Left atrial appendage closure with the Ultraseal device: Initial experience and mid-term follow-up.

Aims: Left atrial appendage (LAA) closure is considered an effective option in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and contraindications to long-term oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy. However, there are some concerns about safety of currently available devices. Our aim is to provide an initial assessment on feasibility and safety of the novel LAA closure Ultraseal device in patients with NVAF and contraindications to long-term OAC therapy.

[Two-step strategy for the treatment of complex coronary artery disease and aortic stenosis in a patient with severely impaired left ventricular function].

Coronary artery disease and aortic stenosis frequently coexist. The pathophysiology of both conditions is similar where atherosclerosis is the hallmark feature. Risk factors for aortic stenosis are also similar for coronary artery disease.

Symetis TF ACURATEneo™ Valve-in-Valve: A New Indication for Another Self-Expanding TAVI Prosthesis?

During the past decade there has been a major shift in the use of surgical bioprostheses. Consequently, due to the increasing age of the population there will be a major increase in the incidence of failure of these prostheses. While mortality associated with the re-replacement of surgical valve failures remains high, advances in transcatheter interventions have permitted the use of transcatheter valves in degenerative surgical bioprostheses.

Clinical outcomes of bioresorbable versus durable polymer-coated everolimus-eluting stents in real-world complex patients.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy profile of new-generation, SYNERGY everolimus-eluting stents (S-EES) as compared to XIENCE everolimus-eluting stents (X-EES) with a durable polymer coating in "complex patients".

Methods And Results: We included 2,001 consecutive patients treated with S-EES (n=400) or X-EES (n=1,601) at two Italian centres between May 2013 and May 2015. We used propensity score matching to obtain two cohorts of patients with similar baseline risk profiles.

Squamous cell carcinoma of unknown origin metastasising to the right atrium causing acute heart failure.

We describe a case of metastasis to the heart, which was initially suspected to be a myxoma, causing acute right heart failure. Emergency surgery was carried out by opening the right atrium and superior vena cava, and debulking the tumour in a piecemeal fashion, providing temporary relief of symptoms. The histology showed this to be metastatic squamous cell carcinoma possibly of head and neck origin.