Solid state, pulsed-wave 355 nm UV laser atherectomy debulking in the treatment of infrainguinal peripheral arterial disease: The Pathfinder Registry.

Background: Atherectomy is an important option for debulking atherosclerotic plaque from diseased arteries in patients with infrainguinal arterial disease. Laser atherectomy uses a high-powered laser to remove the plaque from the arteries to restore blood flow.

Aims: The Pathfinder multicenter registry was initiated to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the 355 nm laser atherectomy system in a real-world setting for the treatment of de novo, re-stenotic and in-stent restenosis (ISR) lesions in infrainguinal arteries of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Left Main Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in a Young Male with Rheumatic Heart Disease and Porcelain Aorta.

We highlight the presence of a calcified mass in the left main coronary artery without significant atherosclerosis seen in the other coronary arteries or in the peripheral large arteries. In our view, the calcified character of the obstruction and the calcification of the aortic valve are characteristic of a variant type of coronary artery disease (CAD) not associated with the same risk factors as diffuse coronary atherosclerosis, but, in this case, with rheumatic heart disease. This case report also emphasizes the interventional approach for patients with aortic valve stenosis secondary to rheumatic heart disease.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement in Native Mitral Valve Disease With Severe Mitral Annular Calcification: Results From the First Multicenter Global Registry.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the outcomes of the early experience of transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) with balloon-expandable valves in patients with severe mitral annular calcification (MAC) and reports the first large series from a multicenter global registry.

Background: The risk of surgical mitral valve replacement in patients with severe MAC is high. There are isolated reports of successful TMVR with balloon-expandable valves in this patient population.

Treatment of Chronic Functional Mitral Valve Regurgitation With a Percutaneous Annuloplasty System.

Background: Current surgical and medical treatment options for functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) are limited and additional interventional approaches are required.

Objectives: This study sought to report the safety and performance data from the feasibility study with a novel direct annuloplasty system.

Methods: Seventy-one patients with moderate to severe FMR (mean 67.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection: Case series from two institutions with literature review.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Consequently, its presentation and optimal treatment are yet to be clearly defined. In the current literature, all case series report less than 50 patients, most of whom are either young peripartum women or women who have used oral contraceptives over long periods.

Impact of CMS coverage decision on access to transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Objectives: To assess the impact of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) national coverage determination (NCD) on access for patients with aortic stenosis (AS) with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in a tertiary care center.

Background: TAVR has given hope to patients with AS who are deemed inoperable. The effects of the NCD on access to patients with AS has not been evaluated.

Retrograde percutaneous closure of a ventricular septal defect after myectomy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

In patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, hemodynamically significant ventricular septal defect after septal myectomy is a rare sequela that warrants closure. Percutaneous closure provides a safer alternative to repeated sternotomy, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates. We report a possibly unique case of successful retrograde percutaneous closure, with an AMPLATZER Muscular VSD Occluder, of an iatrogenic ventricular septal defect consequent to surgical therapy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

Management of paravalvular regurgitation after Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter aortic valve replacement: management of paravalvular regurgitation after TAVR.

Background: With the expansion in the use of transcatheter valve therapies for aortic stenosis, the incidence of hemodynamically significant paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) has become a clinical challenge.

Methods: The study population consisted of those patients with either acute significant PVR immediately post-Edwards SAPIEN (ES) aortic valve implantation, requiring additional maneuvers during the index transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or symptomatic PVR requiring treatment by transcatheter closure at a later date. All the patients were assessed within 24 hrs, 30 days, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after the procedure.

Measuring noncalcified coronary atherosclerotic plaque using voxel analysis with MDCT angiography: a pilot clinical study.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to evaluate a new method using voxel analysis for quantifying noncalcified plaque in coronary arteries using MDCT angiography (MDCTA) compared with luminal stenosis by catheter coronary arteriography.

Materials And Methods: Forty-one normal and eight abnormal arterial cross sections with noncalcified plaque selected from 40 patients undergoing MDCTA were analyzed for percentage of stenosis and plaque volume using a voxel analysis technique.

Results: Using voxel analysis, the normal arterial wall thickness was determined to be 0.

Characterization of LPS-induced lung inflammation in cftr-/- mice and the effect of docosahexaenoic acid.

The mechanism by which Pseudomonas causes excessive inflammation in the cystic fibrosis lung is unclear. We have reported that arachidonic acid is increased and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decreased in lung, pancreas, and ileum from cftr-/- mice. Oral DHA corrected this defect and reversed the pathology.