A case of primary COVID-19 pneumonia: plausible airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

BACKGROUND: The different clinical manifestations, from none to severe, and the variability in efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis by upper respiratory tract testing, make diagnosis of COVID-19 and prevention of transmission especially challenging. In addition, the ways by which the virus can most efficiently transmit still remain unclear. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case a 48-year-old man who presents primary COVID-19 pneumonia. He was initially admitted for cholecystitis but, upon review of his abdominal CT scan, a segmental zone of ground glass opacity was identified in the right lower lobe. A bronchoalveolar lavage proved positive to SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR, even if he tested negative by oro-nasopharyngeal swab at admission and the day after he underwent bronchoscopy. The near absence of the virus in his saliva 2 days after, combined with a very sharp increase in salivary viral load on the third day, also rule out the possibility of prior viral replication in the upper airway and clearance. In addition, rapidly increasing bilateral alveolar lung infiltrates appeared as the upper respiratory tests begin to detect the virus. CONCLUSIONS: For this patient to have developed primary COVID-19 pneumonia, a contagious aerosol must have traveled to the lower respiratory system. This case gives indirect but compelling evidence that aerosol may spread the virus. It also highlights the limitations of oral and nasal testing methods and the importance of anatomical considerations when studying infections by SARS-CoV-2.

Isolated left ventricle diverticula: a possible cause of atypical angina?

A 49-year-old woman with atypical chest pain was referred for a multidetector computed tomography examination of the coronary arteries after a positive electrocardiography stress test. No coronary atherosclerotic disease was observed on the coronary computed tomography scan. The only findings were 2 side-by-side basal left ventricle diverticula, suggested as a possible etiology for her symptoms and electrocardiographic changes. The entity, congenital left ventricle diverticulum, is reviewed.

Giant right coronary artery aneurysm on 64-MDCT.

An 81-year-old woman was referred for cardiac computed tomography-angiography (CCTA) after an extracardiac mass was found on echocardiography. CCTA found a giant atherosclerotic right coronary artery aneurysm with a maximal diameter of 80 mm, which was compressing the right atrium and right appendage, proximal superior vena cava, right ventricle inlet and tricuspid annulus.

The Graft Imaging to Improve Patency (GRIIP) clinical trial results.

OBJECTIVE: This trial aimed to determine whether intraoperative graft assessment with criteria for graft revision would decrease the proportion of patients with 1 or more graft occlusions or stenoses or major adverse cardiac events 1 year after coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS: A single-center, randomized, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial was designed. Patients were randomized to either of 2 groups: intraoperative graft patency assessment using indocyanine-green fluorescent angiography and transit-time flowmetry, with graft revision according to a priori criteria (imaging group), or standard intraoperative management (control group). Patients underwent follow-up angiography at 1 year. RESULTS: Between September 2005 and August 2008, 156 patients undergoing isolated coronary bypass grafting were enrolled (imaging, n = 78; control, n = 78). Demographic and angiographic characteristics were similar between groups. Operative, crossclamp, and cardiopulmonary bypass times were all nonsignificantly longer in the imaging arm. The number of grafts per patients was similar (imaging, 3.0 +/- 0.7; control, 3.0 +/- 0.7). The frequency of major adverse cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization) was not different between groups at 1 year postoperatively (imaging, 7.7%; control, 7.7%). One-year angiography was performed in 107 patients (imaging, 55 patients/160 grafts; control, 52 patients/152 grafts). The proportion of patients with 1 graft occlusion or more was comparable in the imaging (30.9%) and control (28.9%) groups (relative risk [95% confidence interval], 1.1 [0.6-1.9]; P = .82), as were other graft patency end points. The incidence of saphenous vein graft occlusion was high in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Routine intraoperative graft assessment is safe but does not lead to a marked reduction in graft occlusion 1-year after bypass grafting. The incidence of saphenous vein graft failure remains high despite contemporary practice and routine intraoperative graft surveillance.

Cardiac CT scan for preoperative planning in a patient with bilateral subclavian stenosis needing coronary artery bypass.

A 61-year-old male vasculopath presented for coronary revascularization and was found to have high-grade bilateral subclavian artery stenosis. The adequacy of the left internal mammary artery for bypass to the left anterior descending artery was in question. Rather than assessing the left internal mammary artery intraoperatively, we performed a preoperative cardiac computed tomography (CT) angiogram. This showed that the free left internal mammary artery was a suitable conduit and the procedure was performed expeditiously. Therefore, cardiac CT angiography is a noninvasive tool for preoperative planning in coronary revascularization.