Meta-analysis of safety and efficacy of oral anticoagulants in patients requiring catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Background: The ideal oral anticoagulant agent during catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) remained unclear.

Hypothesis: Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are safer and effective compared to uninterrupted vitamin K antagonists (U-VKA) among patients requiring CA for AF.

Methods: Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 9 observational studies (OS) were selected using PubMed/Medline, EMBASE and the CENTRAL data bases (Inception-December-2017).

Coronary artery perforation complicated by recurrent cardiac tamponade: a case illustration and review.

Coronary artery perforation during percutaneous intervention is a rare but potentially life threatening complication. The treatment of coronary perforation can be challenging in view of potential life threatening consequences such as cardiac tamponade or myocardial infarction. Presented is a clinical course of a 69year-old female who developed cardiac tamponade as a result of presumed wire related perforation of the posterolateral branch of the right coronary artery.

Thrombus or vegetation: A mystery causing ST elevation myocardial infarction with infective endocarditis of mechanical aortic valve.

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) in the setting of infective endocarditis (IE) of mechanical cardiac valve is a rare phenomenon. The most challenging aspect is the recognition between septic embolus versus thromboembolism from prosthesis in the setting of sub-therapeutic INR especially when the coronary vasculature is normal and etiology is not clear. We are presenting a case of 56-year-old patient who developed ST elevation MI during treatment of IE of mechanical aortic valve.