The Multicenter STudy On a Precise algorithm for diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, STOP-HFPEF study: study protocol and design.

This study aims to develop a new heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) diagnostic algorithm tailored to Asian populations, addressing limitations of current diagnostic models. Existing HFpEF diagnostic algorithms primarily target patients with dyspnea and metabolic comorbidities, such as obesity, which are more prevalent in Western populations. However, in Asian countries, HFpEF cases are less frequently associated with obesity, leading to less prominent dyspnea and more noticeable symptoms such as fatigue.

Spontaneous Bilateral Pneumothorax in a Patient with Anorexia Nervosa: The Management of Prolonged Postoperative Air Leakage.

A 24-year-old Japanese female with anorexia nervosa presented to our hospital for bilateral pneumothorax, and 12-Fr thoracostomy catheters were inserted into the bilateral pleural cavities. On hospital day 9, a thoracoscopic bullectomy was performed. However, air leakage relapsed on both sides on postoperative day 1.

Practice guidance for stress echocardiography.

Stress echocardiography has been one of the most promising methods for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary hypertension. The Japanese Society of Echocardiography produced practical guidance for the implementation of stress echocardiography in 2018. At that time, stress echocardiography was not yet widely disseminated in Japan; therefore, the 2018 practical guidance for the implementation of stress echocardiography included a report on stress echocardiography and a specific protocol to promote its use at many institutions in Japan in the future.

Pulmonary artery reconstruction using a pulmonary vein conduit in case having an imbalanced dissection length during double-sleeve lobectomy.

Background: Among the types of lung resection procedures, pneumonectomy carries the highest risk for mortality. In recent years, bronchovascular double-sleeve lobectomy has been performed for centrally located non-small cell lung cancer involving both the bronchus and the pulmonary artery (PA) in order to avoid pneumonectomy. The use of an autologous pulmonary vein (PV) conduit for PA reconstruction during lung-sparing resections had first been reported in 2009.

Guideline from the Japanese society of echocardiography: guidance for the management and maintenance of echocardiography equipment: 2022 focused update.

Echocardiography plays a pivotal role as an imaging modality in modern cardiology practice. Information derived from echocardiography is essential for patient care. The Japanese Society of Echocardiography has promoted echocardiography for routine clinical and research use.

Atrial fibrillation in patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Background: There has been no previous report evaluating the long impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on the clinical outcomes stratified by the initial management [conservative or aortic valve replacement (AVR)] strategies of severe aortic stenosis (AS).

Methods: We analyzed 3815 patients with severe AS enrolled in the CURRENT AS registry. Patients with AF were defined as those having a history of AF when severe AS was found on the index echocardiography.

A case of multiple lung carcinoid tumors localized in the right lower lobe.

Typical pulmonary carcinoid (TC) tumors are low-grade neuroendocrine tumors and usually detected as indolent solitary tumors. We herein report a case of multiple pulmonary carcinoid tumors and tumorlets localized in the right lower lobe with no underlying lung disorders suggesting diffuse idiopathic pulmonary neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (DIPNECH). A 28-year-old man with multiple 1-to-8-mm pulmonary nodules in the peripheral pulmonary parenchyma of the right lower lobe was referred to our hospital.

A novel method to demonstrate thrombus formation of the left atrial appendage in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation by cardiac computed tomography.

Background: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is currently the gold standard technique for diagnosing left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombi. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has been expected to become an alternative method to TEE; however, a reliable quantitative evaluation method has not been established.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 177 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation who underwent both cardiac CT and TEE before catheter ablation.

[A Case of Malignant Lymphoma of the Ileum and Uterine Cervix with Perforating Peritonitis of Ileum Tumor Detected during Chemotherapy].

A 77-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of right lower abdominal pain. CT revealed tumors in the ileum and uterine cervix. After a gynecological biopsy of the uterine tumor, we diagnosed Stage Ⅳ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

[Thoracoscopic Right S6b+S8a+S9a Combined Subsegmentectomy for Small-sized Lung Cancer].

A 76-year-old man visited to the hospital with a complaint of cough. The chest computed tomography scan revealed a 20 mm part-solid nodule in the right lower lobe, which was suspected to be an early-stage lung cancer. Since the tumor was located in S8a, and was adjacent to S6b and S9a, thoracoscopic right S 6b+S 8a+S 9a combined subsegmentectomy was performed.

Sex difference in pulmonary hypertension in the evaluation by exercise echocardiography.

Male patients with pulmonary hypertension have poor survival than their female counterparts. Poor right ventricular function in men may be one of the major determinants of poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the difference in hemodynamics during exercise between men and women by exercise echocardiography.

Clinical outcome after surgical aortic valve replacement in low-risk Japanese patients with severe aortic stenosis.

Two randomized control trials demonstrated that transcatheter aortic valve implantation was associated with 1-2 year clinical outcomes comparable or even superior to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in low surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). However, no previous study has reported the clinical outcomes after SAVR in Japanese patients with low surgical risk. From 3815 consecutive patients enrolled in the CURRENT AS registry, we retrieved 220 patients who underwent SAVR in reference to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the PARTNER 3 trial.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation vs. Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for Severe Aortic Stenosis in Real-World Clinical Practice.

Background: There are no data comparing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) outcomes in real clinical practice in Japan.

Methods and results: We combined 2 independent registries, the K-TAVI Registry (a 6-center prospective registry of consecutive patients who underwent TAVI) and the CURRENT AS Registry (a large, 27-center registry of 3,815 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis [AS]). In the K-TAVI Registry, 338 patients underwent TAVI with SAPIEN XT balloon-expandable valves from October 2013 to January 2016, whereas in the CURRENT AS Registry 237 patients with severe AS underwent SAVR from January 2003 to December 2011.

Age-Related Differences in the Effects of Initial Aortic Valve Replacement vs. Conservative Strategy on Long-Term Outcomes in Asymptomatic Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the initial aortic valve replacement (AVR) strategy relative to a conservative strategy on long-term outcomes stratified by age among asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS).

Methods and results: Among 1,808 asymptomatic severe AS patients in the CURRENT AS registry, there were 1,166 patients aged ≥75 years (initial AVR: n=124, and conservative: n=1,042), and 642 patients with age <75 years (initial AVR: n=167, and conservative: n=475). Median follow-up interval was 1,280 (interquartile range [IQR]: 1,012-1,611) days, and 1461 (IQR: 1,132-1,886) days in patients aged ≥ and <75 years, respectively.

Decline in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction During Follow-Up in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic impact of the decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 1-year follow-up in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) managed conservatively.

Background: No previous study has explored the association between LVEF decline during follow-up and clinical outcomes in patients with severe AS.

Methods: Among 3,815 patients with severe AS enrolled in the multicenter CURRENT AS (Contemporary Outcomes After Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis) registry in Japan, 839 conservatively managed patients who underwent echocardiography at 1-year follow-up were analyzed.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation versus conservative management for severe aortic stenosis in real clinical practice.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is criticized by some as an expensive treatment in super-elder patients with limited life expectancy. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the magnitude of clinical benefit provided by TAVI in comparison with conservative management in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) in real clinical practice, which would be important in the decision making for TAVI.

Methods: We combined two independent registries, namely CURRENT AS and K-TAVI registries.

Negative impact of recipient SPRED2 deficiency on transplanted lung in a mouse model.

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) after lung transplantation mainly contributes to the development of primary graft dysfunction. The Sprouty-related EVH1-domain-containing (SPRED) protein family inhibits the mitogen activated protein kinase/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway. Our study was aimed at examining the role of SPRED2 in IRI in mice that received orthotopic lung transplantation.

A risk prediction model in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis: CURRENT-AS risk score.

Aims: Early aortic valve replacement (AVR) might be beneficial in selected high-risk asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), considering their poor prognosis when managed conservatively. This study aimed to develop and validate a clinical scoring system to predict AS-related events within 1 year after diagnosis in asymptomatic severe AS patients.

Methods And Results: We analysed 1274 asymptomatic severe AS patients derived from a retrospective multicentre registry enrolling consecutive patients with severe AS in Japan (CURRENT AS registry), who were managed conservatively and completed 1-year follow-up without AVR.

Prolonged warm ischemia exacerbated acute rejection after lung transplantation from donation after cardiac death in a mouse.

Objective: In lung transplantation (LTx) from donation after cardiac death (DCD), the donor lungs are inevitably exposed to warm ischemic time (WIT) between the cardiac arrest and the initiation of cold preservation. We conducted this study to examine the effect of prolonged WIT on lung allograft rejection in a murine model of LTx from DCD.

Methods: Allogeneic BALB/c → B6 LTx from DCD was performed with a WIT of 15 min (WIT15 group, n = 5) or 60 min (WIT60 group, n = 5).

Reasons for Choosing Conservative Management in Symptomatic Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis - Observations From the CURRENT AS Registry.

Background: There has not been a previous report on the long-term outcomes of those patients who refuse aortic valve replacement (AVR) despite physicians' recommendations.

Methods and results: Among 3,815 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) enrolled in the CURRENT AS registry, the study population comprised 2,005 symptomatic patients, who were subdivided into 3 groups by their treatment strategy and the reasons for conservative strategy (Initial AVR group: n=905; Patient rejection group: n=256; Physician judgment group, n=844). The primary outcome measure was a composite of aortic valve-related death and heart failure hospitalization.

Migration of a hookwire used as a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery marker into the splenic artery.

We present a case in which a hookwire that was used as a video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) surgery marker migrated into the splenic artery. The patient was a 70-year-old man with an 18-mm ground glass nodule (GGN) in the right S2. As the GGN was not located in the peripheral part of the lung, a percutaneous hookwire was placed as a marker under CT-guided just before the surgery.

Anemia in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Prognostic impact of anemia complicating severe aortic stenosis (AS) remains unclear. We assessed the impact of anemia on cardiovascular and bleeding outcomes in 3403 patients enrolled in the CURRENT AS registry. 835 patients (25%) had mild (hemoglobin 11.

Prognostic Impact of Aortic Valve Area in Conservatively Managed Patients With Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background Data are scarce on the role of aortic valve area (AVA) to identify those patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are at high risk of adverse events. We sought to explore the prognostic impact of AVA in asymptomatic patients with severe AS in a large observational database. Methods and Results Among 3815 consecutive patients with severe AS enrolled in the CURRENT AS (Contemporary Outcomes After Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis) registry, the present study included 1309 conservatively managed asymptomatic patients with left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50%.