Unveiling women's lived experiences with care provided by a pregnancy heart team: A qualitative phenomenological study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of women with CVD regarding their care by a pregnancy heart team (PHT) during pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period.

Methods: Using a qualitative phenomenological study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 women receiving follow-up care from a PHT at a large tertiary center. Data were collected between December 2022 and September 2023, and thematic content analysis was conducted.

Interarm Blood Pressure Difference Revealing a Right-Sided Aortic Arch and Occluded Aberrant Left Subclavian Artery.

We present the case of a 33-year-old patient with a rare combination of a right-sided aortic arch and occluded asymptomatic aberrant left subclavian artery diagnosed after the coincidental finding of an interarm blood pressure difference. Because there were no symptoms of local compression or subclavian steal, conservative management was suggested.

Peripheral Microvascular Dysfunction in Children and Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: A Literature Review.

Although there is a continually growing number of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) due to medical and surgical advances, these patients still have a poorer prognosis compared to healthy individuals of similar age. In patients with heart failure, microvascular dysfunction (MVD) has recently emerged as a crucial modulator of disease initiation and progression. Because of the substantial pathophysiological overlap between CHD and heart failure induced by other etiologies, MVD could be important in the pathophysiology of CHD as well.

Elevated oxidative stress in patients with congenital heart disease and the effect of cyanosis: a meta-analysis.

Oxidative stress is an important pathophysiological mechanism in the development of numerous cardiovascular disorders. To improve therapy and preventive strategies, clinicians need a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of congenital heart diseases (CHD). The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine whether oxidative stress is elevated in patients with CHD compared to healthy controls, and to evaluate whether a difference in oxidative stress parameters can be observed between patients with cyanotic (cCHD) and acyanotic CHD (aCHD).

Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease.

Congenital heart diseases represent a wide range of cardiac malformations. Medical and surgical advances have dramatically increased the survival of patients with congenital heart disease, leading to a continuously growing number of children, adolescents, and adults with congenital heart disease. Nevertheless, congenital heart disease patients have a worse prognosis compared to healthy individuals of similar age.

Circulating Reactive Oxygen Species in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease.

Oxidative stress is an important pathophysiological mechanism in the development of numerous cardiovascular disorders, but few studies have examined the levels of oxidative stress in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). The objective of this study was to investigate oxidative stress levels in adults with CHD and the association with inflammation, exercise capacity and endothelial function. To this end, 36 adults with different types of CHD and 36 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled.

Phenotype of COL3A1/COL5A2 deletion patients.

Introduction: The diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is usually based on well-defined diagnostic criteria and the result of DNA investigation. Classical (cEDS) and vascular type (vEDS) are the most prevalent subtypes and are caused by heterozygous pathogenic variants in COL5A1, COL5A2, COL1A1 or, respectively, in COL3A1. We describe 3 cases with contiguous deletions resulting in haploinsufficiency of both genes with relative mild features of connective tissue disease.

Multi-plane echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular function in adults with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot.

In patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF), detailed assessment of right ventricular (RV) function is important for management and timing of possible pulmonary valve re-intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate RV function using two-dimensional multi-plane echocardiography (2D MPE), a novel four-wall imaging method obtained from one apical acoustic window utilising electronic plane rotation. In sixty-two ToF patients (aged - 28 [22, 39] years, 65% male), systolic function of four different RV walls (lateral, anterior, inferior and inferior coronal) were evaluated using MPE.

Quantitative assessment of the entire right ventricle from one acoustic window: An attractive approach in patients with congenital heart disease in daily practice.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) function is recognized as an important prognostic factor in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). The accuracy of established parameters including tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), RV fractional area change (RVFAC) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI S') is limited as only a small RV region is reflected. We previously introduced a novel four-view approach with different RV walls visualized from one apical view using electronic plane rotation, also known as iRotate.

Repetitive out of hospital cardiac arrests following pregnancy: a case report of an unfortunate presentation of mitral annular disjunction.

Background: Mitral annular disjunction (MAD) is an under-recognized cause of arrhythmic sudden cardiac death, especially in young women. The relation between MAD and the occurrence of arrhythmia during pregnancy has not yet been explored. We would like to stress the importance of careful echocardiographic examination and the vulnerable peripartum period.

The Effect of Exercise Training During Pregnancy to Improve Maternal Vascular Health: Focus on Gestational Hypertensive Disorders.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, occur in up to 10% of pregnancies and are associated with increased life-long cardiovascular risk. Physical activity improves cardiovascular health in pregnancy and may lower the risk of developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. However, a minority of pregnant women comply with the recommended level of physical activity.

Left ventricular global longitudinal strain in bicupsid aortic valve patients: head-to-head comparison between computed tomography, 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance and speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) analysis is a sensitive measurement of myocardial deformation most often done using speckle-tracking transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). We propose a novel approach to measure LVGLS using feature-tracking software on the magnitude dataset of 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and compare it to dynamic computed tomography (CT) and speckle tracking TTE derived measurements. In this prospective cohort study 59 consecutive adult patients with a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) were included.

Percutaneous Closure of PFO in Patients with Reduced Oxygen Saturation at Rest and during Exercise: Short- and Long-Term Results.

Background: A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a rare cause of hypoxemia and clinical symptoms of dyspnea. Due to a right-to-left shunt, desaturated blood enters the systemic circulation in a subset of patients resulting in dyspnea and a subsequent reduction in quality of life (QoL). Percutaneous closure of PFO is the treatment of choice.

Percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale for the secondary prevention of decompression illness in sports divers: mind the gap.

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure on the recurrence of decompression illness (DCI).

Design: Retrospective, observational study with interview and questionnaire.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Echocardiographic parameters of severe pulmonary regurgitation after surgical repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

Aims: Reliable evaluation of the severity and consequences of pulmonary regurgitation (PR) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is crucial to timely identify the need for pulmonary valve intervention. We aimed to identify the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters to differentiate between moderate and severe PR, using phase contrast cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) as gold standard.

Methods And Results: In this cross-sectional study, 45 TOF patients with both echocardiographic and CMR measurements of PR were enrolled.

Abnormal longitudinal peak systolic strain in asymptomatic patients with type I diabetes mellitus.

Aims: In addition to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the prevalence of diabetic cardiomyopathy is increasingly recognized in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). We aimed to identify the occurrence of subclinical markers of cardiovascular risk and cardiac dysfunction and assess their relation to clinical parameters in asymptomatic patients with T1DM.

Methods And Results: A total of 102 patients (mean age 46 years [20-73], 62% male) with a history of T1DM ranging from 5 to 47 years underwent standard 2D and pulse-wave tissue Doppler echocardiography (Philips iE33) and computerized tomography for assessment of coronary calcium score (CACS) and visceral fat.

How to Size ASDs for Percutaneous Closure.

Percutaneous closure is the treatment of choice for secundum-type atrial septal defects (ASD). Balloon sizing (BS) has been the method of choice for deciding on device size. Improved 2D- and 3D-transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) imaging challenged the necessity of BS.

Adiponectin resistance in skeletal muscle: pathophysiological implications in chronic heart failure.

Skeletal muscle wasting is a common complication of chronic heart failure (CHF) and linked to poor patient prognosis. In recent years, adiponectin was postulated to be centrally involved in CHF-associated metabolic failure and muscle wasting. This review discusses current knowledge on the role of adiponectin in CHF.

Primary skeletal muscle myoblasts from chronic heart failure patients exhibit loss of anti-inflammatory and proliferative activity.

Background: Peripheral skeletal muscle wasting is a common finding with adverse effects in chronic heart failure (HF). Whereas its clinical relevance is beyond doubt, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. We aimed to introduce and characterize the primary culture of skeletal muscle cells from individual HF patients as a supportive model to study this muscle loss.

Tumor necrosis factor-α impairs adiponectin signalling, mitochondrial biogenesis, and myogenesis in primary human myotubes cultures.

Skeletal muscle metabolic changes are common in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). Previously, we demonstrated a functional skeletal muscle adiponectin resistance in HF patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). We aimed to examine the impact of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) deficiency and TNF-α treatment on adiponectin signaling, proliferative capacity, myogenic differentiation, and mitochondrial biogenesis in primary human skeletal muscle cells.