Thrombectomy using AlphaVac for left atrial thrombus causing mechanical mitral valve obstruction and cardiogenic shock.

We present a 73-year-old female with history of rheumatic heart disease status post-mechanical mitral valve on warfarin, valvular atrial fibrillation, and alpha thalassemia who was admitted to an outside hospital with anterior ST-segment myocardial infarction. Coronary angiogram showed occluded left anterior descending artery (LAD) with acute thrombus status post-thrombectomy and balloon angioplasty.

Data Analytics of Electronic Health Records to Enhance Care of Coronary Artery Disease in Younger Women with Avoiding Possible Delay in Treatment.

Early detection plays a key role to enhance the outcome for Coronary Artery Disease. We utilized a big data analytics platform on ∼32,000 patients to trace patients from the first encounter to CAD treatment. There are significant gender-based differences in patients younger than 60 from the time of the first encounter to Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with a p-value=0.

An Ontology for Cardiothoracic Surgical Education and Clinical Data Analytics.

The development of an ontology facilitates the organization of the variety of concepts used to describe different terms in different resources. The proposed ontology will facilitate the study of cardiothoracic surgical education and data analytics in electronic medical records (EMR) with the standard vocabulary.

Efficacy and mortality of rotating sheaths versus laser sheaths for transvenous lead extraction: a meta-analysis.

Background: Rotating and laser sheaths are both routinely used in transvenous lead extraction (TLE) which can lead to catastrophic complications including death. The efficacy and risk of each approach are uncertain. To perform a meta-analysis to compare success and mortality rates associated with rotating and laser sheaths.

Subxiphoid Hybrid Epicardial-Endocardial Atrial Fibrillation Ablation and LAA Ligation: Initial Sub-X Hybrid MAZE Registry Results.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a new subxiphoid hybrid epicardial-endocardial atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and left atrial appendage (LAA) ligation approach for the treatment of persistent AF.

Background: Surgical hybrid ablation procedures have shown promise for maintaining sinus rhythm versus catheter ablation but are associated with increased periprocedural adverse events.

Methods: Patients with symptomatic persistent AF (n = 33, mean age 64 ± 9 years, 25 men) who had antiarrhythmic drug therapy or prior catheter ablation was unsuccessful were referred for hybrid epicardial-endocardial AF ablation and LAA exclusion.

Coronary artery disease detection using artificial intelligence techniques: A survey of trends, geographical differences and diagnostic features 1991-2020.

While coronary angiography is the gold standard diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD), but it is associated with procedural risk, it is an invasive technique requiring arterial puncture, and it subjects the patient to radiation and iodinated contrast exposure. Artificial intelligence (AI) can provide a pretest probability of disease that can be used to triage patients for angiography. This review comprehensively investigates published papers in the domain of CAD detection using different AI techniques from 1991 to 2020, in order to discern broad trends and geographical differences.

Reported mortality with rotating sheaths vs. laser sheaths for transvenous lead extraction.

Aims: Rotating sheaths and laser sheaths are commonly used for transvenous lead extraction. This study aims to compare observed mortality between both approaches.

Methods And Results: The Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database was searched from 2011 to 2016 to determine number of deaths associated with each sheath.

Hybrid and surgical procedures for the treatment of persistent and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. The incidence of AF increases with age and is associated with increased stroke, heart failure and mortality. Persistent and long standing persistent AF is difficult to treat and often refractory to medical therapy and catheter ablation.

Carcinoid Syndrome Complicating a Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Case Report.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) comprise a heterogeneous group of neoplasms. These tumors can produce a wide variety of hormones that can lead to syndromes of hormone excess, such as carcinoid syndrome. We present the case of a 47-year-old man who presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain and emesis.

Quantification of motion of the thoracic aorta after ascending aortic repair of type-A dissection.

Purpose: To quantify cardiac and respiratory deformations of the thoracic aorta after ascending aortic graft repair.

Methods: Eight patients were scanned with cardiac-resolved computed tomography angiography during inspiratory/expiratory breath-holds. Aortic centerlines and lumen were extracted to compute the arclength, curvature, angulation, and cross-section shape.

Volumetric analysis demonstrates that true and false lumen remodeling persists for 12 months after thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

A 62-year-old man underwent an elephant trunk procedure followed by thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). Computed tomography angiography-based models were built to quantify volume of the whole aorta and true and false lumens preoperatively, before TEVAR, after TEVAR, and at follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months. With TEVAR, descending aortic true lumen volume increased by 54%, then increased additionally by 60% during 12 months.

Multipotency and cardiomyogenic potential of human adipose-derived stem cells from epicardium, pericardium, and omentum.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) leads to an irreversible loss of proper cardiac function. Application of stem cell therapy is an attractive option for MI treatment. Adipose tissue has proven to serve as a rich source of stem cells (ADSCs).

Celecoxib Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Angiogenesis.

Controllable induction of blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) presents an important therapeutic goal in ischemic diseases and is also beneficial in various normal physiological processes. In this study, we have shown that nanoparticles of celecoxib, a lipophilic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, effectively evoke therapeutic angiogenesis in animal models, in both normal and ischemic organs. Celecoxib is widely considered to inhibit angiogenesis, although a recent study suggests that it can instead promote blood vessel growth in cancer cell lines.

Immunobiology of fibrin-based engineered heart tissue.

Unlabelled: Different tissue-engineering approaches have been developed to induce and promote cardiac regeneration; however, the impact of the immune system and its responses to the various scaffold components of the engineered grafts remains unclear. Fibrin-based engineered heart tissue (EHT) was generated from neonatal Lewis (Lew) rat heart cells and transplanted onto the left ventricular surface of three different rat strains: syngeneic Lew, allogeneic Brown Norway, and immunodeficient Rowett Nude rats. Interferon spot frequency assay results showed similar degrees of systemic immune activation in the syngeneic and allogeneic groups, whereas no systemic immune response was detectable in the immunodeficient group (p < .

Human pluripotent stem cell tools for cardiac optogenetics.

It is likely that arrhythmias should be avoided for therapies based on human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CM) to be effective. Towards achieving this goal, we introduced light-activated channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a cation channel activated with 480 nm light, into human embryonic stem cells (hESC). By using in vitro approaches, hESC-CM are able to be activated with light.

Cardiac metastases and tumor embolization: A rare sequelae of primary undifferentiated liver sarcoma.

Introduction: Primary hepatic sarcomas are uncommon malignant neoplasms; prognostic features, natural history, and optimal management of these tumors are not well characterized.

Presentation Of Case: This report describes the management of a 51-year-old patient that underwent a right trisectionectomy for a large hepatic mass found to be a liver sarcoma on pathology. He subsequently developed tumor emboli to his lungs and was discovered to have cardiac intracavitary metastases from his primary tumor.

Multidisciplinary treatment for thoracic and abdominopelvic endometriosis.

Background And Objectives: Thoracic endometriosis is a rare form of extragenital endometriosis with important clinical ramifications. Up to 80% of women with thoracic endometriosis have concomitant abdominopelvic endometriosis, yet the surgical treatment is usually performed with separate procedures. This is the largest published series of the combination of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and traditional laparoscopy for the treatment of abdominopelvic and thoracic endometriosis.

Aortic arch vessel geometries and deformations in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections.

Purpose: To quantify aortic arch geometry and in vivo cardiac-induced and respiratory-induced arch translations and arch branch angulations using three-dimensional geometric modeling techniques.

Materials And Methods: Scanning with electrocardiogram-gated computed tomography angiography during inspiratory and expiratory breath holds was performed in 15 patients (age, 64 y ± 14) with thoracic aortic aneurysms or dissections. From the lumen models, centerlines of the thoracic aorta, brachiocephalic artery, left common carotid artery, and left subclavian artery and their branching ostia positions were quantified.

Wireless power transfer to deep-tissue microimplants.

The ability to implant electronic systems in the human body has led to many medical advances. Progress in semiconductor technology paved the way for devices at the scale of a millimeter or less ("microimplants"), but the miniaturization of the power source remains challenging. Although wireless powering has been demonstrated, energy transfer beyond superficial depths in tissue has so far been limited by large coils (at least a centimeter in diameter) unsuitable for a microimplant.

Congenital anomalies of the aortic arch in acute type-a aortic dissection: implications for monitoring, perfusion strategy, and surgical repair.

Objective: To assess whether management of acute Stanford type-A aortic dissection differs in patients with congenital anomalies of the aortic arch compared with standard institutional practice.

Design: Retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients from 2001 through 2011.

Setting: Quaternary referral center for surgical management of thoracic aortic disease.