Impact of Paravalvular Leak on Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: Meta-Analysis of Kaplan-Meier-derived Individual Patient Data.

Background: Paravalvular leak (PVL) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is frequent and the impact of mild PVL on outcomes remains uncertain. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of PVL on TAVI outcomes.

Methods: To analyze late outcomes of patients after TAVI according to the presence and severity of PVL, PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and Google Scholar were searched for studies that reported rates of all-cause mortality/survival and/or rehospitalization and/or cardiovascular mortality accompanied by at least one Kaplan-Meier curve for any of these outcomes.

Correlation of right atrial enlargement on ECG to right atrial volume by echocardiography in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Previous attempts to validate ECG criteria for right atrial (RA) enlargement (RAE) have been limited by sample sizes and lack of accepted standards for measuring RA size. New guidelines have recommended that RA volume (RAV) be used to determine RA size. Since these guidelines were released, no studies have been published that correlate RAE by ECG to RAV using the new standards.

Outcomes of hemodynamic support with Impella in very high-risk patients undergoing balloon aortic valvuloplasty: Results from the Global cVAD Registry.

Background: Reports on the role of hemodynamic support devices in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction undergoing balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) are limited.

Methods: Patients were identified from the cVAD registry, an ongoing multicenter voluntary registry at selected sites in North America that have used Impella in >10 patients.

Results: A total of 116 patients with AS who underwent BAV with Impella support were identified.

Systemic effects of controlled exposure to diesel exhaust: a meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Ambient air pollution is associated with adverse cardiovascular events. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the short-term association between air pollution and cardiovascular effects on healthy volunteers.

Methods: We searched databases to identify randomized trials with controlled human exposures to either of two models for studying ambient particulate matter: diesel-exhaust or concentrated ambient particles.