Comparison of cardiac computed tomography recommendations in recent ESC vs. ACC/AHA guidelines.

Cardiac computed tomography (CCT) continues to expand with increasing applications and technological advancements. Growing evidence on the clinical utility of CCT necessitates evaluating how this knowledge is incorporated into European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines. We aimed to provide a comprehensive comparison of CCT indications between ESC and ACC/AHA guidelines to identify areas of consensus and divergence in the current landscape of CCT utilization.

Full-root aortic valve replacement using medtronic freestyle bioroots for infective endocarditis.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the potential efficacy of the Freestyle Medtronic bioroot in the treatment of aortic endocarditis, based on our single-centre experience.

Methods: In this retrospective study conducted between 2015 and 2023, adult patients who underwent aortic root replacement with coronary arteries reimplantation using the modified Bentall technique with a Medtronic Freestyle bioroot in our centre for infective endocarditis were included.

Results: Thirty patients, with five deaths, no cases of relapse, and two cases of reinfection, were included, and prosthetic valve endocarditis represented 73.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: prevalence of disease-specific red flags.

Background And Aims: The European Society of Cardiology guidelines recommend a systematic search for diagnostic clues or 'red flags' (RFs) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) to better tailor disease management. To date, the prevalence and clinical significance of RF associated with HCM phenotypes in different clinical settings are unknown.

Methods: The study cohort comprised 818 patients with a clinical diagnosis of HCM [479 (62%) males, mean age 49 ± 21 years] referred to four European centres.

Comparison of the 2023 ISCVID and ESC Duke clinical criteria for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis among patients with positive blood cultures for new typical microorganisms.

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of the Duke clinical criteria of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC; 2015 and 2023 versions) and the 2023 International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) in diagnosing infective endocarditis (IE) among patients with bacteraemia/candidaemia by pathogens introduced for the first time as typical microorganisms by ISCVID.

Methods: Retrospective study.

Setting: This study included adult patients with bacteraemia/candidaemia by such pathogens (coagulase negative staphylococci, Abiotrophia spp.

Role of the New Physical Examination Minor Criterion (New Heart Murmur) for the Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis.

Among 3127 episodes of suspected infective endocarditis, the 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases clinical criteria showed an accuracy of 90% for infective endocarditis diagnosis. A new heart murmur was present in 690 (22%) episodes. Excluding imaging and surgical findings decreased the accuracy to 73%, while using the physical examination criterion slightly improved the accuracy to 78%.

Extreme altitude-induced central sleep apneas lasting more than 100 seconds in a healthy 23-year-old man.

Central sleep apneas (CSA) can occur de novo at high-altitude in individuals without sleep-disordered breathing at low altitude. These apneas are usually brief, lasting only 5-15 s. This report presents the first documented case of a man experiencing extreme altitude-induced CSA lasting more than 100 s in the absence of any sleep breathing disorder in normoxia.

Predictors of persistent fever among patients with suspected infective endocarditis: think outside the box.

Background: Fever is common in infective endocarditis (IE), yet little is known about fever duration in such patients. We aim to identify predictors of persistent fever in patients with suspected IE.

Methods: This study was conducted at the Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland, from January 2014 to June 2023.

Multi-Modality Imaging to Detect Ischemic and Valvular Heart Disease in Adult Cancer Patients.

Thanks to impressive advances in the field of oncology over the last 30 years, there has been a significant rise in cancer survivors. Nowadays, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in this patient population. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major problem due to shared risk factors, an aging population and in many cases induced and/or accelerated atherosclerosis by antitumoral treatment during and even decades after the end of cancer therapy.

Pulsus Alternans in Critical Aortic Stenosis: When the Left Ventricle Is Failing.

A 58-year-old man presented with worsening dyspnea. Electrocardiogram showed variation in T-wave amplitude occurring every other beat. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a severe aortic stenosis with beat-to-beat variation in stroke volume, suggestive of pulsus alternans.

Impact of multidisciplinary Endocarditis Team on management of infective endocarditis.

Infective Endocarditis (IE) is a complex, life-threatening disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the Endocarditis-Team on management of IE. This observational study conducted at a university hospital (2015‒22), included adult patients with IE.

Thromboaspiration of a left-sided bioprosthetic valve thrombosis by a mini-access: the Lausanne novel procedure.

Left-sided bioprosthesis valve thrombosis (LSBVT) is a challenging complication necessitating invasive interventions. In this study, we introduce a novel, minimally invasive approach. We used a cerebral embolic protection system and an Occlutech cannula connected to an extracorporeal circuit, providing safer thrombus aspiration compared to the AngioVac system.

Recurrence of an undifferentiated pleomorphic pulmonary artery sarcoma 8 years after initial presentation: a case report.

Background: Primary cardiac tumors remain exceptionally rare, characterized by a poor prognosis. Among them, sarcomas originating in the pulmonary arteries constitute the most infrequent subgroup within primary cardiac sarcomas.

Case Summary: This report presents the case of a 76-year-old female experiencing a recurrence of an undifferentiated pleomorphic intracardiac pulmonary artery sarcoma located in the right ventricular outflow tract, manifesting 8 years after initial remission.

Arrhythmic Mitral Valve Prolapse Phenotype: An Unsupervised Machine Learning Analysis Using a Multicenter Cardiac MRI Registry.

Purpose To use unsupervised machine learning to identify phenotypic clusters with increased risk of arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients with MVP without hemodynamically significant mitral regurgitation or left ventricular (LV) dysfunction undergoing late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac MRI between October 2007 and June 2020 in 15 European tertiary centers. The study end point was a composite of sustained ventricular tachycardia, (aborted) sudden cardiac death, or unexplained syncope.

Energy Loss Index and Dimensionless Index Outperform Direct Valve Planimetry in Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis.

Among patients with suspected severe aortic stenosis (AS), discordance between effective orifice area (EOA) and transvalvular gradients is frequent and requires a multiparametric workup including flow assessment and calcium-scoring to confirm true severe AS. The aim of this study was to assess direct planimetry, energy loss index (Eli) and dimensionless index (DI) as stand-alone parameters to identify non-severe AS in discordant cases. In this prospective cohort study, we included consecutive AS patients > 70 years with EOA < 1.

Head-to-Head Comparison and Temporal Trends of Cardiac MRI Recommendations in ESC versus ACC/AHA Guidelines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose To provide a comprehensive head-to-head comparison and temporal analysis of cardiac MRI indications between the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines to identify areas of consensus and divergence. Materials and Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. ESC and ACC/AHA guidelines published until May 2023 were systematically screened for recommendations related to cardiac MRI.

Evaluation of the HANDOC Score and the 2023 International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases and European Society of Cardiology Duke Clinical Criteria for the Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis Among Patients With Streptococcal Bacteremia.

Background: Streptococci are a common cause of infective endocarditis (IE). We aimed to evaluate the performance of the HANDOC score to identify patients at high risk for IE and the Duke clinical criteria of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC; 2015 and 2023 versions) and the 2023 version from the International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) in diagnosing IE among patients with streptococcal bacteremia.

Methods: This retrospective study included adult patients with streptococcal bacteremia hospitalized at Lausanne University Hospital.

Outcomes and Safety of Transcaval Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: The transcaval (TCv) vascular approach is increasingly used in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients unsuitable for the gold-standard transfemoral approach. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and clinical outcomes associated with TCv-TAVR.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted by searching PubMed/Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for all articles assessing the TCv approach published through December 2023.

[Cardiac amyloidosis : simplifying the diagnosis of a complex disease].

Amyloidosis is a systemic infiltrative disease characterized by deposition of misfolded proteins in tissues, notably affecting the heart. According to type of protein, various types are known with the most prevalent being light-chain and transthyretin amyloidosis. Prognosis is dismal with progression to severe heart failure without disease-modifying treatment.

Fabry disease: development and progression of left ventricular hypertrophy despite long-term enzyme replacement therapy.

Background: Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) may halt or attenuate disease progression in patients with Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD). However, whether left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) can be prevented by early therapy or may still progress despite ERT over a long-term follow-up is still unclear.

Methods: Consecutive patients with AFD from the Independent Swiss-Fabry Cohort receiving ERT who were at least followed up for 5 years were included.