Conductive disturbances in the transcatheter aortic valve implantation setting: An appraisal of current knowledge and unmet needs.

New-onset conduction disturbances, including left bundle branch block and permanent pacemaker implantation, remain a major issue after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Preprocedural risk assessment in current practice is most often limited to evaluation of the baseline electrocardiogram, whereas it may benefit from a multimodal approach, including ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring and multidetector computed tomography. Physicians may encounter equivocal situations during the hospital phase, and the management of follow-up is not fully defined, despite the publication of several expert consensuses and the inclusion of recommendations regarding the role of electrophysiology studies and postprocedural monitoring in recent guidelines.

Transfemoral Technique to Untwist a Knotted Catheter in the Brachial Artery: A Case Report.

Cardiac catheterization using the transradial access has been proven to be safe, but can be complicated in some cases by catheter kinking or knotting. This complication is often the result of excessive manipulations due to the S-shaped configuration of the right subclavian-innominate-aorta axis. When a knot occurs in the brachial artery, regular maneuvers to unknot the catheter can be unsuccessful due to the narrow diameter of the artery or to the failure of the external fixation of the distal part of the catheter.

Determinants and Impact of Heart Failure Readmission Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Heart failure (HF) readmission is common post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Nonetheless, limited data are available regarding its predictors and clinical impact. This study evaluated the incidence, predictors, and impact of HF readmission within 1-year post-TAVR, and assessed the effects of the prescription of HF therapies at discharge on the risk of HF readmission and death.