Coronary Sinus Lead Placement in Patients With Coronary Sinus Ostial Atresia: An Innovative Approach.

This case series demonstrates 2 innovative approaches to successful coronary sinus lead placement in the setting of coronary sinus ostial atresia. Use of venous phase coronary angiography, a computed tomography scan with venous phase, or a left-sided upper extremity venogram may help reveal a variant anatomy and guide tool selection. ().

Outcomes following cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation guided by pressure waveform monitoring without the routine use of pulmonary venography.

Purpose: Pressure waveform analysis has the potential for facilitated assessment of pulmonary vein occlusion during cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation. Data on clinical outcomes using this method are lacking. We sought to validate through clinical outcomes the use of pressure waveform analysis as the primary method of determining pulmonary vein occlusion during cryoballoon ablation.

Left atrial septal pouch in cryptogenic stroke.

Background: The left atrial septal pouch (LASP), an anatomic variant of the interatrial septum, has uncertain clinical significance. We examined the association between LASP and ischemic stroke subtypes in patients undergoing transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

Methods: We determined the prevalence of LASP among consecutive patients who underwent TEE at our institution.

Effect of morbid obesity on in-hospital mortality and coronary revascularization outcomes after acute myocardial infarction in the United States.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of morbid obesity (body mass index ≥40 kg/m(2)) on in-hospital mortality and coronary revascularization outcomes in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarctions (AMI). The Nationwide Inpatient Sample of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project was used, and 413,673 patients hospitalized with AMIs in 2009 were reviewed. Morbidly obese patients constituted 3.

Comparison of bivalirudin versus heparin plus glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in patients undergoing an invasive strategy: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Objective: This meta-analysis was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of bivalirudin compared with unfractionated heparin or enoxaparin plus glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Pharmacotherapy for patients undergoing PCI includes bivalirudin, heparin, and GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors. We sought to compare ischemic and bleeding outcomes with bivalirudin versus heparin plus GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in patients undergoing PCI.