Cardiovascular complications following medical termination of pregnancy: An updated review.

BACKGROUND: Around 1 million cases of medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) take place yearly in the United States of America with around 2 percent of this population developing complications. The cardiovascular (CVD) complications occurring post MTP or after stillbirth is not very well described. AIM: To help the reader better understand, prepare, and manage these complications by reviewing various cardiac comorbidities seen after MTP. METHODS: We performed a literature search in PubMed, Medline, RCA, and google scholar, using the search terms "abortions" or "medical/legal termination of pregnancy" and "cardiac complications" or "cardiovascular complications". RESULTS: The most common complications described in the literature following MTP were infective endocarditis (IE) (n = 16), takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) (n = 7), arrhythmias (n = 5), and sudden coronary artery dissection (SCAD) (n = 4). The most common valve involved in IE was the tricuspid valve in 69% (n = 10). The most observed causative organism was group B Streptococcus in 81% (n = 12). The most common type of TTC was apical type in 57% (n = 4). Out of five patients developing arrhythmia, bradycardia was the most common and was seen in 60% (3/5) of the patients. All four cases of SCAD-P type presented as acute coronary syndrome 10-14 d post termination of pregnancy with predominant involvement of the right coronary artery. Mortality was only reported following IE in 6.25%. Clinical recovery was reported consistently after optimal medical management following all these complications. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the occurrence of CVD complications following pregnancy termination is infrequently documented in the existing literature. In this review, the most common CVD complication following MTP was noted to be IE and TTC.

Anomalous aortic origin of right coronary artery from left coronary cusp: a management conundrum: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery anomalies are characterized by an abnormality in the course or origin of three main coronary arteries. There needs to be more scientific evidence to promptly treat coronary artery anomalies with poorly understood prognostic implications, especially anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery from the left coronary cusp. CASE PRESENTATION: A 58-year-old Caucasian female presented multiple times over 6 months with atypical chest discomfort and palpitations. The treadmill exercise test demonstrated exercise-induced non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. A coronary angiogram revealed no obstructive coronary artery disease and an anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery from the left coronary cusp with an interarterial course. She was managed conservatively with medications, despite persistent recurrent symptoms. CONCLUSION: It is essential to identify subtle symptoms and insidious onset of anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery symptoms as seen in our patient, which can contribute to significant morbidity. There are discrepancies in existing guidelines between different cardiovascular societies in managing selected subgroups of patients with anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery who do not have high-risk features, but continue to remain symptomatic.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy following envenomation: An updated review.

BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) can be diagnosed in patients presenting with clinical features of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) by using Mayo clinic criteria. Multiple precipitators have been attributed to causing TTC. Rarely it has been reported to occur following an acute envenomation. AIM: This review describes the various patterns, mechanisms, and outcomes of envenomation induced TTC. METHODS: In this review, we included all studies on "TTC" and "envenomation "published in the various databases before June 2022. To be included in the review articles had to have a distinct diagnosis of TTC and an envenomation. RESULTS: A total of 20 patients with envenomation induced TTC were identified. Most episodes of envenomation induced TTC were reported following a bee sting, scorpion sting, and snake envenomation. Fear and anxiety related to the sting, direct catecholamine toxicity and administration of exogenous beta-adrenergic agents have been commonly postulated to precipitate TTC in these patients. 95% of these patients presented with a clinical picture of ACS. Most of these patients also fulfill at least 3 out of 4 criteria of Mayo clinic criteria for TTC. Echocardiographic evidence of Apical TTC was noted in 72% of patients. 94% of these patients had clinical improvement following optimal management and 35% of these patients were treated with guideline directed medications for heart failure. CONCLUSION: Envenomation following multiple insect stings and reptile bites can precipitate TTC. Most reported envenomation related TTC has been due to bee stings and scorpion bites. Common mechanisms causing TTC were fear, anxiety, and stress of envenomation. Most of these patients present with clinical presentation of ACS, ST elevation, and elevated troponin. The most common type of TTC in these patients is Apical, which improved following medical management.

Post PCI severe gastrointestinal bleeding in the setting of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a treatment dilemma.

Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a serious complication encountered commonly in patients on chronic anticoagulation and/or antiplatelet agents. There is a lack of guidelines on how to manage antiplatelet/anticoagulant therapy in patients with thrombocytopenia and GI bleeding. This poses a clinical dilemma when a clinician encounters serious GI bleeding in clinical practice. We present a patient with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and chronic thrombocytopenia who suffered severe GI bleeding less than 2 weeks after a percutaneous coronary intervention while being treated with dual antiplatelet therapy and oral anticoagulation.

The Association Between Hyperlipidemia and In-Hospital Outcomes in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

PURPOSE: Hyperlipidemia (HLD) is one of the most common cardiovascular risk factors and is prevalent in patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM), but the association between HLD and TCM patients' outcomes is unclear. We investigated the impact of HLD on the in-hospital outcomes of TCM patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our retrospective cohort study used the latest available data from the National Inpatient Sample (2016-2017). Using the ICD-10 code, we identified 3139 patients with a primary diagnosis of TCM, 1530 of whom had HLD. We compared in-hospital outcomes between HLD and non-HLD groups before and after propensity score matching. RESULTS: In the unmatched cohort, the HLD group had lower incidences of cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, and acute respiratory failure (ARF); shorter length of stay (LOS); and lower total charges (All p<0.05). In-hospital mortality (p=0.102) and ventricular arrhythmia (p=0.235) rates did not differ. After propensity score matching, the HLD group had lower rates of in-hospital mortality (1.1% vs 2.4%, p=0.027), ARF (9.1% vs 12.1%, p = 0.022) and cardiogenic shock (3.4% vs 5.6%, p=0.012), shorter LOS (3.20 ± 3.27 days vs 3.57 ± 3.14 days, p=0.005), and lower total charges (p=0.013). The matched groups did not differ significantly regarding cardiac arrest (p=0.141), ventricular arrhythmia (p=0.662) or acute kidney injury (AKI) (p = 0.167). CONCLUSION: Counterintuitively, HLD was associated with better in-hospital outcomes in both the unmatched and propensity-matched cohorts of hospitalized TCM patients. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms that may contribute to the association in TCM patients with HLD.

Aspirin Is Associated With Reduced Rates of Venous Thromboembolism in Older Patients With Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Older patients with cancer are at high risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding. Aspirin may decrease VTE in the general population without significant bleeding. Here, we examined whether aspirin is associated with reduced rates of VTE in older patients with cancer. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using the National Inpatient Sample 2016, we retrospectively identified a cohort of patients with cancer ≥65 years old who received aspirin and a similar cohort who did not receive aspirin (n = 31 654, each). The cohorts were matched for age, sex, race, patient demographics, insurance, hospital demographics, and 9 comorbidities (smoking, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and history of deep venous thrombosis [DVT]/pulmonary embolism [PE]). Primary outcomes were discharge diagnosis of acute PE or acute DVT. Secondary outcomes were inhospital mortality, bleeding, length of hospital stay (LOS), and total hospitalization cost. The aspirin group, compared with the nonaspirin group, had a significantly lower incidence of acute PE (matched, 2.1% vs 2.6%, P < .001), acute DVT (matched, 2.3% vs 3.2%, P < .001), and inhospital mortality (matched 4.0% vs 6.5%, P < .001); shorter LOS (matched, 5.29 ± 5.01 vs 6.20 ± 6.56 days, P < .001); and lower total costs (matched, US$14 700 ± 15 031 vs US$16 363 ± 20 219, P < .001). The primary and secondary outcomes were similar before and after propensity matching. We found no increase in bleeding in the aspirin group compared to the nonaspirin group: gastrointestinal bleeding (matched, 3.8% vs 4.0%, P= .168), hematuria (matched, 3.5% vs 3.7%, P = .102), hemoptysis (matched, 0.9% vs 0.9%, P = .532), and hemorrhagic stroke (matched, 0.8% vs 0.8%, P = .443). In subgroup analyses, aspirin was associated with decreased inhospital mortality, mostly in patients with lung, colon, pancreatic, prostate, breast cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: Among older patients with cancer, aspirin was associated with lower VTE incidence and overall inhospital mortality without significantly increased bleeding.

Necrotic bowel induces takotsubo-like myocardial injury.

Although chest pain in association with ST-segment electrocardiographic deviation is often indicative of cardiac ischemia, it has also been associated with noncardiac conditions. The case of a 63-year-old woman that we report here is extraordinary because her presentation of "acute abdomen" did not appear severe enough to warrant urgent surgical intervention, whereas the chest pain and electrocardiographic changes (supported by rising troponin levels) created strong clinical suspicion of acute coronary syndrome. Was the evidence of cardiac ischemia a primary event, or was it a sequela of an acute surgical condition? Noncardiac surgical cases associated with evidence of myocardial injury can be extremely challenging from a diagnostic and management perspective. We believe that the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis is crucial to a well-considered approach.