Predictors of embolism and death in left-sided infective endocarditis: the European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme European Infective Endocarditis registry.

Background And Aims: Even though vegetation size in infective endocarditis (IE) has been associated with embolic events (EEs) and mortality risk, it is unclear whether vegetation size associated with these potential outcomes is different in left-sided IE (LSIE). This study aimed to seek assessing the vegetation cut-off size as predictor of EE or 30-day mortality for LSIE and to determine risk predictors of these outcomes.

Methods: The European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme European Infective Endocarditis is a prospective, multicentre registry including patients with definite or possible IE throughout 2016-18.

Current clinical use of speckle-tracking strain imaging: insights from a worldwide survey from the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI).

Aims: Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) strain imaging has been a major advancement in myocardial function quantification. We aimed to explore current worldwide clinical application of STE.

Methods And Results: Access, feasibility, access, and clinical implementation of STE were investigated with a worldwide open-access online survey of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.

Inter-center reproducibility of standard and advanced echocardiographic parameters in the EACVI-AFib echo registry.

Aim: we sought to test the inter-center reproducibility of 16 echo laboratories involved in the EACVI-Afib Echo Europe.

Methods: This was done on a dedicated setting of 10 patients with sinus rhythm (SR) and 10 with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), collected by the Principal Investigator. Images and loops of echo-exams were stored and made available for labs.

Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge to Heart Transplant-Change of Paradigm.

Despite advances in medical therapy and mechanical circulatory support (MCS), heart transplant (HT) remains the gold standard therapy for end-stage heart failure. Patients in cardiogenic shock require prompt intervention to reverse hypoperfusion and end-organ damage. When medical therapy becomes insufficient, MCS should be considered.

Specific deformation pattern in hypertensive patients with septal bulge and preserved systolic function.

A wide range of subclinical changes in left ventricular (LV) geometry and function can be observed, even in the early course of arterial hypertension (HTN). Aim of the study was to investigate if the appearance of isolated basal septal hypertrophy (BSH, septal bulge) in asymptomatic young and middle-aged adults with HTN could be a marker of incipient LV systolic dysfunction when other measures of global LV function are still normal. A total of 138 patients with primary arterial hypertension, aged less than 65 years, with no comorbidities and with preserved LV ejection fraction (EF) were included.

Infective endocarditis in adult patients with congenital heart disease.

Background: Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) predisposes to Infective Endocarditis (IE), but data about characterization and prognosis of IE in CHD patients is scarce.

Methods: The ESC-EORP-EURO-ENDO study is a prospective international study in IE patients (n = 3111). In this pre-specified analysis, adult CHD patients (n = 365, 11.

Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of CT pulmonary artery to aorta diameter ratio in screening for pulmonary hypertension in end-stage COPD patients.

Aim: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary artery to aorta ratio in screening for pulmonary hypertension in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

Methods: A prospective, diagnostic study was conducted in University Hospital Center Zagreb between January 2015 and March 2018. The study enrolled 100 patients who consecutively underwent chest computed tomography (CT), echocardiographic exam, and right heart catheterization.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Induces Transient Drop in Platelet Reactivity.

Although recent studies described platelet reactivity (PR) changes in days after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), precise time course and duration of these changes have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate PR pattern during and after TAVI in multiple time points. Study included 40 consecutive patients undergoing TAVI.

Characterization of Responder Profiles for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy through Unsupervised Clustering of Clinical and Strain Data.

Background: The mechanisms of improvement of left ventricular (LV) function with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) are not yet elucidated. The aim of this study was to characterize CRT responder profiles through clustering analysis, on the basis of clinical and echocardiographic preimplantation data, integrating automatic quantification of longitudinal strain signals.

Methods: This was a multicenter observational study of 250 patients with chronic heart failure evaluated before CRT device implantation and followed up to 4 years.

Global and regional myocardial function and outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation for aortic stenosis and preserved ejection fraction.

Aim: To investigate the effects of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on early recovery of global and segmental myocardial function in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and to determine if parameters of deformation correlate with outcomes.

Methods: The echocardiographic (strain analysis) and outcome (hospitalizations because of heart failure and mortality) data of 62 consecutive patients with preserved LVEF (64.54 ± 7.

Staged management of a giant cardiac hydatid cyst: a case report.

Background: We report on a 21-year-old patient with a giant symptomatic hydatid cyst of the interventricular septum, to whom a staged management approach was employed. Induction medical therapy led to a reduction in the size of the cyst, which was then completely removed via surgical excision.

Case Presentation: A 21-year-old male Caucasian, with main complaints of fatigue and palpitations, was referred to our Centre due to a cystic formation in his left ventricle.

Manual Intracardiac Electrogram Method Is Accurate Alternative to Echocardiography for Atrioventricular and Interventricular Optimization in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.

Some manufacturers do not provide automated intracardiac electrogram method (IEGM) systems for atrioventricular (AV) and interventricular (VV) delay optimization in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of manual IEGM method in 48 patients previously implanted with Medtronic Syncra CRT. All patients underwent standard device interrogation followed by CRT optimization by IEGM method and by echocardiography one month after implantation.

Impact of mild patient prosthesis mismatch on quality of life in patients with preserved ejection fraction after isolated aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis.

Aim: To analyze whether PPM affects QOL and functional status in patients after isolated AVR for aortic stenosis (AS) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent AVR in University Hospital Center Zagreb for isolated severe symptomatic AS and preserved EF were enrolled. Echo data was obtained from complete transthoracic examinations prior and after surgery by offline analysis.

Cardiac arrest in a patient with Ebstein's anomaly without accessory pathways.

We describe a case report of a patient with cardiac arrest and Ebstein's anomaly. This case report shows us necessity for arrhythmia evaluation and sudden death risk stratification even in asymptomatic patients. Prophylactic ICD implantation in this patient population is limited to observational studies and the selection of patients is impeded by the absence of randomized trials and weak predictors.

Five-year angiographic and clinical follow-up of patients with drug-eluting stent implantation for symptomatic myocardial bridging in absence of coronary atherosclerotic disease.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the long-term efficacy and dynamics of systolic and diastolic luminal changes within the bridged segments of coronary arteries after intracoronary stenting with drug-eluting stent (DES) in patients (pts) with symptomatic myocardial bridging (SMB) in the absence of coronary atherosclerosis.

Background: Although myocardial bridging (MB) represents a benign disease in the majority of pts, in its severest forms it is clinically manifested as typical or atypical angina, myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, left ventricular dysfunction, atrioventricular conduction disturbance, exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia, or sudden death. The only existing prospective study of 11 pts with SMB treated with bare-metal stent (BMS) reported a 36% in-stent restenosis (ISR) rate at 7 weeks repeated quantitative coronary angiography (QCA).

Inhibition of methyldigoxin-induced arrhythmias by pentadecapeptide BPC 157: a relation with NO-system.

Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, MW 1419) reversed congestive heart failure and various arrhythmias, influenced the NO-system and showed no proarrhythmic effect. In therapy analogy, we challenged rats with digitalis, to show attenuation by BPC 157 and the relation between the NO-system and digitalis toxicity. (i).

Early detection of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive heart disease by color Doppler myocardial imaging.

Aim: To determine if Color Doppler myocardial imaging could provide evidence of diastolic dysfunction in patients with hypertension whose pulse-wave Doppler parameters were normal.

Method: The study included 33 patients (mean age 48+/-7.3 years) and a control group of 13 sex- and age-matched healthy individuals.