet more apically decreasing their coaptation ability. Given the pathophysiologic relation between functional mitral regurgitation and ventricular dysfunction, the valve insufficiency has long been considered a surrogate of ventricular disease. Accordingly, all potential therapeutic strategies able to decrease functional mitral regurgitation have been associated with improved ventricular function. On the contrary, the surgical treatment of functional mitral regurgitation has led to contrasting results, but the main drawback is that it does not improve survival compared with medical therapy. However, surgery is characterized by many confounding factors, which might conceal the beneficial effect of the treatment of valve dysfunction in the mid-long-term follow-up. The present review underscores the potential limits of surgical treatment and hypothesized that percutaneous treatment of functional mitral regurgitation, by means of MitraClip, Abbott, Menlo Park, California, might represent a better tool to investigate treatment of functional mitral regurgitation.

Does aortic valve disease etiology predict postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing aortic valve surgery?

BACKGROUND: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is one of the most common complications of cardiac surgery and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. METHODS: We analyzed 830 patients without prior atrial fibrillation who underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis and/or aortic regurgitation. RESULTS: The incidence of POAF was 38%. The patients with POAF were older, predominately male and hypertensive. The incidence of POAF was significantly different according to the valve etiology. At multivariate analysis, rheumatic and degenerative aortic valve etiologies were independent predictors of POAF. CONCLUSION: Aortic valve disease etiology affects the development of POAF. Rheumatic and degenerative etiologies have a higher risk of developing POAF independently of other clinical, functional and hemodynamic variables.

Functional mitral regurgitation: a 30-year unresolved surgical journey from valve replacement to complex valve repairs.

Functional mitral regurgitation remains one of the most complex and controversial aspect--for both clinicians and surgeons--in the management of mitral valve disease in the context of left ventricular dysfunction. Given the current absence of clear guidelines, as well as of results from randomized trials comparing the outcome of different surgical strategies potentially available for this complex scenario, surgical decision making for these high-risk patients poses a real dilemma in the daily practice. The resulting surgical choices often represent a questionable combination of surgeons' personal feeling, local supplies, patients' life expectancy and risk/benefit ratios, opinions and statements of the experts, and so on. This review provides an overview of the present knowledge about the complex pathophysiology underlying functional mitral regurgitation, the different pathophysiology-guided surgical techniques suggested in the last decades, as well as the current results following these different surgical techniques.

Functional mitral regurgitation in patients with aortic stenosis: prevalence, clinical correlates and pathophysiological determinants: a quantitative prospective study.

AIMS: In patients with aortic stenosis (AS) functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is frequent and is attributed to left ventricular (LV) remodelling and to aortic gradient. However, the association of these variables with mitral effective regurgitant orifice (ERO) is still unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively enrolled patients with aortic valve thickness and aortic velocities >2.5 m/s. We measured the LV diastolic (LVD) and systolic volumes (Simpson's method) and ejection fraction (EF) and longitudinal shortening (S-DTI), early, and late (A-DTI) lengthening velocities. The aortic valve area (AVA) and mean gradient (MG) were measured. FMR was considered in the absence of any alteration of mitral leaflet. ERO and regurgitant volume were measured by means of a proximal velocity surface area method method. One hundred and seventy-two patients formed the study population (mean age 76 ± 8 years; 50% female, EF 57 ± 14%, AVA 1.00 ± 0.4 cm(2)). Sixty-three per cent of patients had FMR (ERO range: 0.02 0.32 cm(2)). ERO was significantly associated with LVD (rho = 0.34; P = 0.0001), EF (r(s) = -0.35: P = 0.0001), and S-DTI (r = -0.57; P = 0.0001), A-DTI (rho = -0.47; P = 0.0001). In the subgroup of patients with a preserved EF (LVD <75 mL/m(2) and EF >55%), S-DTI, and A-DTI were the variables with the more powerful association with ERO (r(s) = -0.49 P = 0.0001 and r(s) = -0.40 P = 0.0001, respectively). In the overall population there was a non-significant negative association between the degree of AS and ERO (MG: r(s) = -0.08 P = 0.2 and AVA: r(s) = -0.08 P = 0.2). CONCLUSION: In AS patients, the LV function is a main determinant of FMR even if EF is preserved. The association between ERO and valvular gradient is complex but tended to be negative.

Late and very late coronary stent thrombosis: Intravascular ultrasound findings and associations with antiplatelet therapy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Late and very-late stent occlusion remains a serious complication of coronary stenting. Despite their high anti-restenotic efficacy, drug-eluting stents (DES) have been associated to more late-thrombosis as compared to bare-metal stents (BMS). The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical presentation, angiographic, and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings in patients with late or very late stent thrombosis and the relationship with the antiplatelet regimen. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between January 2007 and December 2011, 34 consecutive patients with clinical syndromes compatible with late or very-late stent occlusion were studied with IVUS during emergency catheterization; 25 had DES and 9 had BMS. Thrombotic total occlusion was more common in DES (16 = 64%) than BMS patients (2 = 22%; P = 0.02) and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction was the predominant clinical presentation in the former group (60% compared to 22%; P = 0.05). The time elapsed between implantation and failure was much longer in DES patients: 33 ± 22 versus 17 ± 14 months for BMS; P = 0.05. IVUS analysis showed a higher incidence of incomplete stent apposition (ISA) in the DES group compared to the BMS group (56% vs. 11%; P = 0.005) and in-stent plaque rupture was the most common finding in the BMS group (78%). In DES group, ISA was found more frequently in patients still under dual antiplatelet therapy (71%). CONCLUSIONS: Very late DES failure often causes ST-elevation myocardial infarction; these very late events may not correlate with the interruption of antiplatelet therapy. Severe, late acquired ISA belongs to DES and is frequently observed in patients with very late DES thrombosis.

"Polarizing" microplegia improves cardiac cycle efficiency after CABG for unstable angina.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial protection during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for unstable angina (UA) still represents a major challenge, ought to the risk for further ischemia/reperfusion injury. Few studies investigate the biochemical, hemodynamic and echocardiographic results of microplegia (Mic) in UA. METHODS: Eighty UA-patients undergoing CABG were randomized to Mic (Mic-Group) or standard 4:1 blood Buckberg-cardioplegia (Buck-Group). Troponin-I and lactate were sampled from coronary sinus at reperfusion (T1), and from peripheral blood preoperatively (T0), at 6 (T2), 12 (T3) and 48 (T4) hours. Cardiac index (CI), indexed systemic vascular resistances (ISVR), Δp/Δt, cardiac cycle efficiency (CCE), and central venous pressure (CVP) were collected preoperatively (T0), and since Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-arrival (T1) to 24h (T5). Echocardiographic E-wave (E), A-wave (A), E/A, peak early-diastolic TDI-mitral annular-velocity (Ea), and E/Ea investigated the diastolic function and Wall Motion Score Index (WMSI) the systolic function, preoperatively (T0) and at 96h (T1). RESULTS: Mic-Group showed lower troponin-I and lactate from coronary sinus (p=.0001 for both) and during the postoperative course (between-groups p=.001 and .0001, respectively). WMSI improved only after Mic (time-p=.001). Higher CI Δp/Δt and CCE (between-groups p=.0001), with comparable CVP and ISVR (p=N.S.) were detected after Mic. Diastolic function improved in both groups, but better after Mic (between-groups p=.003, .001, and .013 for E, E/A, and Ea, respectively). Mic resulted in lower transfusions (p=.006) and hospitalization (p=.002), and a trend towards lower need/duration of inotropes (p=.04 and p=.041, respectively), and ICU-stay (p=.015). CONCLUSION: Microplegia attenuates myocardial damage in UA, reduces transfusions, improves postoperative systo-diastolic function, and shortens hospitalization.

Is transfemoral aortic valve implantation possible without contrast medium in patients with renal and multiorgan failure?

Transfemoral aortic valve implantation has recently emerged as a therapeutic option for patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis for whom standard surgical aortic valve surgery is not suitable. Aortic valvuloplasty and valve positioning is normally performed under fluoroscopy and requires several injections of contrast medium. In critically ill patients with advanced renal insufficiency, contrast media administration can further increase renal damage; therefore, an echocardiogram and fluoroscopy-guided procedure, using the calcified contours of the stenotic aortic valve as a landmark may be a useful alternative. We report the first successful transfemoral aortic valve implantation procedure performed under fluoroscopy and transesophageal echocardiogram control, without administration of contrast medium injections in a patient with severe renal insufficiency and multiorgan failure.

Transfemoral Edwards-Novaflex valve implantation in a patient with aorto-iliac endoprosthesis and severely tortuous bilateral external iliac arteries-"Railing track".

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has nowadays been introduced as an alternative for surgical aortic valve replacement as a treatment for high risk aortic stenosis patients. This procedure is not free of complications: the SOURCE registry, indeed, showed that vascular complications are more frequent with the transfemoral approach. We present the case of an 82-year-old man with known history of severe aortic stenosis at high-risk for surgery. Pre-TAVI screening shows bilateral severely tortuous iliac arteries and aorto-bi-iliac endoprosthesis. Transapical TAVI as a first choice was rejected due to severe lung disease. The patient was then treated by Transfemoral TAVI using a dedicated interventional technique that is described in this case-report.

A rare case of pleural lymphoma.

We present a case report of a 20 years old male who had low grade fever, weight loss of about 10 kg and left-sided chest pain increasing in intensity over a year. Clinically, it mimicked left sided pleural effusion with a tender, soft, parietal swelling in left in-fraaxillary area. Chest x-ray and Computerized Tomography-scan of thorax showed pleura based mass in left hemi thorax. Computerized Tomography guided Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology confirmed the diagnosis of non Hodgkin Lymphoma, diffuse large B cell type, high-grade.