National Estimates for the Percentage of All Readmissions With Demographic Features, Morbidity, Overall and Gender-Specific Mortality of Transcutaneous Versus Open Surgical Tricuspid Valve Replacement/Repair.

Background: The aim of the study was to determine national estimates for the percentage of all readmissions with demographic features, length of stay (LOS), cost analysis, comorbidities, complications, overall and gender-specific mortality and complications of transcutaneous tricuspid valve replacement/repair (TTVR) vs. open surgical tricuspid valve replacement/repair (open TVR).

Methods: Data were extrapolated from the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) 2015-19.

Rivaroxaban Failure Presenting With Renal Infarction in a Patient With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Case Report.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are the preferred choice of anticoagulation for patients with atrial fibrillation. DOACs are always preferred over vitamin K antagonists due to their better safety profile in terms of life-threatening bleeding and decreased need for INR (international normalised ratio) monitoring. Although the most commonly used anticoagulation, failure to DOAC has been reported.

Coil Embolization of a Left Anterior Descending Coronary Artery-Pulmonary Artery Fistula: A Case Report.

Coronary artery fistulas may be defined as abnormal connections between a coronary artery and either a heart chamber or the pulmonary artery. Although usually asymptomatic, they can become enlarged and rupture in rare instances, requiring prompt intervention. We present a case of a 66-year-old male patient with a left anterior descending-pulmonary artery fistula managed with coil embolization.

Persistence of pulmonary hypertension in patients undergoing ventricular assist devices and orthotopic heart transplantation.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common in advanced heart failure and often improves quickly after left ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation or orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT), but long-term effects and outcomes are not well-described. This study evaluated PH persistence after VAD as destination therapy (VAD-DT), bridge to transplant (VAD-OHT), or OHT-alone. The study constituted a retrospective review of patients who underwent VAD-DT ( = 164), VAD-OHT ( = 111), or OHT-alone ( = 138) at a single tertiary-care center.

Pericardial Tamponade and Elevated Serum CA-125 Level in Inadequately Treated Hypothyroidism.

Cardiac tamponade is a medical emergency and must be managed promptly, and reaching a diagnosis is imperative to prevent recurrence. Herein, we present a case of a young female patient that presented with progressive shortness of breath and abdominal distension and was found to have cardiac tamponade with the finding of elevation of a blood tumor marker, CA-125, in the setting of nonadherence to thyroid replacement therapy. She was managed by surgical pericardial window and abdominal paracentesis, with replacement of thyroid hormones leading to resolution of the tamponade and ascites.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury in a COVID-19-positive convalescent plasma recipient: a case report.

We present a case of transfusion-related acute lung injury as a complication of convalescent plasma transfusion in a patient who presented with COVID-19-related severe acute respiratory syndrome. Despite treatment with tocilizumab, remdesivir, and intravenous steroids, worsening dyspnea prompted adjunctive treatment with convalescent plasma. Two hours after completion of the plasma transfusion, the patient developed hypoxia-induced cardiac arrest secondary to transfusion-related acute lung injury.

An Unusual Case of Acute Hemorrhagic Necrotizing Encephalomyelitis in a COVID-19 Patient.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, also known as ADEM, is a rare autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that has been correlated with viral infections and vaccinations and has a range of presentations, where it can present as a mild neurological dysfunction or more severe manifestations ending in chronic neurological sequelae or even death; therefore, it is considered to be a diagnostic challenge. We present a case of ADEM diagnosed in a previously healthy male patient with a recent infection of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Early diagnosis and management with intravenous immunoglobulins held the key to a good outcome.

Multisystem thromboembolism in a COVID-19 patient: a case report.

Hypercoagulability has been found in patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) and has been identified as a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Herein, we report the challenge in managing a patient presenting with a 5 day history of COVID-19 diagnosis, complicated by deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and ischemic stroke in the setting of atrial septal aneurysm, presumed patent foramen ovale and paradoxical embolism, identified to have clots in transit on echocardiogram. The application of anticoagulation was felt to be high risk.

Life-Threatening Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage as an Initial Presentation of Microscopic Polyangiitis: COVID-19 as a Likely Culprit.

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a systemic small vessel vasculitis but it is rare to see life-threatening diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) in MPA as an initial presentation. MPA more commonly presents with renal involvement and develops pulmonary manifestations later in the disease course. Our patient is a 77-year-old female with a recent history of recovered COVID-19 infection who presented with sudden onset fever, dyspnea, and hemoptysis for three days.

A rare cause of acute compartment syndrome after gluteal cyst rupture.

Acute Compartment Syndrome (ACS) is a serious medical condition that often results in high morbidity. ACS more commonly presents after substantial trauma in the extremities where compartment pressures can be measured. Here, we present an unusual case of a healthy man who presented with ACS of the thigh secondary to rupture of the gluteal cyst which was formed after multiple unsupervised testosterone injections.

Wearable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: This study sought to synthesize the available evidence on the use of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD).

Background: Observational WCD studies for the prevention of sudden cardiac death have provided conflicting data. The VEST (Vest Prevention of Early Sudden Death) trial was the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) showing no reduction in sudden cardiac death as compared to medical therapy only.