Left circumflex STEMI presenting as de Winter sign, an ECG Zebra that gives you the chills! A case report.

de Winter ECG sign is an anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction equivalent, which refers to an occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery with tall T waves and the absence of ST elevations in the precordial leads on the electrocardiogram (ECG). This sign is often under-recognized and not treated as an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction which can increase the morbidity and mortality of such a life-threatening condition. Here we report a characteristic de Winter ECG sign involving left circumflex artery as culprit vessel, which was managed with PCI.

Statin Use Mitigate the Benefit of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation-A Meta-Regression of Randomized Trials.

During last 2 decades, multiple studies have evaluated omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) supplementation for cardiovascular prevention. The benefit found in previous studies was not demonstrated in more contemporary trials. We aimed to investigate effect of study characteristics, particularly concomitant statin therapy on results of randomized controlled trials. We systematically searched electronic databases for randomized controlled trials evaluating ω-3 PUFA supplementation and reporting clinical outcomes. A meta-analysis was performed using a random effect model, followed by a meta-regression of dose, docosahexaenoic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid (DHA/EPA) ratio, and duration of treatment and use of lipid-lowering/statin therapy in control group. Twenty-three studies with 77,776 patients (38,910 PUFA; 38,866 controls) were included. PUFA had no effect on total mortality [risk ratio (RR) = 0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.92-1.01] and myocardial infarction (RR = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.73-1.02), but marginally reduced cardiovascular mortality (RR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87-0.98). Lower control group statin use (b = 0.222, P = 0.027) and higher DHA/EPA (b = -0.105, P = 0.033) ratio was associated with higher reduction in total mortality. Duration and dose had no effect. None of the variables except duration had significant effect on reduction in cardiovascular mortality by PUFA supplementation. There was evidence of publication bias. Statin use may mitigate, and higher DHA/EPA ratio is associated with the beneficial effect of PUFA supplementation.

Eicosapentaenoic Acid Versus Docosahexaenoic Acid as Options for Vascular Risk Prevention: A Fish Story.

Vascular inflammation is a key component involved in the process of arthrosclerosis, which in turn increases the risk for cardiovascular injury. In the last 10 years, there have been many trials that looked at omega-3 fatty acids as a way to reduce cardiovascular risk. These trials observed the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the traditional lipid panel and found that both EPA and DHA reduce triglyceride (TG) level and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels but also increase the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. In the 2 more recent trials, the MARINE and ANCHOR, EPA was given as an adjunct therapy to high-risk patients and not only was the traditional lipids measured but also examined the vascular inflammatory biomarkers. The results of these 2 trials not only showed reduction in cardiovascular risk because of reduction in vascular inflammation and reduction in the lipid panel but also showed that one of the MARINE-derived omega-3 fatty acid is superior to the other. Data search for omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular risk was performed, and articles were selected for review from 2006 to date. The research studies were all double-blind randomized trials except for one, which was a single-blind and focused on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the entire lipid panel. The participants received DHA/EPA and compared with a placebo group on the effect seen in the lipid panel. The first 7 studies looked at the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on TG, LDL-C, and HDL-C; of the 7, 1 directly compared DHA and EPA, 2 focused on EPA, and 4 were directed towards DHA alone. The MARINE and ANCHOR trials were more recent and also looked at the same parameter but also monitored vascular inflammatory biomarkers and how they were affected by omega-3 fatty acids. A second data search was performed for vascular biomarkers and cardiovascular risk, and articles that focused on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and oxidized low-density lipoprotein were selected for review. Omega-3 fatty acids have shown to decrease TG level in multiple trials, but they have also shown to increase LDL and HDL levels, likely because omega-3 fatty acids promote TG conversion into HDL/LDL. The older data suggested that the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are nullified by their effects on LDL levels. The data from the MARINE and ANCHOR trials have shown that EPA alone at 4 g per day has shown to decrease TG and total cholesterol without affecting the LDL levels. The earlier data showed that both EPA and DHA decreased TG level and increased levels of HDL-C, but that the DHA alone and direct comparison of DHA/EPA showed that DHA has more undesirable effects on LDL. Furthermore, the MARINE and ANCHOR trials have both shown that not only does EPA improve the lipid panel but also helps to decrease the levels of the vascular inflammatory biomarkers, thus further helping to decrease cardiovascular risk. The use of EPA as an adjunct therapy for high-risk patient has shown to help decrease cardiovascular risk. The reduction in risk is performed not only by decreasing TG but also by reducing vascular inflammation. Although because there are no randomized double-blind study looking at this, the research is inconclusive and requires further investigation.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Prasugrel, Ticagrelor, and Standard-Dose and High-Dose Clopidogrel in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Network Meta-analysis.

Authors aimed to compare efficacy and safety of prasugrel, ticagrelor, and standard-dose (SD) and high-dose (HD) clopidogrel in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and clinicaltrials.gov were searched for studies comparing prasugrel, ticagrelor, SD and HD clopidogrel in patients undergoing PCI. Frequentist and Bayesian network meta-analyses were performed besides direct pairwise comparisons. Thirty trials, comprising 34,563 person-year data, were included. Prasugrel emerged as a best drug to prevent definite or probable stent thrombosis, followed by HD clopidogrel and ticagrelor, with SD clopidogrel being the worst. Myocardial infarction was least likely to be prevented by SD clopidogrel after PCI, and remaining 3 were superior to it with little difference among them. SD clopidogrel was least effective in preventing cardiovascular deaths after PCI. Prasugrel was most effective in preventing cardiovascular deaths, although having only small advantage over ticagrelor and HD clopidogrel. Ticagrelor reduced all-cause mortality by a small margin compared with rest of treatments. SD clopidogrel, followed by ticagrelor, resulted in significantly lower thrombolysis in myocardial infarction major bleeding complications compared with prasugrel. Analysis of any bleeding revealed similar trend. HD clopidogrel performed better than prasugrel in terms of bleeding complications. In conclusion, Prasugrel is likely most effective drug to prevent post-PCI ischemic events but at the expense of higher bleeding. Ticagrelor followed by HD clopidogrel seems to strike the right balance between efficacy and safety. HD clopidogrel can be considered as an alternative to newer P2Y12 inhibitors.

Aortic Atherosclerosis: A Common Source of Cerebral Emboli, Often Overlooked!

Aortic atherosclerotic plaques are usually seen in males older than 55 years who are known to have risk factors of atherosclerosis. Recent large series of consecutive stroke patients reported that the prevalence of aortic atheromatous plaques in patients with stroke is about 21%-27%, which is in the same magnitude when compared with the prevalence of carotid disease (10%-13%) and atrial fibrillation (18%-30%). Atheromatous plaques are composed of a lipid pool, a fibrous cap, smooth muscle cells, and mononuclear cell infiltration with calcification. Aortic plaques can cause embolization to brain, extremities, or visceral organs. Atheroembolization can occur spontaneously or as a result of manipulation during cardiac or vascular surgery. Only few cases of cerebral embolization from an aortic plaque in the absence of any manipulation have been described. Although few atherosclerotic plaques can be visualized on the aortogram, transesophageal echocardiogram remains a preferred modality for diagnosis in such cases. We present a case of cerebral embolism arising from a mobile noncalcified complex aortic arch plaque diagnosed on a transesophageal echocardiogram and review the literature on its diagnosis, clinical implications, and management.

Comparison of Healthcare Quality Outcomes Between Accountable Care Organizations and Physician Group Practices.

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) were created under the Affordable Care Act to deliver better quality of care at reduced cost compare with the traditional fee-for-service model. But their effectiveness in achieving healthcare quality metrics is unclear. We analyzed ACO and physician group practice (PGP) performance rates for the single coronary artery disease measure and four diabetes mellitus measures now publicly reported on the Medicare Physician Compare Web site for program year 2012. There was no statistically significant difference in reported quality measures between ACOs and PGPs. Our study shows that PGPs can achieve outcomes at par with ACOs.

Clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with mild versus moderate renal insufficiency at 30-day and 1-year follow-up.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a standard of care in the management of coronary artery disease in patients with renal insufficiency (RI). However, outcomes of PCI in these patients remain suboptimal with high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The studies comparing target vessel revascularization (TVR) after PCI in patients with mild and moderate RI have shown conflicting results. Hence, a meta-analysis of these studies comparing 30-day and 1-year outcomes after PCI was performed. A systematic review of literature revealed 5 studies involving 16,262 patients. Based on the creatinine clearance (CrCl), patients were divided into 2 groups (mild RI, CrCl > 60 mL/min and moderate RI, CrCl of 30-60 mL/min). End points extracted were all-cause mortality, TVR, myocardial infarction, and major adverse cardiac events at 30-day and 1-year follow-up. Combined relative risks (RR) across all the studies and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. A 2-sided alpha error of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Both groups had similar baseline characteristics. Rate of TVR at 30 days was significantly lower in the mild RI group than in the moderate RI group (RR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.04-2.02; P < 0.05). However, rate of TVR at 1-year follow-up was similar in both groups (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.94-1.11; P, nonsignificant). Incidence of all-cause mortality, TVR, myocardial infarction, and major adverse cardiac events remained higher in the moderate RI group both at 30-day and 1-year follow-up (P < 0.05 for all outcomes). Patients with moderate RI have higher morbidity and mortality at 30 days and 1 year after PCI compared with patients with mild RI. However, there is no difference in the incidence of TVR after PCI at 1 year between the 2 groups.

Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors with or without thienopyridine pretreatment improve outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in high-risk patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction--a meta-regression of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have casted a doubt on usefulness of routine glycoprotein IIb/IIIA inhibitors (GPI) in patients, pretreated with aspirin and clopidogrel, undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effect of relevant factors, particularly thienopyridine pretreatment, on clinical benefit from GPI in randomized controlled trials (RCT). METHODS: We searched electronic databases for RCT comparing GPI to control in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. Relevant study covariates and clinical outcomes were extracted. A random effect cumulative and subgroup analyses (thienopyridine non-pretreated studies vs. pretreated studies) were performed. A weighted random effect meta-regression to determine the effect of thienopyridine pretreatment, enrollment year, control group mortality, and ischemic time on mortality benefit from GPI use was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty studies (9 non-pretreated, 11 pretreated) with a total of 7,414 patients (3,811 GPI, 3,603 control) were included. GPI use reduces mortality (risk ratio, RR = 0.75 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-0.97, P = 0.03), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (RR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.50-0.80, P = 0.0002), but not reinfarction (RR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-1.0, P = 0.05) at 30 days. There was no effect of thienopyridine pretreatment on reduction in mortality (P = 0.39), reinfarction (P = 0.46), or TVR (P = 0.95) in subgroup analysis. Meta-regression analyses showed significant effect of control group mortality risk (B = -12.15, P = 0.034) but not of thienopyridine pretreatment, enrollment year or control group ischemic time on mortality reduction from GPI use. CONCLUSION: The benefit from GPI use in primary PCI for STEMI appears to depend on mortality risk, and not on thienopyridine pretreatment.

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection in Young Patients: A Case Series and Review of Current Management Algorithm.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare but increasingly recognized non-atherosclerotic cause of acute coronary syndrome. Common risk factors for SCAD are coronary atherosclerosis, female gender, peripartum period, systemic inflammatory conditions, and connective tissue disorders. It manifests as myocardial ischemia and infarction, arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death. We present a case series of two young men and one young female with SCAD who had chest pain and were diagnosed with SCAD-associated ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Its diagnosis requires a high degree of clinical suspicion and its management is guided by the patient's clinical condition and the characteristics of the lesions.

Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery From the Right Coronary Cusp: A Case Report.

Anomalous origin of the left main coronary trunk from the right coronary sinus is a rare condition and is associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiac events, including sudden cardiac death, and it may pose difficulties in their management using revascularization strategies. We present a case of a 68-year-old man with worsening chest pain. Initial evaluation revealed ST elevation of the inferior wall leads and elevated troponins. He was diagnosed with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and sent for emergency cardiac catheterization. Coronary angiography showed 50% stenosis of the mid-right coronary artery (RCA) that extended as a total occlusion to the distal RCA and an unexpected anomalous origin of the left main coronary artery (LMCA). Our patient's LMCA originated from the right cusp sharing a single ostium with the RCA. Multiple attempts of revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), using multiple wires, catheters, and different-sized balloons, were unsuccessful due to complex anatomy. Our patient was managed with medical therapy and discharged home with close cardiology follow-up.

Fixing the "broken heart": pharmacologic implications.

Broken-heart syndrome also known as Left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome or Stress-induced cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an important clinical entity, which presents clinically, similar to acute coronary syndrome with an acute onset of chest pain, ST-T changes in electrocardiogram, and moderate cardiac enzyme elevation. Recent studies have shown that it accounts for 1%-2% of cases of ST-elevation infarction. An episode of intense emotional or physiologic stress has been reported before its presentation and is presumed to be the triggering factor in the pathogenesis. The pathophysiology of this syndrome still remains unclear, and management is mostly empiric and supportive. In this review, we have discussed various pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying this cardiomyopathy and their pharmacological implications and role of medications such as aspirin, beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and statins for patients presenting with this syndrome in treatment and prevention.

CYP2C19*2/ABCB1-C3435T polymorphism and risk of cardiovascular events in coronary artery disease patients on clopidogrel: is clinical testing helpful?

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating CYP2C19*2 and ABCB1-C3435T polymorphisms have shown conflicting results. We performed this meta-analysis to evaluate role of clinical testing for these polymorphisms in CAD patients on clopidogrel. METHODS: 19,601 patients from 14 trials were analyzed. The endpoints were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiovascular (CV) death, stent thrombosis (ST), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and major bleeding. Combined relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed for each outcome by using standard methods of meta-analysis and test parameters were computed. RESULTS: CYP2C19*2 polymorphism was associated with higher risk of MACE [RR: 1.28, CI: 1.06-1.54; p=0.009], CV death [RR: 3.21, CI: 1.65-6.23; p=0.001], MI [RR: 1.36, CI: 1.12-1.65; p=0.002], ST [RR: 2.41, CI: 1.69-3.41; p<0.001]. No difference was seen in major bleeding events [RR: 1.02, CI: 0.86-1.20; p=0.83]. Subgroup analysis showed similar results for elective PCI [RR: 1.34, CI: 1.01-1.76; p=0.03], and PCI with DES [RR: 1.53, CI: 1.029-1.269; p=0.03]. CYP2C19*2 polymorphism has very low sensitivity (28-58%), specificity (71-73%), positive predictive value (3-10%) but good negative predictive value (92-99%). ABCB1-C3435T polymorphism analysis revealed similar MACE [RR: 1.13, CI: 0.99-1.29; p=0.06], ST [RR: 0.88, CI: 0.52-1.47; p=0.63] and major bleeding [RR: 1.04, CI: 0.87-1.25; p=0.62] in both groups. CONCLUSION: In CAD patients on clopidogrel therapy, CYP2C19*2 polymorphism is associated with significantly increased adverse cardiovascular events. However, due to the low positive predictive value, routine genetic testing cannot be recommended at present.

Drug-eluting stents versus bare metal stents in ST elevation myocardial infarction at a follow-up of three years or longer: A meta-analysis of randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting stents (DES) are associated with a decreased frequency of repeat revascularization compared with bare metal stents (BMS) in patients with coronary artery disease; however, uncertainty over their long-term safety, especially in high-risk patients, such as those with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), persists. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of DES compared with BMS in STEMI patients at a follow-up of three years or longer. METHODS: Two independent investigators systematically searched the Medline, CENTRAL, Embase and CardioSource databases for randomized trials comparing DES with BMS in STEMI, and reporting outcomes at three years or longer. Relevant study characteristics and clinical end points were extracted. Random-effect and fixed-effect models were used to calculate ORs for heterogeneous and homogenous outcomes, respectively. RESULTS: Ten randomized trials met the eligibility criteria, resulting in the inclusion of 4330 patients in the DES group and 2662 patients in the BMS group. DES use significantly reduced the odds of target vessel (OR 0.44 [95% CI 0.35 to 0.54]) and target lesion revascularization (OR 0.47 [95% CI 0.36 to 0.61]). Furthermore, patients in the DES group experienced major adverse coronary events less frequently than patients in the BMS group, which was driven mainly by the decreased revascularization rate. Although the incidence of stent thrombosis was similar, DES was associated with a higher risk of very late stent thrombosis (OR 1.69 [95% CI 1.11 to 2.57]). There were no differences between the groups with respect to death, cardiac death and myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: DES continues to be associated with a lower repeat revascularization rate in patients with STEMI, with a small but significantly increased risk of very late stent thrombosis compared with BMS at a follow-up of three years or longer.

Rupture of Both Left-Sided Valves Following Endocarditis Causing One Trouble After Another: A Case Report.

Despite the advances in managing left-sided infective endocarditis, complications are still not uncommon. Both aortic and mitral insufficiency can occur from infective endocarditis. In addition, valvular insufficiency due to rupture of valves presents acutely with cardiac decompensation and requires early surgical intervention. Here, we report a case of a 38-year-old intravenous drug user male with Group A Streptococcus-associated left-sided native valve infective endocarditis who presented with acute heart failure three months after his treatment of infective endocarditis. Infective endocarditis complications can lead to severe valve damage, causing acute heart failure, and may require immediate surgical intervention.

Complete versus culprit only revascularization in acute ST elevation myocardial infarction: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend against the revascularization of noninfarct related artery (complete revascularization [CR]) in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and no hemodynamic compromise, though level of evidence is C. AIM: Our aim was to examine the available evidence to determine any advantage of CR over culprit only revascularization (COR). METHODS: We systematically searched medline using key words-"culprit coronary revascularization," "complete revascularization myocardial infarction," and "multivessel STEMI" for studies reporting outcomes after COR versus CR during primary procedure or index hospitalization published in English language and indexed before February 2010. A random effect or fixed effect meta-analysis, as applicable, was performed using RevMan 5 (Cochrane Center, Denmark). RESULTS: Nine eligible nonrandomized studies amounting to 4,530 patients in CR and 27,323 patients in COR group were included. In addition, two small randomized trials were reviewed and included in secondary analysis. Majority of patients were hemodynamically stable. Major adverse cardiovascular events (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.95, 95% CI 0.47-1.90) and long term mortality (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.76-1.59) were similar. The marginal increased odds of in-hospital mortality was derived from a single study with no difference found after sensitivity and cumulative analysis (OR = 1.21 95% CI 0.85-1.73). CONCLUSION: Current analysis of heterogeneous studies did not reveal any benefit of CR over COR in patients with STEMI. However, also provide no conclusive evidence of increased in hospital mortality after CR. A randomized trial is needed to confirm these findings and recognize any subgroup which might benefit from CR.

Comparison of low molecular weight heparin with unfractionated heparin during percutaneous coronary interventions: a meta-analysis.

To conduct a meta-analysis of the current evidence to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) as compared to unfractionated heparin (UFH). Several studies have demonstrated the therapeutic advantage of LMWH over UFH in the medical management of acute coronary syndromes. However, evidence comparing the 2 in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is inconclusive. Previously published meta-analysis did not include some large-scale trials. We performed a systematic literature search for randomized clinical trials that compared LMWH and UFH in urgent or elective PCI. Studies that evaluated efficacy end points [composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) and death with or without target vessel revascularization] and bleeding end points were included. Studies were excluded if they involved coadministration of thrombolytics. Data were extracted on an intention-to-treat basis. Heterogeneity of the studies was analyzed by Cochran Q statistics. The Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect model was used to calculate combined relative risks for outcomes where studies were homogenous and the random effect model when the studies were heterogenic. Fourteen studies involving 12,394 patients were included. The efficacy and bleeding risk of LMWH in patients undergoing PCI were comparable with UFH. A subgroup analysis of studies using intravenous or intraarterial administration of LMWH, demonstrated them to be safer than UFH with comparable efficacy. LMWH is at least as efficacious and safe as UFH in patients undergoing PCI. Additionally, evidence suggests that LMWH, when used intravenously, is associated with lower bleeding risks when compared with UFH.

Impact of statins on cardiovascular outcomes in renal transplant recipients: a systematic review.

Patients with chronic kidney disease including renal transplant recipients (RTRs) have a markedly higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease than the general population. Many trials have established the role of statins in the prevention of cardiovascular mortality, not only by decreasing the low density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels but also by their pleotropic effects. These data from the general population may not be applicable to RTRs as these patients have different cardiovascular risk profiles. Till date, only a few prospective, randomized trials have assessed the use of statins in RTRs with regards to cardiovascular outcomes. The Assessment of Lescol in Renal Transplant trial, the largest trial so far, suggested that dyslipidemia management with statins in RTRs is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction (although differences in the combined primary end point were not statistically significant). The current guidelines from National Kidney Foundation for managing dyslipidemia in RTRs recommend managing all chronic kidney disease patients as a coronary heart disease equivalent. The task group for drafting these guidelines concluded that based on the currently available evidence, additional studies may be needed in RTRs to confirm and extend the results of Assessment of Lescol in Renal Transplant trial.

Outcomes of nonemergent percutaneous coronary intervention with and without on-site surgical backup: a meta-analysis.

Despite major advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) techniques, the current guidelines recommend against elective PCI at hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery backup. Nonetheless, an increasing number of hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery in the United States have developed programs for elective PCI. Studies evaluating outcome in this setting have yielded mixed results, leaving the question unanswered. Hence, a meta-analysis comparing outcomes of nonemergent PCI in hospitals with and without on-site surgical backup was performed. A systematic review of literature identified four studies involving 6817 patients. Three clinical end points were extracted from each study and included in-hospital death, myocardial infarction, and the need for emergency coronary artery bypass grafting. The studies were homogenous for each outcome studied. Therefore, the combined relative risks (RRs) across all the studies and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effect model. A two-sided alpha error less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Compared with facilities with on-site surgical backup, the risk of in-hospital death (RR, 2.7; CI, 0.6-12.9; P = 0.18), nonfatal myocardial infarction (RR, 1.3; CI, 0.7- 2.2; P = 0.29), and need of emergent coronary artery bypass grafting (RR, 0.46; CI, 0.06- 3.1; P = 0.43) was similar in those lacking on-site surgical backup. The present meta-analysis suggests that there is no difference in the outcome with regard to risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction, need for emergency coronary artery bypass grafting, and the risk of death in patients undergoing elective PCI in hospitals with and without on-site cardiac surgery backup.

Outlet Ventricular Septal Defect in an Elderly Male.

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most common congenital cardiac anomaly in children and the second most common congenital cardiac anomaly in adults. The hemodynamic compromise associated with VSD is due to the shunt formation created by the abnormal communication between the right and left ventricles. While 85%-90% of small VSDs close spontaneously during the first year of life, some do not close spontaneously. If spontaneous closure does not occur during childhood, a VSD may persist into adulthood and may first be recognized after the development of a complication. We present a case of outlet VSD with secondary aortic insufficiency due to the prolapse of the aortic valve leaflet, especially in the right coronary cusp (RCC) sparing the left coronary cusp. RCC prolapse is an important finding in outlet VSD as the prolapse has the potential to cause permanent aortic insufficiency and closure is indicated regardless of the size of VSD.