Short-term percutaneous mechanical circulatory support: no promise without positioning!

Short-term percutaneous mechanical circulatory support by a micro-axial flow pump is increasingly used to support the left ventricle in cardiogenic shock. After a correct indication and placement, appropriate device management in the cardiac intensive care unit is vital to ensure optimal pump function and adequate haemodynamic support. A key element hereby is a correct percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD) position.

Depression and Malnutrition for Prediction of Mortality after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Registry Study of a Tertiary Referral Hospital.

Moderate to severe frailty is a predictor of a poor outcome after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), but little is known about the prognostic importance of different geriatric frailty markers in an overall fit or pre-frail geriatric population undergoing TAVR. This retrospective study aimed to examine the incremental value of adding patient frailty markers to conventional surgical risk score to predict all-cause mortality in relatively fit elderly patients undergoing TAVR. Overall patient frailty was assessed using the comprehensive geriatric assessment frailty index (CGA-FI).

A chart review on surgical myocardial debridging in symptomatic patients: a safe procedure with good long-term clinical outcome and coronary computed tomographic angiography results.

Objectives: Myocardial bridging is mostly diagnosed as an incidental imaging finding but can result in severe vessel compression and significant clinical adverse complications. Since there is still an ongoing debate when to propose surgical unroofing, we studied a group of patients where this was performed as an isolated procedure.

Methods: In 16 patients (38.

Esophageal Protection and Temperature Monitoring Using the Circa S-Cath™ Temperature Probe during Epicardial Radiofrequency Ablation of the Pulmonary Veins and Posterior Left Atrium.

Although epicardial bipolar radiofrequency ablation should diminish the risk of esophageal thermal injury in comparison to an endocardial ablation, cases of lethal atrio-esophageal fistula have been reported. To better understand this risk and to reduce the possibility of a thermal injury, we monitored the esophageal temperature with the Circa S-Cath™ temperature probe during and immediately after the ablation while implementing three procedural safety measures. Twenty patients (15 males; 63 ± 10 years) were prospectively enrolled (November 2019-February 2021).

Geometric characteristics of bicuspid aortic valves.

Objective: We studied the coaptation angles α and β in bicuspid aortic valve geometry from computed tomography scan images.

Methods: In 45 patients, we calculated the coaptation angle α (the angle between the nonfused commissures crossing the center of coaptation), angle β (between the nonfused commissures crossing the center of the reference circle), angles γ and γ and ε and ε (angle between the nonfused commissures and the coaptation point at the raphe or the perfect midpoint, respectively), the length of the raphe, the absolute and relative sinuses' surfaces (relative to the perfect circle and the percentage exceeding the ideal circle). Spearman correlation was employed to investigate the associations among all parameters.

Esophageal Findings in the Setting of a Novel Preventive Strategy to Avoid Thermal Lesions during Hybrid Thoracoscopic Radiofrequency Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.

Purpose The development of an atrio-esophageal fistula, a rare yet potentially lethal complication of ablation for atrial fibrillation, could be related to direct tissue heat transfer during and immediately after the ablation. We therefore studied the postoperative esophageal findings by esophagogastroduodenoscopy in patients that underwent a hybrid ablation procedure using a novel preventive strategy to avoid thermal lesions. Methods Thirty-four patients (28 males; 65 years ± 9 years) were retrospectively included.

Long term effects of surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement on FFR in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis.

The long-term variations of fractional flow reserve derived from coronary computed tomography (FFR) after surgical (SAVR) or transcatheter (TAVR) aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) have not been investigated. A total of 25 patients with isolated, severe AS underwent coronary computed tomography with 3-vessel FFR analysis (Heartflow Inc.-Redwood City, California, USA) and measurement of total coronary volume (V), left ventricular mass (M) and their ratio (V/M) before and 6 months after SAVR or TAVR.

Let us ask the patient: Psychological well-being from a patients'-perspective due to postponed care of cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 lockdown.

: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a rapid and extensive change in the need of intensive care beds. Therefore, we decided early in the pandemic to suspend all elective cases of cardiac surgery and closed the ambulatory clinic. The effect of this strategy on the mental well-being of the non-COVID-19 patients is unknown.

Surgical Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: is Electrical Isolation of the Pulmonary Veins a Must?

Ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-established treatment option for patients with symptomatic AF refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs. The cornerstone of catheter ablation is electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins, since the pulmonary veins are the most common location for triggers of AF. Electrical reconnection of the pulmonary veins is associated with arrhythmia recurrence and therefore diminishes long-term success of catheter ablation of AF.

Midterm clinical outcomes of concomitant thoracoscopic epicardial and transcatheter endocardial ablation for persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation: a single-centre experience.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to analyse the efficacy and complication rates of the simultaneous hybrid procedure in a series of patients with persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in a midterm follow-up.

Methods And Results: Sixty-four consecutive patients (56 males, 59.7 ± 8.