A Diagnostic Pitfall of Transthoracic Echocardiography: A Case of a Missed Large Mitral Valve Thrombus in the Setting of Suspected Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis.

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is frequently utilized in the initial evaluation of cardioembolic stroke. However, the diagnostic utility of TTE is often operator-dependent, and in conjunction with anatomical limitations, there is a range of sensitivities reported in the literature specifically in the evaluation of nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE). Thus, relying on TTE findings to rule out NBTE in the setting of cardioembolic stroke evaluation can lead to misdiagnosis in the absence of confirmatory transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

Left Atrial to Coronary Sinus Shunting for Treatment of Symptomatic Heart Failure.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is associated with both mortality and a significant decline in health status. Interatrial shunting is increasingly being investigated as a novel therapeutic option.

Objectives: The ALT FLOW Early Feasibility Study was designed to evaluate the safety of the Edwards left atrial to coronary sinus APTURE Transcatheter Shunt System in patients with symptomatic HF.

Aerococcus urinae Infective Endocarditis.

is a gram-positive organism frequently found in the urinary tract. It is often mistaken for and based on its appearance. It commonly causes urinary tract infections but has rarely been associated with fatal infective endocarditis and sepsis.

Cardiac amyloid presenting as cardiogenic shock: case series.

Background: Amyloidosis is a systemic infiltrative disease that can affect nearly every organ in the human body. It is characterized by the deposition of misfolded protein within various tissues and organs. Once there is cardiac involvement this portends a worse prognosis.

Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma.

Papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) is a primary, histologically benign endocardial neoplasm. Though PFE has long been reported as the second most common primary cardiac neoplasm, it has since pulled ahead of cardiac myxomas, largely due to evolving cardiac imaging modalities. While PFEs are benign histologically, they have the potential for devastating clinical consequences, transient ischemic attack, stroke, myocardial infarction, syncope, pulmonary, and peripheral embolism.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Metastatic Calcinosis of Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Secondary to Renal Failure Resulting in Symptomatic Aortic Regurgitation.

• Cardiac complications are the most common cause of death in dialysis patients. • Cardiac complications include coronary disease, arrhythmias, and valvular disease. • Valvular calcification can lead to valve dysfunction, conduction issues, and embolism.

Right Atrial Appendage Thrombus in Atrial Fibrillation: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common abnormal heart rhythm in adults and has become a significant public health concern affecting 2% to 3% of the population in Europe and North America. Left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombi is the source of 90% of left-sided cardiac thrombi in patients with Afib, which can cause stroke and other systemic vascular events. Right atrial appendage (RAA) thrombi formation in Afib is much less common but complications include pulmonary embolism or paradoxical migration across patent foramen ovale with risk of systemic embolization.

A case report of an unusual left atrial mass.

Background: Cardiac foreign bodies (FBs) are rare findings that may present as cardiac masses initially. Here, we present an exceptional and rare case of a hypodermic needle FB that transmigrated to the left atrium and presented as a left atrial mass.

Case Summary: A 28-year-old woman with multiple psychiatric disorders including intentional FB ingestion and self-inflicting injuries presented to the emergency room with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and chest pain that radiated to the left arm and face for 2 weeks.

Renal Cell Carcinoma with Right Ventricular Metastatic Spread: An Unusual Finding with Poor Prognosis.

• RCC is the most common type of renal cancer. • RCC is capable of passing through the renal vein into the IVC. • Surgical resection requiring cardiopulmonary bypass is currently the only curative treatment.

A Shortcut to Death: Aorto-Left Atrial Fistula in the Setting of MRSA Infective Endocarditis.

• AAFs convey very high mortality and require prompt diagnosis and management. • Echocardiography, especially TEE, plays a critical role in timely assessment. • Poor prognostic risk factors include shock, paravalvular leakage, and CHF.

Endocarditis with Perivalvular Abscess Presenting as Atrioventricular Block.

is an aerobic, Gram-negative bacillus first identified in 1819 (Yeung et al. 2018). infective endocarditis is extremely rare accounting for only 0.

Head and Neck Pain in Patients Presenting with Acute Aortic Dissection.

Background:  Head and neck pain is an atypical presentation of acute aortic dissection. Classic teaching associates this pain with proximal dissections, but this has not been extensively studied.

Methods:  Patients enrolled in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection from January 1996 to March 2015 were included in this study.

Lifetime Risk and Risk Factors for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in a 24-Year Prospective Study: The ARIC Study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities).

Objective: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an important vascular disease in older adults, but data on lifetime risk of AAA are sparse. We examined lifetime risk of AAA in a community-based cohort and prospectively assessed the association between midlife cardiovascular risk factors and AAAs.

Approach And Results: In ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities), 15 792 participants were recruited at visit 1 in 1987 to 1989 and followed up through 2013.