Lifetime Risk and Risk Factors for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in a 24-Year Prospective Study: The ARIC Study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities).

OBJECTIVE: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an important vascular disease in older adults, but data on lifetime risk of AAA are sparse. We examined lifetime risk of AAA in a community-based cohort and prospectively assessed the association between midlife cardiovascular risk factors and AAAs. APPROACH AND RESULTS: In ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities), 15 792 participants were recruited at visit 1 in 1987 to 1989 and followed up through 2013. Longitudinal smoking status was defined using smoking behavior ascertained from visit 1 (1987-1989) to visit 4 (1996-1998). We followed up participants for incident, clinical AAAs using hospital discharge diagnoses, Medicare outpatient diagnoses, or death certificates through 2011 and identified 590 incident AAAs. An abdominal ultrasound was conducted in 2011 to 2013 in 5911 surviving participants, and 75 asymptomatic AAAs were identified. We estimated the lifetime risk of AAA from the index age 45 years through 85 years of age. At age 45, the lifetime risk for AAA was 5.6% (95% confidence interval, 4.8-6.1) and was higher in men (8.2%) and current smokers (10.5%). Smokers who quit smoking between visit 1 and visit 4 had a 29% lower AAA lifetime risk compared with continuous smokers but had a higher risk than pre-visit 1 quitters. The lifetime risk of rupture or medical intervention was 1.6% (95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.8). Smoking, white race, male sex, greater height, and greater low-density lipoprotein or total cholesterol were associated with an increased risk of clinical AAA and asymptomatic AAA. CONCLUSIONS: At least 1 in 9 middle-aged current smokers developed AAA in their lifetime. Smoking cessation reduced the lifetime risk of AAA.

Circulating Biomarkers and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Incidence: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is complex. Cross-sectional studies have connected circulating biomarkers with AAA, but prospective evidence is limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort, we measured multiple blood biomarkers of inflammation, hemostasis, thrombin generation, cardiac dysfunction, and vascular stiffness and identified incident AAAs during follow-up using hospital discharge codes. Six biomarkers (white blood cell count, fibrinogen, D-dimer, troponin T, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) were strongly associated positively with AAA incidence. Compared with having none of these 6 biomarkers in the highest quartile, the hazard ratios of AAA for those with 1, 2, 3, or 4 to 6 biomarkers in the highest quartile were 2.2, 3.3, 4.0, and 9.9, respectively (P for trend < 0.0001) after adjustment for other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study found that higher concentrations of 6 biomarkers were associated with increased risk of AAA. The more markers that fell into the highest quartile, the higher the AAA risk was. Multiple positive biomarkers identify a subgroup of patients at high risk of AAA.

Papillary Muscle Rupture Following Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Case Report.

Papillary muscle rupture is a serious mechanical complication of acute myocardial infarction typically seen within 5-7 days following transmural ST-elevation myocardial infarction. The incidence of papillary muscle rupture has markedly decreased in the modern era due to improved diagnosis and early coronary revascularization of ST-elevation myocardial infarction. As a result, papillary muscle rupture is increasingly seen following non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction where both diagnosis and revascularization can be delayed. In this report, we describe two cases of papillary muscle rupture following delayed presentation of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and delayed recognition of papillary muscle rupture.

Left atrial to coronary sinus shunting for treatment of heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction: The ALT FLOW Early Feasibility Study 1-year results.

AIMS: Patients with heart failure and mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction have limited therapeutic options. The ALT-FLOW Early Feasibility Study evaluated safety, haemodynamics and outcomes for the APTURE transcatheter shunt system, a novel left atrium to coronary sinus shunt in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Safety and shunt implantation success was evaluated for all 116 enrolled patients. An analysis population of implanted patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >40% (n = 95) was chosen to assess efficacy via paired comparison between baseline and follow-up haemodynamic (3 and 6 months), and echocardiographic, clinical and functional outcomes (6 months and 1 year). Health status and quality of life outcomes were assessed using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary score (KCCQ-OSS). The primary safety endpoint, major adverse cardiac, cerebral, and renal events, and reintervention through 30 days, occurred in 3/116 patients (2.6%). All implanted shunts were patent at 1 year. In patients with LVEF >40%, the mean (95% confidence interval) reduction in exercise pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) at 20 W was -5.7 (-8.6, -2.9) mmHg at 6 months (p < 0.001). At baseline, 8% had New York Heart Association class I-II status and improved to 68% at 1 year (p < 0.001). KCCQ-OSS at baseline was 39 (35, 43) and improved at 6 months and 1 year by 25 (20-30) and 27 (22-32) points, respectively (both p < 0.0001). No adverse changes in haemodynamic and echocardiographic indices of right heart function were observed at 1 year. Overall, the reduction in PCWP at 20 W and improvement in KCCQ-OSS in multiple subgroups were consistent with those observed for the entire population. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with heart failure and LVEF >40%, the APTURE shunt demonstrated an acceptable safety profile with significant sustained improvements in haemodynamic and patient-centred outcomes, underscoring the need for further evaluation of the APTURE shunt in a randomized trial.

A Diagnostic Pitfall of Transthoracic Echocardiography: A Case of a Missed Large Mitral Valve Thrombus in the Setting of Suspected Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis.

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is frequently utilized in the initial evaluation of cardioembolic stroke. However, the diagnostic utility of TTE is often operator-dependent, and in conjunction with anatomical limitations, there is a range of sensitivities reported in the literature specifically in the evaluation of nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE). Thus, relying on TTE findings to rule out NBTE in the setting of cardioembolic stroke evaluation can lead to misdiagnosis in the absence of confirmatory transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). We present a case of a 67-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and recurrent ischemic strokes who was referred by her neurologist for TEE. Despite an initial TTE with a bubble study showing no evidence of intra-atrial septum, left ventricular thrombus, or any valvular pathology, there remained high suspicion of a cardioembolic source due to the bi-hemispheric presentation of the patient's previous strokes. Prior electrocardiography and cardiac event monitor showed normal sinus rhythm. Her TEE revealed a large, dense thrombus measuring 1.0 x 0.8 centimeters involving the anterior mitral valve leaflet with associated moderate mitral regurgitation. The patient was placed on systemic anticoagulation and discharged home with outpatient follow-up with cardiology. Our case highlights the diagnostic pitfalls of TTE use in the evaluation of cardioembolic stroke with a particular emphasis on NBTE in addition to discussing the rationale for follow-up TEE when TTE is otherwise unrevealing.

Left Atrial to Coronary Sinus Shunting for Treatment of Symptomatic Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is associated with both mortality and a significant decline in health status. Interatrial shunting is increasingly being investigated as a novel therapeutic option. OBJECTIVES: The ALT FLOW Early Feasibility Study was designed to evaluate the safety of the Edwards left atrial to coronary sinus APTURE Transcatheter Shunt System in patients with symptomatic HF. METHODS: A total of 18 centers enrolled patients with symptomatic HF with a pulmonary capillary wedge pressure >15 mm Hg at rest or 25 mm Hg during exercise. RESULTS: Between May 2018 and September 2022, 87 patients underwent attempted APTURE shunt implantation. Mean age was 71 years, and 53% were male. At baseline, mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 59% with 90% of the patients being in NYHA functional class III. Device success was achieved in 78 patients (90%), with no device occlusions or associated adverse events identified after implantation. The primary safety outcome occurred in only 2 patients (2.3%) at 30 days. At 6 months, health status improved: 67% of participants achieved NYHA functional class I to II status, with a 23-point improvement (P < 0.0001; 95% CI: 17-29 points) in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire overall summary score. Also at 6 months, 20-W exercise pulmonary capillary wedge pressure was 7 mm Hg lower (P < 0.0001; 95% CI: -11 to -4 mm Hg) without change in right atrial pressure or other right heart function indices. CONCLUSIONS: In this single-arm experience, the APTURE Transcatheter Shunt System in patients with symptomatic HF was observed to be safe and resulted in reduction in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and clinically meaningful improvements in HF symptoms and quality of life indices.

Aerococcus urinae Infective Endocarditis.

Aerococcus urinae is a gram-positive organism frequently found in the urinary tract. It is often mistaken for Streptococcus and Enterococcus based on its appearance. It commonly causes urinary tract infections but has rarely been associated with fatal infective endocarditis and sepsis. We present a case of Aerococcus urinae infective endocarditis and discuss echocardiographic imaging findings and management approach.

A case report of an unusual left atrial mass.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac foreign bodies (FBs) are rare findings that may present as cardiac masses initially. Here, we present an exceptional and rare case of a hypodermic needle FB that transmigrated to the left atrium and presented as a left atrial mass. CASE SUMMARY: A 28-year-old woman with multiple psychiatric disorders including intentional FB ingestion and self-inflicting injuries presented to the emergency room with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and chest pain that radiated to the left arm and face for 2 weeks. An echocardiogram was performed revealing a left atrial mass concerning for myxoma. During the surgical removal of the mass, a hypodermic needle was found attached to the roof of the left atrium surrounded by thrombotic and fibrotic tissue, which was confirmed by pathology. DISCUSSION: Cardiac FBs are caused generally by penetrating wounds from direct trauma. Fewer cases have been reported regarding cardiac FB caused by ingestion from migration of the object to the heart. Signs and symptoms for cardiac FB may mimic those of cardiac masses. Cardiac FBs often require surgical intervention to avoid complications.

Cardiac amyloid presenting as cardiogenic shock: case series.

BACKGROUND: Amyloidosis is a systemic infiltrative disease that can affect nearly every organ in the human body. It is characterized by the deposition of misfolded protein within various tissues and organs. Once there is cardiac involvement this portends a worse prognosis. CASE SUMMARY: We describe a case series of two patients with cardiac amyloidosis presenting as a cardiogenic shock. There were several missed opportunities in diagnosing cardiac amyloid prior to their fatal presentations. In the first case, a 65-year-old African-American male patient presented with worsening shortness of breath and signs of heart failure. Echocardiography revealed preserved ejection fraction. He was diagnosed with light chain subtype of cardiac amyloidosis, and rapidly deteriorated during his admission. Patient in the second case is a 75-year-old African-American female who presented with worsening heart failure and hypotension. Echocardiography revealed reduced ejection fraction. She was diagnosed with transthyretin cardiac amyloid. Her clinical status worsened during admission and she went into cardiogenic shock requiring multiple vasopressors. DISCUSSION: This case series discusses two incidences of cardiac amyloidosis presenting as cardiogenic shock in African-American patients. This article postulates that cardiac amyloidosis may be misdiagnosed for more common causes of heart failure especially among this demographic group. Once patients with cardiac amyloid present with cardiogenic shock their clinical course is typically rapidly fatal despite aggressive measures. Earlier detection is imperative to prevent poor outcomes.

Right Atrial Appendage Thrombus in Atrial Fibrillation: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common abnormal heart rhythm in adults and has become a significant public health concern affecting 2% to 3% of the population in Europe and North America. Left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombi is the source of 90% of left-sided cardiac thrombi in patients with Afib, which can cause stroke and other systemic vascular events. Right atrial appendage (RAA) thrombi formation in Afib is much less common but complications include pulmonary embolism or paradoxical migration across patent foramen ovale with risk of systemic embolization. The prevalence and subsequent clinical complications of RAA thrombi formation in Afib patients is not well understood. Management of RAA thrombi should be similar to that of LAA thrombi which includes delaying cardioversion and anticoagulating with warfarin therapy to achieve international normalized ratio of 2 to 3.

Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma.

Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a primary, histologically benign endocardial neoplasm. Though PFE has long been reported as the second most common primary cardiac neoplasm, it has since pulled ahead of cardiac myxomas, largely due to evolving cardiac imaging modalities. While PFEs are benign histologically, they have the potential for devastating clinical consequences, transient ischemic attack, stroke, myocardial infarction, syncope, pulmonary, and peripheral embolism. Despite increased detection rate, there remains uncertainty regarding etiology, exact prevalence, and clinical management of PFEs. This paucity of information is reflected by the lack of official guidelines on this matter. In this article, we aim to summarize the current state of understanding regarding PFE and discuss areas of ongoing controversy.

Serratia marcescens Endocarditis with Perivalvular Abscess Presenting as Atrioventricular Block.

Serratia marcescens is an aerobic, Gram-negative bacillus first identified in 1819 (Yeung et al. 2018). S. marcescens infective endocarditis is extremely rare accounting for only 0.14% of all cases (Phadke and Jacob 2016, Hadano et al. 2012, Nikolakopoulos et al. 2019). We present the case of a 33-year-old male with a past medical history of Hodgkin lymphoma, nonischemic cardiomyopathy ejection fraction of 25-30%, severe aortic stenosis, hepatitis C, and active intravenous (IV) drug abuse who was admitted following a motor vehicle accident. Approximately 10 days into his admission, he developed a 39.5 degree Celsius fever, which prompted collection of blood cultures. These cultures were positive (2 out of 2) for S. marcescens for which he was treated with intravenous cefepime. Soon after this diagnosis, patient developed a complete AV block. Given the instability of the patient, he required emergent placement of a temporary pacing wire. Transesophageal echocardiogram was ordered and revealed an aortic root abscess. Given the comorbidities and active IV drug use, conservative management was pursued. Although rare, trends suggest that this pathogen may be on the rise. Further research is needed to better understand how to effectively manage this pathogen.

Comparison of dobutamine stress echocardiography, dobutamine SPECT, and adenosine SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with end-stage renal disease.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to assess and compare the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE), dobutamine SPECT, and adenosine SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). BACKGROUND: The optimal stress imaging modality for patients with ESRD has not yet been determined. METHODS: Forty-nine patients with ESRD underwent DSE, dobutamine SPECT MPI, and adenosine SPECT MPI. The primary endpoint of the trial was concordance between stress tests with respect to the presence or absence of ischemia. RESULTS: Agreement on the presence or absence of ischemia between adenosine SPECT MPI and DSE was 69% (kappa = .25, P = NS). Agreement on the presence or absence of ischemia between adenosine and dobutamine SPECT MPI was 77% (kappa = .37, P = <.009). Summed stress scores for adenosine and dobutamine SPECT MPI studies were highly correlated (r = .9, P = <.0001). DSE and SPECT MPI results provided incremental prognostic information when added to clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: There is moderate concordance between DSE and adenosine SPECT MPI in ESRD patients referred for stress testing. Interobserver agreement was higher for SPECT MPI compared to DSE. Based on these observations, the optimal approach for diagnosing severe coronary artery disease and assessing risk in patients with ESRD has yet to be determined, but appears to warrant further investigation.

Prognostic value of very low plasma concentrations of troponin T in patients with stable chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Circulating cardiac troponin T, a marker of cardiomyocyte injury, predicts adverse outcome in patients with heart failure (HF) but is detectable in only a small fraction of those with chronic stable HF. We assessed the prognostic value of circulating cardiac troponin T in patients with stable chronic HF with a traditional (cTnT) and a new precommercial highly sensitive assay (hsTnT). METHODS AND RESULTS: Plasma troponin T was measured in 4053 patients with chronic HF enrolled in the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT). Troponin T was detectable in 10.4% of the population with the cTnT assay (detection limit < or = 0.01 ng/mL) compared with 92.0% with the new hsTnT assay (< or = 0.001 ng/mL). Patients with cTnT elevation or with hsTnT above the median (0.012 ng/mL) had more severe HF and worse outcome. In Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for clinical risk factors, cTnT was associated with death (780 events; hazard ratio=2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.72 to 2.52; P<0.0001) and first hospitalization for HF (655 events; hazard ratio=1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.25 to 1.93; P<0.0001). HsTnT was associated with the risk of death in unadjusted analysis for deciles of concentrations and in multivariable models (hazard ratio=1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.07 for increments of 0.01 ng/mL; P<0.0001). Addition of hsTnT to well-calibrated models adjusted for clinical risk factors, with or without brain natriuretic peptide, significantly improved prognostic discrimination (C-index, P<0.0001 for both outcomes). CONCLUSIONS: In this large population of patients with HF, detectable cTnT predicts adverse outcomes in chronic HF. By the highly sensitive assay, troponin T retains a prognostic value at previously undetectable concentrations.

Acute left atrial thrombus after recombinant factor VIIa administration during left ventricular assist device implantation in a patient with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

We present a patient with end-stage heart failure and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia Type II, who required cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) during a repeat implantation of a left ventricular assist device for long-term circulatory support. Bivalirudin was selected for anticoagulation during CPB, with concomitant infusion of aprotinin, in an effort to ameliorate blood loss. Nonetheless, profuse bleeding after CPB required massive transfusion of packed red blood cells, multiple coagulation factors, and platelets. Because of persistent bleeding, a single dose of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa, 7.2 mg) was administered as rescue therapy. Within minutes, a large left atrial thrombus was detected by transesophageal echocardiography. We believe this is the first documentation of acute left atrial thrombus formation immediately after a single dose of recombinant factor VIIa administration during a left ventricular assist device implantation.