Prophylactic Permanent Pacemaker Implantation for Baseline Right Bundle Branch Block in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Clinical Efficacy, Safety, and Long-Term Pacing Requirement.

Background: Baseline right bundle branch block (RBBB) is an established predictor of permanent pacemaker (PPM) requirement after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). There are limited data to support prophylactic PPM implantation in advance of TAVR. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of prophylactic PPM implantation in patients with RBBB prior to TAVR, and to identify the predictors of pacing dependence after TAVR.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair-Beyond the EVEREST and COAPT Criteria.

Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) has emerged as a safe and effective alternative to conventional surgery in patients with primary and secondary mitral regurgitation, especially those at high surgical risk. This review summarises alternative indications for TMVr outside of the traditional criteria derived from the major randomised trials and focusses on less common mitral valve anatomies such as commissural prolapse and bileaflet prolapse, patients with mitral annuloplasty rings, as well as acutely unwell patients with papillary muscle rupture and/or cardiogenic shock. Specific technical challenges involved in treating such patient groups are summarised and described.

A State-of-the-Art Review: The Percutaneous Treatment of Highly Calcified Lesions.

Coronary artery calcification is prevalent in coronary heart disease with its progression being predictive of future adverse cardiac events. Its presence is considered to be a marker of interventional procedural complexity. Several adjunctive percutaneous coronary intervention tools, such as modifying balloons, atherectomy devices and intravascular lithotripsy, now exist to successfully treat calcified lesions.

Aortic valve replacement rates in Australia from 2004 to 2019.

Background: Several surgical and percutaneous treatments are available for patients with aortic valve disease.

Aim: To establish whether trends in aortic valve replacements (AVR) in Australia reflect recent evidence.

Methods: Using the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data, this study calculated all AVR and balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) procedures conducted in all Australian hospitals from 2004 to 2019.

Cardiac Myeloid Sarcoma: A 1-kg Heart.

A 53-year-old man with a background of acute myelomonocytic leukemia in remission presented with pleurisy. Repeat transthoracic echocardiography over several weeks revealed thickening left ventricular walls and decreasing systolic function. He died of decompensated heart failure due to cardiac myeloid sarcoma, with autopsy revealing an enlarged heart weighing >1 kg.

Ultrathin-strut biodegradable polymer versus durable polymer drug-eluting stents: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: Determine whether an ultrathin biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent ('Orsiro'-BP-SES) has clinical benefits over second-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DP-DES).

Methods: We conducted a prospective systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials comparing Orsiro BP-SES against DP-DES (PROSPERO Registration: CRD42019147136). The primary outcome was target lesion failure (TLF): composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TVMI) and clinically indicated target lesion revascularisation (TLR)) evaluated at the longest available follow-up.

Severe, Reversible Pulmonary Hypertension From Giant Pedunculated Left Atrial Myxoma.

A 77-year-old woman with obstructive sleep apnea presented with a 3-week history of leg swelling and dyspnea on exertion. She had a dry cough and lost 10 kg over the past 2 years. Examination revealed elevated jugular venous pressure, reduced air entry in the left lower-lung field, and pedal edema.

A New Era for Rotational Atherectomy: An Australian Perspective.

Background: Rotational atherectomy (RA) has been used in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for 30 years. With advances in technology, this observational study looks at how rates of RA have changed over the past decade in Australia in relation to PCI and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) rates.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of RA, PCI, and CABG rates per Australian state from Australian Government Department of Human Services' data on Medicare items from 2007 to 2017 was carried out.

Delayed diagnosis of right-sided valve endocarditis causing recurrent pulmonary abscesses: a case report.

Background: Pulmonary valve infective endocarditis is a rare diagnosis that is usually associated with immunocompromised states or structurally abnormal hearts. It is unusual for it to occur in structurally normal hearts or to cause recurrent symptoms after targeted antibiotics. Although guidelines suggest follow-up with repeat echocardiography and inflammatory marker surveillance, this case demonstrates that these are not always useful investigations, and instead imaging of the chest may be more appropriate.

Severe Dilatation of Coronary Artery Ostium Complicating Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm: Differential Diagnosis and Review of the Literature.

Coronary artery dilatation may be due to various aetiologies including congenital anomalies, atherosclerotic coronary disease, and Kawasakis disease. We describe a case characterised by apparent severe dilatation of the right coronary artery ostium in an asymptomatic male. Subsequent imaging and surgical intervention documented the presence of a sinus of Valsalva aneurysm extending into the ostium of the right coronary artery.

Assessing the burden of pregnancy-associated malaria under changing transmission settings.

Background: The clinical presentation of pregnancy-associated malaria, or PAM, depends crucially on the particular epidemiological settings. This can potentially lead to an underestimation of its overall burden on the female population, especially in regions prone to epidemic outbreaks and where malaria transmission is generally low.

Methods: Here, by re-examining historical data, it is demonstrated how excess female mortality can be used to evaluate the burden of PAM.