Late Transcatheter Aortic Valve Thrombosis Leading to Cardiogenic Shock.

A 67-year-old woman with prior transcatheter aortic valve replacement presented with worsening dyspnea. Imaging revealed transcatheter aortic valve thrombosis and aortic stenosis. Despite oral anticoagulation, she progressively deteriorated and developed cardiogenic shock. We highlight the Heart Team's role in treating this unusual late thrombosis. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Surgical Salvage of Annular Rupture After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation by Conversion Into Annular Enlargement.

We describe an 88-year-old woman who experienced annular rupture during transcatheter aortic valve replacement despite preventative measures. She underwent Y incision and rectangular patch for the double purpose of repairing the rupture and enlarging the aortic root. We highlight the heart team's role in confronting this potentially catastrophic complication. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

Effect of Elevated C-Reactive Protein on Outcomes After Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Angina Pectoris.

Inflammation and procedural complexity are individually associated with adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We aimed to evaluate the association of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with adverse events according to PCI complexity. We included patients with available hsCRP levels who underwent PCI at our center from 2012 to 2017. We compared patients with hsCRP ≥3 versus <3 mg/L. Complex PCI was defined as having ≥1 of the following: ≥3 different target vessels, ≥3 lesions treated, ≥3 stents implanted, bifurcation lesion treated with 2 stents, chronic total occlusion as target lesion, or total stent length >60 mm. The primary end point was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) (composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization) at 1 year. A total of 11,979 patients were included, of which 2,840 (24%) underwent complex PCI. In those, 767 (27%) had hsCRP ≥3 mg/L. The 1-year incidence of MACE was 6% (noncomplex PCI, low hsCRP), 10% (noncomplex PCI, high hsCRP), 10% (complex PCI, low hsCRP), and 15% (complex PCI, high hsCRP). Overall, hsCRP ≥3 mg/L was associated with an increased risk of MACE compared with hsCRP <3 mg/L; this was independent of the number of complex PCI features: 0 (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27 to 1.86), 1 (adjusted HR 1.77; 95% CI 1.21 to 2.60), or ≥2 (adjusted HR 1.21; 95% CI 0.80 to 1.83) (pinteraction = 0.42). In conclusion, in patients who underwent PCI, elevated hsCRP is associated with an increased risk of ischemic events. The effect of elevated hsCRP on cardiovascular risk is consistent regardless of PCI complexity.

Latest Advances in Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most prevalent valvular heart disease globally. Mitral valve surgery is the gold-standard treatment for MR. However, a significant portion of patients with mitral valve disease are at high or prohibitive surgical risk. Transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) has emerged as a potential treatment option for this vulnerable population. Numerous TMVR devices are currently being investigated, with early data demonstrating feasibility and efficacy of TMVR. In this article, we explore the unique challenges of designing a TMVR system and describe the TMVR systems under clinical evaluation.

Outcomes of Patients Receiving Downstream Revascularization After Initial Medical Management for Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes (From the TRILOGY ACS Trial).

Patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE ACS) are sometimes treated with medical management alone rather than an invasive strategy. Among those medically managed without revascularization and discharged, a proportion will require revascularization later on, but little is known about this population. In TRILOGY ACS, 9,326 patients with NSTE ACS who were selected for medical management alone were randomized to treatment with prasugrel or clopidogrel and discharged without revascularization. Patient characteristics and ischemic and bleeding outcomes through 30 months were compared between patients who underwent downstream revascularization after the index hospitalization and those who did not. A total of 662 patients (7.1%) underwent later revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention (73.1%), coronary artery bypass graft surgery (26.4%), or the two (0.5%). Median time to revascularization was 121 days (twenty-fifth, seventy-fifth percentiles: 41, 326). Revascularized patients were younger, more likely to be male, and had higher rates of hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction, and prior revascularization compared with those not revascularized. Europe and North America had the highest rates of revascularization. During the follow-up period, those who underwent revascularization had a higher rate of the composite outcome of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke occurring after revascularization compared with those not revascularized (hazard ratio [HR] 2.73 [95% confidence interval {CI} 2.21 to 3.38], p < 0.001) as well as a higher rate of each of the individual outcomes. Major bleeding was also higher in those who underwent revascularization (GUSTO severe or life-threatening: HR 2.61 [95% CI 1.02 to 6.67], p = 0.045; TIMI major: HR 2.24 [95% CI 1.12 to 4.48], p = 0.022). There was no evidence that bleeding and ischemic outcomes varied by treatment with clopidogrel versus prasugrel. In conclusion, among patients initially medically managed after NSTE ACS, a small proportion later require revascularization and have a high rate of ischemic and major bleeding outcomes compared with those not requiring downstream revascularization.

Impact of Regional Systems of Care on Disparities in Care Among Female and Black Patients Presenting With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline STEMI (ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction) Systems Accelerator program, conducted in 16 regions across the United States to improve key care processes, resulted in more patients being treated within national guideline goals (time from first medical contact to device: <90 minutes for direct presenters to hospitals capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention; <120 minutes for transfers). We examined whether the effort reduced reperfusion disparities in the proportions of female versus male and black versus white patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: In total, 23 809 patients (29.3% female, 82.3% white, and 10.7% black) presented with acute STEMI between July 2012 and March 2014. Change in the proportion of patients treated within guideline goals was compared between sex and race subgroups for patients presenting directly to hospitals capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention (n=18 267) and patients requiring transfer (n=5542). The intervention was associated with an increase in the proportion of men treated within guideline goals that presented directly (58.7-62.1%, P=0.01) or were transferred (43.3-50.7%, P<0.01). An increase was also seen among white patients who presented directly (57.7-59.9%, P=0.02) or were transferred (43.9-48.8%, P<0.01). There was no change in the proportion of female or black patients treated within guideline goals, including both those presenting directly and transferred. CONCLUSION: The STEMI Systems Accelerator project was associated with an increase in the proportion of patients meeting guideline reperfusion targets for male and white patients but not for female or black patients. Efforts to organize systems of STEMI care should implement additional processes targeting barriers to timely reperfusion among female and black patients.

Association of Public Health Initiatives With Outcomes for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest at Home and in Public Locations.

Importance: Little is known about the influence of comprehensive public health initiatives according to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) location, particularly at home, where resuscitation efforts and outcomes have historically been poor. Objective: To describe temporal trends in bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first-responder defibrillation for OHCAs stratified by home vs public location and their association with survival and neurological outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This observational study reviewed 8269 patients with OHCAs (5602 [67.7%] at home and 2667 [32.3%] in public) for whom resuscitation was attempted using data from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2014. The setting was 16 counties in North Carolina. Exposures: Patients were stratified by home vs public OHCA. Public health initiatives to improve bystander and first-responder interventions included training members of the general population in CPR and in the use of automated external defibrillators, teaching first responders about team-based CPR (eg, automated external defibrillator use and high-performance CPR), and instructing dispatch centers on recognition of cardiac arrest. Main Outcomes and Measures: Association of resuscitation efforts with survival and neurological outcomes from 2010 through 2014. Results: Among home OHCA patients (n = 5602), the median age was 64 years, and 62.2% were male; among public OHCA patients (n = 2667), the median age was 68 years, and 61.5% were male. After comprehensive public health initiatives, the proportion of patients receiving bystander CPR increased at home (from 28.3% [275 of 973] to 41.3% [498 of 1206], P < .001) and in public (from 61.0% [275 of 451] to 70.5% [424 of 601], P = .01), while first-responder defibrillation increased at home (from 42.2% [132 of 313] to 50.8% [212 of 417], P = .02) but not significantly in public (from 33.1% [58 of 175] to 37.8% [93 of 246], P = .17). Survival to discharge improved for arrests at home (from 5.7% [60 of 1057] to 8.1% [100 of 1238], P = .047) and in public (from 10.8% [50 of 464] to 16.2% [98 of 604], P = .04). Compared with emergency medical services-initiated CPR and resuscitation, patients with home OHCA were significantly more likely to survive to hospital discharge if they received bystander-initiated CPR and first-responder defibrillation (odds ratio, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.01-2.38). Patients with arrests in public were most likely to survive if they received both bystander-initiated CPR and defibrillation (odds ratio, 4.33; 95% CI, 2.11-8.87). Conclusions and Relevance: After coordinated and comprehensive public health initiatives, more patients received bystander CPR and first-responder defibrillation at home and in public, which was associated with improved survival.

Current State of Radial Artery Catheterization in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

A well-established body of evidence demonstrating the advantages of a transradial approach for coronary angiography and intervention has led to worldwide adoption of this technique. In some countries, radial access has replaced femoral access as the dominant access site for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). More recently, numerous randomized controlled trials have compared transradial and transfemoral access in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and have shown that transradial access is associated with lower mortality and less major bleeding. This review examines the advantages of transradial primary PCI for STEMI patients, addresses concerns in adopting this approach for primary PCI, and reviews recommendations on how to start a transradial primary PCI program.

Therapeutic challenges of pancreatic ascites and the role of endoscopic pancreatic stenting.

Management of pancreatic ascites poses significant therapeutic challenges. Treatment usually consists of either conservative management or interventional therapy with little consensus between the two options. Conservative therapy is the most common initial treatment option but has high failure rates hence arguing for interventional therapy as a preferred primary treatment option. Endoscopic treatment is particularly appealing due to lower failure rates and mortality than conservative therapy or surgery. We describe a patient with recurrent pancreatic ascites who was successfully managed with endoscopic transpapillary stenting. This report contributes to the limited but growing literature on the management of pancreatic ascites.

Increased aortic stiffness in the insulin-resistant Zucker fa/fa rat.

Accumulating clinical evidence indicates increased aortic stiffness, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, in type 2 diabetic and glucose-intolerant individuals. The present study sought to determine whether increased mechanical stiffness, an altered extracellular matrix, and a profibrotic gene expression profile could be observed in the aorta of the insulin-resistant Zucker fa/fa rat. Mechanical testing of Zucker fa/fa aortas showed increased vascular stiffness in longitudinal and circumferential directions compared with Zucker lean controls. Unequal elevations in developed strain favoring the longitudinal direction resulted in a loss of anisotropy. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry revealed increased expression of fibronectin and collagen IV alpha 3 in the Zucker fa/fa aorta. In addition, expression of transforming growth factor-beta and several Smad proteins was increased in vessels from insulin-resistant animals. In rat vascular smooth muscle cells, 12-18 h of exposure to insulin (100 nmol/l) enhanced transforming growth factor-beta1 mRNA expression, implicating a role for hyperinsulinemia in vascular stiffness. Thus there is mechanical, structural, and molecular evidence of arteriosclerosis in the Zucker fa/fa rat at the glucose-intolerant, hyperinsulinemic stage.