The 2020 ACC/AHA Guidelines for Management of Patients With Valvular Heart Disease: Highlights and Perioperative Implications.

Valvular heart disease contributes to a large burden of morbidity and mortality in the United States. During the last decade there has been a paradigm shift in the management of valve disease, primarily driven by the emergence of novel transcatheter technologies. In this article, the latest update of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association valve heart disease guidelines is reviewed.

Calcific embolus resulting in ST elevation myocardial infarction: A rare complication of mitral annular calcification.

Coronary embolism is an uncommon mechanism of myocardial infarction in comparison with atherosclerotic plaque rupture. We present a unique case of an anterior ST elevation myocardial infarction as a result of coronary embolism, the source of which appears to be calcific debris from mitral annular calcification (MAC). Although embolic phenomena in the setting of MAC has been documented previously, particularly in the setting of acute ischemic stroke, to our knowledge this is the first reported case in the literature where MAC alone appears to have resulted in a coronary embolic event.

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection in a Healthy Woman after Initiating a High-Intensity Interval Training Workout Program.

Although several risk factors are associated with spontaneous coronary artery dissection, strenuous activity is an uncommon risk factor for women. We report a case of a patient who developed spontaneous coronary artery dissection shortly after starting F45, a highly strenuous fitness program. As high-intensity exercise regimens become more mainstream, clinicians should more readily consider spontaneous coronary artery dissection in young patients with history of recent strenuous activity when presenting with symptoms concerning for acute coronary syndrome.

Mitral Valve Repair Outcomes in a Community Hospital: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: The results of mitral valve repair operations conducted at community hospitals in rural states are not well studied or reported in the literature.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed consecutive patients who underwent isolated mitral valve repair operations performed by a single experienced cardiothoracic surgeon at a large community hospital from May 1, 2006 - April 30, 2010. Patients were monitored for up to three years (average 2.

High-Output Heart Failure from a Hepatic Hemangioma With Exertion-Induced Hypoxia.

Patients with hepatic hemangiomas have been known to have high-output heart failure as a result of left-to-right arteriovenous shunting. We report a patient with a hepatic hemangioma that presented with high-output heart failure with hypoxia on exertion. After embolization of the hemangioma, the patient's hypoxia resolved and ejection fraction improved.