Intimal sarcoma of the aortic valve and ascending aorta: a case report.

Background: Intimal sarcomas are rare tumors that typically affect the major vessels, such as the pulmonary artery and aorta, and are associated with a particularly poor prognosis. Intimal sarcomas found in the aorta are most commonly located in the abdominal section between the celiac artery and the iliac bifurcation. The descending aorta is involved in 30% of cases, while involvement of the ascending aorta is rare.

Influence of Donor Transfusion on Heart Transplantation Outcomes: A United Network for Organ Sharing Registry Analysis.

Introduction: There is a lack of evidence regarding the impact of donor blood transfusion on heart transplant (HT) outcomes. We sought to elucidate the influence of donor transfusion on HT outcomes using the national database.

Methods: From January 2004 to March 2023, donor transfusion information was available for 40 538 recipients for HT in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database.

Pannus formation: a rare culprit of early bioprosthetic valve dysfunction-a case report.

Background: Early bioprosthetic valve dysfunction (BVD) due to pannus formation is uncommon in elderly patients, and only a limited number of cases have been reported.

Case Summary: An 84-year-old man presented with exertional dyspnoea 3 years after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) with a 19 mm Epic™ valve (Abbott, Santa Clara, CA, USA). Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated progressive BVD, and cardiac computed tomography (CT) revealed sub-aortic pannus formation.

Axillary artery access considerations in Impella 5.5 insertion: Insights from exclusive axillary approach for successful support.

Background: The Impella 5.5® is commonly inserted via the axillary artery (AX) in patients with cardiogenic shock. The right AX has traditionally been preferred to avoid crossing the aortic arch, and a minimum diameter of 7 mm has been recommended to accommodate the device (21 Fr).

Single-center experience of extended brain-death donor heart preservation with the organ care system.

Background: The Organ Care System (OCS) (Transmedics, Andover, MA) reduces cold ischemic time of donor hearts by producing a normothermic beating state during ex vivo perfusion, enabling extended ex situ intervals, which potentially increases donor pool. We aimed to compare outcomes in utilization of OCS and conventional cold storage technique.

Methods: Consecutive heart transplants following brain death at our institution between May 2022 and July 2023 were analyzed.