ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Caused by Embolized Transcatheter Aortic Valve in Ascending Aorta.

Objective: Embolized valves during transcatheter aortic valve replacement can cause myocardial ischemia by obstructing diastolic retrograde blood flow.

Key Steps: To prove the described mechanism of ischemia, we performed aortography with catheter above the embolized valve and placed a stiff wire through the embolized valve, causing leaflet opening while monitoring electrocardiogram. As a treatment method, an aortic stent was implanted from the embolized valve into the aortic arch, enabling backflow and resolving the ischemia.

Pulsatile Left Ventricular Assistance in High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Interventions: Short-Term Outcomes.

To document the real-world experience with the use of pneumatic pulsatile mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with the PulseCath iVAC2L during high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions (HR-PCIs). : The use of MCS in HR-PCIs may reduce the rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) at 90 days. The PulseCath iVAC2L is a short-term pulsatile transaortic left ventricular (LV) assist device that has been in use since 2014.

Common P-glycoprotein () polymorphisms do not seem to be associated with the risk of rivaroxaban-related bleeding events: Preliminary data.

Introduction: Considering conflicting previous reports, we aimed to evaluate whether the common polymorphisms (rs1128503, rs2032582, rs1045642, rs4148738) affected the risk of bleeding in rivaroxaban-treated patients.

Materials And Methods: We report preliminary data from a larger nested case-control study. Consecutive adults started on rivaroxaban for any indication requiring > 6 months of treatment were followed-up to one year.

Safety and efficacy of dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with end-stage liver disease.

The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) increases in patients with end-stage liver disease, with part of them receiving the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as a treatment option. Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), a standard of care after PCI, could result in catastrophic consequences in this population. Before PCI and the start of DAPT, it is recommended to assess patient bleeding risk.

Atrial fibrillation as a contributing factor in the diagnostic algorithm for coronary subclavian steal syndrome and cardiac tamponade following coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a case study.

Coronary subclavian steal syndrome (CSSS) is a complication of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in patients with coexistent significant subclavian artery stenosis (SAS). It is characterized by a retrograde blood flow through the left internal mammary artery graft from the coronary to subclavian circulation, leading to myocardial ischemia. Current screening for CSSS includes bilateral blood pressure measurement for the detection of a significant inter-arm blood pressure difference.

A multicentre, prospective, randomised controlled trial to assess the safety and effectiveness of cooling as an adjunctive therapy to percutaneous intervention in patients with acute myocardial infarction: the COOL AMI EU Pivotal Trial.

Background: Despite primary PCI (PPCI), ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) can still result in large infarct size (IS). New technology with rapid intravascular cooling showed positive signals for reduction in IS in anterior STEMI.

Aims: We investigated the effectiveness and safety of rapid systemic intravascular hypothermia as an adjunct to PPCI in conscious patients, with anterior STEMI, without cardiac arrest.

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.

Mitochondrial unfolded protein response, mitophagy and other mitochondrial quality control mechanisms in heart disease and aged heart.

Mitochondria are involved in crucial homeostatic processes in the cell: the production of adenosine triphosphate and reactive oxygen species, and the release of pro-apoptotic molecules. Thus, cell survival depends on the maintenance of proper mitochondrial function by mitochondrial quality control. The most important mitochondrial quality control mechanisms are mitochondrial unfolded protein response, mitophagy, biogenesis, and fusion-fission dynamics.

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.

SEVEN-YEAR TRENDS IN THE CROATIAN PRIMARY PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION NETWORK.

The authors investigated trends in the Croatian primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (pPCI) Network results among three consecutive time intervals (2005-2007, first phase; 2008-2009, second phase; and 2010-2011, third phase). Data on 5650 patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST-elevation (STEMI) transferred or directly admitted and treated with pPCI in 11 Croatian PCI centers during the study period were collected and analyzed. The number of patients with acute STEMI treated with pPCI per year rose continuously during the study period (581 vs.

Frequency of radial artery anatomic variations in patients undergoing transradial heart catheterization.

Over the last ten years, transradial cardiac catheterization has been increasingly applied, primarily because of its lower incidence of complications compared to the femoral approach. However, one of the greatest flaws of the transradial approach is a relatively high incidence of catheterization failure (1%-5%). Anatomic variations of radial artery are ranked second among the reasons for this.

Drug-eluting balloons in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Background: We compared efficacy of bare-metal stent (BMS) and drug-eluting balloon (DEB) combination vs BMS alone, in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) or unstable angina (UA) were randomized to BMS only or BMS+DEB group. Angiographic follow-up was performed after 6 months.

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).

The impact of successful manual thrombus aspiration on in-stent restenosis after primary PCI: angiographic and clinical follow-up.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the impact of successful manual thrombus aspiration on angiographic in-stent restenosis and clinical outcome in patients treated by bare metal stent implantation for ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction.

Background: There are very limited data on the impact of manual thrombus aspiration on the occurrence of in-stent restenosis after bare metal stent implantation.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomized, single-center study.

Correlation of femoral intima-media thickness and the severity of coronary artery disease.

The carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is an established surrogate marker of vascular risk. We assessed the common femoral artery IMT and its correlation with coronary artery disease (CAD). We also assessed the influence of vascular risk factors on the femoral IMT.

Apical ballooning syndrome and myocardial bridging in the patient presenting with pulmonary edema.

The apical ballooning syndrome is a relatively rare and underrecognized transient cardiomyopathy precipitated by emotional or physical stress. The role of myocardial bridging in its cause is unknown and extremely rarely reported. We present a case of a 68-year-old woman with apical ballooning syndrome and transient myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery, clinically manifested as pulmonary edema.

Spontaneous and catheter-induced secondary coronary artery dissection: a single-centre experience.

6497 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiography in our institution in a three-year period were analysed. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection was noted in five, and unexpected dissection secondary to coronary arteriography in three patients. All patients with spontaneous dissection presented clinically as myocardial infarction.

[Overall and therapy specific mortality of patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction in Zagreb University Hospital Centre].

In Coronary Care Unit and Intensive Care Unit, Zagreb University Hospital Centre, 403 patients were hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the year 2005. Majority (288) patients presented with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 115 patients with acute myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation (NSTEMI). In-hospital mortality of STEMI patients was 13.

Primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the heart with skeletal muscles metastases.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma is an extremely rare primary malignant tumor of the heart. It is usually diagnosed when it is locally aggressive or has already metastasized. The prognosis is poor with an average survival time of one year.

Primary cardiac lymphoma presenting as atrial flutter and total heart block.

Primary cardiac lymphoma is extremely rare. We present the case of a 70-year-old man with primary cardiac lymphoma involving interatrial septum, presenting as atrial flutter and total heart block. The diagnosis was obtained by echocardiography-guided transvenous endocardial biopsy which revealed diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, CD 20+.

PCI of an ostial LCX stenosis, with protection of LAD, using two guiding catheters.

A 65-year-old male patient with unstable angina and history of hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidaemia was referred for coronary angiography. On the diagnostic procedure, separate ostia of LAD and LCX were found, with a significant lesion in the middle LAD and a high-grade ostial lesion of LCX, which we considered as culprit. We decided to perform an interventional procedure on both lesions.