Maintenance Immunosuppression With Tacrolimus and Everolimus in Heart Transplantation Compared With the Usual Tacrolimus and Micophenolate Protocol: Results From a Retrospective Registry.

Introduction: Real-life data on the long-term use of a maintenance immunosuppressive protocol in heart transplant patients using delayed Everolimus + Tacrolimus are scarce.

Methods: This is a retrospective study that included all heart transplant patients from 2011 to 2021 in two Spanish hospitals. In Hospital A, the preferred immunosuppressive strategy included Everolimus initiation at 2 months post-transplant combined with Tacrolimus and was compared with the results of Hospital B, where a standard Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate mofetil protocol was used.

Prognostic Role of Tissue Iron Deficiency Measured by sTfR Levels in Heart Failure Patients without Systemic Iron Deficiency or Anemia.

. Iron deficiency (ID) is a significant, high-prevalence comorbidity in chronic heart failure (HF) that represents an independent predictor of a worse prognosis. However, a clear-cut diagnosis of ID in HF patients is not assured.

Fulminant myocarditis following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination rescued with venoarterial ECMO: A report of two cases.

Introduction: Cases of myocarditis after COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines administration have been reported. Although the majority follow a mild course, fulminant presentations may occur. In these cases, cardiopulmonary support with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) may be needed.

Development of a risk score for patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Ischaemic cardiomyopathy is a leading cause of heart failure and is associated with a poor prognosis.

Aim: To evaluate predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and to develop a risk score for the disease.

Methods: All patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy referred to a tertiary hospital between 2010 and 2018 for stress-rest gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) were included retrospectively (n=747).

Sample size requirement in trials that use the composite endpoint major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE): new insights.

Background: The real impact of the degree of association (DoA) between endpoint components of a composite endpoint (CE) on sample size requirement (SSR) has not been explored. We estimate the impact of the DoA between death and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on SSR of trials using use the CE of major adverse cardiac events (MACE).

Methods: A systematic review and quantitative synthesis of trials that include MACE as the primary outcome through search strategies in MEDLINE and EMBASE electronic databases.

Usefulness of the Vall d'Hebron Risk Score to stratify the risk of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Background: To evaluate the Vall d'Hebron-Risk-Score (VH-RS) to stratify the risk of patients with stable ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM), and assess whether hemoglobin (Hb) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) provide additional information to the VH-RS.

Methods And Results: We analysed 673 consecutive patients with ICM who underwent gated SPECT. According to VH-RS, we stratified patients into 4-risk-levels: very-low-risk (VLR), low-risk (LR), moderate-risk (MR), and high-risk (HRi).

Impact of revascularization guided by functional testing in ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: The burden of ischaemia is a risk factor for adverse outcomes in ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) but is not systematically tested when deciding on revascularization. Limited data exists in patients with ICM regarding the interaction between ischaemia and early coronary revascularization (ECR). This study sought to determine if the burden of ischaemia modifies the outcomes of ECR in ICM.

Echocardiographic assessment of COVID19 sequelae in survivors with elevated cardiac biomarkers.

Aims: We sought to determine, using advanced echocardiography, the prevalence and type of cardiovascular sequelae after COVID19 infection with marked elevation of cardiovascular biomarkers (CVB), and their prognostic implications.

Methods: All patients admitted from March 1st to May 25th, 2020 to a tertiary referral hospital were included. Those with cardiovascular diseases or dead during admission were excluded.

Emergent Percutaneous Closure of a Free-Wall Perforation During Impella Implantation.

Free wall perforation during percutaneous manipulation of devices and wires into the ventricular cavities is an uncommon but life-threatening complication that should be managed with emergent surgery whenever possible. However, the number of patients with prohibitive surgical risk that undergo complex percutaneous cardiac procedures is increasing. Some cases of ventricle perforation during Impella® (Abiomed; Danvers, MA) implantation have been previously reported but in all previous reported cases the patient underwent emergent surgery.

Q waves in ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Q waves may be observed in the absence of non-viable tissue. However, their scintigraphic translation in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) has not been properly assessed. This study sought to establish the determinants of Q waves in the absence of non-viable tissue and the diagnostic accuracy in this population.