Donor-derived cell-free DNA as a new biomarker for cardiac allograft rejection: A prospective study (FreeDNA-CAR).

Background: There is a long-standing need for a noninvasive biomarker that allows monitoring of cardiac allograft rejection, avoiding the need for periodic endomyocardial biopsies (EMB).

Methods: Multicenter, observational, prospective study, performed between 2019 and 2023 (NCT04973943). All patients underwent 7 per-protocol surveillance EMB during the first postheart transplantation year.

Usefulness of Antigen Carbohydrate 125 and N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide for Assessing Congestion in Chronic Heart Failure: Insights from the CARDIOREN Registry.

Introduction: A comprehensive assessment of congestion, including circulating biomarkers, is recommended in patients with acute heart failure. The circulating biomarkers natriuretic peptides (NPs) and carbohydrate antigen-125 (CA125) could be useful for congestion assessment in ambulatory chronic heart failure (CHF), but there is only limited information about their applicability in this context. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association of plasma CA125 and NP levels with clinical and ultrasound congestion parameters in CHF.

Quantification and treatment of congestion in heart failure: A clinical and pathophysiological overview.

Renal sodium and water retention with resulting extracellular volume expansion and redistribution are hallmark features of heart failure syndromes. However, congestion assessment, monitoring, and treatment represent a real challenge in daily clinical practice. This document reviewed historical and contemporary evidence of available methods for determining volume status and discuss pharmacological aspects and pathophysiological principles that underlie diuretic use.

Utility of the IMPACT score for predicting heart transplant mortality. Analysis on a contemporary cohort of the Spanish Heart Transplant Registry.

Introduction And Objectives: The Index for Mortality Prediction After Cardiac Transplantation (IMPACT) score was derived and validated as a predictor of mortality after heart transplantation (HT). The primary objective of this work is to externally validate the IMPACT score in a contemporary Spanish cohort.

Methods: Spanish Heart Transplant Registry data were used to identify adult (>16 years) HT patients between January 2000 and December 2015.

Rationale and Design of the Efficacy of a Standardized Diuretic Protocol in Acute Heart Failure Study.

Aims: Although acute heart failure (AHF) with volume overload is treated with loop diuretics, their dosing and type of administration are mainly based upon expert opinion. A recent position paper from the Heart Failure Association (HFA) proposed a step-wise pharmacologic diuretic strategy to increase the diuretic response and to achieve rapid decongestion. However, no study has evaluated this protocol prospectively.

Quantification and Treatment of Congestion in Heart Failure: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Overview.

Renal sodium and water retention with resulting extracellular volume expansion and redistribution are hallmark features of heart failure syndromes. However, congestion assessment, monitoring, and treatment represent a real challenge in daily clinical practice. This document reviewed historical and contemporary evidence of available methods for determining volume status and discuss pharmacological aspects and pathophysiological principles that underlie diuretic use.

A Simple Score to Identify Super-Responders to Sacubitril/Valsartan in Ambulatory Patients With Heart Failure.

Introduction: Sacubitril/valsartan (SV) promotes cardiac remodeling and improves prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the response to the drug may vary between patients and its implementation in daily clinical practice has been slower than expected. Our objective was to develop a score predicting the super-response to SV in HF outpatients.

Usefulness of natriuresis to predict in-hospital diuretic resistance.

Background: Urinary sodium excretion predicts long-term adverse events after discharge in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). The role of natriuresis as an early marker of poor diuretic response during an AHF episode has been scarcely investigated. We sought to evaluate whether early natriuresis or its change during heart failure hospitalization is associated with the development of in-hospital diuretic resistance (DR).

Systematic review and meta-analysis of surgical outcomes comparing mechanical valve replacement and bioprosthetic valve replacement in infective endocarditis.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection involving either native or prosthetic heart valves, the endocardial surface of the heart or any implanted intracardiac devices. IE is a rare condition affecting 3-15 patients per 100,000 population. In-hospital mortality rates in patients with IE remain high at around 20% despite treatment advances.

Prevalence of Cardiac Amyloidosis in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common finding among patients with cardiac amyloidosis. We sought to determine the prevalence of cardiac amyloidosis in patients who had undergone CTS surgery. From 2005 to 2014, 308 patients ≥ 60 years underwent CTS surgery.

Successful treatment of healthcare-associated prosthetic infective endocarditis: the first Spanish case report.

Background: Since 2011, several cases of health care-related disseminated infection outbreaks have been reported subsequent to cardiac surgery. Diagnosis is difficult and the prognosis is extremely poor despite long-term antibiotic treatment and surgery.

Case Summary: We report a Spanish case of infective endocarditis (IE) with disseminated infection.

Infective Endocarditis in Patients With Bicuspid Aortic Valve or Mitral Valve Prolapse.

Background: There is little information concerning infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) or mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Currently, IE antibiotic prophylaxis (IEAP) is not recommended for these conditions.

Objectives: This study sought to describe the clinical and microbiological features of IE in patients with BAV and MVP and compare them with those of IE patients with and without IEAP indication, to determine the potential benefit of IEAP in these conditions.