Conduction Disturbances and Outcome After Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Bicuspid and Tricuspid Aortic Stenosis.

Background: This study aimed to compare the incidence and prognostic implications of new-onset conduction disturbances after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) aortic stenosis (AS) versus patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) AS (ie, BAV-AS and TAV-AS, respectively). Additionally, the study included stratification of BAV patients according to subtype.

Methods: In this cohort study, the incidence of postoperative third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block with subsequent permanent pacemaker requirement and new-onset left bundle-branch block (LBBB) was investigated in 1147 consecutive patients without preoperative conduction disorder who underwent isolated SAVR (with or without ascending aortic surgery) between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2022.

Left Atrial Dissection Resulting in Asystole: A Rare Complication After Mitral Valve Surgery.

• LA dissection is a rare complication after MV surgery. • Asystole is a rare manifestation of LA dissection. • TEE is vital to diagnose LA dissection and assists in the decision-making.

Left atrial dysfunction in bicuspid aortic valve patients with severe aortic stenosis is associated with post-operative atrial fibrillation following aortic valve replacement.

Aims: To investigate (i) the association between pre-operative left atrial (LA) reservoir strain and post-operative atrial fibrillation (AF) and (ii) the incidence of post-operative ischaemic stroke events separately in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) patients after surgical aortic valve replacement for isolated severe aortic stenosis (AS).

Methods And Results: We prospectively enrolled 227 patients ( = 133 BAV and = 94 TAV) with isolated severe AS scheduled for aortic valve replacement. A comprehensive intra- and inter-observer validated pre-operative echocardiogram with an analysis of LA reservoir strain was performed.

Analysis of local extracellular matrix identifies different aetiologies behind bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve degeneration and suggests therapies.

Aortic valve degeneration (AVD) is a life-threatening condition that has no medical treatment and lacks individual therapies. Although extensively studied with standard approaches, aetiologies behind AVD are unclear. We compared abundances of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins from excised valve tissues of 88 patients with isolated AVD of normal tricuspid (TAV) and congenital bicuspid aortic valves (BAV), quantified more than 1400 proteins per ECM sample by mass spectrometry, and demonstrated that local ECM preserves molecular cues of the pathophysiological processes.

Patients With Bicuspid Aortic Stenosis Demonstrate Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling and Impaired Cardiac Function Before Surgery With Increased Risk of Postoperative Heart Failure.

Background: Differences in adverse cardiac remodeling between patients who have bicuspid (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) with severe isolated aortic stenosis (AS) and its prognostic impact after surgical aortic valve replacement remains unclear. We sought to investigate differences in preoperative diastolic and systolic function in patients with BAV and TAV who have severe isolated AS and the incidence of postoperative heart failure hospitalization and mortality.

Methods: Two hundred seventy-one patients with BAV (n=152) or TAV (n=119) and severe isolated AS without coronary artery disease or other valvular heart disease, scheduled for surgical aortic valve replacement, were prospectively included.

Surgical Removal of a Detached Mitral Valve Repair Clip to Resolve Cardiogenic Shock.

Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER) with a clip device relieves symptoms and improves outcomes in patients not suitable for open heart surgery. Here, we present a patient in whom ventricular arrhythmias developed as a result of clip embolization shortly after TEER. He underwent successful emergent surgical clip removal and mitral valve replacement.

A Rare Case of Cardiac Echinococcosis: The Role of Multimodality Imaging.

• Multimodality imaging plays a crucial role in confirming cardiac echinococcosis. • Speckle-tracking echocardiography gives information about regional myocardial function. • Cyst rupture often causes life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

Severe chronic aortic regurgitation after percutaneous coronary intervention: a case report and literature review.

Background: Severe aortic regurgitation (AR) is an extremely rare complication after coronary catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), where most reported cases have required relatively urgent surgical intervention due to acute-onset AR and cardiac decompensation.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 60-year-old woman that previously presented with a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) due to an ostial right coronary artery stenosis. During the course of 2 years, she developed five recurrent NSTEMI due to in-stent thrombosis, necessitating either a new coronary stent or balloon.

Commando procedure in a patient with double-valve endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

The indication for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is continuously expanding with a simultaneous increase in number of TAVI associated prosthetic valve endocarditis (TAVI-PVE). Evidence for management of TAVI-PVE is lacking but the need for surgical management of complex TAVI-PVE is expected to increase. The Commando procedure, a technically challenging surgery for treatment of complex endocarditis, has never been described in a patient with TAVI-PVE.

The Influence of Floorball on Hematological Parameters: Consequences in Health Assessment and Antidoping Testing.

Assessment of hematological parameters is common in sports medicine. Although physical exercise is an important preanalytical variable, data about acute hematological changes after high-intensity intermittent exercise are scarce. This study aimed to examine floorball as a potential preanalytical variable for hematological parameters used in health assessment and antidoping testing.

Cardiac Arrest after a Transatlantic Flight in a Patient with a Large Left Atrial Myxoma.

• Cardiac myxoma is the most common benign primary cardiac tumor. • Cardiac myxomas can cause a variety of symptoms from dyspnea to cardiac arrest. • Echocardiography plays an essential role in the diagnosis of cardiac myxomas.

Impact of training specificity on exercise-induced cardiac troponin elevation in professional athletes: A pilot study.

Background: Release of cardiac biomarkers is common after strenuous endurance exercise, but data on intermittent exercise are scarce. It has not been investigated whether cardiac troponin elevation is influenced depending on the type of exercise that an athlete is adapted to perform. We hypothesized that intermittent but not continuous exercise induces cardiac troponin elevation in professional athletes adapted to high-intensity intermittent exercise.