Left ventricular restrictive physiology in kids with atrial septal defects: Something unexpected!

Atrial septal defect (ASD) associated with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) is rare in children. DD is common in elderly patients undergoing ASD closure. Restrictive physiology among children undergoing percutaneous ASD closure is something unexpected that has not been described before in the literature.

Percutaneous Pulmonary Valve Implantation.

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) is recognized as a feasible and low risk alternative to surgery to treat dysfunctional right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in usually pluri-operated patients. Evolving technology allowed to develop different kind of prosthesis and to go from an initial treatment exclusively of stenotic conduit to an actual approach extended also to wide native RVOT. The Melody transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) and the Edwards Sapien valve are nowadays the most commonly implanted prostheses.

Failing mitral homograft in the tricuspid position treated with a percutaneous approach.

: Patients with degenerated mitral homograft in tricuspid position, albeit rare, can nowadays come to our attention. Here we report on a case that shows that the transcatheter approach can be successfully adopted, leading to an evident improvement in the clinical condition, especially in symptomatic patients who cannot undergo surgical intervention.

Techniques, Timing, and Prognosis of Transcatheter Post Myocardial Infarction Ventricular Septal Defect Repair.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to delineate the actual role of percutaneous intervention in the closure of post-myocardial infarction ventricular septal defect (post-MI VSD) and to briefly summarize the main steps of this procedure.

Recent Findings: Most of the published studies report experiences using Amplatzer devices for post-MI VSD closure. In the acute phase, morbidity and mortality are quite high up to 70%, with a mean success rate of 90%, with 95% confidence intervals from 60 to 100%, and a 30-day mortality of 40%, with 95% confidence intervals from 0 to 55%.

Atrial septal defect (ASD) device trans-catheter closure: limitations.

Transcatheter closure is a widespread technique used to treat secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs). When compared to surgery, it provides a less invasive approach with quicker recovery and reduced physical and psychological impact. Nowadays, almost 85-90% of all secundum ASD can be closed by using a transcatheter approach.

Management of balloon rupture during a percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation procedure.

Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation is increasingly adopted as an alternative procedure to surgery in dysfunctional homograft, and in patients with "native" or wide right ventricle outflow tract dysfunction. Pre-stenting is mandatory in this category of patients for many reasons, one of which is to create an adequate landing zone for the bioprosthesis. Here we report on a tricky situation that occurred during pre-stenting, and we describe how we successfully overcame it.

Coronary Sinus Reducer Implantation for the Treatment of Chronic Refractory Angina: A Single-Center Experience.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the Reducer in a real-world cohort of patients presenting with refractory angina.

Background: The coronary sinus Reducer is a novel device to aid in the management of patients with severe angina symptoms refractory to optimal medical therapy and not amenable to further revascularization.

Methods: Fifty patients with refractory angina and objective evidence of myocardial ischemia who were judged unsuitable for revascularization were treated with coronary sinus Reducer implantation at a single center between March 2015 and August 2016.

Emergency transcatheter closure of a stented PDA in a patient with pulmonary atresia and intact ventricular septum: be ready for the unexpected!

Patients with congenital heart disease and duct-dependent pulmonary circulation can undergo stenting of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). This case shows that, due to the physiological changes occurring after stent implantation, sometimes it is necessary to close the stented PDA rather than to redilate it.

Tricuspid regurgitation as a complication of Edwards Sapien XT valve implantation in pulmonary position a problem to deal with.

Nowadays, percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) is a suitable alternative to surgical procedure in patients with right ventricle outflow tract dysfunction. Two valves are currently available for PPVI: the Melody valve and the Edwards Sapien valve. The following complications may occur: coronary artery compression, deformation of the aortic root, stent or valve embolization, damage of distal pulmonary arteries, access site injuries.

Heart failure in grown-up congenital heart disease.

The increasing survival to adulthood of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) has changed the epidemiology of adult CHD (ACHD) patients and has led to an increment in hospitalization rates due to heart failure (HF). ACHD patients hospitalized for HF have a five-fold higher risk of death than those compensated. HF occurs predominantly in patients with tetralogy of Fallot, single ventricles, and after the Mustard operation for transposition of the great arteries.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction in chronic inflammatory rheumatoid diseases.

Chronic inflammatory rheumatoid diseases (CIRD) such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis are an important risk factor for the development of ischaemic heart disease and a source of high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In patients affected by CIRD, inflammation can affect coronary microvascular function and contribute to the development of myocardial ischemia and cardiovascular events, even in the absence of obstructive epicardial coronary artery disease. Understanding the molecular aspects that underlie the development of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) in CIRD is of fundamental importance to identify specific therapeutic targets.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction in asymptomatic patients affected by systemic sclerosis - limited vs. diffuse form.

Background: This observational study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) in asymptomatic patients affected by systemic sclerosis (SSc), stratifying the results according to the limited (lcSSc) and the diffuse (dcSSc) forms of the disease.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 19 consecutive asymptomatic patients with dcSSc (n=7) or lcSSc (n=12). In all subjects, coronary flow reserve (CFR) was assessed by measuring diastolic coronary flow velocities in the left anterior descending artery by pulsed wave Doppler at baseline and after dipyridamole infusion (0.

[Cardiac involvement at rest in patients with systemic sclerosis: differences between the limited and the diffuse form of the disease].

Background: Heart involvement confers a poor prognosis in patients affected by systemic sclerosis (SSc). Nevertheless, the prevalence of heart involvement in these patients is not fully known. In this study we analyzed the most frequent manifestations of heart involvement at rest in a cohort of patients with SSc, comparing their prevalence in patients with the limited form (lcSSc) and in patients with the diffuse form (dcSSc) of the disease, taking also into account the duration of the disease.