Deep Learning Algorithms to Detect Murmurs Associated With Structural Heart Disease.

Background The success of cardiac auscultation varies widely among medical professionals, which can lead to missed treatments for structural heart disease. Applying machine learning to cardiac auscultation could address this problem, but despite recent interest, few algorithms have been brought to clinical practice. We evaluated a novel suite of Food and Drug Administration-cleared algorithms trained via deep learning on >15 000 heart sound recordings. Methods and Results We validated the algorithms on a data set of 2375 recordings from 615 unique subjects. This data set was collected in real clinical environments using commercially available digital stethoscopes, annotated by board-certified cardiologists, and paired with echocardiograms as the gold standard. To model the algorithm in clinical practice, we compared its performance against 10 clinicians on a subset of the validation database. Our algorithm reliably detected structural murmurs with a sensitivity of 85.6% and specificity of 84.4%. When limiting the analysis to clearly audible murmurs in adults, performance improved to a sensitivity of 97.9% and specificity of 90.6%. The algorithm also reported timing within the cardiac cycle, differentiating between systolic and diastolic murmurs. Despite optimizing acoustics for the clinicians, the algorithm substantially outperformed the clinicians (average clinician accuracy, 77.9%; algorithm accuracy, 84.7%.) Conclusions The algorithms accurately identified murmurs associated with structural heart disease. Our results illustrate a marked contrast between the consistency of the algorithm and the substantial interobserver variability of clinicians. Our results suggest that adopting machine learning algorithms into clinical practice could improve the detection of structural heart disease to facilitate patient care.

Pneumopericardium- An Unusual Complication Following Transseptal Puncture: A Series of 3 Cases.

Transseptal puncture (TSP) is performed to access the left side of the heart from the venous circulation. Performed under fluoroscopy with echocardiographic guidance, it is a procedure associated with complications. Pneumopericardium leading to cardiac tamponade is rare following TSP. We present 3 cases of pneumopericardium during TSP and its identification, probable mechanism, and management. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

The impact of COVID19 nationwide lock-down on STEMI hospitalization and outcomes in South India.

Covid-19 Nationwide lockdown for social containment was implemented on the 23rd of March 2020. The objective of this study was to look at the impact of lockdown on STEMI (<24hrs window period). This study was done in 2 phases, 43 days before (phase1) and 43 days during lockdown (phase 2). During the lockdown, there was a 31% decrease in hospital admission rates, 11.5% and 9.38% proportional increase in diabetics and hypertensive patients presenting with STEMI. The public must be educated about the existing important health problems in the community along with the pandemic warnings.

Acute Coronary Syndrome From Green Snake Envenomation.

BACKGROUND: Snake bite is a grossly underreported public health issue in subtropical, tropical suburban, and rural areas of Africa and South Asia. In literature, ophitoxemia (snake bite envenomation) as a cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is limited to very few case reports. Viper envenomation is the most common cause of ACS among snake bites. We report the first case of unstable angina caused by Colubridae snake bite (Ahaetullanasuta, commonly called green snakes) in a young man without comorbidities. CASE REPORT: A young healthy man had a green snake bite that was camouflaged in the green fodder. He was managed elsewhere with anti-snake serum. He developed acute chest pain and breathlessness on day 3 of his treatment. Electrocardiogram (ECG) showed biphasic T wave inversions suggestive of type A Wellens pattern in the anterior chest leads (V1-V4). He was treated for ACS medically outside and was referred to our institute for further management on the following day. ECG and cardiac enzymes were normal. The echocardiogram showed no regional wall motion abnormality. Computed tomography coronary angiography showed normal epicardial coronaries. He was discharged in stable condition and asymptomatic at 2 months follow-up. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: ACS after a snake bite is not limited to venomous snakes. The diagnosis should be considered promptly even with a nonvenomous snake bite, especially in those with typical symptoms and ECG changes. The time interval between snake bite and development of ACS can be long and warrants prolonged medical supervision.

Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: The prognostic importance of lead augmented vector right and leads V7-V9.

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with high mortality and among survivors have high morbidity. Electrocardiogram (ECG), a cost-effective and easily available, has traditionally been used not only just for diagnosis of MI but also for culprit vessel recognition and for prognostication. However, the role of lead augmented vector right (aVR) and leads V7-V9 in acute MI are often neglected in clinical practice. We studied the role of lead aVR and leads V7-V9 in ST-elevation MI (STEMI) patients. METHODS: A total of 209 patients presenting with STEMI were enrolled in the study. History of comorbid conditions and habits was enquired. Routine blood tests were performed. Full spectrum ECG (including V7-9) and 2D-ECHO was performed on all patients. All the patients underwent revascularization by primary percutaneous coronary intervention. The role of lead aVR, lead V7, and leads V8-9 was analyzed in anterior wall MI (AWMI) and inferior wall MI. All the patients were followed up for 1 month for outcome assessment. RESULTS: Of the 209 patients, 85.1% were males and 35.8% were diabetic, 60.2% were smokers, AWMI accounted for 55.5%. Lead aVR ST deviation was noted in 75.1% of patients (elevation in 17.7% and depression in 47.1%). V7 ST elevation occurred in 27.6% and V8-9 elevation occurred in 7.5% of the study population. Total death was 11.9% in the study (including the in-hospital mortality), all these patients had lead aVR ST segment deviation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Lead aVR ST deviation and Lead V7 ST deviation helps to prognosticate the STEMI patients as high risk and those with aVR ST depression had higher mortality compared to aVR ST elevation because of larger myocardial involvement.

Timely embolectomy in acute massive pulmonary embolism prevents catastrophe: An experience from two cases.

Acute massive pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening emergency that must be promptly diagnosed and managed. Over the last several years, the use of computed tomography scanning has improved the clinician's ability to diagnose acute pulmonary embolism. We report two cases of acute massive pulmonary embolism who presented with sudden onset of dyspnea and underwent successful open pulmonary embolectomy. The first case presented with acute onset of dyspnea of 2 days duration, in view of hemodynamic deterioration and two-dimensional echocardiography, it revealed clot in right ventricular (RV) apex and right pulmonary artery; the patient underwent cardiopulmonary bypass and open pulmonary embolectomy with RV clot extraction. The second case presented with a sudden onset of dyspnea on the 15(th) postoperative day for traumatic rupture of urinary bladder, in view of recent surgery, the patient was subjected to surgical embolectomy. Following surgical intervention, both the patients made a prompt recovery.

Use of CT Angiogram in Interventions Involving Coronary Artery Anomalies: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery anomalies are rare, accounting for about 0.3-1.3% of patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography. Interventions in these cases are still rare, and therefore pose technical challenges during intervention. CT Angiography provides a non-invasive means of assessment of coronary artery disease and also shows the anatomy of the coronary tree. This helps in knowing the origin of the coronaries and also to plan selection of hardware. There are no specific guidelines for use of guiding catheters and guide wires in anomalous coronary artery intervention. CASE REPORT: We report a series of 5 patients presenting with effort angina who had anomalous coronary arteries with coronary stenosis diagnosed by CT angiography. Three patients received percutaneous intervention, 1 patient underwent CABG, and 1 patient received medical management. CONCLUSIONS: CT Angiography provides a useful tool for showing the coronary anatomy and for selecting the guiding catheter and the guide wire that remain the mainstay of interventions in coronary artery anomalies.

Purulent pericarditis with quadruple valve endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease with a highly varied clinical picture. Spread of the infection to the pericardium from the infective endocardium is uncommon and IE involving all 4 cardiac valves is also a very rare occurrence, being more common in intravenous drug users (IVDU). CASE REPORT: A 7-year-old boy had purulent pericarditis with infective endocarditis (IE) on all 4 cardiac valves and vegetation in the left ventricular and right atrial cavity. Culture of the pericardial fluid grew methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) sensitive to tigecycline. The child made a dramatic improvement with tigecycline treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Aggressive management with pericardiocentesis and appropriate antibiotics can show remarkable clinical improvement. Tigecycline can be used safely and effectively as a life-saving drug in children.

Percutaneous device closure of patent ductus arteriosus with pulmonary artery hypertension: long-term results.

UNLABELLED: Device closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is treatment of choice. But device closure in presence of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) remains a challenge. Data on patient selection, technical considerations, and complications are limited. AIM: To know the challenges and efficacy of device closure of PDA with PAH. MATERIALS AND RESULTS: Out of 1,325 cases of device closure of PDA, 246 (18.6%) with PAH formed the study material. To test the feasibility, chosen device is used to occlude PDA for ten minutes without oxygen inhalation. The device is released only if PAH reduced. PAH decreased in all except in 1 patient after closure with muscular ventricular septal occluder (MVSDO), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) transiently increased (became supra-systemic), without significant reduction in aortic pressure. Device embolized in 8 patients (3.3%). Percutaneous retrieval was done in 4 (by snare in 2 and by fixing the cable to device in 2) and replaced with bigger devices. The surgical removal of the embolized MVSDO and ligation was done in 4 cases. All patients were on oral sildenafil and bosentan until PAP regressed to normal. Follow up was from 6 months to 9 years. No residual shunt in any patient on follow-up. The PAP regressed to normal in all except 5 cases (2.03%) of Down's syndrome with systemic PAP. CONCLUSIONS: Device closure of PDA with PAH is feasible, safe in all age groups. Temporary PDA occlusion with device is effective and time saving for evaluating pulmonary vascular reactivity. Device embolization in aorta is higher with severe PAH. Novel method of retrieval is effective.

Juvenile severe mitral stenosis predisposing Eisenmenger syndrome in a case with ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, coarctation of aorta & hypoplastic aortic arch: Report of first case of rare association.

We are reporting the first case of rare association between multiple congenital cardiac malformations with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis which is an acquired structural cardiac disease. A 16 years old female patient presented with progressive dyspnoea & cyanosis for the last one month with past history of recurrent pneumonia since infancy. Physical examination revealed presence of cyanosis, grade I clubbing, radio-radial & radio-femoral delay, loud & single second heart sound, apical long mid diastolic murmur and left parasternal ejection systolic murmur. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe rheumatic mitral stenosis, multiple ventricular septal defects (VSD) with bidirectional shunt, hypoplastic aortic arch, Coarctation of aorta and severe pulmonary hypertension. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed the same findings along with the presence of moderate mitral regurgitation and 9 mm perimembranous VSD extending into muscular septum. Cardiac catheterization study confirmed the echocardiographic findings and demonstrated large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). We have planned for high-risk percutaneous transmitral commissurotomy (PTMC) for this patient to decrease the back pressure on pulmonary vasculature. So that right to left shunt will be decreased and cyanosis will also improve. But parents refused to give consent for PTMC. She was on treatment with regular penicillin prophylaxis, diuretics, sildenafil and infective endocarditic prophylaxis. We should be aware of this kind of complex association between congenital and acquired structure heart disease. Eisenmenger syndrome could also be a presentation of juvenile severe rheumatic mitral stenosis when it is associated with congenital shunt lesion like VSD/PDA in our case.

Pulmonary hypertension due to presence of isolated partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection: A case report.

Anomalous pulmonary venous return is an uncommon congenital malformation which can be broadly categorized into partial or total, of which the former is more common. The anomaly is considered to be partial if some of the pulmonary veins drain into the systemic circulation and total if all the pulmonary veins drain into systemic circulation. Isolated partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVC) is an uncommon finding and is a very uncommon cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Whilst many patients with PAPVC remain asymptomatic, some may present at a later age with symptoms related to left-to-right shunt, pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure. We are presenting an interesting case report of an 18 years old patient who presented with exertional dyspnea and fatigue conforming to NYHA class II symptom status. Trans-esophageal echocardiography revealed isolated obstructive PAPVC as the cause for pulmonary hypertension without other demonstrable left-to-right shunts.

Successful management of Ellis type III left anterior descending artery perforation following percutaneous coronary intervention by a covered stent: Successfully resolved the dramatic complication.

Coronary artery perforation is a rare but catastrophic complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Grade III coronary perforation and rupture invariably results in pericardial effusion and tamponade requiring urgent pericardiocentesis. Advances in coronary intervention have increased the opportunity to treat coronary artery perforation. We are reporting a case of 55 years old hypertensive female who presented with effort angina. Coronary angiogram revealed significant stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery. Post PCI, she had Ellis type III coronary perforation and pericardial tamponade and cardiogenic shock. The patient was resuscitated, pericardiocentesis done, autologous blood transfusion given and covered stent deployed.

Intracardiac thrombi in acute myeloid leukemia: an echocardiographic and autopsy correlation.

Two-dimensional echocardiography is the primary diagnostic imaging modality for the evaluation of cardiac masses. We describe an adult male suffering from acute myeloid leukemia who was detected to have right atrial and right ventricular mass on echocardiography. Based on the clinical data metastasis, coincidental primary cardiac tumor, vegetation, and thrombi were considered as possible differential diagnosis. Chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia failed and patient succumbed to septicemia. Later, clinical autopsy confirmed the diagnosis of intracardiac thrombi. Occurrence of intracardiac thrombi in acute myeloid leukemia is extremely rare. This report also emphasises the importance of histopathological or clinical autopsy examination of the mass in certain clinical scenario with diagnostic dilema.

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia presenting as a giant axillary artery aneurysm.

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is an unusual vascular tumor most frequently located in the superficial head and neck. Noncutaneous localization of this pathology in large arteries presenting as a pulsatile mass is extremely rare. We describe an adult male with a giant left axillary artery tumor secondary to ALHE. ALHE should be considered in the differential diagnosis of localized peripheral arterial masses, especially in young patients.

Giant mediastinal thymolipoma simulating cardiomegaly.

Thymolipomas are rare anterior mediastinal tumors composed of mature adipose tissue and benign thymic tissue and they may rarely simulate cardiomegaly on chest radiograph. We report an adult male who presented with progressive dyspnea of 2 months' duration. Clinical examination was unremarkable. Chest radiograph showed enlarged cardiac silhouette. Computed tomography of chest revealed a giant anterior mediastinal noncontrast enhancing mass partially wrapping around the heart. A needle biopsy obtained lymphomatous material that was diagnosed as thymolipoma. The tumor was successfully removed en bloc through a median sternotomy. Histopathological examination confirmed thymolipoma. We emphasize the importance of considering mediastinal tumors as a differential diagnosis in patients with progressive dyspnea without any obvious cause and chest radiograph showing enlarged cardiac silhouette.