A prospective analysis of the correlation between ultrasonic B-lines, cardiac tissue doppler signals and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Background: The development of heart failure is a turning point in the natural course of aortic stenosis (AS). Pulmonary oedema and elevated left ventricular pressure (LVP) are cardinal features of heart failure. Evaluating pulmonary oedema by lung ultrasound involves taking the upper hand with a bedside noninvasive tool that may reflect LVP.

Removal Efficiency and Effectiveness of Four Different Fiber Posts Using Five Different Drill Systems in Multirooted Teeth.

Aim: In comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of different types of post removal systems in removing different types of fiber posts (FPs), this study aims to shed light on the success of removal by currently available drill systems.

Materials And Methods: A total of 200 maxillary first molars, were root canal treated and prepared to receive posts. The molars were divided into four groups corresponding to four different FPs: Group RX, Radix FP; Group RF, Reforpost Glass Fiber; Group HI; Hi-Rem Endodontic Post; and Group DT, D.

One-year real-world outcomes for patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve repair: the Gulf MTEER registry (GULF Mitral Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair).

Background: Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) with left ventricular dysfunction portends worse outcomes. Over the course of the last two decades, transcatheter repair of the mitral valve offered an alternative therapeutic modality for those deemed inoperable or high risk. Landmark studies such as the Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients With Functional Mitral Regurgitation and Multicentre Study of Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair MitraClip Device in Patients With Severe Secondary Mitral Regurgitation trials have shown conflicting results with respect to all-cause death and heart failure rehospitalisations.

Native aortic leaflets and permanent pacemaker implantation risk following balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Objective: Permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) risk is higher following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) than surgical valve replacement. Native aortic leaflets are retained in patients undergoing TAVI, unlike in surgical valve replacement. Whether the retained leaflets influence PPI risk because of their proximity to the conduction system is unknown.

Critical stenosis of left main coronary artery as a late presentation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A case report and review literature.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an alternative treatment for selected patients with severe aortic valve stenosis who are at high risk for conventional surgery. Critical stenosis of left main coronary artery as a late complication after TAVR is quite rare.

WIN Gulf TAVR Registry: Describing Sex Differences in Patient Characteristics, Prognosis, and Outcomes.

Background: Several international registries have examined outcomes in women undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, none of these studies included women from the Gulf region. The Women IN Gulf Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (WIN Gulf TAVR) registry aimed to examine sex-based differences in patient characteristics and outcomes in patients undergoing TAVR in the region.

One-Year Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: The Gulf TAVR Registry.

Background: The use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is steadily increasing with TAVR procedures offered to patients across the entire spectrum of surgical risks. The Gulf TAVR registry captures the demographics of patients undergoing TAVR in the Gulf region, comorbidities that drive outcomes, procedural success, complications, and one-year outcomes of death or rehospitalization.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study for adult patients aged at least 18 years undergoing TAVR at eight centers in the Gulf region.

Biventricular Impella (Bi-Pella) in Refractory Cardiogenic Shock: The First Case from the Middle East.

Cardiogenic shock (CS) associated with biventricular failure (BiVF) carries significant in-hospital morbidity and mortality. We describe here the successful use of percutaneous biventricular Impella (Bi-Pella) for cardiogenic shock secondary to acute biventricular myocardial infarctions (AMI-CS), as guided by parameters such as mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2), pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi), central venous pressure (CVP), and cardiac power output (CPO). We aim to highlight the promising outcomes of timely implanted biventricular Impella in (AMI-CS).

Phytoplankton bloom detection during the COVID-19 lockdown with remote sensing data: Using Copernicus Sentinel-3 for north-western Arabian/Persian Gulf case study.

To examine whether a country-wide COVID-19 lockdown affected phytoplankton development, variability of chlorophyll-a concentrations in the north-western Arabian/Persian Gulf (Kuwait Bay) was investigated using remote sensing instruments Sentinel OLCI between 2018 and 2020 and compared to available in situ collected data. Satellite-retrieved chlorophyll concentrations considerably increased in inshore waters of Kuwait Bay, 1-2 months following the initiation of the 24/7 curfew. The extremely high concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients, especially ammonia, and coincided phytoplankton bloom were revealed in June-July 2020 by opportunity field sampling, supporting the satellite-derived bloom detection.

Arteries of the Lower Limb-Embryology, Variations, and Clinical Significance.

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to review the embryology of the lower limb arterial anatomy along with common variants and their clinical relevance.

Design: Embryologic variations of the lower limb arterial system may be explained by i.) persistence of primordial arterial segments, ii.

Adverse Outcomes after Advanced EVAR in Patients with Sarcopaenia.

Purpose: To determine whether low total psoas muscle area (tPMA), as a surrogate for sarcopaenia, is a predictor of adverse outcomes in patients undergoing advanced EVAR.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was performed for 257 patients who underwent advanced EVAR (fenestrated or branched technique) in a single tertiary centre from 1 January 2008 to 1 September 2019. The study cohort was divided into tertiles based on tPMA measurement performed independently by two observers from a peri-procedural CT scan at the level of mid-L3 vertebral body.

Acute Myocardial Infarction Secondary to Paradoxical Embolism.

Unlabelled: Patent foramen ovale is a risk factor for systemic embolic events such as cryptogenic stroke. Far less commonly, patent foramen ovale is associated with non-cerebral systemic embolic events. Paradoxical coronary artery embolism is a rare and underdiagnosed cause of acute myocardial infarction.

Defining the Cause of Postpartum Myocardial Infarction - Another Use for Optical Coherence Tomography.

Unlabelled: Chest pain in a young postpartum female can have many causes; however, when associated with ST elevation on ECG, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) should be high on the list. Coronary angiography remains the first step in delineating the coronary lesion in suspected cases of SCAD and optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be crucial when the angiographic appearance remains uncertain. We present a case of a young postpartum female with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Multiple perceptions of robotic-assisted surgery among surgeons and patients: a cross-sectional study.

Limited data exist regarding knowledge and perceptions of surgeons and patients about robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) in the Middle East. This study aimed to explore perceptions of surgeons and patients about RAS. A questionnaire-based survey was distributed among surgeons of different specialties and patients.

Imaging and Management of Liver Cancer.

Imaging of primary hepatic neoplasms in patients at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in patients with otherwise normal livers relies on proper multiphase image acquisition technique, with emphasis on a high-quality, late arterial phase, using either CT or MRI for accurate image interpretation. The introduction of liver imaging reporting and data system in 2011, with subsequent multiple updates, the most recent in 2018, has provided standardization of image interpretation, reporting and management recommendations for liver observations in patients at risk for HCC. This review article will emphasize key points of imaging primary liver tumors with emphasis on liver imaging reporting and data system, including strengths of this system.

Impact of Predilatation Prior to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With the Self-Expanding Acurate neo Device (from the Multicenter NEOPRO Registry).

Safety and feasibility of transfemoral Acurate neo implantation without systematic predilatation are not fully investigated. Our aim was to evaluate the use and impact of pre-implantation balloon aortic valvuloplasty (pre-BAV) before transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with Acurate neo. The NEOPRO Registry retrospectively included 1,263 patients who underwent transfemoral TAVI with Acurate neo at 18 centers between January 2012 and March 2018.

Transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve implantation for failed surgical bioprosthetic valves. A minimalist approach without contrast aortography or echocardiographic guidance.

Objectives: To demonstrate safety, feasibility and short-term clinical outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve (ViV) implantation under local anesthesia without contrast aortography or echocardiographic guidance.

Background: Transcatheter ViV implantation is an emerging treatment modality for patients with degenerative surgical bioprostheses. Given the radiopaque properties of the surgical aortic valve (SAV) frame, ViV procedures can often be performed with fluoroscopic guidance alone.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Next-Generation Self-Expanding Devices: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Propensity-Matched Comparison of Evolut PRO Versus Acurate neo Transcatheter Heart Valves.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the Acurate neo (NEO) and Evolut PRO (PRO) devices.

Background: The NEO and PRO bioprostheses are 2 next-generation self-expanding devices developed for TAVR.

Methods: The NEOPRO (A Multicenter Comparison of Acurate NEO Versus Evolut PRO Transcatheter Heart Valves) registry retrospectively included patients who underwent transfemoral TAVR with either NEO or PRO valves at 24 centers between January 2012 and March 2018.

Overexpansion of the SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve: An Ex Vivo Bench Study.

Objectives: This study assessed the effect of overexpansion beyond labeled size (diameter) of transcatheter heart valves through an ex vivo bench study.

Background: Transcatheter heart valves function optimally when expanded to specific dimensions. However, clinicians may sometimes wish to overexpand balloon-expandable valves to address specific clinical challenges.