Emergency valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation for endocarditis degeneration.

The use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in the emergency setting has not been widely reported, and TAVI is generally contraindicated in the context of endocarditis. Here we describe a patient developing acute cardiogenic shock due to prosthetic aortic valve degeneration with free-flow aortic regurgitation 8 months after receiving treatment for confirmed infective endocarditis. Due to his clinical status, he was deemed unfit for redo surgery, and he underwent salvage valve-in-valve (ViV)-TAVI. The patient made an excellent recovery. Postprocedure he was treated with a 6-week course of antibiotics, and at 18-months follow-up remains very well with no evidence of reinfection. This case may demonstrate that for selected patients with degenerative prosthetic aortic valve disease, despite a history of infective endocarditis, ViV-TAVI may be considered an alternative to redo surgery in the emergency setting.

COVID-19 patient with coronary thrombosis supported with ECMO and Impella 5.0 ventricular assist device: a case report.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 can present with cardiovascular complications. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case report of a 43-year-old previously fit patient who suffered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with thrombosis of the coronary arteries causing acute myocardial infarction. These were treated with coronary stenting during which the patient suffered cardiac arrest. He was supported with automated chest compressions followed by peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO). No immediate recovery of the myocardial function was observed and, after insufficient venting of the left ventricle was diagnosed, an Impella 5 pump was implanted. The cardiovascular function recovered sufficiently and ECMO was explanted and inotropic infusions discontinued. Due to SARS-CoV-2 pulmonary infection, hypoxia became resistant to conventional mechanical ventilation and the patient was nursed prone overnight. After initial recovery of respiratory function, the patient received a tracheostomy and was allowed to wake up. Following a short period of agitation his neurological function recovered completely. During the third week of recovery, progressive multisystem dysfunction, possibly related to COVID-19, developed into multiorgan failure, and the patient died. DISCUSSION: We believe that this is the first case report of coronary thrombosis related to COVID-19. Despite the negative outcome in this patient, we suggest that complex patients may in the future benefit from advanced cardiovascular support, and may even be nursed safely in the prone position with Impella devices.