Detection of Gram-Ghost Bacilli and Additional Ziehl-Neelsen Stain for the Early Diagnosis of Driveline Infection: A Case Report.

Background: Driveline infections (DLI) caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in patients with implantable left ventricular assist devices (iLVAD) are rare but fatal, requiring early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Herein, we present a rare case of DLI caused by Mycobacterium chelonae, which was promptly diagnosed using Gram stain and Ziehl-Neelsen stain and followed a favorable clinical course.

Case Presentation: A 51-year-old man with an iLVAD complicated by DLI was admitted to our center.

BK polyomavirus nephropathy after heart transplantation: A case report.

Unlabelled: We present a case of BK polyomavirus (BKV) nephropathy (BKVN) after heart transplantation (HTx). The patient was a male with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy who received HTx at the age of 56 years [serum creatinine (sCre) at the time of HTx: 0.89 mg/dl].

Successful echocardiography-guided medical management of severe early post-implant right ventricular failure in a patient with left ventricular assist device support: a case report.

Background: Post-implant right heart failure (RHF) has been recognized as a crucial prognostic factor in patients receiving left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), and its management has long attracted attention from cardiologists and surgeons.

Case Presentation: This report described an 18-year-old female with acutely deteriorating heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy who underwent paracorporeal pulsatile-flow LVAD and developed early post-implant RHF. At postoperative day (POD) six, she was almost asymptomatic at rest on 2.

Prognostic impact of lung computed tomography density in cardiogenic shock patients with veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background: Pulmonary complications often occur in patients receiving veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO). However, the prognostic impact of lung damage has not been fully elucidated.

Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study targeted patients with cardiogenic shock who received VA ECMO between 2012 and 2021.

Prognostic Predictors of Tricuspid Regurgitation Worsening after Mitral Regurgitation Surgery with Mild Tricuspid Regurgitation.

We aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of postoperative tricuspid regurgitation (TR) worsening in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) and concomitant ≤mild TR. A total of 620 patients underwent surgery for MR from 2013 to 2017. Of these, 260 had ≤mild preoperative TR and no concomitant tricuspid valve surgery and were enrolled in this single-center retrospective study.

Acute Calcineurin Inhibitor Nephrotoxicity Diagnosed Using Kidney Doppler Ultrasonography After Heart Transplant: A Case Report.

Background: Acute calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) nephrotoxicity is a common complication associated with CNI exposure. However, it can be difficult to diagnose. Herein, we report a case of acute CNI nephrotoxicity after heart transplant that was visualized using kidney Doppler ultrasonography.

Left Ventricular Dysfunction Caused by IgG4-related Small Intramural Coronary Periarteritis.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic autoimmune disorder known to affect multiple organs. However, IgG4-RD rarely affects the myocardium. We herein report a case of left ventricular dysfunction due to cardiac involvement of IgG4-RD.

The impact of percutaneous coronary intervention using the novel dynamic coronary roadmap system.

The dynamic coronary roadmap (DCR) is a novel technology that creates a dynamic, motion-compensated, real-time overlay of the coronary arteries on a fluoroscopic image. Whether the DCR reduces contrast volume and enables safe and effective treatment was examined. A total of 146 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from June 2017 to September 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively evaluated.

A novel validated method for predicting the risk of re-hospitalization for worsening heart failure and the effectiveness of the diuretic upgrading therapy with tolvaptan.

Increased re-hospitalization due to acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a modern issue in cardiology. The aim of this study was to investigate risk factors for re-hospitalization due to worsening heart failure, and the effect of tolvaptan (TLV) on decreasing the number of re-hospitalizations. This was a multicenter, retrospective study.