Acute Myocardial Infarction and Papillary Muscle Rupture in the COVID-19 Era.

Mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction are infrequent in the modern era of primary percutaneous coronary intervention, but they are associated with high mortality rates. Papillary muscle rupture with acute severe mitral regurgitation is one such life-threatening complication that requires early detection and urgent surgical intervention. ().

Echocardiography and Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices: Evidence and Limitations.

Echocardiography is the most used imaging modality in the growing population of patients with advanced heart failure undergoing continuous-flow, durable mechanical circulatory support. However, no guidelines for the use of echocardiography in this population exist, evidence for core applications is limited and conflicting, and newer centrifugal-flow devices have been subject to minimal study. As a first step toward addressing these deficits, this review summarizes the evidence and expert opinion for the use of echocardiography in pre-operative planning and perioperative management, prediction of post-operative right ventricular failure, the use of echocardiographic surrogates for invasive hemodynamic measurements, and the performance of speed ramp studies for the diagnosis of thrombosis and optimization of device settings.

Cognitive function, mental health, and health-related quality of life after lung transplantation.

Rationale: Cognitive and psychiatric impairments are threats to functional independence, general health, and quality of life. Evidence regarding these outcomes after lung transplantation is limited.

Objectives: Determine the frequency of cognitive and psychiatric impairment after lung transplantation and identify potential factors associated with cognitive impairment after lung transplantation.