Pericarditis Secondary to an Acupuncture Needle Extracted Via a Transjugular Approach.

Acupuncture is generally considered safe; however, cardiac complications can occur. We describe a case of refractory pericarditis requiring transvenous extraction of an acupuncture needle from within the right ventricular cavity. ().

Incidence and Predictors of Intracardiac Thrombus on Pre-electrophysiological Procedure Transesophageal Echocardiography.

Background: Cerebral thromboembolism is a potentially devastating complication of atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFl). The use of transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) before electrophysiological procedures in anticoagulated patients is variable. Our objective was to determine the incidence and identify predictors of intracardiac left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus on TEE in patients with AF/AFl before electrical cardioversion or ablation.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement over age 90: Risks vs benefits.

As the population ages, clinicians will encounter a growing number of nonagenarians suffering from severe aortic stenosis who may be candidates for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). By virtue of a healthy survivor effect or a referral bias, these patients may paradoxically have greater resilience and fewer comorbidities than their octogenarian counterparts. They tend to, on average, tolerate the TAVR procedure quite well with low in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates of 5.

Recurrence of biliary disease following non-operative management in elderly patients.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of symptomatic recurrence following initial non-operative management of gallstone disease in the elderly and to test possible predictors.

Methods: This is a single institution retrospective chart review of patients 65 years and older with an initial hospital visit (V1) for symptomatic gallstone disease, over a 4-year period. Patients with initial "non-operative" management were defined as those without surgery at V1 and without elective surgery at visit 2 (V2).

Transcatheter heart valve failure: a systematic review.

Aims: A comprehensive description of transcatheter heart valve (THV) failure has not been performed. We undertook a systematic review to investigate the aetiology, diagnosis, management, and outcomes of THV failure.

Methods And Results: The systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines using EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Scopus.

Gallstone disease in the elderly: are older patients managed differently?

Background: This study aimed to describe the differences in the management of symptomatic gallstone disease within different elderly groups and to evaluate the association between older age and surgical treatment.

Methods: This single-institution retrospective chart review included all patients 65 years old and older with an initial hospital visit for symptomatic gallstone disease between 2004 and 2008. The patients were stratified into three age groups: group 1 (age, 65-74 years), group 2 (age, 75-84 years), and group 3 (age, ≥ 85 years).