How to Reliably Measure Stroke Volume Index in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Comparison of Thermodilution, Direct and Indirect Fick, and Cardiac MRI.

Background: Stroke volume index (SVI) is an important prognostic parameter in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The direct Fick (DF) method represents the gold standard for measuring it. Indirect Fick (IF) and thermodilution (TD) are simpler and widely used alternatives.

Eighth Annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons Pedimacs Report.

Background: The Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (Pedimacs), supported by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, provides detailed information on pediatric patients supported with ventricular assist devices (VADs).

Methods: From September 19, 2012, to December 31, 2023, there were 1648 devices in 1349 patients (<19 years) from 39 North American Hospitals with 100 patients enrolled in 2023.

Results: Cardiomyopathy was the most common underlying etiology (59%), followed by congenital heart disease (26%) and myocarditis (8%).

Use of the Ostial Flash balloon in aorto-ostial chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: The use of the Ostial Flash balloon (Ostial Corporation) has received limited study in aorto-ostial chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary artery intervention (PCI).

Methods: The authors evaluated the outcomes of Ostial Flash balloon use in a large CTO-PCI registry (PROGRESS-CTO, NCT02061436).

Results: The Ostial Flash balloon was used in 54 of 907 aorto-ostial CTO PCIs in 905 patients (6.

The Melody Valve in Small Children Undergoing First Mitral Valve Replacement: Better Than Mechanical?

Background: In small children with left atrioventricular valve dysfunction, valve repair is preferred but some will require valve replacement. No prosthetic valve has growth potential, bioprostheses have poor durability, and mechanical prostheses have high rates of thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications. We reviewed our experience with a modified bovine jugular vein valve designed for use in the right ventricular outflow tract (Melody valve, Medtronic) and compared this with contemporary mechanical valve replacement.

Demographic-Based Personalized Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Thresholds for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Diagnosis.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Current diagnosis emphasizes the detection of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) using a fixed threshold of ≥15-mm maximum wall thickness (MWT). This study proposes a method that considers individual demographics to adjust LVH thresholds as an alternative to a 1-size-fits-all approach.