Marantic Endocarditis in Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Marantic endocarditis is a rare condition associated with autoimmune disease, malignancy, and hypercoagulable states. It is characterized by sterile friable vegetations composed of fibrin and platelets that confer a high risk of systemic embolism. Here we showcase imaging that led to the diagnosis of an interesting case of marantic endocarditis secondary to metastatic malignancy.

Detection of myocardial dysfunction using global longitudinal strain with speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with vs without rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disorder primarily involving the peripheral joints. Systemic involvement can occur, including myocardial dysfunction. Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) is a novel diagnostic study which is recently being used to detect subclinical cardiac dysfunction. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) by STE is more sensitive than standard echocardiographic parameters to detect occult cardiac dysfunction. METHODS: A systematic search of PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases was performed to identify studies comparing the STE parameters between RA and non-RA patients. RESULTS: Left ventricular (LV) GLS was significantly lower in patients with RA compared to non-RA patients with a standard mean difference (SMD) of -1.09 (-1.48--0.70, P < 0.001). LV Global Circumferential Strain (GCS) was reported in five studies, and it was found to be lower in RA patients with an SMD of -1.25 (-2.59--0.10; P < 0.0010). Meta regression analysis studies failed to show any significant impact of disease duration, activity, age, sex and BMI on LV GLS and RV GLS. CONCLUSIONS: RA patients have lower LV GLS and LV GCS compared to controls suggesting impaired myocardial dysfunction. Further studies need to be done to delineate the importance of lower GLS in asymptomatic rheumatoid patients to guide disease management and risk factor modification in this selected population.

Diagnostic Value of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Intracoronary Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients With a Working Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction With Non-obstructive Coronary Arteries - A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

We aimed to study the efficacy of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) in detecting the etiology of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane databases. Search terms used: Myocardial infarction, Coronary angiography, Normal coronary arteries, CMR, and OCT. Inclusion criteria was fulfilled by 18 studies. Meta-analysis was performed with 15 studies. A total of 2697 patients were included. The mean age of all the patients was 51.5 and 56.4% were men. CMR established diagnosis in 74% of the patients; 29% had acute myocarditis, 18% had true myocardial infarction and 12% had takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Combining OCT with CMR was better at finding the etiology than either modality individually. The findings of this study conclude that CMR is integral in identifying the etiology of MINOCA. Coupling OCT and CMR is better than either technique individually at finding the cause.

Extra-coronary Calcification and Cardiovascular Events: What Do We Know and Where Are We Heading?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The coronary artery calcium score is a guideline-endorsed aid for further risk stratification in the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The non-contrast scan performed for detection of coronary artery calcium also gives an opportunity to visualize calcifications in the thoracic aorta and in the heart valves, at no additional cost or radiation exposure. The purpose of this review was to discuss the potential clinical value of measuring thoracic aortic calcification, aortic valve calcification, and mitral annulus calcification. RECENT FINDINGS: After two decades of active research, all three calcifications have been extensively evaluated, across various cohorts. We discuss classic and recent studies, current knowledge gaps, and future directions in this space. The added value of these measurements has traditionally been considered modest at best, and they are not currently discussed in relevant primary prevention guidelines in North America and Europe. However, recent studies evaluating high thoracic calcification thresholds and younger populations have further enriched this space. Specifically, some studies suggest that detection of severe thoracic aortic calcification may be helpful in further risk assessment and that detection of aortic valve calcifications may have important prognostic implications in younger individuals. Although more research is needed, particularly in larger young-to-middle-aged cohorts, future guidelines might consider including these features as risk-enhancing factors.

Atrial invasion from primary lung adenocarcinoma extension via the pulmonary vein.

Intravascular extension of lung adenocarcinoma is one of the four defined routes of metastasis to the heart but is rarely described in the literature. This is a rare case of primary lung adenocarcinoma with intravenous extension to the left atrium via the pulmonary vein. A 56-year-old female presented to the hospital with chest tightness and dyspnea. Chest computed tomography revealed a right hilar mass extending through the right superior pulmonary vein into the left atrium. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a large, partially mobile left atrial mass occupying the entire atrial cavity and affecting mitral valve closure. Endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial biopsy of the right middle lobe of the lung histologically showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma compatible with the primary lung cancer. The patient was deemed a poor surgical candidate by cardiothoracic surgery due to the extent of metastasis and was started on chemoradiation. The patient's left atrial tumor mass started shrinking in size after starting the treatment. This unique case displaying intravascular extension of lung cancer to the left atrium has rarely been described in the literature.

It Takes a Village: Multimodality Imaging of Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is the buildup and infiltration of amyloid plaque in cardiac muscle. An underdiagnosed form of restrictive cardiomyopathy, CA can rapidly progress into heart failure. CA is evaluated using a multimodality approach that includes echocardiography, cardiac magnetic imaging, and nuclear imaging. Echocardiography remains an essential first-line modality that raises suspicion for CA and establishes functional baselines. Cardiac magnetic imaging provides additional incremental value via high-resolution imaging, robust functional assessment, and superior tissue characterization, all of which enable a more comprehensive investigation of CA. Cardiac scintigraphy has eliminated the need for invasive diagnostic approaches and helps differentiate CA subtypes. Positron emission tomography is the first modality introducing targeted amyloid binding tracers that allow for precise burden quantification, early detection, and disease monitoring. In this review, we highlight the role of several cardiac imaging techniques in the evaluation of CA.

Three-dimensional echocardiographic assessment of the aortic valve and the aorta.

We describe the role of three-dimensional echocardiography in the assessment of the aortic valve and the aorta. The manuscript is heavily illustrated with figures and movie clips.

Rationale and pathways forward in the implementation of coronary artery calcium-based enrichment of randomized trials.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends prognostic enrichment of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), aimed at restricting the study population to participants most likely to have events and therefore derive benefit from a given intervention. The coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is powerful discriminator of cardiovascular risk, and in this review we discuss how CAC may be used to augment widely used prognostic enrichment paradigms of RCTs of add-on therapies in primary prevention. We describe recent studies in this space, with special attention to the ability of CAC to further stratify risk among guideline-recommended candidates for add-on risk-reduction therapies. Given the potential benefits in terms of sample size, cost reduction, and overall RCT feasibility of a CAC-based enrichment strategy, we discuss approaches that may help maximize its advantages while minimizing logistical barriers and other challenges. Specifically, use of already existing CAC data to avoid the need to re-scan participants with previously documented high CAC scores, use of increasingly available, large clinical CAC databases to facilitate the identification of potential RCT participants, and implementation of machine learning approaches to measure CAC in existing computed tomography images performed for other purposes, will most likely boost the implementation of a CAC-based enrichment paradigm in future RCTs.

Bivalirudin versus heparin in percutaneous coronary intervention-a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials stratified by adjunctive glycoprotein IIb/IIIa strategy.

BACKGROUND: Bivalirudin has been shown to be associated with less major bleeding than heparin in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); but the confounding effect of concomitant glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPI) limits meaningful comparison. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare bivalirudin to heparin, with and without adjunctive GPI in PCI. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL and WOS from January 2000 to December 2017 for clinical trials comparing bivalirudin to heparin, with and without adjunctive GPI during PCI. Cochrane's Q statistics were used to determine heterogeneity. Random effects model was used. RESULTS: Twenty-six comparison groups (22 original studies and 4 subgroup analyses) with 53,364 patients were included. Mean follow-up was 192±303 days. There was no difference between the two groups in all-cause mortality [risk ratio (RR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.82-1.05, P=0.260), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (RR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.93-1.46, P=0.174) or stroke (RR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.71-1.18, P=0.490). Major bleeding was lower in the bivalirudin group with concomitant GPI in one or both arms (RR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.53-0.77, P<0.001) and without (RR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.51-0.99, P=0.041) provisional or routine GPIs. Bivalirudin appeared to have a higher risk of stent thrombosis (RR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.04-1.68, P=0.022) and a trend towards more myocardial infarction (RR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.98-1.28, P=0.098) though without statistical significance. However, exclusion of studies with GPI showed no difference in stent thrombosis or myocardial infarction with bivalirudin. CONCLUSIONS: Bivalirudin is associated with less major bleeding compared to heparin, regardless of GPI use. The lower anticoagulant effect of bivalirudin is linked with higher stent thrombosis and a trend towards more MI, however a confounding effect of GPI use in the heparin arm cannot be excluded.

Patent foramen ovale closure reduces recurrent stroke risk in cryptogenic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

AIM: To investigate if patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure device reduces the risk of recurrent stroke in patients with cryptogenic stroke. METHODS: We searched five databases - PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL and Web-of-Science and clinicaltrials.gov from January 2000 to September 2017 for randomized trials comparing PFO closure to medical therapy in cryptogenic stroke. Heterogeneity was determined using Cochrane's Q statistics. Random effects model was used. RESULTS: Five randomized controlled trials with 3440 patients were included in the analysis. Mean follow-up was 50 ± 20 mo. PFO closure was associated with a 41% reduction in incidence of recurrent strokes when compared to medical therapy alone in patients with cryptogenic stroke [risk ratio (RR): 0.59, 95%CI: 0.40-0.87, P = 0.008]. Atrial fibrillation was higher with device closure when compared to medical therapy alone (RR: 4.97, 95%CI: 2.22-11.11, P < 0.001). There was no difference between the two groups with respect to all-cause mortality, major bleeding or adverse events. CONCLUSION: PFO device closure in appropriately selected patients with moderate to severe right-to-left shunt and/or atrial septal aneurysm shows benefit with respect to recurrent strokes, particularly in younger patients. Further studies are essential to evaluate the impact of higher incidence of atrial fibrillation seen with the PFO closure device on long-term mortality and stroke rates.

Operator Experience and Outcomes After Left Main Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review was performed with the goal of summarizing the role of operator experience in the treatment of severe left main stenosis by percutaneous intervention techniques. RECENT FINDINGS: The Evaluation of XIENCE versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization (EXCEL) trial demonstrated that percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting had similar clinical outcomes for severe left main disease. However, PCI of the left main coronary stenosis is considered to be a high-risk intervention because of the large area of myocardium at jeopardy that can quickly cause hemodynamic compromise. Operator experience and familiarity with the use of hemodynamic support devices, plaque modification techniques, and intravascular imaging tools is associated with better clinical outcomes. In patients with severe left main stenosis undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention by high-volume operators, the clinical outcomes are superior.

Utilization of the Impella for hemodynamic support during percutaneous intervention and cardiogenic shock: an insight.

INTRODUCTION: Impella is a catheter-based micro-axial flow pump placed across the aortic valve, and it is currently the only percutaneous left ventricular assist device approved for high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention and cardiogenic shock. Areas Covered: Even though several studies have repeatedly demonstrated the excellent hemodynamic profile of Impella in high-risk settings, it remains underutilized. Here we aim to provide an up-to-date summary of the available literature on Impellas use in High risk settings as well as the practical aspects of its usage. Expert Commentary: Percutaneous coronary interventions in high rsk settings have always been challenging for a physician. Impella 2.5 and CP, have been proven safe, cost effective and feasible in High Risk Percutaneous coronary Interventions with an excellent hemodynamic profile.

Effect of Thyroxin Treatment on Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) Reduction in Patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism (SCH): a Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.

AIM: Research shows that subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is related to an increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a surrogate marker of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is controversial whether or not SCH should be treated to reduce CVD morbidity and mortality. This meta-analysis aimed to determine whether SCH is associated with an increase in CIMT as compared to Euthyroidism (EU) and whether thyroxin (T4) treatment in SCH can reverse the change in CIMT. METHODS: Two independent reviewers conducted an extensive database research up to December 2016. A total of 12 clinical trials discussed the effect of Thyroxin on CIMT values at pre- and post-treatment in subjects with SCH. RESULTS: CIMT was significantly higher among SCH (n=280) as compared to EU controls (n=263) at baseline; the pooled weighted mean difference (WMD) of CIMT was 0.44 mm [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14, 0.74], p=0.004; I2=65%. After treatment with thyroxin in subjects with SCH (n=314), there was a statistically significant decrease in CIMT from pre- to post-treatment; the pooled WMD of CIMT decrease was [WMD －0.32; 95% CI (－0.47, －0.16), p=＜0.0001; I2=2%], and it was no longer different from EU controls [WMD 0.13 mm; 95% CI (－0.04, 0.30); p=0.14; I2=27%]. The total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were higher in SCH as compared to EU controls and decreased significantly after treatment with thyroxin. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis shows that thyroxin therapy in subjects with SCH significantly decreases CIMT and improves lipid profile, modifiable CVD risk factors. Thyroid hormone replacement in subjects with SCH may play a role in slowing down or preventing the progression of atherosclerosis.

Association of Subjective and Objective Sleep Duration as well as Sleep Quality with Non-Invasive Markers of Sub-Clinical Cardiovascular Disease (CVD): A Systematic Review.

AIM: Abnormal daily sleep duration and quality have been linked to hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity& mortality. However, the relationship between daily sleep duration and quality with subclinical measures of CVD remains less well studied. This systematic review evaluated how daily sleep duration and quality affect burden of subclinical CVD in subjects free of symptomatic CVD. METHODS: Literature search was done via MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science until June 2016 and 32 studies met the inclusion criteria. Sleep duration and quality were measured either via subjective methods, as self-reported questionnaires or Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) or via objective methods, as actigraphy or polysomnography or by both. Among subclinical CVD measures, coronary artery calcium (CAC) was measured by electron beam computed tomography, Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasound on carotid arteries, endothelial/microvascular function measured by flow mediated dilation (FMD) or peripheral arterial tone (PAT) or iontophoresis or nailfold capillaroscopy, and arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) or ankle brachial index (ABI). RESULTS: Subjective short sleep duration was associated with CAC and CIMT, but variably associated with endothelial dysfunction (ED) and arterial stiffness; however, subjective long sleep duration was associated with CAC, CIMT and arterial stiffness, but variably associated with ED. Objective short sleep duration was positively associated with CIMT and variably with CAC but not associated with ED. Objective long sleep duration was variably associated with CAC and CIMT but not associated with ED. Poor subjective sleep quality was significantly associated with ED and arterial stiffness but variably associated with CAC and CIMT. Poor objective sleep quality was significantly associated with CIMT, and ED but variably associated with CAC. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our review provided mixed results, which is generally in line with published literature, with most of the studies showing a significant relationship with subclinical CVD, but only some studies failed to demonstrate such an association. Although such mechanistic relationship needs further evaluation in order to determine appropriate screening strategies in vulnerable populations, this review strongly suggested the existence of a relationship between abnormal sleep duration and quality with increased subclinical CVD burden.