A Comparison of Long-Term Outcomes in Patients Managed With Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in the First and Second Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Objectives: Early studies of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in COVID-19 have revealed similar outcomes to historical cohorts. Changes in the disease and treatments have led to differences in the patients supported on venovenous ECMO in the first and second waves. We aimed to compare these two groups in both the acute and follow-up phase.

Serial image interpretation tasks improve accuracy and increase confidence in Level 1 echocardiography reporting: a pilot study.

Background: Focused echocardiography is increasingly used in acute and emergency care, with point-of-care ultrasound integrated into several specialist training curricula (e.g. Emergency Medicine, Cardiology, Critical Care).

Managing Harlequin Syndrome in VA-ECMO - do not forget the right ventricle.

Harlequin Syndrome (also known as North-South Syndrome) is a complication of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) that can occur when left ventricular function starts to recover. While most commonly due to continued impaired gas exchange in the lungs, we present a case caused by right ventricular dysfunction, successfully managed by conversion of the ECMO circuit to a veno-veno-arterial (VV-A) configuration.

Inotropes and cardiorenal syndrome in acute heart failure - A retrospective comparative analysis.

Introduction: Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) is common in acute heart failure (AHF), and is associated with dire prognosis. Levosimendan, a positive inotrope that also has diuretic effects, may improve patients' renal profile. Published results are conflicting.

Diagnostic approach to cardiac amyloidosis: A case report.

The authors present a case of systemic amyloidosis with cardiac involvement. We discuss the need for a high level of suspicion to establish a diagnosis, diagnostic techniques and treatment options. Our patient was a 78-year-old man with chronic renal disease and atrial fibrillation admitted with acute decompensated heart failure of unknown cause.

High left ventricular outflow tract gradient: Aortic stenosis, obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or both?

The authors report the case of a patient diagnosed with both hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and aortic stenosis. Due to clinical deterioration, additional investigation was performed, and a high left ventricular outflow tract gradient was identified. Correct identification of the condition causing the symptoms was challenging, and involved several imaging techniques, the contribution of transesophageal echocardiography being crucial.

Fever-induced type 1 Brugada pattern.

Brugada syndrome, first described over 20 years ago, is characterized by a typical electrocardiographic pattern with coved-type ST-segment elevation in the right precordial leads and a high risk of sudden death in otherwise healthy young adults. The electrocardiographic pattern is sometimes intermittent, and fever is a possible trigger. The authors present the case of a 68-year-old woman who came to the emergency department with fever and syncope.

Estimating glomerular filtration rate in acute coronary syndromes: Different equations, different mortality risk prediction.

Aims: Renal dysfunction is a powerful predictor of adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome. Three new glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations recently emerged, based on serum creatinine (CKD-EPIcreat), serum cystatin C (CKD-EPIcyst) or a combination of both (CKD-EPIcreat/cyst), and they are currently recommended to confirm the presence of renal dysfunction. Our aim was to analyse the predictive value of these new estimated GFR (eGFR) equations regarding mid-term mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome, and compare them with the traditional Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD-4) formula.

Continuous infusion or bolus injection of loop diuretics for patients admitted for severe acute heart failure: is one strategy better than the other?

Introduction And Objectives: Intravenous loop diuretics are an essential part of acute heart failure management; however, data to guide their use is sparse. Our aim was to compare continuous intravenous infusion of loop diuretics with intravenous bolus administration in terms of efficacy and adverse events in patients admitted with severe acute heart failure.

Methods: Over a period of three years, 110 patients were admitted to our cardiac intensive care unit with acute heart failure.

When what appears to be mitral stenosis is not: diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

The authors report the case of a 53-year-old man, with a long-standing history of mild mitral stenosis, admitted for worsening fatigue. Transthoracic echocardiography (limited by poor image quality) showed mitral annular calcification, leaflets that were difficult to visualize and an estimated mitral valve area of 1.8 cm(2) by the pressure half-time method.

Phenotypic expression in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and late gadolinium enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance.

Introduction And Aim: The prognostic value of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) for risk stratification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients is the subject of disagreement. We set out to examine the association between clinical and morphological variables, risk factors for sudden cardiac death and LGE in HCM patients.

Methods: From a population of 78 patients with HCM, we studied 53 who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance.

Fabry disease presenting as apical left ventricular hypertrophy in a patient carrying the missense mutation R118C.

Anderson-Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by abnormalities of the GLA gene, which encodes the enzyme α-galactosidase A. A deficiency of this enzyme leads to the lysosomal accumulation of glycosphingolipids, which may cause left ventricular hypertrophy that is typically concentric and symmetric. We present the case of a 60-year-old woman with symptoms of dyspnea, atypical chest pain and palpitations, in whom a transthoracic echocardiogram revealed an apical variant of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Cardiorenal syndrome in acute heart failure: a vicious cycle?

Introduction And Objective: Worsening renal function has an unquestionably negative impact on prognosis in patients with acute heart failure (HF). In Portugal there is little information about the importance of this entity in HF patients admitted to hospital. The objective of this work was to assess the prevalence of cardiorenal syndrome and to identify its key predictors and consequences in patients admitted for acute HF.

Keeping track of migratory pulmonary lesions.

Tricuspid valve endocarditis (TVE) is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of a febrile patient who does not use intravenous drugs.We describe the case of a 62-year-old male patient with a 3-month history of remittent fever and 13% weight loss. The patient denied intravenous drugs use or recent invasive procedures.

Mid-term Risk Stratification of Patients with a Myocardial Infarction and Atrial Fibrillation: Beyond GRACE and CHADS.

We hypothesize that the discriminative performance of GRACE, ACHTUNG-Rule, CHADS or CHADS-VASc may be lower in patients with a Myocardial Infarction (MI) and concurrent atrial fibrillation (AF), as none of these scores seem able to fully capture both atherothrombotic/thromboembolic risks. This study aims to evaluate the mid-term prognostic performance of these algorithms in patients with these two conditions and to analyze the utility of a score combining GRACE and CHADS-VASc. Observational retrospective single-centre cohort study including 1852 patients admitted with a MI.

ACHTUNG-Rule: a new and improved model for prognostic assessment in myocardial infarction.

Background: THROMBOLYSIS IN MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (TIMI), PLATELET GLYCOPROTEIN IIB/IIIA IN UNSTABLE ANGINA: Receptor Suppression Using Integrilin (PURSUIT) and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) scores have been developed for risk stratification in myocardial infarction (MI). The latter is the most validated score, yet active research is ongoing for improving prognostication in MI.

Aim: Derivation and validation of a new model for intrahospital, post-discharge and combined/total all-cause mortality prediction - ACHTUNG-Rule - and comparison with the GRACE algorithm.

Use of levosimendan in critically ill patients with severe aortic stenosis and left ventricular dysfunction.

Congestive heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction in the setting of severe aortic stenosis are associated with a high mortality rate. Evidence on optimal medical therapy is scanty. Vasodilators were traditionally considered to be contraindicated in severe aortic stenosis, albeit this concept has recently been challenged.

Stroke prediction with an adjusted R-CHA2DS2VASc score in a cohort of patients with a Myocardial Infarction.

Introduction: A new risk stratification scheme incorporating the original CHADS2 score and renal function, entitled R(2)CHADS(2), was validated in the ROCKET-AF and ATRIA study cohorts.

Aims: Adjusting and validating a modified R-CHA2DS2VASc score as a predictor of ischaemic stroke and all-cause mortality in patients discharged following admission for a Myocardial Infarction (MI).

Materials And Methods: Observational retrospective single-centre cohort study including 1711 patients admitted with MI and discharged alive.

[Severe aortic stenosis and cardiogenic shock: a therapeutic challenge].

Acute heart failure in patients with severe aortic stenosis and left ventricular systolic dysfunction is well known for its dire prognosis and limited therapeutic options. The authors describe the case of a man admitted for non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Diagnostic exams revealed severe aortic stenosis, with good left ventricular systolic function, and two-vessel coronary artery disease.