Dynamic Echocardiographic Imaging of a Valve-in-Valve Mitral Prosthesis.

Dynamic imaging of heart valves and specifically prosthetic valves is a central benefit of echocardiography. Most bioprosthetic heart valves degenerate over a given time and hence require repeat valve replacement which carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Reoperation is the standard of care and may still be required after the first successful surgery due to complications disrupting either mechanical or bioprosthetic valves.

Effects of energy drinks on the cardiovascular system.

Throughout the last decade, the use of energy drinks has been increasingly looked upon with caution as potentially dangerous due to their perceived strong concentration of caffeine aside from other substances such as taurine, guarana, and L-carnitine that are largely unknown to the general public. In addition, a large number of energy drink intoxications have been reported all over the world including cases of seizures and arrhythmias. In this paper, we focus on the effect of energy drinks on the cardiovascular system and whether the current ongoing call for the products' sales and regulation of their contents should continue.

Exacerbation of pulmonic regurgitation by diastolic tricuspid regurgitation.

Few cases of diastolic mitral regurgitation (MR) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) have been reported in the world literature. We report the case of a 63-year-old woman admitted for syncope, with a permanent pacemaker following complete heart block. Echocardiography revealed that the timing of the diastolic TR (and noted MR) coincided with the second phase of the pulmonic insufficiency (PI) jet.