Hospital admissions for mitral stenosis in pregnancy in the United States: a thirteen-year analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac conditions are a significant cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, significantly exacerbated during the hemodynamic demands of pregnancy. Mitral stenosis in pregnancy (MSp) is rare in the USA however, it has a high risk for maternal complications. METHODS: We aim to outline the burden of MSp hospitalizations nationally. A retrospective review of HCUP/NIS data from 2002-2014 was conducted. RESULTS: There were 2014 weighted discharges for both pregnancy and mitral stenosis (MS). Patients diagnosed with MS had a more considerable mean cost per discharge than the comparison group. Pulmonary Hypertension (PH), Atrial Arrhythmias (AA), Stroke, and Heart Failure (HF) were respectively reported in 25.71%, 7.14%, 0.95%, and 19.28% of the discharges. Our study identified a low incidence of MS in the US over the 12-year period; no deaths were identified. CONCLUSION: Our results substantiate MSp as a risk factor for PH, AA, HF, and stroke in pregnancy. Even though the mortality is low, it is essential that clinicians be aware of this diagnosis due to higher associated morbidity and costs.

Hospital admissions for aortic stenosis in pregnancy in the United States - a thirteen year analysis.

Cardiac disease is still the leading cause of non-pregnancy related maternal morbidity and mortality. Valvular disease is one of the most concerning cardiac conditions in pregnancy. Aortic stenosis (AS) is rare in young populations but deadly complications have been reported in pregnant women. This study is a retrospective review of data from the HCUP-NIS Database from 2002-2014. There were 1108 weighted discharges for both pregnancy and AS. The data contained ten or fewer unweighted discharges with AS in pregnancy that underwent a cardiac intervention: open heart surgery or percutaneous cardiac intervention. Patients who had at least one diagnosis for AS had a greater mean cost per discharge than the comparison groups. No deaths were identified in this group. We found a statistically significant increase in the billing codes for pulmonary hypertension and heart failure. Conditions commonly associated with AS such as atrial arrhythmias, ventricular arrhythmias, diastolic dysfunction, ischemic heart disease and stroke were poorly reported. Our study identified a low incidence of AS and its complications in pregnancy in the USA over our 13-year study period. Even though, the morbidity and mortality are low, it is important that clinicians be aware of this diagnosis due higher costs and risk of complications.

A Rare Case of Non-Prosthetic Aortic Valve Infectious Endocarditis Caused by Achromobacter xylosoxidans.

BACKGROUND Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a ubiquitous environmental gram-negative bacterium, very resistant to antibiotics. Endocarditis caused by these bacteria is extremely rare, with only 20 cases described in the literature to our knowledge. Mortality rates are high, and treatment usually involves a combination of antibiotics and surgery. Nosocomial infections predominate with a strong association between bacteremia and immunosuppression. CASE REPORT A 19-year-old immunocompetent male presented with endocarditis He had interatrial and interventricular communication corrected at age 11 months and aortic coarctation correction at age 10. Initial echocardiogram showed a possible interventricular patch infection, which was later ruled out. He was treated initially for endocarditis with a combination of antibiotics, but because he remained febrile after appropriate antibiotic treatment, surgery was performed. The patient had a favorable outcome after surgery and was asymptomatic on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Endocarditis caused by A. xylosoxidans is extremely rare. To date, only 20 cases of IT have been reported in the literature, of which only two involved a native valve. Given the scarcity of cases reported, there is no consensus on the best treatment.

Concealed Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome revealed by acute coronary syndrome.

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is a conduction disturbance in which atrial impulses are transmitted to the ventricles by an accessory pathway instead of the normal atrioventricular conduction. The WPW syndrome may either simulate myocardial infarction or mask the electrocardiographic abnormalities of an acute MI. However, concealed WPW revealed after an acute coronary syndrome is rare with few cases reported in the literature. This article reports a case of coronary artery disease with ST-segment elevation in a 57-year-old man, previously asymptomatic, with an initial electrocardiogram showing no conduction abnormalities that subsequently presented with an ECG compatible with WPW.

Hospital admissions for tuberculous pericarditis in the United States 2002-2014.

Background: Extra pulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis (TB) are rare in developed countries. TB is the main etiology of chronic pericarditis in developing countries, but it's epidemiology is not unknown in the United States. Methods: This retrospective study used the Healthcare Utilization Projects/Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUPS/NIS) database from 2002-2014 to evaluate the characteristics, risk factors, trends over time and region of tuberculous pericarditis in the United States. Results: The data during the study period consists of 100,790,900 discharges accounting for 482,872,274 weighted discharges. The data showed 744 weighted discharges with indication of both tuberculosis and pericarditis. A co-ocurrence of TB pericarditis and malignancy or chronic kidney disease was more common than in patients without TB pericarditis. The frequency of co-ocurrence of TB pericarditis and HIV infection, obesity, alcohol abuse and organ transplant was not elevated. Conclusion: TB pericarditis is rare disease in the USA and the classical risk factors for lung tuberculosis may not be associated with TB pericarditis. CKD and malignancy appear to be associated with TB pericarditis, further studies are required to determine causality.