Percutaneous aspiration and removal of infected leadless pacemaker vegetation.

INTRODUCTION: Leadless pacemakers represent an increasingly utilized alternative to traditional pacing methods in those with prior bacteremia or at high risk for infection. The acknowledged resistance to infection is illustrated by the exceedingly rare documentation of it. METHODS: We present a case of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis with associated leadless pacemaker infection necessitating percutaneous aspiration of the device-associated vegetation followed by extraction of the leadless pacemaker. RESULTS: Large vegetation associated with a leadless pacemaker was percutaneously aspirated with a vacuum-assisted aspiration device, followed by successful extraction of the leadless pacemaker. CONCLUSION: While leadless pacemakers are seldom involved in infective endocarditis, ultrasound evaluation in high-risk patients with an undetermined source is reasonable. Before extraction, it is practical to consider aspiration of large associated vegetations with a vacuum-assisted device.

Clinical and Echocardiographic Features Associated With Improved Survival in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis Undergoing Balloon Aortic Valvuloplasty (BAV).

BACKGROUND: Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is used in high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) when the benefit of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is unclear. Our objective was to identify clinical or echocardiographic features that identify patients likely to benefit from BAV. METHODS: We studied 141 consecutive patients who underwent BAV from July, 2011 to October, 2017. Clinical characteristics, routine echocardiographic parameters, and speckle tracking imaging of global longitudinal strain (GLS) were assessed before and after BAV. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality as ascertained by the National Death Index. RESULTS: There were 141 patients, median age, 80 years (interquartile range [IQR], 74-87 years) with severe AS (median aortic valve area, 0.66 cm²; IQR, 0.53-0.79 cm²) and median mean gradient of 36 mm Hg (IQR, 27-48 mm Hg) who underwent BAV. The 1-year mortality rate was 52%. Characteristics associated with survival were New York Heart Association class I symptoms, lower brain natriuretic peptide level, higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >53%, and higher GLS (>13.2%; absolute values were used for GLS). Landmark analysis at 60 days showed the 47 patients who underwent TAVR/SAVR after BAV had significantly better 1-year survival than those who did not (P<.001). CONCLUSION: A high 1-year mortality rate was observed in severe AS patients selected for BAV. LVEF and left ventricular (LV)-GLS offer similar prognostic value for 1-year mortality; however, LV-GLS may have potentially increased clinical utility, as it provides a clear threshold for predicting poor outcomes compared with LVEF. As patients who undergo TAVR/SAVR have markedly improved mortality, careful consideration should be given to advance definitive valve therapy in carefully selected BAV patients.

The Cox-Maze IV procedure for atrial fibrillation is equally efficacious in patients with rheumatic and degenerative mitral valve disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the etiology of mitral valve disease (MVD), due to either rheumatic or degenerative pathology, influences long-term outcomes after the Cox-Maze IV procedure (CMPIV). METHODS: Between February 2001 and July 2015, 245 patients received a CMIV and concomitant mitral valve procedure. Patients were separated into 2 cohorts based on their etiology of MVD, degenerative (n = 153) and rheumatic (n = 92). Patients were followed prospectively (mean follow-up: 41 ± 37 months) for recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATAs). Perioperative variables and long-term freedom from ATAs on and off antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The 2 groups differed in that patients with rheumatic MVD were younger, more likely female, had a larger preoperative left atrial diameter, a longer duration of atrial fibrillation (AF), a greater percentage of longstanding persistent AF, and worse New York Heart Association functional class (P ≤ .001). Although there was no difference in operative mortality or overall major complications between the groups, the median length of stay in the intensive care unit was longer in the rheumatic cohort. Freedom from recurrent ATAs through 5 years was similar between the 2 cohorts. Predictors of recurrence included failure to use a box-lesion (P = .012), the duration of preoperative AF (P = .001), and early occurrence of ATAs (P = .015). CONCLUSIONS: The long-term efficacy of the CMPIV in restoring sinus rhythm was similar in patients with either rheumatic or degenerative mitral valve disease. Despite representing a sicker patient population with a longer duration of preoperative AF, patients with rheumatic MVD equally benefit from the CMPIV.