Hybrid stenting through direct ventricular access for severe stenosis of the pulmonary venous baffle after atrial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries: a case report.

Background: Atrial switch repair was the first surgical intervention to result in long-term survival in patients with ventriculo-arterial discordance or transposition of the great arteries. However, the natural history after atrial switch is not uneventful with frequent atrial arrhythmia, development of baffle stenosis, and eventually heart failure. For this, new interventions might be necessary but are often associated with increased risk.

Impact of Sex on Severity Assessment and Cardiac Remodeling in Primary Mitral Regurgitation.

Background: Women with severe primary mitral regurgitation (MR) have lower surgery rates than men and could suffer from delayed referral for mitral valve (MV) intervention, exposing them to an increased risk of postoperative adverse outcomes.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the sex-based differences in patients with primary MR.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 420 patients (median age: 62 years, 26% women) with primary MR due to valve prolapse referred for preoperative assessment who underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Quantifying the Survival Loss Linked to Late Therapeutic Indication in High-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Background: International guidelines recommend aortic valve replacement (AVR) as Class I triggers in high-gradient severe aortic stenosis (HGSAS) patients with symptoms and/or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50%. The association between waiting for these triggers and postoperative survival penalty is poorly studied.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of guideline-based Class I triggers on long-term postoperative survival in HGSAS patients.

Degenerative mitral regurgitation due to flail leaflet: sex-related differences in presentation, management, and outcomes.

Background And Aims: Presentation, outcome, and management of females with degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR) are undefined. We analysed sex-specific baseline clinical and echocardiographic characteristics at referral for DMR due to flail leaflets and subsequent management and outcomes.

Methods: In the Mitral Regurgitation International Database (MIDA) international registry, females were compared with males regarding presentation at referral, management, and outcome (survival/heart failure), under medical treatment, post-operatively, and encompassing all follow-up.

Pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease: New insights into neonatal risk prediction.

Background: Advances in managing adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) have led to an increased number of women with CHD reaching childbearing age. This demographic shift underscores the need for improved understanding and prediction of complications during pregnancy in this specific ACHD population. Despite progress in maternal cardiac risk assessment, the prediction of neonatal outcomes for ACHD pregnancies remains underdeveloped.

Infective Endocarditis in Belgium: Prospective Data in Adults from the ESC EORP European Endocarditis Registry.

(1) Background: infective endocarditis (IE) is a significant health concern associated with important morbidity and mortality. Only limited, often monocentric, retrospective data on IE in Belgium are available. This prospective study sought to assess the clinical characteristics and outcomes of Belgian IE patients in the ESC EORP European endocarditis (EURO-ENDO) registry; (2) Methods: 132 IE patients were identified based on the ESC 2015 criteria and included in six tertiary hospitals in Belgium; (3) Results: The average Belgian IE patient was male and 62.

Carbohydrate antigen 125: a useful marker of congestion, fibrosis, and prognosis in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a disease associated with high morbidity and mortality, for which it is difficult to identify patients with the poorest prognosis in routine clinical practice. Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA 125) has been shown to be a potential marker of congestion and prognosis in HF. We sought to better characterize HFpEF patients with high CA 125 levels by using a multimodal approach.

Cardiac structure, function, and coronary anatomy 10 years after isolated contemporary adjuvant radiotherapy in breast cancer patients with low cardiovascular baseline risk.

Aims: The effects of isolated contemporary low-dose breast cancer (BC) radiotherapy (RT) on the heart remain poorly understood. This study aims to assess the long-term impacts of BC-RT on cardiac structure and function.

Methods And Results: Seventy-six women (62 ± 7 years) without history of prior heart disease, who had undergone RT for either first left (n = 36) or right (n = 40) BC, without additional medical oncology therapy apart from hormonal treatment 11 ± 1 years earlier, underwent transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA), NT-proBNP, and a 6-min walk test (6MWT).

Tricuspid annular dynamics, not diameter, predicts tricuspid regurgitation after mitral valve surgery: Results from a prospective randomized trial.

Objective: Current guidelines advise using prophylactic tricuspid valve annuloplasty during mitral valve surgery, especially in the presence of annular diameter enlargement. However, several retrospective studies and a prospective randomized study from our department could not confirm that diameter enlargement is predictive of late regurgitation. We examined whether 2- and 3-dimensional echocardiographic and clinical characteristics could identify patients who will develop moderate or severe recurrent tricuspid regurgitation.

Chronic kidney disease is a key risk factor for aortic stenosis progression.

Background: Rapid progression of aortic stenosis (AS) has been observed in patients undergoing dialysis, but existing cross-sectional evidence is contradictory in non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study sought to evaluate whether CKD is associated with the progression of AS over time in a large cohort of patients with AS.

Methods: We retrospectively studied all consecutive patients diagnosed with AS [peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) ≥2.

Quantification of primary mitral regurgitation by echocardiography: A practical appraisal.

The accurate quantification of primary mitral regurgitation (MR) and its consequences on cardiac remodeling is of paramount importance to determine the best timing for surgery in these patients. The recommended echocardiographic grading of primary MR severity relies on an integrated multiparametric approach. It is expected that the large number of echocardiographic parameters collected would offer the possibility to check the measured values regarding their congruence in order to conclude reliably on MR severity.

Prognostic Implications of Discordant Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis: Comprehensive Analysis of a Large Multicenter Registry.

Background: Up to 30% of patients with severe aortic stenosis (SAS) (indexed aortic valve area [AVAi] <0.6 cm/m) exhibit low-transvalvular gradient despite normal ejection fraction. There is intense debate regarding the prognostic significance of this entity.

Association of Plasma Myeloperoxidase with Inflammation and Diabetic status in HFpEF.

Background: Inflammation and oxidative stress are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) through the development of endothelial dysfunction. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) functions as a link between oxidative stress and inflammation and is an interesting therapeutic target. The objective of this observational cohort study was to compare MPO levels between HFpEF and old controls, to define clinical characteristics associated with high levels of MPO and to assess the relation between MPO levels and vascular function.

The coronavirus disease pandemic among adult congenital heart disease patients and the lessons learnt - results of a prospective multicenter european registry.

Background: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, professionals in charge of particularly vulnerable populations, such as adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients, were confronted with difficult decision-making. We aimed to assess changes in risk stratification and outcomes of ACHD patients suffering from COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2021.

Methods And Results: Risk stratification among ACHD experts (before and after the first outcome data were available) was assessed by means of questionnaires.

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return in adults: Insight into pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a rare condition that may lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We sought to determine the prevalence of PAPVR, the follow-up rate of incidentally discovered PAPVR, the repercussions of volume and pressure overload on the right ventricle (RV), and the prevalence and predictors of PAH.

Methods And Results: Fifty PAPVR patients aged ≥18 years were included.

Antithrombotic Therapy Duration after Patent Foramen Ovale Closure for Stroke Prevention: Impact on Long-Term Outcome.

Background: The optimal duration of antithrombotic therapy (ATT) after patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure remains under debate. This study sought to compare the clinical outcome of patients receiving antithrombotic agents for a short (6 months) versus extended (>6 months) period after the procedure.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using a propensity score matching analysis on 259 consecutive patients (131 males, 43 ± 10 years) undergoing PFO closure due to cryptogenic stroke, with complete follow-up (median duration of 10 [4-13] years).