30-Day Clinical Outcomes of a Self-Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Valve: The International PORTICO NG Study.

Background: The self-expanding, intra-annular Navitor (Abbott Structural Heart) valve includes an outer cuff to reduce paravalvular leak (PVL) and large stent cells for future coronary access.

Objectives: The purpose of the PORTICO NG (Evaluation of the Portico NG [Next Generation] Transcatheter Aortic Valve in High and Extreme Risk Patients With Symptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis) study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Navitor valve in patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme surgical risk.

Methods: PORTICO NG is a prospective, multicenter, global study with follow-up at 30 days, 1 year, and annually through 5 years.

One-Year Results of the Portico Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve Using the Next-Generation FlexNav Delivery System.

Background: The FlexNav delivery system (DS) features a hydrophilic coating, stability layer, and integrated sheath to facilitate valve deployment in vessel diameters ≥5.0 mm.

Methods: Data were pooled from 2 concurrent prospective, multicenter, premarket studies (PORTICO IDE [n = 147] and FlexNav EU CE Mark [n = 46]) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the FlexNav DS to deliver the Portico valve in the Global FlexNav study.

Safety Profile of an Intra-Annular Self-Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Valve and Next-Generation Low-Profile Delivery System.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the safety profile of an intra-annular self-expanding valve with a next-generation low-profile delivery system (DS).

Background: Key design modifications to the FlexNav DS include the addition of a hydrophilic-coated, integrated sheath and stability layer to facilitate gradual, controlled deployment in vessels with diameter ≥5 mm.

Methods: Patients were pooled from 2 concurrent prospective, multicenter, single-arm studies (FlexNav DS arm of PORTICO IDE [Portico Re-Sheathable Transcatheter Aortic Valve System U.

Self-expanding intra-annular versus commercially available transcatheter heart valves in high and extreme risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (PORTICO IDE): a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial.

Background: Randomised trial data assessing the safety and efficacy of the self-expanding intra-annular Portico transcatheter aortic valve system (Abbott Structural Heart, St Paul, MN, USA) compared with any commercially available valves are needed to compare performance among designs.

Methods: In this prospective, multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial (the Portico Re-sheathable Transcatheter Aortic Valve System US Investigational Device Exemption trial [PORTICO IDE]), high and extreme risk patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis were recruited from 52 medical centres experienced in performing transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the USA and Australia. Patients were eligible if they were aged 21 years or older, in New York Heart Association functional class II or higher, and had severe native aortic stenosis.

Lipotamous cardiac disorders: two unsual cases and a review of the literature.

Tumors involving the heart and surrounding cardiac structures may be benign or malignant and can be classified as primary versus secondary in etiology. Primary cardiac tumors are rare lesions and the vast majority of these are benign neoplasms. More commonly, masses that involve the cardiac structures are secondary in nature.

Late presentation of an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery: case report and review.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare cause of ischemia, heart failure and/or sudden death. A premortem diagnosis beyond early childhood is exceedingly rare because over 90% of untreated infants die in the first 12 months of life. We present a case of an asymptomatic fourteen-year old male with ALCAPA diagnosed by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) angiography, who was successfully treated by surgical coronary transfer of the ALCAPA with reimplantation of the LCA to the aortic root.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with acute coronary syndrome: focus on bivalirudin.

Previously, indirect thrombin inhibitors such as unfractionated heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin were used as a standard anticoagulation during percutaneous coronary intervention to prevent procedural thrombotic complications but at a risk of hemorrhagic complications. More recently, bivalirudin, a member of the direct thrombin inhibitor class, has been shown to have 1) predictable pharmacokinetics, 2) ability to inhibit free- and clot-bound thrombin, 3) no properties of platelet activation, 4) avoidance of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, and 5) a significant reduction of bleeding without a reduction in thrombotic or ischemic endpoints compared to heparin and glycoprotein IIbIIIa inhibitors when used in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome who are planned for an invasive treatment strategy.

Long-term clinical outcomes of real-world experience using sirolimus-eluting stents in saphenous vein graft disease.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for saphenous vein graft (SVG) disease. Specifically, we compared clinical endpoints of patients who received sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) for SVG disease.

Background: A recent small randomized-controlled trial (RCT) reported increased mortality with the use of SES in SVG disease.

Femoral angiogram prior to arteriotomy closure device does not reduce vascular complications in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of achieving hemostasis without vascular access site complications (VCs) in patients who did not undergo femoral angiogram (FA) prior to arteriotomy closure device (ACD) placement.

Background: Following coronary angiogram/percutaneous coronary intervention (CA/PCI), VCs increase morbidity and mortality. Previous studies in which an FA was highly recommended but not mandatory suggest that a predictor of VC is ACD use.

Troponin I levels in patients with preeclampsia.

Introduction: Preeclampsia involves a diffuse inflammatory state and elevated levels of troponins in patients with preeclampsia have been anecdotally reported. It is, however, unknown whether it is attributable to the preeclampsia.

Objective: We sought to determine the troponin I levels at the time of delivery in pregnant women with and without preeclampsia.

Ethanol septal ablation for refractory ventricular tachycardia.

It is not uncommon for patients with severe ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy to have recurrent ventricular arrhythmias. Many of these arrhythmias remain asymptomatic and can be controlled with beta-blockers or amiodarone. However, for a subset of these patients, the arrhythmia is persistent and requires antitachycardic pacing, internal defibrillation, or radiofrequency ablation therapy.

Clinical experience with rotational atherectomy in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of rotational atherectomy (RA) in patients with severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

Background: RA, using a rotating diamond-crystal burr, is most commonly used to open lesions with severe calcification or diffuse disease that may prove difficult to cross or dilate. However, RA generates microparticular debris that may attenuate the coronary microcirculation, inducing transient myocardial stunning and LV dysfunction.

A transfusion-related acute myocardial injury.

It is not uncommon for patients to have adverse reactions during or after blood transfusions, as they occur in 1%-6% of all blood transfusions. Although many of the reactions are clinically insignificant, a small subset of adverse reactions can lead to serious illness and even death. The authors describe a healthy young man who exhibited an acute pulmonary injury reaction to a blood product transfusion.

A new angle on the Angle of Louis.

Previous literature has stated that the center of the right atrium lies approximately 5 cm below the sternal angle regardless of body position. Our objective was to measure the distance from the Angle of Louis to various locations in the right atrium and determine whether these distances vary with patients' body habitus. The authors conducted a cross-sectional study with 52 consecutive patients who underwent computed tomography.

Coronary artery perforation during percutaneous coronary intervention: incidence and outcomes in the new interventional era.

Background: Coronary artery perforation (CP) is a serious complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We sought to define the incidence and outcome of CP given the advance in interventional techniques, devices and use of glycoprotein inhibitors (GP IIb/IIIa).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent PCI at our institution over a four-year period.

Noninfectious constrictive pericarditis in a heart transplant recipient.

Acute rejection, infection, and allograft coronary artery disease have been recognized as the major causes of postoperative morbidity and mortality in cardiac transplant patients. More recently, pericardial and mediastinal complications have been recognized as a more common complication than previously believed. We describe a case of a heart transplant recipient admitted for apparent congestive heart failure exacerbation who was unresponsive to standard medical management of congestive heart failure and rejection.