Serotonin contribution to cardiac valve degeneration: new insights for novel therapies?

Heart valve disease (HVD) is a complex entity made by different pathological processes that ultimately lead to the abnormal structure and disorganization of extracellular matrix proteins resulting to dysfunction of the leaflets. At its final evolutionary step, treatments are limited to the percutaneous or surgical valve replacement, whatever the original cause of the degeneration. Understanding early molecular mechanisms that regulate valve interstitial cells remodeling and disease progression is challenging and could pave the way for future drugs aiming to prevent and/or reverse the process.

Near-fatal betaxolol self-poisoning treated with percutaneous extracorporeal life support.

We present a case of successful treatment of near-fatal beta-blocker self-poisoning but requiring extracorporeal circulatory support with severe complications. A 38-year-old woman ingested a mixture of tablets including betaxolol (5.32 g).