Aortic Valve Plasty for Coexistence of Discrete Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis and Quadricuspid Aortic Valve: A Case Report.

Subvalvular aortic stenosis typically manifests at a young age and rarely presents in adulthood. It may cause left ventricular outflow tract stenosis, which requires surgical treatment in severe cases. The coexistence of discrete subvalvular aortic stenosis and quadricuspid aortic valve is a highly unusual finding.

Comparing health care outcomes before and after employing nurse practitioners in cardiovascular hospitals in Japan: A retrospective chart review.

Background: There are approximately 872 certified nurse practitioners (NPs) in Japan as of April 2024. However, research on the results of their specific activities is still scarce.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare health care outcomes before (i.

Incidence of venous thromboembolism after cardiovascular surgery.

Background: Among venous thromboembolism, pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is one of the most serious postoperative complications. Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is the main cause. Considering the unknown prevalence of DVT and PTE in the postoperative period of cardiovascular surgery in Japan, we investigated the incidence in consecutive patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery.

Triggers of Ventricular Fibrillation in Patients With Inferolateral J-Wave Syndrome.

Background: There are few data on ventricular fibrillation (VF) initiation in patients with inferolateral J waves.

Objectives: This multicenter study investigated the characteristics of triggers initiating spontaneous VF in inferolateral J-wave syndrome.

Methods: A total of 31 patients (age 37 ± 14 years, 24 male) with spontaneous VF episodes associated with inferolateral J waves were evaluated to determine the origin and characteristics of triggers.

Diagnosis and Prognostic Value of the Underlying Cause of Acute Coronary Syndrome in Optical Coherence Tomography-Guided Emergency Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background The prognostic impact of optical coherence tomography-diagnosed culprit lesion morphology in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been systematically examined in real-world settings. Methods and Results This investigator-initiated, prospective, multicenter, observational study was conducted at 22 Japanese hospitals to identify the prevalence of underlying ACS causes (plaque rupture [PR], plaque erosion [PE], and calcified nodules [CN]) and their impact on clinical outcomes. Patients with ACS diagnosed within 24 hours of symptom onset undergoing emergency percutaneous coronary intervention were enrolled.

Intravenous acetaminophen reduces the length of intubation and rescue analgesics in intensive care unit patients after cardiovascular surgery in Japan: A retrospective analysis.

Objective: After cardiovascular surgery, analgesic and sedative management in the intensive care unit (ICU) significantly affects short- and long-term outcomes of patients. This study aimed to clarify the impact of opioid reduction after acetaminophen administration on the length of intubation and rescue analgesic use after cardiovascular surgery.

Design: This was a case-control study.

[Surgery to Triple Valves for Active Infective Endocarditis Caused by Abiotrophia defectiva:Report of a Case].

We experienced a case of infective endocarditis caused by Abiotrophia defectiva in which aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valve surgery was performed. Even if blood cultures are negative, it is important to treat patients with endocarditis considering the possibility that some organisms are difficult to detect via conventional blood culture. Embolism is a complication that should not be overlooked in cases of infective endocarditis, particularly those caused by Abiotrophia defectiva, which tends to cause embolism.

Rationale and design of the TACTICS registry: Optical coherence tomography guided primary percutaneous coronary intervention for patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Recent retrospective investigations have suggested that optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables the diagnosis of underlying acute coronary syndrome (ACS) causes such as plaque rupture, plaque erosion, and calcified nodule. The relationships of these etiologies with clinical outcomes, and the clinical utility of OCT-guided primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not systematically studied in real-world ACS treatment settings.

Methods: The TACTICS registry is an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicenter, observational study to be conducted at 21 hospitals in Japan.

Comparison between febuxostat and allopurinol uric acid-lowering therapy in patients with chronic heart failure and hyperuricemia: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Heart failure (HF) is a common and highly morbid cardiovascular disorder. Oxidative stress worsens HF, and uric acid (UA) is a useful oxidative stress marker. The novel anti-hyperuricemic drug febuxostat is a potent non-purine selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor.

Clinical Characteristics of Older Heart Failure Patients With Hospital-Acquired Disability: A Preliminary, Single-Center, Observational Study.

Background: This study investigated the clinical factors related to hospital-acquired disability (HAD) among 70 patients (median age, 78 years; interquartile range (IQR), 78 - 83) who were hospitalized for heart failure (HF) at Ayase Heart Hospital between December 2019 and October 2020.

Methods: HAD was defined as a ≥ 5-point decrease in Barthel Index (BI) scores from admission to discharge. Twenty-nine HF patients (41%) developed HAD after admission.

Prognostic impact of hospital-acquired disability in elderly patients with heart failure.

Aims: Functional decline is associated with worse outcomes in patients with elderly heart failure (HF), but little is known about the prognostic impact of hospital-acquired disability (HAD) during hospital stay after acute HF. The present study examines the prognostic significance of HAD in the prediction of all-cause mortality in elderly patients who admitted for acute HF.

Methods And Results: This retrospective study was performed in 1941 elderly patients aged ≥65 years or older from the cardiovascular physiotherapy for acute HF patients in the Tokyo metropolitan area registry and excluded those who died in hospital.

Long distance of spontaneous coronary artery dissection involving LMT in a middle-aged man - Complete rapid healing and clinical usefulness of CABG as a temporizing strategy.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) usually occurs in women, which can result in significant morbidities. A 38 year-old obese man who is currently smoking was referred to our hospital with chest pain. His electrocardiography and echocardiography suggested myocardial infarction in proximal region of left coronary artery.

A case of cardiac sarcoidosis mimicking cardiac amyloidosis on cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

A 52-year-old male visited our hospital with abnormal electrocardiogram and exertional fatigue. The electrocardiogram showed first-degree atrioventricular block, complete right bundle branch block, and inverted T waves in Leads II, III, aVF, V3, and V4. Echocardiography showed biventricular wall thickening involving granular sparkling of the interventricular septum.

Effect of Optimal Medical Therapy Before Procedures on Outcomes in Coronary Patients Treated With Drug-Eluting Stents.

It has not been established whether the achievement of optimal medical therapy (OMT) before implantation of a drug-eluting stent has a clinical benefit for patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). This study included 3,004 patients with CAD treated with drug-eluting stent from 123 Japanese participating centers. The achievement of OMT was defined as control of blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg, hemoglobin A1c <7.

Three-year follow-up outcomes of SES and PES in a randomized controlled study stratified by the presence of diabetes mellitus: J-DEsSERT trial.

Background: Three-year clinical follow-up of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the Japan-Drug Eluting Stents Evaluation; a Randomized Trial (J-DESsERT) using 2 different drug eluting stents (DES). A recent study demonstrated that efficacy of sirolimus eluting stents (SES) attenuated over time in diabetic patients.

Methods: In the largest trial of its kind, 1724 DM patients out of 3533 enrolled patients were randomized to either SES or paclitaxel eluting stents (PES).

Two-year clinical outcome in patients with small coronary artery disease treated with everolimus- versus paclitaxel-eluting stenting.

Background: Percutaneous coronary interventions involving small coronary vessels represent a true challenge because of the increased risk of restenosis and adverse outcomes. We evaluated the 2-year clinical outcomes between single everolimus-eluting stents (EES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) in small coronary artery disease.

Methods: From the data of SACRA (SmAll CoronaRy Artery treated by TAXUS Liberté) and PLUM (PROMUS/Xience V Everolimus-ELUting Coronary Stent for sMall coronary artery disease) registries, 245 patients with 258 lesions and 264 patients with 279 lesions, respectively, were enrolled in this study.

Delayed diagnosis of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery 16 years after mitral valve replacement.

Mitral insufficiency caused by ischemia is frequently found in anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery. We report a case of a 25-year-old woman who was diagnosed to have anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery and had successful left internal mammary artery bypass grafting 16 years after mitral valve replacement for mitral insufficiency of an unknown cause in her childhood.

[A case report: an elderly patient surviving conservative surgical repair of ventricular septal perforation (VSP) with using Swan-Ganz catheter in order to close VSP temporarily].

A 81-year-old female was referred to our hospital for VSP. Preoperative catheterization showed that pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) was 50 mmHg over in systole, and L-R shunt rate was 63.4%.

[Surgical treatment of ruptured descending aortic aneurysm to the right extra thoracic space: a case report].

A fifty-nine year-old woman was emergently admitted to our hospital for the aneurysm in descending aorta. She complained of severe back pain and dysphagia, and showed extreme hypotension. Aortic angiography was performed immediately.

[Recanalization of saphenous vein graft occlusion after CABG using a newly designed coronary wire].

A 57-year-old male underwent coronary bypass grafting, consisting of sequentially grafting of saphenous vein grafts to the diagonal and left descending arteries and the right coronary artery. On the 12th postoperative day, he had chest pain and ECG showed significant ST elevation on the V1-5 leads. Subsequently, PTCR was performed, however, the occlusion of the graft between the diagonal artery and the left descending artery remained.