The European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Fourth report: Focus on standardized outcome ratios.

Objectives: This fourth report aimed to provide insights into patient characteristics, outcomes, and standardized outcome ratios of patients implanted with durable Mechanical Circulatory Support across participating centers in the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) registry.

Methods: All registered patients receiving durable mechanical circulatory support up to August 2024 were included. Expected number of events were predicted using penalized logistic regression.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of an Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitor in Patients Using a Durable Left Ventricular Assist Device.

Sacubitril/valsartan is an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) drug used to treat patients with heart failure and has shown improvement in outcomes. Different studies reported the use of an ARNI in patients using left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). However, there are limited data on the use of ARNIs in this population.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor in Patients Using Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) have been shown to reduce risks of clinical events in patients with heart failure (HF). However, data on the use of SGLT2-i in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are scarce. We thought to assess the efficacy and safety of SGLT2-i in patients with LVADs.

Vena cava and renal vein thrombosis with pheochromocytoma: A case report.

Pheochromocytomas are potentially malignant and may manifest with vascular thrombi. We present the treatment of a patient with pheochromocytoma and tumor thrombosis of the renal vein and inferior vena cava. A thirty-eight-year-old male patient was admitted complaining of abdominal pain and headache.

Epigenetics of cardiomyopathies: the next frontier.

Cardiomyopathies (CMP) are a diverse group of myocardial diseases that cause structural, functional, and pathological changes to the heart. Alterations at the molecular level associated with the clinical phenotype and progression of CMPs cannot be solely explained by the genetic mutations, even in inherited cardiomyopathies. Epigenetics and environmental factors are likely to significantly modify the clinical manifestations of CMPs, resulting in variable clinical expression and different age-related penetrance.

Viral Infections in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients: Effects on Graft Function, Risk Factors, and Patient Outcomes.

Objectives: Viral infections are the leading cause of posttransplant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to determine the effect on graft function, the risk factors, the frequency, and types of viral infections and to evaluate the effect of viral infections on kidney and patient outcomes in pediatric kidney transplant patients.

Materials And Methods: Records of children undergoing kidney transplant in our center during the period February 1, 2010, to December 31, 2023, were retrospectively evaluated.

Pectus Excavatum and Risk of Right Ventricular Failure in Left Ventricular Assist Device Patients.

Background: Right ventricular failure (RVF) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). This study is aimed to investigate the influence of a pectus excavatum on early and late outcomes, specifically RVF, following LVAD implantation.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed, that included patients with a HeartMate 3 LVAD at our tertiary referral center.

Temporal changes in CT-derived fractional flow reserve in patients after heart transplantation.

Background: Adding functional information by CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRct) to coronary CT angiography (CCTA) and assessing its temporal change may provide insight into the natural history and physiopathology of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in heart transplantation (HTx) patients. We assessed FFRct changes as well as CAV progression over a 2-year period in HTx patients undergoing serial CT imaging.

Methods: HTx patients from Erasmus MC and Mount Sinai Hospital, who had consecutive CCTAs 2 years apart were evaluated.

Multimodality imaging for the evaluation and management of patients with long-term (durable) left ventricular assist devices.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are gaining increasing importance as therapeutic strategy in advanced heart failure (HF), not only as bridge to recovery or to transplant but also as destination therapy. Even though long-term LVADs are considered a precious resource to expand the treatment options and improve clinical outcome of these patients, these are limited by peri-operative and post-operative complications, such as device-related infections, haemocompatibility-related events, device mis-positioning, and right ventricular failure. For this reason, a precise pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-operative evaluation of these patients is crucial for the selection of LVAD candidates and the management LVAD recipients.

Early Postoperative Changes in Von Willebrand Factor Activity Are Associated With Future Bleeding and Stroke in HeartMate 3 Patients.

Hemocompatibility-related adverse events (HRAEs), particularly gastrointestinal bleeding, remain a frequent complication after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The current study sought to describe and analyze whether early (<60 days) postoperative von Willebrand factor (VWF) activity assays predict the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and stroke. A prospective single-center study including 74 HeartMate 3 device recipients between 2016 and 2023 was undertaken.

Temporal evolution of anxiety and depression in chronic heart failure and its association with clinical outcome.

Background: Although anxiety and depression have been associated with adverse outcomes in chronic heart failure (HF), data on temporal evolution of these symptoms are scarce. We aimed to investigate the association between repeatedly measured depression and anxiety symptoms and clinical outcome in chronic HF patients.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, outpatients with chronic HF were included and followed-up for a maximum of 2.

Influence of the Outflow Graft Angular Position on the Outcomes in Patients With a Left Ventricular Assist Device.

This study aimed to explore the potential impact of the angular position of the outflow graft on thromboembolic events and aortic valve regurgitation in people with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). We analyzed contrast computed tomography (CT) data of patients with LVAD implantation between 2016 and 2021. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the outflow graft and aortic arch were performed to calculate the horizontal (azimuth) angle and vertical (polar) angle, as well as the relative distance between the outflow graft, aortic valve, and brachiocephalic artery.

Temporal evolution of liver function parameters predicts clinical outcome in chronic heart failure patients (Bio-SHiFT study).

Background: Liver dysfunction contributes to worse clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF) patients. However, studies exploring temporal evolutions of liver function parameters in chronic HF (CHF) pa- tients, and their associations with clinical outcome, are scarce. Detailed temporal patterns of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP), total bilirubin (TBIL) and albumin (ALB) were investigated, and their relation with clinical outcome, in patients with stable CHF with reduced ejection fraction.

Investigating the effects of PTEN mutations on cGAS-STING pathway in glioblastoma tumours.

Background: PTEN is a tumour suppressor gene and well-known for being frequently mutated in several cancer types. Loss of immunogenicity can also be attributed to PTEN loss, because of its role in establishing the tumour microenvironment. Therefore, this study aimed to represent the link between PTEN and cGAS-STING activity, a key mediator of inflammation, in tumour samples of glioblastoma patients.

Intraoperative mixed-reality spinal neuronavigation system: a novel navigation technique for spinal intradural pathologies.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the intraoperative accuracy and feasibility of 3D-printed marker-based mixed-reality neurosurgical navigation for spinal intradural pathologies.

Methods: The authors produced 3D segmentations of spinal intradural tumors with neighboring structures by using combined CT and MRI, and preoperative registration of pathology and markers was successfully performed. A patient-specific, surgeon-facilitated application for mobile devices was built, and a mixed-reality light detection and ranging (LIDAR) camera on a mobile device was employed for cost-effective, high-accuracy spinal neuronavigation.

Quantitative metrics of the LV trabeculated layer by cardiac CT and cardiac MRI in patients with suspected noncompaction cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: To compare cardiac computed tomography (CCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for the quantitative assessment of the left ventricular (LV) trabeculated layer in patients with suspected noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM).

Materials And Methods: Subjects with LV excessive trabeculation who underwent both CMR and CCT imaging as part of the prospective international multicenter NONCOMPACT clinical study were included. For each subject, short-axis CCT and CMR slices were matched.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of Mavacamten therapy in international cohort of 524 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heritable myocardial disorder worldwide. Current pharmacological treatment options are limited. Mavacamten, a first-in-class cardiac myosin inhibitor, targets the main underlying pathology of HCM.

Aortic arch branching variations and risk of cerebrovascular accidents in patients with a left ventricular assist device.

Aims: This retrospective study investigated the association between anatomical variations in the aortic arch branching and adverse events, including the risk of cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs), in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

Methods: Medical charts were reviewed for all patients with HeartMate 3 LVAD support at our center from 2016 to 2021. Computed tomography scans were evaluated to categorize the variations in the aortic arch branching based on seven different types, as described in the literature.

The prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis after heart transplantation assessed using CT.

Objective: Osteoporosis is frequently observed in patients after heart transplantation (HT), although the prevalence long-term post-HT is unknown. Most studies investigating bone mineral density (BD) after HT were performed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. In this study BD, including the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis, was investigated using coronary computed tomography (CCT) long-term post-HT.

Late Right Heart Failure After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: Contemporary Insights and Future Perspectives.

Late right heart failure (RHF) is increasingly recognized in patients with long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support and is associated with decreased survival and increased incidence of adverse events such as gastrointestinal bleeding and stroke. Progression of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction to clinical syndrome of late RHF in patients supported with LVAD is dependent on the severity of pre-existing RV dysfunction, persistent or worsening left- or right-sided valvular heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, inadequate or excessive left ventricular unloading, and/or progression of the underlying cardiac disease. RHF likely represents a continuum of risk with early presentation and progression to late RHF.

Prevalence and clinical correlates of ascending aortic dilatation in patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy.

Ascending aortic (AoAsc) dilatation can lead to acute aortic syndromes and has been described in various familial cardiac diseases. Its prevalence and clinical significance in patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) are however unknown. Establishing the prevalence can facilitate recommendations on routine screening in NCCM.