Concurrent Assessment of the CardioMEMS HF System and HeartLogic HF Diagnostic: A Retrospective Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) causes high morbidity and mortality despite advances in medical therapy. Remote patient monitoring for HF allows for the optimization of medical therapy and prevention of HF hospitalizations. This study is the first to assess pulmonary artery diastolic pressures (PADP) using the CardioMEMS HF System (CMEMS) and cardiac implantable electronic device-based multisensor indexes (HeartLogic index [HLI]) using the HeartLogic HF Diagnostic (HL) in a small, retrospective cohort of patients with HF at a single center. METHODS AND RESULTS: Any hospitalization, HF hospitalization, HF-related outpatient visit, and pulmonary artery pressure action were recorded in 7 patients with concurrent CMEMS and HL measurements for at least 1 year. The median time before both platforms were implanted and present in the same participant was 3.12 months. The median study period was 1.44 years per participant. Data availability for HL was significantly higher at 99.6% compared with 64.1% adherence for CMEMS (P = .016). Overall, PADP was only weakly correlated to HLI (r = 0.098), but there was a 2.87 mm Hg (P = .014) estimated increase in PADP during HLI alert periods versus nonalert periods. Similarly, the estimated odds of being above a PADP goal was 4.7 times higher (95% confidence interval 3.0-7.2, P < .001) in HLI alert vs nonalert periods. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent analysis of patients with CMEMS and HL showed an association between PADP and HLI, but the correlation was weak. However, there was a significant increase in PADP during HLI alert periods versus nonalert periods.

A case of Cryptococcus gattii infection in South Carolina: A possible challenge to known endemicity.

In the United States, C. gattii is considered to be endemic to the Pacific Northwest and although uncommon, additional cases have been documented in other regions including the Southeastern United States. While it has been hypothesized in the past that C. gattii may be endemic to the Southeastern United States, there remains a paucity of evidence. Here, we present a patient with no history of HIV/AIDS and no organ transplant and document the course of his disease and presentation. There were no adverse long-term neurological outcomes in this patient and the combination of steroid use, antifungal agents, and cerebrospinal fluid drainage resulted in his discharge from the hospital after 12 days. This patient's subacute presentation with vague neurological symptoms highlights the importance of understanding the treatment of rare causes of meningitis.

An Abrasion, a Prosthetic Shoulder, and a Cat with a Licking Tendency: Case Report and Literature Review of P. multocida Joint Seeding.

Pasteurella multocida is a pathogen well known for its zoonotic transmission, most commonly by cats and dogs. When bacteremia ensures from an infection, patients with foreign objects present in their bodies, including prosthetic joints and mesh implants, become vulnerable to seeding. There have been multiple documented cases in which P. multocida bacteremia has resulted in infection of both native and prosthetic joints. Furthermore, cases have been documented in which patients with P. multocida bacteremia have developed meningitis and neurological complications. Here, we present a patient with multiple comorbidities including multifactorial immunocompromise, advanced age, and multiple prosthetic joints who developed prosthetic joint infection and spinal osteomyelitis after the development of Pasteurella bacteremia. Aggressive treatment was undertaken given her risk factors, and a combination of antibiotics and surgery was utilized, with the patient making a full recovery.