Trends and In-Hospital Mortality for Perioperative Myocardial Infarction After the Introduction of a Diagnostic Code for Type 2 Myocardial Infarction in the United States Between 2016 and 2018.

BACKGROUND: The frequency of perioperative myocardial infarction has been declining; however, previous studies have only described type 1 myocardial infarctions. Here, we evaluate the overall frequency of myocardial infarction with the addition of an International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10-CM) code for type 2 myocardial infarction and the independent association with in-hospital mortality. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study spanning the introduction of the ICD-10-CM diagnostic code for type 2 myocardial infarction using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2016 to 2018. Hospital discharges that included a primary surgical procedure code for intrathoracic, intraabdominal, or suprainguinal vascular surgery were included. Type 1 and type 2 myocardial infarctions were identified using ICD-10-CM codes. We used segmented logistic regression to estimate change in frequency of myocardial infarctions and multivariable logistic regression to determine the association with in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 360,264 unweighted discharges were included, representing 1,801,239 weighted discharges, with median age 59 and 56% female. The overall incidence of myocardial infarction was 0.76% (13,605/1,801,239). Before the introduction of type 2 myocardial infarction code, there was a small baseline decrease in the monthly frequency of perioperative myocardial infarctions (odds ratio [OR], 0.992; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.984-1.000; P = .042), but no change in the trend after the introduction of the diagnostic code (OR, 0.998; 95% CI, 0.991-1.005; P = .50). In 2018, where there was an entire year where type 2 myocardial infarction was officially a diagnosis, the distribution of myocardial infarction type 1 was 8.8% (405/4580) ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 45.6% (2090/4580) non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and 45.5% (2085/4580) type 2 myocardial infarction. STEMI and NSTEMI were associated with increased in-hospital mortality (OR, 8.96; 95% CI, 6.20-12.96; P < .001 and OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.34-1.89; P < .001). A diagnosis of type 2 myocardial infarction was not associated with increased odds of in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.81-1.53; P = .50) when accounting for surgical procedure, medical comorbidities, patient demographics, and hospital characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of perioperative myocardial infarctions did not increase after the introduction of a new diagnostic code for type 2 myocardial infarctions. A diagnosis of type 2 myocardial infarction was not associated with increased in-patient mortality; however, few patients received invasive management that may have confirmed the diagnosis. Further research is needed to identify what type of intervention, if any, may improve outcomes in this patient population.

Preoperative ß-Blocker Therapy and Stroke or Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Major Abdominal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative ß-blocker therapy has been associated with increased risk of stroke. However, the association between ß-blocker initiation before the day of surgery and the risk of stroke is unknown. The authors hypothesized there would be no association between preoperative ß-blocker initiation within 60 days of surgery or chronic ß-blockade (more than 60 days) and the risk of stroke in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. METHODS: Data on elective major abdominal surgery were obtained from the IBM (USA) Truven Health MarketScan 2005 to 2015 Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Databases. Patients were stratified by ß-blocker dispensing exposure: (1) ß-blocker-naïve, (2) preoperative ß-blocker initiation within 60 days of surgery, and (3) chronic ß-blocker dispensing (more than 60 days). The authors compared in-hospital stroke and major adverse cardiac events between the different ß-blocker therapy exposures. RESULTS: There were 204,981 patients who underwent major abdominal surgery. ß-Blocker exposure was as follows: perioperative initiation within 60 days of surgery for 4,026 (2.0%) patients, chronic ß-blocker therapy for 45,424 (22.2%) patients, and ß-blocker-naïve for 155,531 (75.9%) patients. The unadjusted frequency of stroke for patients with ß-blocker initiation (0.4%, 17 of 4,026) and chronic ß-blocker therapy (0.4%, 171 of 45,424) was greater than in ß-blocker-naïve patients (0.2%, 235 of 155,531; P < 0.001). After propensity score weighting, patients initiated on a ß-blocker within 60 days of surgery (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.31 to 2.04; P = 0.757) or on chronic ß-blocker therapy (odds ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.65 to 1.15; P = 0.901) demonstrated similar stroke risk compared to ß-blocker-naïve patients. Patients on chronic ß-blocker therapy demonstrated lower adjusted risk of major adverse cardiac events compared to ß-blocker-naïve patients (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.91; P = 0.007), despite higher unadjusted absolute event rate (2.6% [1,173 of 45,424] vs. 0.6% [872 of 155,531]). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery, the authors observed no association between preoperative ß-blocker initiation within 60 days of surgery or chronic ß-blocker therapy and stroke.

Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score: Zero-Burden Machine Learning to Improve Prediction of Postoperative Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

Background In this retrospective, observational study we introduce the Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score, predicting perioperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after elective hip and knee arthroplasty. MACE is a rare but important driver of mortality, and existing tools, eg, the Revised Cardiac Risk Index demonstrate only modest accuracy. We demonstrate an artificial intelligence-based approach to identify patients at high risk of MACE within 4 weeks (primary outcome) of arthroplasty, that imposes zero additional burden of cost/resources. Methods and Results Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score calculation uses novel machine learning to estimate MACE risk from patient electronic health records, without requiring blood work or access to any demographic data beyond that of sex and age, and accounts for variable/missing/incomplete information across patient records. Validated on a deidentified cohort (age >45 years, n=445 391), performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (AUROC), sensitivity/specificity, positive predictive value, and positive/negative likelihood ratios. In our cohort (age 63.5±10.5 years, 58.2% women, 34.2%/65.8% hip/knee procedures), 0.19% (882) experienced the primary outcome. Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score achieved area under the receiver operator characteristics curve=80.0±0.4% (95% CI) for women and 80.1±0.5% (95% CI) for males, with 36.4% and 35.1% sensitivities, respectively, at 95% specificity, significantly outperforming Revised Cardiac Risk Index across all studied age-, sex-, risk-, and comorbidity-based subgroups. Conclusions Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score, a novel artificial intelligence-based screening tool using known and unknown comorbidity patterns, outperforms state-of-the-art in predicting MACE within 4 weeks postarthroplasty, and can identify patients at high risk that do not demonstrate traditional risk factors.

Can echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function be automated?

Echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function relies on a multi-pronged algorithm, which incorporates Doppler-based and volumetric parameters. Integration of clinical data in diastolic assessment is recommended, though not clearly outlined. We sought to develop an automated tool for diastolic function, compare its performance to human-generated diagnoses and identify the common sources of error. Our software tool is based on the 2016 diastolic guidelines algorithm, which uses 8 parameters as input, with 10 conditions as the logic and 5 possible outputs as final diagnoses. Initially, we prospectively studied 563 patients whose diastolic function was independently evaluated by an expert echocardiographer and by the automated tool. Incongruent cases were further analyzed, after which features of myocardial disease were integrated into a refined version of the software that was tested in an independent cohort of 1106 patients. In the initial analysis, 202/563 grades (36%) were incongruent between the automated and human reads, with the highest rate of discordance for mild and indeterminate categories. In 17% of cases, human diagnoses differed from that dictated by the algorithm due to integration of clinical factors. Follow-up analysis using the refined automated tool did not improve the discordance rate (440/1106; 40%). There was more discordance in cases of: age > 40 years, impaired mitral inflow patterns (E/A < 0.8) and reduced mitral e' values. Further analysis revealed differences in how readers interpreted the interaction between these factors and diastolic function, which could not be incorporated into the automated tool. In conclusion, although assessment of diastolic function relies on an algorithm that can be automated, this algorithm does not include clear guidance on how to incorporate age, or age-related changes in Doppler-based parameters, often resulting in discordant diagnoses. Standardized interpretation of these factors is needed to improve the reproducibility of diastolic function grading by human readers and the accuracy of the automated classification.

Evaluation of Appropriate Use of Preoperative Echocardiography before Major Abdominal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative resting echocardiography is often performed before noncardiac surgery, but indications for preoperative resting echocardiography are limited. This study aimed to investigate appropriateness of preoperative resting echocardiography using the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography, which encompass indications from the guidelines on perioperative cardiovascular evaluation and management and nonperioperative indications independent of the perioperative period. The authors hypothesized that patients are frequently tested without an appropriate indication. METHODS: Records of patients in the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Databases who underwent a major abdominal surgery from 2005 to 2017 were included. These databases contain de-identified records of health services for more than 250 million patients with primary or Medicare supplemental health insurance coverage through employer-based fee-for-service, point-of-service, or capitated plans. Patients were classified based on the presence of an outpatient claim for resting transthoracic echocardiography within 60 days of surgery. Appropriateness was determined via International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision-Clinical Modification, and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision-Clinical Modification principal and secondary diagnosis codes associated with the claims, and classified as "appropriate," "rarely appropriate," or "unclassifiable" using the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography. RESULTS: Among 230,535 patients in the authors' cohort, preoperative resting transthoracic echocardiography was performed in 6.0% (13,936) of patients. There were 12,638 (91%) studies classifiable by the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography, and 1,298 (9%) were unable to be classified. Among the classifiable studies, 8,959 (71%) were deemed "appropriate," while 3,679 (29%) were deemed "rarely appropriate." Surveillance of chronic ischemic heart disease and uncomplicated hypertension accounted for 43% (1,588 of 3,679) of "rarely appropriate" echocardiograms. CONCLUSIONS: More than one in four preoperative resting echocardiograms were considered "rarely appropriate" according to the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography. A narrow set of patient characteristics accounts for a large proportion of "rarely appropriate" preoperative resting echocardiograms.

Comparison of clinical and echocardiographic features of first and second waves of COVID-19 at a large, tertiary medical center serving a predominantly African American patient population.

As clinicians have gained experience in treating patients with the novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus, mortality rates for patients with acute COVID-19 infection have decreased. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has identified the African American population as having increased risk of COVID-19 associated mortality, however little is known about echocardiographic markers associated with increased mortality in this patient population. We aimed to compare the clinical and echocardiographic features of a predominantly African American patient cohort hospitalized with acute COVID-19 infection during the first (March-June 2020) and second (September-December 2020) waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to investigate which parameters are most strongly associated with composite all-cause mortality. We performed consecutive transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) on 105 patients admitted with acute COVID-19 infection during the first wave and 129 patients admitted during the second wave. TTE parameters including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), right ventricular global longitudinal strain (RVGLS), right ventricular free-wall strain (RVFWS), and right ventricular basal diameter (RVBD) were compared between the two groups. Clinical and demographic characteristics including underlying co-morbidities, biomarkers, in-hospital treatment regimens, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to determine variables associated with all-cause mortality. There were no significant differences between the two waves in terms of age, gender, BMI, or race. Overall all-cause mortality was 35.2% for the first wave compared to 14.7% for the second wave (p < 0.001). Previous medical conditions were similar between the two waves with the exception of underlying lung disease (41.9% vs. 29.5%, p = 0.047). Echocardiographic parameters were significantly more abnormal in the first wave compared to the second: LVGLS (- 17.1 ± 5.0 vs. - 18.9 ± 4.8, p = 0.02), RVGLS (- 15.7 ± 5.9% vs. - 19.0 ± 5.9%, p < 0.001), RVFWS (- 19.5 ± 6.8% vs. - 23.2 ± 6.9%, p = 0.001), and RVBD (4.5 ± 0.8 vs. 3.9 ± 0.7 cm, p < 0.001). Stepwise multivariable logistic analysis showed mechanical ventilation, RVFWS, and RVGLS to be independently associated with mortality. In a predominantly African American patient population on the south side of Chicago, the clinical and echocardiographic features of patients hospitalized with acute COVID-19 infection demonstrated marked improvement from the first to the second wave of the pandemic, with a significant decrease in all-cause mortality. Possible explanations include implementation of evidence-based therapies, changes in echocardiographic practices, and behavioral changes in our patient population. Mechanical ventilation and right-sided strain-based markers were independently associated with mortality.

Automated Procedure Logs for Cardiology Fellows: A New Training Paradigm in the Era of Electronic Health Records.

BACKGROUND: Procedural experience for residents and fellows is critical for achieving competence, and documentation of procedures performed is required. Procedure logs serve as the record of this experience, but are commonly generated manually, require substantial administrative effort, and cannot be corroborated for accuracy. OBJECTIVE: We developed and implemented a structured clinical-educational report template (CERT), which automatically generates procedure logs directly from the clinical record. METHODS: Our CERT aimed to replace the post-procedure note template for our cardiac catheterization laboratory and was incorporated into the electronic health record system. Numbers of documented procedures in automated CERT-derived procedure logs over a 1-year post-intervention period (2018-2019) were compared to manual logs and corrected for clinical volume changes. The CERT's impact on fellowship experience was also assessed. RESULTS: Automated CERT procedure logs increased weekly procedural documentation over manual procedure logs for total procedures (24.2 ± 6.1 vs 17.1 ± 6.8, P = .007), left heart catheterizations (14.5 ± 3.6 vs 10.8 ± 4.2, P = .039), total procedural elements (40.2 ± 11.4 versus 20.9 ± 12.5, P < .001), and captured procedural details not previously documented. The CERT also reduced self-reported administrative time and improved fellowship experience. CONCLUSIONS: A novel CERT allows procedure logs to be automatically derived from the clinical record and increased the number of documented procedures, compared to manual logging. This innovation ensures an accurate record of procedural experience and reduces self-reported non-educational administrative time for cardiology fellows.

A Mobile App to Facilitate Socially Distanced Hospital Communication During COVID-19: Implementation Experience.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has significantly altered health care delivery, requiring clinicians and hospitals to adapt to rapidly changing hospital policies and social distancing guidelines. At our large academic medical center, clinicians reported that existing information on distribution channels, including emails and hospital intranet posts, was inadequate to keep everyone abreast with these changes. To address these challenges, we adapted a mobile app developed in-house to communicate critical changes in hospital policies and enable direct telephonic communication between clinical team members and hospitalized patients, to support social distancing guidelines and remote rounding. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the unique benefits and challenges of adapting an app developed in-house to facilitate communication and remote rounding during COVID-19. METHODS: We adapted moblMD, a mobile app available on the iOS and Android platforms. In conjunction with our Hospital Incident Command System, resident advisory council, and health system innovation center, we identified critical, time-sensitive policies for app usage. A shared collaborative document was used to align app-based communication with more traditional communication channels. To minimize synchronization efforts, we particularly focused on high-yield policies, and the time of last review and the corresponding reviewer were noted for each protocol. To facilitate social distancing and remote patient rounding, the app was also populated with a searchable directory of numbers to patient bedside phones and hospital locations. We monitored anonymized user activity from February 1 to July 31, 2020. RESULTS: On its first release, 1104 clinicians downloaded moblMD during the observation period, of which 46% (n=508) of downloads occurred within 72 hours of initial release. COVID-19 policies in the app were reviewed most commonly during the first week (801 views). Users made sustained use of hospital phone dialing features, including weekly peaks of 2242 phone number dials, 1874 directory searches, and 277 patient room phone number searches through the last 2 weeks of the observation period. Furthermore, clinicians submitted 56 content- and phone number-related suggestions through moblMD. CONCLUSIONS: We rapidly developed and deployed a communication-focused mobile app early during COVID-19, which has demonstrated initial and sustained value among clinicians in communicating with in-patients and each other during social distancing. Our internal innovation benefited from our team's familiarity with institutional structures, short feedback loops, limited security and privacy implications, and a path toward sustainability provided by our innovation center. Challenges in content management were overcome through synchronization efforts and timestamping review. As COVID-19 continues to alter health care delivery, user activity metrics suggest that our solution will remain important in our efforts to continue providing safe and up-to-date clinical care.

Prevalence of newly diagnosed sarcoidosis in patients with ventricular arrhythmias: a cardiac magnetic resonance and 18F-FDG cardiac PET study.

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is known to be associated with ventricular tachycardia (VT); however, most investigations to date have focused on patients with known extra-cardiac sarcoidosis. The presence of CS is typically evaluated using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake on cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) or late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). In this study, we sought to determine the prevalence of primary CS and the relationship between myocardial 18F-FDG uptake and LGE in patients with VT without known sarcoidosis. We retrospectively identified 67 patients without known sarcoidosis or active ischemic heart disease (i.e. significant ischemic disease that had not been previously revascularized) referred for both CMR and PET for evaluation of VT. Standard cine- and LGE- CMR and cardiac PET protocols were used. Myocardial LGE was defined as signal intensity > 5 SDs above the mean signal intensity of normal myocardium. Cardiac PET images were considered positive if there was focal myocardial 18F-FDG uptake having greater activity than the left ventricular blood pool. 45 patients (67%) had LGE, while only 4 (6%) had myocardial FDG uptake. Nine percent of patients with LGE had FDG-uptake while none without LGE did, and 10% of the cohort had indeterminate FDG uptake presumably from poor dietary preparation. Of those with both FDG uptake and LGE, 3/4 ultimately received a clinical diagnosis of CS. 4.5% of patients without previously known sarcoidosis or active ischemic heart disease presenting with VT have newly diagnosed CS. Detection of CS can be increased using a CMR first approach followed by cardiac PET for patients with non-ischemic LGE.

Frequency and Outcomes of Preoperative Stress Testing in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017.

Importance: Cardiac stress testing is often performed prior to noncardiac surgery, although trends in use of preoperative stress testing and the effect of testing on cardiovascular outcomes are currently unknown. Objective: To describe temporal trends and outcomes of preoperative cardiac stress testing from 2004 to 2017. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional study of patients undergoing elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017. Trend analysis was conducted using Joinpoint and generalized estimating equation regression. The study searched IBM MarketScan Research Databases inpatient and outpatient health care claims for private insurers including supplemental Medicare coverage and included patients with a claim indicating an elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2017. Exposures: Elective total hip or knee arthroplasty. Main Outcomes and Measures: Trend in yearly frequency of preoperative cardiac stress testing. Results: The study cohort consisted of 801 396 elective total hip (27.9%; n = 246 168 of 801 396) and total knee (72.1%; 555 228 of 801 396) arthroplasty procedures, with a median age of 62 years (interquartile range, 57-70 years) and 58.1% women (n = 465 545 of 801 396). The overall rate of stress testing during the study period was 10.4% (n = 83 307 of 801 396). The rate of stress tests increased 0.65% (95% CI, 0.09-1.21; P = .03) annually from quarter (Q) 1 of 2004 until Q2 of 2006. A joinpoint was identified at Q3 of 2006 (95% CI, 2005 Q4 to 2007 Q4) when preoperative stress test use decreased by -0.71% (95% CI, -0.79% to 0.63%; P < .001) annually. A second joinpoint was identified at the Q4 of 2013 (95% CI, 2011 Q3 to 2015 Q3), when the decline in stress testing rates slowed to -0.40% (95% CI, -0.57% to -0.24%; P < .001) annually. The overall rate of myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest was 0.24% (n = 1677 of 686 067). Rates of myocardial infraction and cardiac arrest were not different in patients with at least 1 Revised Cardiac Risk Index condition who received a preoperative stress test and those who did not (0.60%; n = 221 of 36 554 vs 0.57%; n = 694 of 122 466; P = .51). Conclusions and Relevance: The frequency of preoperative stress testing declined annually from 2006 through 2017. Among patients with at least 1 Revised Cardiac Risk Index condition, no difference was observed in cardiovascular outcomes between patients who did and did not undergo preoperative testing.

Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography in the Era of Value-Based Care: Mission Accomplished or Future Mandates?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to highlight the past impact and current role of the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for echocardiography in value-based healthcare, and to address future implications in light of the recent mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to incorporate AUC for other imaging modalities. RECENT FINDINGS: Several studies have proven that the AUC effectively stratify the clinical practice of echocardiography as they predict important echo abnormalities and impact optimal patient care. Recent investigations have tested new technologies and demonstrated the feasibility and scalability of the application of the AUC for echocardiography at the point of care. The AUC for echocardiography has accomplished their core mission, as utilization has moderated over the last decade and mandatory implementation at the point of care for echocardiography remains rare. While a new mandate signals another wave of focus on appropriate utilization, echocardiography stands ready.

Accuracy of Physical Function Questions to Predict Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity as Measured by Hip Accelerometry.

BACKGROUND: Functional capacity assessment is a core component of current perioperative cardiovascular evaluation and management guidelines for noncardiac surgery. The authors investigated the ability of standardized physical function questions to predict whether participants engaged in moderate physical activity as measured by hip accelerometers. METHODS: Participant responses to physical functioning questions and whether they engaged in moderate physical activity were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003 to 2004 and 2005 to 2006). Physical activity intensity was measured using hip accelerometers. Adult participants with at least one Revised Cardiac Risk Index condition were included in the analysis. Standardized physical function questions were evaluated using a classification and regression tree analysis. Training and test datasets were randomly generated to create and test the analysis. RESULTS: Five hundred and twenty-two participants were asked the physical functioning questions and 378 of 522 (72.4%) had a bout of moderate-vigorous activity. Classification and regression tree analysis identified a "no difficulty" response to walking up 10 stairs and the ability to walk two to three blocks as the most sensitive questions to predict the presence of a 2-min bout of moderate activity. Participants with positive responses to both questions had a positive likelihood ratio of 3.7 and a posttest probability greater than 90% of a 2-min bout of moderate-vigorous activity. The sensitivity and specificity of positive responses to physical functioning questions in the pruned tree were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.94 to 0.98) and 0.16 (95% CI, 0.10 to 0.23) for training data, and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.96) and 0.10 (95% CI, 0.00 to 0.45) for the test data. Participants with at least one 2-min bout of moderate activity had a greater percentage of overall daily active time (35.4 ± 0.5 vs. 26.7 ± 1.2; P = 0.001) than those without. CONCLUSIONS: Standardized physical function questions are highly sensitive but poorly specific to identify patients who achieve moderate physical activity. Additional strategies to evaluate functional capacity should be considered.

Totally endoscopic robotic-assisted excision of right ventricular papillary fibroelastoma.

Although they comprise a small number of primary tumors of the heart, papillary fibroelastomas (PFEs) are the second most common type of benign cardiac tumor. PFEs of the right heart are uncommon, and those arising from the right-ventricular (RV) wall are extremely rare, with only a handful of reported cases in the literature. Removal of these tumors has been described, primarily through a median sternotomy approach, with only one report of using a right-sided mini-thoracotomy technique. The advantages of endoscopic robotic-assisted cardiac surgery have been demonstrated and described extensively. We report on a case of an incidentally found PFE in the RV that was successfully removed with a totally endoscopic robotic-assisted approach. The focus of our report is on the uniqueness of both the right-sided nonvalvular PFE and the treatment with a robotic totally endoscopic surgical approach.