Mitral Annulus Calcium Score in Patients With Calcific Mitral Stenosis Undergoing Invasive Hemodynamic Assessment.

Background: Aortic valve calcium score is associated with hemodynamic severity of aortic stenosis. Whether this association is present in calcific mitral stenosis remains unknown.

Methods And Results: This study was a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with mitral stenosis secondary to mitral annular calcification (MAC) undergoing transseptal catheterization.

Percutaneous Removal of Left Atrial Myxoma: The FLORIDA Procedure.

Surgical resection has been the treatment of choice for cardiac myxomas, but older age and comorbidities relegate many patients to observation. Pure percutaneous removal of left atrial myxomas is both intriguing and challenging. We report a successful percutaneous technique for removal of left atrial cardiac myxoma in a nonsurgical candidate.

Impact of Pulmonary Hypertension Hemodynamic Phenotype on Incident Atrial Fibrillation.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) is common among patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. AF has been shown to occur more commonly among patients with postcapillary PH, although AF also occurs among patients with precapillary PH. The goal of this study was to evaluate the independent impact of PH hemodynamic phenotype on incident AF among patients with PH.

Sex Differences in the Impact of Aortic Valve Calcium Score on Mortality After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is now an approved alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for the treatment of severe aortic stenosis. As the clinical adoption of TAVR expands, it remains important to identify predictors of mortality after TAVR. We aimed to evaluate the impact of sex differences in aortic valve calcium score (AVCS) on long-term mortality following TAVR in a large patient sample.

Characteristics and Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Immunocompromised Patients.

Immunocompromised (IC) patients are at greater risk of adverse outcomes from cardiac surgery, and less invasive options for treating severe aortic stenosis among IC patients are often sought. However, despite greater preference for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in this population, there are limited data on outcomes in IC patients. Between January 2015 and December 2019, we studied patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent TAVI.

Clinical Outcomes following Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: A Single-Center Experience.

Introduction: Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure is an established alternative to anticoagulation therapy for stroke prophylaxis among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. There are currently no guidelines on the choice of antithrombotic therapy following placement of the Watchman® device, the optimal time to discontinue anticoagulation or the duration of follow-up imaging after device deployment. Our main objective was to evaluate clinical outcomes among these patients.

Subaortic Membrane Papillary Fibroelastoma.

A 61-year-old male presented for an annual exam and received a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) which revealed a mobile mass arising from a subaortic membrane. Further investigations with a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) and cardiac computerized tomography angiography (CTA) confirmed the presence of a mobile 9 mm × 3 mm mass on a subaortic membrane. Cardiothoracic surgery was performed with an open operation removing the mass and subaortic membrane.

Distribution of Cervicocephalic Atherosclerotic Lesions and Their Correlation with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Population of Amerindians. The Atahualpa Project.

Background: No information is available on the distribution of cervicocephalic atherosclerosis in Amerindians. We aimed to assess the distribution of these lesions and their correlation with cardiovascular risk factors in Amerindians living in rural Ecuador.

Methods: Atahualpa residents aged ≥40years underwent head CT for assessment of carotid siphon calcifications (CSC) and sonographic examination for measurement of the carotid intima media thickness (cIMT).

Retained cardiac implantable electronic device fragments are not associated with magnetic resonance imaging safety issues, morbidity, or mortality after orthotopic heart transplant.

Background: Cardiac implantable electronic device therapy (CIED) has revolutionized treatment for advanced heart failure. Most patients considered for orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) are treated with implantable cardioverter defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapy, or both. These CIEDs are surgically extracted at the time of transplant.

Modern advances in cardiovascular imaging: cardiac computed tomography and cardiovascular MRI in pericardial disease.

The pericardium is characterized by a two-layer sac that surrounds the heart and provides an enclosed, lubricated space. Diseases of the pericardium may occur due to active inflammation, scar, calcification or effusion. While clinical, ECG and hemodynamic evaluation have been the established methods for the diagnosis of pericardial disease, advances in cardiac computed tomography and cardiovascular MRI provide complementary tools for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic assessment.

Cardiac MRI as a diagnostic tool in pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is characterized by alterations in the viscoelastic properties of the pulmonary arteries, leading to increased pulmonary arterial stiffness and elevated pressures. Early detection and accurate quantification of pulmonary hypertension are limitations to conventional noninvasive imaging and may have therapeutic implications. Cardiac MRI provides important information that can aid the clinician, particularly relating to morphologic right ventricular alterations and quantification of stiffness, as well as providing a novel prognostic framework.

Advances of cardiovascular MRI in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disease characterized by abnormal myocardial hypertrophy, which can lead to a wide clinical spectrum, including sudden cardiac death and heart failure. Cardiac MRI has a significant role in establishing the diagnosis of HCM. In the three principal management issues related to HCM; testing of family members of affected individuals; assessing the risk of sudden cardiac death from lethal ventricular arrhythmias; and selection of appropriate treatments for left ventricular outflow obstruction, cardiac MRI has established or emerging roles.

Reduced resident "code blue" experience in the era of quality improvement: new challenges in physician training.

Purpose: Emergency resuscitation or "code blue" is a clinical event through which responding medical residents gain experience and proficiency. A retooling of practice has occurred at academic medical centers since the emergence of quality improvement initiatives and resident duty hours limits. The authors investigated how these changes may impact code blue frequency and resident opportunities to gain clinical experience.