Computed tomography diagnosis of pulmonary infarction in acute pulmonary embolism.

Introduction: Pulmonary infarction is a common sequela of pulmonary embolism (PE) but lacks a diagnostic reference standard. CTPA in the setting of acute PE does not reliably differentiate infarction from other consolidations, such as reversible alveolar hemorrhage or atelectasis. We aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy for recognizing pulmonary infarction on CT in the acute phase of PE, with follow-up CT as reference.

How effective is topical miconazole or amorolfine for mild to moderately severe onychomycosis in primary care: the Onycho Trial - a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of topical miconazole or amorolfine compared to placebo for mild to moderately severe onychomycosis.

Design: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, with computer-generated treatment allocation at a 1:1:1 ratio.

Setting: Primary care, recruitment from February 2020 to August 2022.

The Prevalence of Coronary Artery Disease in Bicuspid Aortic Valve Patients: An Overview of the Literature.

The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients is a debatable topic. Several studies have indicated that BAV patients have a lower prevalence of CAD compared with patients with a tricuspid aortic valve (TAV), but the effects of age and gender have not always been considered. This systematic review provides an overview of articles which report on CAD in BAV and TAV patients.

Effect of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). Robust evidence-based treatment options are lacking.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and short-term HF-related effects of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in a real-world ACHD population.

Late follow-up of neo-aortic dimensions and coronary arteries in adult patients after the arterial switch operation.

Background: After the arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries (TGA), neo-aortic dilatation and coronary arterial anomalies, especially an interarterial course and acute coronary artery take-off angle, are commonly found. Long-term follow-up data after ASO is scarce. Aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of neo-aortic dilatation and coronary abnormalities, with special emphasis on acute coronary take-off angle, in adult TGA-ASO patients.

Impact of Age at Diagnosis on Cardiotoxicity in High-Grade Osteosarcoma and Ewing Sarcoma Patients.

Background: Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma patients face a significant risk of cardiotoxicity as defined by left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure (HF).

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the association between age at sarcoma diagnosis and incident HF.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed at the largest sarcoma center in the Netherlands among patients with an osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma.

Prevention of vasoplegia with CytoSorb in heart failure patients undergoing cardiac surgery (CytoSorb-HF trial): protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Vasoplegia is a common complication after cardiac surgery and is associated with poor prognosis. It is characterised by refractory hypotension despite normal or even increased cardiac output. The pathophysiology is complex and includes the systemic inflammatory response caused by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and surgical trauma.

Staging right heart failure in patients with tricuspid regurgitation undergoing tricuspid surgery.

Objectives: This study evaluated the prognostic value of staging right heart failure in patients with significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) undergoing tricuspid valve (TV) surgery.

Methods: Patients with significant TR who underwent TV surgery were divided into 4 right heart failure stages according to the presence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and clinical signs of right heart failure: stage 1 was defined as no RV dysfunction and no signs of right heart failure; stage 2 indicated RV dysfunction without signs of right heart failure; stage 3 included RV dysfunction and signs of right heart failure; and stage 4 was defined as RV dysfunction and refractory signs of right heart failure at rest.

Results: A total of 278 patients [mean age 64 (12), 49% males] were included, of whom 34 (12%) patients were classified as stages 1 and 2, 141 (51%) as stage 3 and 103 (37%) as stage 4 right heart failure.

Original Research: Long-Term Prognosis After ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Patients with a Prior Cancer Diagnosis.

Introduction: It is unknown how long-term prognosis after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients with a prior cancer diagnosis is impacted by cancer-related factors as diagnosis, stage, and treatment. We aimed to assess long-term survival trends after STEMI in this population to evaluate both cardiovascular and cancer-related drivers of prognosis over a follow-up period of 5 years.

Methods: In this retrospective single-center cohort study, patients with a prior cancer diagnosis admitted with STEMI between 2004 and 2014 and treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were recruited from the STEMI clinical registry of our institution.

Extent of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients With Stenotic Bicuspid Versus Tricuspid Aortic Valves.

Background Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital cardiac malformation, which is often complicated by aortic valve stenosis (AoS). In tricuspid aortic valve (TAV), AoS strongly associates with coronary artery disease (CAD) with common pathophysiological factors. Yet, it remains unclear whether AoS in patients with BAV is also associated with CAD.

Validation and Feasibility of Echocardiographic Assessment of Systemic Right Ventricular Function: Serial Correlation With MRI.

Inherent to its geometry, echocardiographic imaging of the systemic right ventricle (RV) is challenging. Therefore, echocardiographic assessment of systemic RV function may not always be feasible and/or reproducible in daily practice. Here, we aim to validate the usefulness of a comprehensive range of 32 echocardiographic measurements of systemic RV function in a longitudinal cohort by serial assessment of their correlations with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived systemic RV ejection fraction (RVEF).

Mitral valve repair for isolated posterior mitral valve leaflet prolapse: The effect of respect and resect techniques on left ventricular function.

Objective: Posterior mitral valve leaflet prolapse repair can be performed by leaflet resection or chordal replacement techniques. The impact of these techniques on left ventricular function remains a topic of debate, considering the presumed better preservation of mitral-ventricular continuity when leaflet resection is avoided. We explored the effect of different posterior mitral valve leaflet repair techniques on postoperative left ventricular function.

Regurgitant Volume/Left Ventricular End-Diastolic Volume Ratio: Prognostic Value in Patients With Secondary Mitral Regurgitation.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic implications of the ratio of mitral regurgitant volume (RVol) to left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume (EDV) in patients with significant secondary mitral regurgitation (MR).

Background: Quantification of secondary MR remains challenging, and its severity can be over- or underestimated when using the proximal isovelocity surface area method, which does not take LV volume into account. This limitation can be addressed by normalizing mitral RVol to LVEDV.

Coronary anomalies in tetralogy of Fallot - A meta-analysis.

Background: An anomalous coronary artery is reported in 2% to 23% of patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). Knowledge of coronary anatomy prior to corrective surgery is vital to avoid damage to vessels crossing the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). A meta-analysis on the prevalence of anomalous coronary arteries in TOF is lacking to date.

The Effect of Ultraviolet B Irradiation Compared with Oral Vitamin D Supplementation on the Well-being of Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

There are indications that ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure has beneficial effects on well-being through mechanisms other than vitamin D synthesis alone. We conducted a randomized controlled multicenter trial to compare the effects of UVB light and vitamin D supplementation (VD) in terms of the well-being of nursing home residents with dementia. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (UVB group, = 41; half-body UVB irradiation, twice weekly over 6 months, with 1 standard erythema dose (SED)) or to the control group (VD group, = 37; 5600 International units (IU) cholecalciferol supplementation once a week).

Construction and assessment of prediction rules for binary outcome in the presence of missing predictor data using multiple imputation and cross-validation: Methodological approach and data-based evaluation.

We investigate calibration and assessment of predictive rules when missing values are present in the predictors. Our paper has two key objectives. The first is to investigate how the calibration of the prediction rule can be combined with use of multiple imputation to account for missing predictor observations.

Clamping versus nonclamping thoracoscopic box ablation in long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Objective: To compare clinical outcomes of clamping devices and linear nonclamping devices for isolation of the posterior left atrium (box) in thoracoscopic ablation of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Methods: Eighty patients who underwent thoracoscopic pulmonary vein and box isolation using a bipolar clamping device (42 patients) or bipolar nonclamping device (38 patients) to create the roof/inferior lesions for box isolation were included from 2 centers. Follow-up consisted of 24-hour Holter at regular intervals.

Prognostic Implications of Right Ventricular Remodeling and Function in Patients With Significant Secondary Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background: In patients with significant (moderate and severe) tricuspid regurgitation (TR), the decision to intervene is influenced by right ventricular (RV) size and function. RV remodeling in significant secondary TR has been underexplored. The aim of this study was to characterize RV remodeling in patients with significant secondary TR and to investigate its prognostic implications.

Time course of left ventricular remodelling and mechanics after aortic valve surgery: aortic stenosis vs. aortic regurgitation.

Aims: Pressure overload in aortic stenosis (AS) and both pressure and volume overload in aortic regurgitation (AR) induce concentric and eccentric hypertrophy, respectively. These structural changes influence left ventricular (LV) mechanics, but little is known about the time course of LV remodelling and mechanics after aortic valve surgery (AVR) and its differences in AS vs. AR.

Impact of hepatic encephalopathy on liver transplant waiting list mortality in regions with different transplantation rates.

Overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) negatively impacts the prognosis of liver transplant candidates. However, it is not taken into account in most prioritizing organ allocation systems. We aimed to assess the impact of OHE on waitlist mortality in 3 cohorts of cirrhotic patients awaiting liver transplantation, with differences in the composition of patient population, transplantation policy, and transplantation rates.