Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the developing world: Lessons learnt and its implications for practice.

Backrground: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become an accepted modality of treatment in intermediate and high surgical risk patients of symptomatic severe calcific aortic stenosis (AS). We herein report Indian data of 84 intermediate and high-risk patients who underwent TAVR at two Armed Forces cardiac centres. Methods: Most of the patients underwent TAVR in cardiac catheterization lab by percutaneous transfemoral approach, under conscious sedation. Patients were followed up and echocardiographic parameters were assessed after six months of procedure. Results: Total of 84 intermediate and high-risk patients underwent TAVR between Jan 2017 and June 2021. Mean age of population was 71.5 ± 8.4 years; 28.5% of patients had bicuspid aortic valve and Mean STS score was 6.34 ± 2.08. Majority (92.8%) patients underwent the procedure under conscious sedation. Self-expanding valves were used in 72.6% and balloon expandable in 27.4% of patients. Predilatation was done in 64% patients while 13% cases underwent post dilatation. Procedural mortality was 2.3%. Rate of permanent pacemaker implantation was 4.9%. Ischemic stroke occurred in 1.1% of patents. There was no case of severe paravalvular leak. Emergency surgical aortic valve replacement was done in 2.4% patients. Procedural success in this study was 97.6%. All-cause mortality was 9.5% at 6 months. Conclusions: TAVR is an effective treatment modality in intermediate and high-risk Indian patients with severe aortic stenosis. Patients with bicuspid or previous bio prosthetic aortic valves also have a good outcome post TAVR.

A Prospective Comparative Study between 99mTc MIBI Myocardial Perfusion Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography and Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography to Detect Viable Myocardium in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare 99mTc MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECT and Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography (DSE) in detecting viable myocardium in patients with Coronary Artery Disease. Materials and Methods: Total of 50 patients who with CAD and poor LV function were idenitifed on 2D Echo using 16 segment cardiac model. These patients underwent 99mTc MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECT and Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography and the results were compared with the gold standard 18F-FDG PET-CT findings. Results: A Total of 550 dysfunctional segments were identified in datasets of 50 patients on 2D echo. No significant difference was noted between the pairwise positive outcome of viable segment between MIBI SPECT and DSE (p=0.875). MIBI SPECT showed a sensitivity of 86.5% and specificity of 90.0% when compared with 18F-FDG PET-CT which was comparable with DSE having a sensitivity of 87.6% and specificity of 90.7%. Conclusion: 99mTc MIBI SPECT is an effective good alternative for evaluation of viable myocardial segments in patients with dysfunctional myocardium and can be considered especially in elderly or obese patients and patients with lung disease having poor echocardiographic imaging window due to lack of an optimal acoustic window.

Minimizing scattered radiation dose in cardiac catheterization laboratory during interventional procedures using lead free drape - MILD study.

OBJECTIVE: RADPAD is a lead-free sterile drape that reduces scattered radiation during fluoroscopic procedures. We aimed to study the effect of using RADPAD on primary operator (PO) and secondary operator (SO) during coronary angiography (CAG) as well as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: 137 patients undergoing elective CAG and PCIwere randomized in a 1:1 pattern with or without the RADPAD. The ratio of PO received dose in mrem to total Air Kerma (AK) in mGy, Dose Area Product (DAP) in mGycm2 and Cine Adjusted Screening Time (CAST) in minute, at the end of the procedure with or without RADPAD were measured and designated as dose relative to AK, DAP and CAST. The exposure ratios were compared for both cohorts. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in CAST, DAP and AK between the two patient cohorts. PO radiation dose relative to CAST was 0.15 ± 0.18 mrem/min for RADPAD cohort and 0.43 ± 0.31 mrem/min for No RADPAD cohort (p < 0.00001). PO dose relative to DAP was 0.00042 ± 0.00049 mrem/mGycm2 for RADPAD cohort and 0.0011 ± 0.0013 mrem/mGycm2 for No RADPAD cohort (p = 0.000014). PO dose relative to AK was 0.0030 ± 0.0037 mrem/mGy for RADPAD cohort and 0.0071 ± 0.0049 mrem/mGy for No RADPAD cohort (p < 0.00001). All PO doses relative to CAST, DAP and AK were significantly reduced in the RADPAD cohort compared to the No RADPAD cohort. Similar findings were observed for the SO also. CONCLUSION: RADPAD significantly reduces radiation exposure to both PO and SO during CAG and PCI.

Minimizing scattered radiation dose in cardiac catheterization laboratory during interventional procedures using lead free drape – MILD study

Objective: RADPAD is a lead-free sterile drape that reduces scattered radiation during fluoroscopic procedures. We aimed to study the effect of using RADPAD on primary operator (PO) and secondary operator (SO) during coronary angiography (CAG) as well as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: 137 patients undergoing elective CAG and PCIwere randomized in a 1:1 pattern with or without the RADPAD. The ratio of PO received dose in mrem to total Air Kerma (AK) in mGy, Dose Area Product (DAP) in mGycm2 and Cine Adjusted Screening Time (CAST) in minute, at the end of the procedure with or without RADPAD were measured and designated as dose relative to AK, DAP and CAST. The exposure ratios were compared for both cohorts. Results: There was no significant difference in CAST, DAP and AK between the two patient cohorts. PO radiation dose relative to CAST was 0.15 ± 0.18 mrem/min for RADPAD cohort and 0.43 ± 0.31 mrem/min for No RADPAD cohort (p < 0.00001). PO dose relative to DAP was 0.00042 ± 0.00049 mrem/mGycm2 for RADPAD cohort and 0.0011 ± 0.0013 mrem/mGycm2 for No RADPAD cohort (p ¼ 0.000014). PO dose relative to AK was 0.0030 ± 0.0037 mrem/mGy for RADPAD cohort and 0.0071 ± 0.0049 mrem/mGy for No RADPAD cohort (p < 0.00001). All PO doses relative to CAST, DAP and AK were significantly reduced in the RADPAD cohort compared to the No RADPAD cohort. Similar findings were observed for the SO also. Conclusion: RADPAD significantly reduces radiation exposure to both PO and SO during CAG and PCI. © 2022 Published by Elsevier, a division of RELX India, Pvt. Ltd on behalf of Cardiological Society of India

Evaluation of early direct current cardioversion for maintenance of sinus rhythm in rheumatic atrial fibrillation following successful balloon mitral valvotomy.

BACKGROUND: Patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are at risk for thromboembolism and restoration of sinus rhythm (SR) may be the preferred strategy. Percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy (PBMV) improves hemodynamics, but may not be enough to restore SR. METHODS: Prospective randomized study aimed at evaluating efficacy of early direct current cardioversion (DCCV) following successful PBMV in patients with long-standing AF. Group 1 (n=20) had patients of rheumatic MS with AF who underwent successful PBMV. Group 2 (n=15) patients were DC cardioverted and administered oral Amiodarone for 6 weeks. Primary endpoint was maintenance of SR after 6 months. Secondary endpoints were functional capacity, number of embolic episodes, adverse drug effects, and all-cause mortality. RESULTS: In Group 2, all patients underwent successful cardioversion. At a mean follow-up of 7.6 months, 95% in Group 1 were in AF. In Group 2, 87% patients were in SR and 13% had reverted to AF. Difference in rate of SR was 0.82 (95% CI 0.2, 1.01) (p=0.001), with relative risk of 7.1 (1.95, 25.9, 95% CI, p=0.001) for patients to be in AF who underwent only successful PBMV, i.e. Group 1. There was significant improvement in quality of life (SF36) score in Group 2 (p=0.001), with no deaths, stroke, or adverse drug effects in either group. CONCLUSION: In patients with rheumatic MS and AF, early DCCV and a short-duration oral Amiodarone, following successful PBMV, may be a reasonable strategy to attain long-term SR.

Gaucher's disease.

Gaucher's disease (GD) is the most common amongst the various disorders classified under the lysosomal storage disorders. GD is a model for applications of molecular medicine to clinical delineation, diagnosis, and treatment. The multiorgan and varied presentation of the disease makes it a challenge to diagnose GD early. The advent of enzyme replacement therapy in the early 1990s changed the management, and survival, of patients with GD. In addition to this, development of substrate reduction, pharmacological chaperone, and gene therapies has broadened the horizon for this rare disease. However, in resource-poor countries like ours, optimal management is still a distant dream.