Mechanical Circulatory Support in Patients With COVID-19 Presenting With Myocardial Infarction.

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicating COVID-19 is associated with an increased risk of cardiogenic shock and mortality. However, little is known about the frequency of use and clinical impact of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in these patients. We sought to define patterns of MCS utilization, patient characteristics, and outcomes in patients with COVID-19 with STEMI. The NACMI (North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction) is an ongoing prospective, observational registry of patients with COVID-19 positive (COVID-19+) with STEMI with a contemporary control group of persons under investigation who subsequently tested negative for COVID-19 (COVID-19-). We compared the baseline characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of COVID-19+ and patients with COVID-19- according to the use of MCS. The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital mortality, stroke, recurrent MI, and repeat unplanned revascularization. A total of 1,379 patients (586 COVID-19+ and 793 COVID-19-) enrolled in the NACMI registry between January 2020 and November 2021 were included in this analysis; overall, MCS use was 12.3% (12.1% [n = 71] COVID-19+/MCS positive [MCS+] vs 12.4% [n = 98] COVID-19-/MCS+). Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. The use of percutaneous coronary intervention was similar between the groups (84% vs 78%; p = 0.404). Intra-aortic balloon pump was the most frequently used MCS device in both groups (53% in COVID-19+/MCS+ and 75% in COVID-19-/MCS+). The primary outcome was significantly higher in COVID-19+/MCS+ patients (60% vs 30%; p = 0.001) because of very high in-hospital mortality (59% vs 28%; p = 0.001). In conclusion, patients with COVID-19+ with STEMI requiring MCS have very high in-hospital mortality, likely related to the significantly higher pulmonary involvement compared with patients with COVID-19- with STEMI requiring MCS.

Trends in Clinical Presentation, Management, and Outcomes of STEMI in Patients With COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported high in-hospital mortality for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with COVID-19 treated in the early phase of the pandemic. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe trends of COVID-19 patients with STEMI during the course of the pandemic. METHODS: The NACMI (North American COVID-19 STEMI) registry is a prospective, investigator-initiated, multicenter, observational registry of hospitalized STEMI patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection in North America. We compared trends in clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients treated in the first year of the pandemic (January 2020 to December 2020) vs those treated in the second year (January 2021 to December 2021). RESULTS: A total of 586 COVID-19-positive patients with STEMI were included in the present analysis; 227 treated in Y2020 and 359 treated in Y2021. Patients' characteristics changed over time. Relative to Y2020, the proportion of Caucasian patients was higher (58% vs 39%; P < 0.001), patients presented more frequently with typical ischemic symptoms (59% vs 51%; P = 0.04), and patients were less likely to have shock pre-PCI (13% vs 18%; P = 0.07) or pulmonary manifestations (33% vs. 47%; P = 0.001) in Y2021. In-hospital mortality decreased from 33% (Y2020) to 23% (Y2021) (P = 0.008). In Y2021, none of the 22 vaccinated patients expired in hospital, whereas in-hospital death was recorded in 37 (22%) unvaccinated patients (P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Significant changes have occurred in the clinical characteristics and outcomes of STEMI patients with COVID-19 infection during the course of the pandemic.

Primary Cardiac Lymphoma: A Case Report.

Cardiac lymphoma is a rare neoplasm involving heart, pericardium or both, usually seen in immunocompromised patients. We report a 61-year-old male presenting with worsening shortness of breath and 20-pound weight loss. Investigations showed right-sided tumor with interatrial septal wall perforation and left atrial expansion. The diagnosis was confirmed with mediastinal mass biopsy. After receiving the appropriate treatment, there was a steady improvement clinically and on the transesophageal echocardiography.

Outcomes of Renal Function in Cardiogenic Shock Patients With or Without Mechanical Circulatory Support.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to compare the renal outcomes in patients presenting with all-cause cardiogenic shock who were supported by either Impella devices (Abiomed, Danvers, MA), intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), or vasopressors alone. Outcomes of cardiogenic shock remain poor even with the advancement of early revascularization and circulatory supportive care. Percutaneous mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device has emerged as an effective strategy in protecting end organ function especially renal function during high risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and in patients with cardiogenic shock. Currently, comparative data amongst various MCS modalities and their association with improvement of renal function in cardiogenic shock patients have not been well characterized. METHODS: Data from New Jersey Cardiac Catheterization Data registry of cardiogenic shock patients from a single tertiary care institution that underwent cardiac catheterization and the modality used to treat were obtained, either with Impella devices, IABP, or treatment with vasopressors alone. Retrospective chart review was conducted to assess the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) on patients with cardiogenic shock prior to and after cardiac catheterization and renal function was evaluated over the course of 96 h after cardiac catheterization. Statistical analysis was performed to ascertain significant difference in creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients who received Impella devices, IABP, or were treated with vasopressors alone. RESULTS: A total of 61 all-cause cardiogenic shock patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in the study with 19 receiving IABPs, 15 receiving Impella devices, and 27 treated with vasopressors alone. Baseline characteristics among these three groups did not show any statistically significant difference. A total of 29 cardiogenic shock patients had experienced AKI prior to cardiac catheterization in which those receiving Impella devices showed statistically significant decrease in creatinine and increase in eGFR at 72 and 96 h (P < 0.05) compared to baseline. Within the same cohort, Impella group showed statistically significant lower creatinine at 96 h when compared to IABP. Patients that experienced AKI after cardiac catheterization did not show any statistically significant changes in renal function regardless of modality used. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that Impella devices improve renal function in all-cause cardiogenic shock patients who experience AKI prior to undergoing cardiac catheterization.

Clinical presentation and predictors of target vessel revascularization after drug-eluting stent implantation.

BACKGROUND: Drug eluting stent (DES) failure including restenosis and stent thrombosis, or disease progression may result in target vessel revascularization (TVR) but the relative contribution of these mechanisms in the DES era is not well described. We sought to examine the predictors and presentations of patients with clinically driven TVR after DES. METHODS: Patients with all lesions treated with a DES in the Dynamic Registry from 2004 to 2006 were analyzed. Included were 2691 patients with 3401 lesions. Patients with and without incident clinically driven TVR at 2years were compared according to baseline clinical, procedural, and angiographic characteristics and independent predictors of TVR and target lesion revascularization (TLR) were determined by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: By 2-years, TVR occurred in 7.2% of patients and TLR in 3.8%, with 71.6% and 82.5% of repeat revascularization events occurring in the first year, respectively. The indication for first TVR was myocardial infarction in 18.6% (n=34), unstable angina in 42.6% (n=78), stable coronary disease in 25.7% (n=47) and other/unknown in 13.1% (n=24). Disease progression was responsible for 47% of TVR. Among patients with TLR, restenosis was the mechanism in 86.6% and stent thrombosis in 13.4%. Independent predictors of TVR included younger age, diabetes, attempted graft lesion, lesion length >30mm and prior lesion intervention. Independent predictors of TVR and TLR were similar. CONCLUSION: The incidence of clinically driven TVR is low in patients treated with DES and nearly half is attributable to disease progression, which along with the low rate of in-stent restenosis explains why the mode of presentation is often an acute coronary syndrome.

Nonseptal right atrial aneurysm: case report and review of literature.

An aneurysm of the portion of the right atrium classically referred to as the subeustachian sinus is reported in a 75-year-old man with cardiac amyloidosis, AL phenotype, related to underlying multiple myeloma. A review of literature confirms the rarity of nonseptal right atrial aneurysms and their propensity to involve the subeustachian area of the right atrium which may be an intrinsic area of weakness in the atrial wall. The coincident amyloidosis in our current case suggests that hemodynamic factors may have played a role in the development of the aneurysm.