PCSK9 Inhibitors in Heart Transplant Patients: Safety, Efficacy, and Angiographic Correlates.

Background: Statins are recommended in heart transplant patients, but are sometimes poorly tolerated. Alternative agents are often considered including proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9 inhibitors (PCSK9i). We sought to investigate the use of PCSK9i after heart transplantation.

Single-center utilization of donor-derived cell-free DNA testing in the management of heart transplant patients.

Background: Gene expression profiling (GEP) and donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) are useful in acute rejection (AR) surveillance in orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) patients. We report a single-center experience of combined GEP and dd-cfDNA testing for AR surveillance.

Methods: GEP and dd-cfDNA are tested together starting at 2 months post-OHT.

Influence of Donor Transmitted and Rapidly Progressive Coronary Vascular Disease on Long-Term Outcomes After Heart Transplantation: A Contemporary Intravascular Ultrasound Analysis.

Background: Donor-transmitted atherosclerosis (DTA) and rapidly progressive cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) at 1 year are intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-derived measures shown to predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in the setting of early generation immunosuppressive agents. Given the paucity of data on the prognostic value of IVUS-derived measurements in the current era, we sought to explore their association with adverse outcomes after heart transplantation.

Methods And Results: This is a retrospective cohort analysis of patients who underwent heart transplantation at our center between January 2009 and June 2016 with baseline and 1-year IVUS.

Evolution of Diagnostic and Treatment Patterns of Cardiac Sarcoidosis.

Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) may impart substantial morbidity and mortality, and novel imaging modalities are now available to aid in early diagnosis of this clinically silent disease. A better understanding of the clinical experience with CS is important. Twenty-eight patients were diagnosed with the aid of multimodality imaging techniques and were treated by a multidisciplinary team.