Sarcopenia and health-related quality of life in older adults after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: Skeletal muscle wasting, or sarcopenia, affects a significant proportion of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, its influence on post-TAVR recovery and 1-year health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) remains unknown. We examined the relationship between skeletal muscle index (SMI), post-TAVR length of hospital stay (LOS), and 1-year QOL.

Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Management of Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and its management may be organized into risk stratification and/or treatment of heart failure, stroke prevention, and symptom control. At the core of symptom control, treatment is tailored to either allow AF continue with controlled heart rates, so-called rate control, versus restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm or rhythm control. Rate control strategies mainly use rate-modulating medications, whereas rhythm control treatment includes therapy aimed at restoring sinus rhythm, including pharmacologic and direct current cardioversion, as well as maintenance of sinus rhythm, including antiarrhythmic medications and ablation therapy.

Radial Artery Remodeling following Transradial Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Men and Women: Insights from Serial Ultrahigh Frequency Ultrasonography.

Background: Remodeling of the radial artery (RA) after transradial percutaneous coronary intervention (TRI) is under studied.

Objectives: To examine the impact of TRI on RA diameter and intimal-medial thickness (IMT) in men and women using 55 Mhz ultrahigh frequency duplex ultrasound (UHFDU).

Methods: We performed UHFDU at 24 h and 90 days after non-emergent TRI in 41 patients (25 men, 16 women).

Daily Passive Muscle Stretching Improves Flow-Mediated Dilation of Popliteal Artery and 6-minute Walk Test in Elderly Patients with Stable Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease.

Background: Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) often have walking impairment due to insufficient oxygen supply to skeletal muscle. In aged rats, we have shown that daily stretching of calf muscles improves endothelium-dependent dilation of arterioles from the soleus muscle and increases capillarity and muscle blood flow during exercise. Therefore, we hypothesized that daily muscle stretching of calf muscles would improve endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the popliteal artery and walking function in PAD patients.

Ultrahigh-resolution ultrasound characterization of access site trauma and intimal hyperplasia following use of a 7F sheathless guide versus 6F sheath/guide combination for transradial artery PCI: Results of the PRAGMATIC trial.

Unlabelled: There exist limited data on the relative degree of acute injury and late healing of the radial artery after transradial artery (TRA) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a 7F sheathless guide catheter compared with a 6F sheath/guide combination. We used ultrahigh-resolution (55 MHz) vascular ultrasound to compare intimal-medial thickening (IMT) and early and late radial artery (RA) injury resulting from a sheathless 7F guide catheter versus a 6F sheath/guide combination for TRA-PCI.

Methods: Forty-one consecutive consenting patients undergoing elective nonemergent TRA-PCI at a single institution from June 2016 to December 2016 were included.

Computed tomography-derived skeletal muscle index: A novel predictor of frailty and hospital length of stay after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Unlabelled: To determine the prevalence of low skeletal muscle mass in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and whether skeletal muscle mass measured from preoperative computed tomography (CT) images provides value in predicting postoperative length of stay (LOS).

Background: There are limited data on the use of body composition as a frailty measure in TAVR patients and no studies have determined if this measure predicts LOS.

Methods: We studied 104 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital from 2012 to 2016.

Successful Obliteration of a Pseudoaneurysm from Post-CEA Repair Secondary to a Pruitt-Inahara Shunt Using a Stent Graft.

Pseudoaneurysms of the carotid artery are very uncommon complications following carotid endarterectomy. Pseudoaneurysms are usually caused by any kind of blunt injury or trauma during carotid artery surgery. CEA has become an increasingly more common vascular surgery performed in the United States.