Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) remains highly morbid, but few studies have evaluated factors associated with IE mortality. We examined correlates of 90-day mortality among people who inject drugs (PWID) and people who do not inject drugs (non-PWID).
Methods: We queried the electronic medical record for cases of IE among adults ≥18 years of age at 2 academic medical centers in Seattle, Washington, from 1 January 2014 to 31 July 2019.
Clinical pathways can be useful when disparate clinical-pathologic groups converge on a common diagnostic and therapeutic trajectory. The progressive increase in the incidence of endocarditis in the US has included higher-risk subjects whose candidacy for aggressive cardiac surgical intervention may be highly resource-intensive, prohibitively high risk, or delayed and possibly deferred by comorbidities. We sought to define the sequence, application, and resolution of multidisciplinary endocarditis team decision-making in 4 distinct clinical groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrokes remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs). Varying study populations, event definitions, and reporting methods make direct comparison of neurologic event risk across clinical trials and registries challenging. We aim to highlight important differences among major VAD studies and standardize rates of neurologic events to facilitate a comprehensive and objective comparison.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeft ventricular assist device (LVAD) use has continued to grow. Despite recent advances in technology, LVAD patients continue to suffer from devastating complications, including stroke and device thrombosis. Among several variables affecting thrombogenicity, we hypothesize that insertion depth of the inflow cannula into the left ventricle (LV) influences hemodynamics and thrombosis risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe first human-to-human heart transplant was performed 50 years ago in 1967. Heart transplantation has now entered an era of tremendous growth and innovation. The future of heart transplantation is bright with the advent of newer immunosuppressive medications and strategies that may even result in tolerance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInjectable biomaterials are an attractive therapy to attenuate left ventricular (LV) remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). Although studies have shown that injectable hydrogels improve cardiac structure and function in vivo, temporal changes in infarct material properties after treatment have not been assessed. Emerging imaging and modeling techniques now allow for serial, non-invasive estimation of infarct material properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The purpose of this study was to quantify myocardial three-dimensional (3D) principal strains as the left ventricle (LV) remodels after myocardial infarction (MI). Serial quantification of myocardial strains is important for understanding the mechanical response of the LV to MI. Principal strains convert the 3D LV wall-based strain matrix with three normal and three shear elements, to a matrix with three nonzero normal elements, thereby eliminating the shear elements, which are difficult to physically interpret.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFATP derived from the conversion of phosphocreatine to creatine by creatine kinase provides an essential chemical energy source that governs myocardial contraction. Here, we demonstrate that the exchange of amine protons from creatine with protons in bulk water can be exploited to image creatine through chemical exchange saturation transfer (CrEST) in myocardial tissue. We show that CrEST provides about two orders of magnitude higher sensitivity compared to (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Transcatheter mitral valve replacement would represent a major advance in heart valve therapy. Such a device requires a specialized anchoring and sealing technology. This study was designed to test the feasibility of a novel mitral valve replacement device (the sutureless mitral valve [SMV]) designed to anchor and seal in the mitral position without need for sutures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Heart failure after myocardial infarction (MI) is a result of increased myocardial workload, adverse left ventricular (LV) geometric remodeling, and less efficient LV fluid movement. In this study we utilize cardiac magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate ventricular function and flow after placement of a novel directed epicardial assist device.
Methods: Five swine underwent posterolateral MI and were allowed to remodel for 12 weeks.
Background: This study was undertaken to evaluate an in vitro mitral valve (MV) simulator's ability to mimic the systolic leaflet coaptation, regurgitation, and leaflet mechanics of a healthy ovine model and an ovine model with chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR).
Methods: Mitral valve size and geometry of both healthy ovine animals and those with chronic IMR were used to recreate systolic MV function in vitro. A2-P2 coaptation length, coaptation depth, tenting area, anterior leaflet strain, and MR were compared between the animal groups and valves simulated in the bench-top model.
Background: Preventing expansion and dyskinetic movement of a myocardial infarction (MI) can limit left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Using a device designed to produce variable alteration of infarct stiffness and geometry, we sought to understand how these parameters affect LV function and remodeling early after MI.
Methods: Ten pigs had posterolateral infarctions.
Background: Manifestations of reperfusion injury include myocyte death leading to infarction, contractile dysfunction, and vascular injury characterized by the "no-reflow" phenomenon. Mitochondria-produced reactive oxygen species are believed to be centrally involved in each of these aspects of reperfusion injury, although currently no therapies reduce reperfusion injury by targeting mitochondria specifically.
Methods And Results: We investigated the cardioprotective effects of a mitochondria-targeted peptide, Bendavia (Stealth Peptides), across a spectrum of experimental cardiac ischemia/reperfusion models.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
August 2013
Objective: Forces acting on mitral annular devices in the setting of ischemic mitral regurgitation are currently unknown. The aim of this study was to quantify the cyclic forces that result from mitral annular contraction in a chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation ovine model and compare them with forces measured previously in healthy animals.
Methods: A novel force transducer was implanted in the mitral annulus of 6 ovine subjects 8 weeks after an inferior left ventricle infarction that produced progressive, severe chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation.
Background: Restoring leaflet coaptation is the primary objective in repair of ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). The common practice of placing an undersized annuloplasty ring partially achieves this goal by correcting annular dilation; however, annular reduction has been demonstrated to exacerbate posterior leaflet tethering. Using a sheep model of IMR, we tested the hypothesis that posterior leaflet augmentation (PLA) combined with standard annuloplasty sizing increases leaflet coaptation more effectively than undersized annuloplasty alone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Late gadolinium enhanced (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is frequently used to evaluate myocardial viability, estimate total infarct size and transmurality, but is not always straightforward is and contraindicated in patients with renal failure because of the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. T2- and T1-weighted CMR alone is however relatively insensitive to chronic myocardial infarction (MI) in the absence of a contrast agent. The objective of this manuscript is to explore T1ρ-weighted rotating frame CMR techniques for infarct characterization without contrast agents.
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