Assessment of Genetic Variants Linked to Susceptibility to Mechanical Prosthetic Valve Thrombosis.

Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a critical and life-threatening condition driven by multifactorial etiologies, including genetic predispositions. The study was designed as a single-center retrospective manner. Echocardiographic features and genetic test including factor II/prothrombin (G20210A), factor V Leiden (G1691A), factor V R2 (A4070G), apolipoprotein (Apo) B-100 (G10708A), ApoE (C112R), ApoE (R158C), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, MTHFR A1298C, factor XIII G103T (V34L), β-fibrinogen (455G>A), PAI-1 4G/5G, and HPA-1 GPIIIa (T196C) genotyping variations were assessed.

Unilateral Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Disease: Do Patients Benefit From Thromboendarterectomy? Case Series From Three CTEPH Centres.

Background: Unilateral chronic thromboembolism pulmonary disease (CTEPD) is very rare. There is limited information on the safety and efficacy of pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in this population. This study investigated the effectiveness of PEA in this unique disease.

The Impact of Education on Patients Eligible for Cardiac Rehabilitation and Factors Contributing to Declining Participation in Turkish Society: Are Patients Aware of Cardiac Rehabilitation?

Objective: Despite their effectiveness, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs have low participation and adherence rates. CR participation and adherence are directly related to the social, economic, cultural, and geographical characteristics of the society. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the reasons behind low participation in CR within Turkish society, as well as the barriers that restrict participation despite educational efforts.

Heart Failure Awareness Survey in a Turkish Population: HFAS-TR.

Objective: Heart failure is a leading cause of death and the most common diagnosis leading to hospitalization. Its awareness is lower than that of other cardiovascular diseases, both in the general population and among patients with heart failure (HF). This study aimed to establish the current level of knowledge about HF in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) in Türkiye.

Relationship between fragmented QRS complex and early left ventricular dysfunction after mitral valve repair.

Background: Preoperative left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (PreLVEF) and preoperative LV end-systolic diameter (PreESD) are known predictors for postoperative LV dysfunction after mitral valve repair (MVR). Fragmented QRS (fQRS) evaluated in 12-derivation electrocardiography has widely been accepted as a sign of myocardial fibrosis. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between fQRS in preoperative 12‑lead electrocardiography (ECG) and postoperative LV dysfunction that develop after MVR in patients with severe primary mitral regurgitation (MR) due to mitral valve prolapse (MVP).

Complete Percutaneous Retrieval of Migrated VSD Occluder Device from the Pulmonary Artery: Management of a Catastrophic Complication.

Transcatheter closure of muscular ventricular septal defects (VSD) remains a safe and effective method with low complication rates. However, device migration can pose a significant challenge to interventional cardiologists due to potential mortal consequences. A 21-year-old female presented to our clinic with exertional dyspnea and was diagnosed with a muscular VSD.

Transcatheter mitral paravalvular closure: a single centre experience with techniques and outcomes.

Background: In patients with symptomatic mitral PVL, successful transcatheter reduction of the PVL to less than mild is associated with significant improvement in short- and midterm survival.

Objectives: In this study, we present our single-centre, same operators' experience on percutaneous paravalvular leak closure with techniques and outcomes.

Methods: In this retrospective observational designed study, we retrieved hospital records of patients with a surgical history of mechanical or biological prosthetic valve replacement and who subsequently underwent transcatheter mitral paravalvular leak closure (TMPLC).

Intravascular Ultrasound-Guided Stent Implantation in the Left Main Coronary Artery Extrinsic Compression by Pulmonary Artery Aneurysm Due to Eisenmenger Syndrome.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a profoundly destructive condition marked by the gradual narrowing and restructuring of small pulmonary arteries, leading to a rise in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), causing right-sided heart failure and, ultimately, mortality. During more advanced stages of this disease, patients may present with rare manifestations of pulmonary artery aneurysm (PAA) which are exertional chest pain, and hoarseness. The left main coronary artery compression (LMCA-Co) has been an increasingly recognized and possibly life-threatening entity in patients with severe PAH.

An Unusual Cause of Syncope: Persistent Hypoglossal Artery, A Case Report.

Persistent hypoglossal artery is a rare primitive anastomose which mainly supplies the posterior cerebral circulation by itself in the case of the absent vertebral arteries. This artery is an embryological remnant and is commonly found incidentally. It originates from the upper cervical vertebra (C1-C2 level) of the internal carotid artery.

Evaluation of lipoprotein(a) in the prevention and management of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A survey among the Lipid Clinics Network.

Background And Aims: The European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Lipid Clinics Network promoted a survey in order to identify and understand how and when lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is tested and clinically evaluated in lipid clinics throughout Europe, and the challenges that may prevent evaluation from being carried out.

Methods: This survey was divided into three areas of inquiry: background and clinical setting information of clinicians, questions for doctors who claimed not to measure Lp(a), in order to understand what were the reasons for not ordering the test, and questions for doctors who measure Lp(a), to investigate the use of this value in the management of patients.

Results: A total of 151 centres clinicians filled in the survey, out of 226 invited.

Predictive Value of the Naples Prognostic Score for Acute Kidney Injury in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate whether there was an association between the Naples prognostic score and the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients following primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). The study comprised 2901 consecutive STEMI patients who had pPCI. For each patient, the Naples prognostic score was determined.

Characteristics and Gender-Related Differences of Patients Admitted to a Large Intensive Cardiac Care Unit: A Single-Center Experience with over 55 000 Patients.

Objective: Parallel to the aging of the world population, the complexity of patients with cardiac problems has increased, especially in intensive cardiology care units, and the importance of multidisciplinary care has become more evident. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and gender-related differences of patients hospitalized in a large intensive cardiology care unit.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective, cross-sectional study includes all hospitalizations in a large intensive cardiology care unit between January 2016 and March 2021.

The Role of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) in Atrial Fibrillation: Treatment Management Based on Patient and Drug Characteristics.

Data from Turkey revealed that atrial fibrillation patient percentage under adequate anti- coagulation in Turkey is less than that in other countries due to multiple parameters such as treatment adherence problems, failure to follow guideline recommendations, negative perspective on the use of new drugs, drug costs, and payment conditions. The aim of this article is to provide physicians with a compiled resource that focuses on the differences between non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and heterogeneity of atrial fibrilla- tion patients by reviewing the global and national data from a multidisciplinary perspective and provide guidance on the choice of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation patients. A gastroenterologist, 2 neurologists, and 11 cardiologists from university and training and research hospitals in Turkey who are experienced in atrial fibrillation and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant treatments gathered in 3 separate meetings to identify the review topics and evaluate the outcomes of the systematic literature search.

Evaluation of the relationship between diabetic retinopathy and left atrial deformation parameters.

Background: Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) may develop without coronary artery disease, hypertension (HT), or valvular pathologies in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), which is defined as diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its pathophysiology is still unclear. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication of DM, and patients with DR have increased risk for the development of heart failure (HF). Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) evaluates longitudinal deformation in left atrium (LA) myocardium and previous studies utilizing 2D-STE have revealed the detrimental effects of DM on LA functions.

Assessment of treatment patterns and patient awareness in atrial fibrillation patients using non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (ASPECT-NOAC).

Background And Aim: Despite the advances in oral anticoagulation with NOACs, careful patient and dose selection is required with NOAC therapy. Our study aimed to assess treatment patterns of NOACs in AF along with patients' continuity to NOAC treatments in first year, and their knowledge level of AF and NOAC treatment.

Methods: ASPECT-NOAC was designed as an observational, prospective, and multicenter study.

The Role of the Left Atrial Strain Parameters on Grading of Aortic Regurgitation.

Background: Grading the severity of aortic regurgitation (AR) is very important for clinical follow-up. In AR, left atrial (LA) mechanics can be affected in time and LA strain variations can be illuminating for the grading of AR. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the LA strain parameters are associated with the severity of AR or not.

The effect of moderate and severe COVID-19 pneumonia on short-term right ventricular functions: a prospective observational single pandemic center analysis.

It has been reported that myocardial damage and heart failure are more common in COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms. The aim of our study was to measure the right ventricular functions of COVID-19 patients 30 days after their discharge, and compare them to the right ventricular functions of healthy volunteers. Fifty one patients with COVID-19 and 32 healthy volunteers who underwent echocardiographic examinations were enrolled in our study.

Predictors of adequate intraprocedural premature ventricular complex (PVC) frequency during idiopathic PVC ablation.

Background: The aim of the present study was to determine the predictors of adequate intraprocedural premature ventricular complex (PVC) frequency for successful mapping and ablation of idiopathic PVCs.

Methods: A total of 101 consecutive patients (45 men; age: 47.9 ± 14.

Clinical safety and efficacy of thrombolytic therapy with low-dose prolonged infusion of tissue type plasminogen activator in patients with intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism.

: The patients with intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism who have acute right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and myocardial injury without overt hemodynamic compromise may be candidates for thrombolytic therapy. Alternative low-dose thrombolytic therapy strategies with prolonged infusion may further decrease the complication rates as its efficacy and safety have been previously proven in the management of prosthetic valve thrombosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of low-dose prolonged thrombolytic therapy regimen in intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism patients.

Compression of the Left Atrium and Pulmonary Veins Due to Ascending and Descending Aortic Aneurysms.

An 89-year-old female patient presented to our cardiology outpatient clinic complaining of shortness of breath and back pain. Chest X-ray demonstrated a widened mediastinum. Transthoracic echocardiography showed an ascending aortic aneurysm and the modified apical 5-chamber view showed that left atrium was compressed between the ascending and descending aortas.

Cardiac examination in children with Laron syndrome undergoing mecasermin therapy.

Background: Laron syndrome (LS), which can be defined as primary growth hormone resistance or insensitivity, is a rare genetic disease inherited by an autosomal recessive trait. Although it is undistinguishable from growth hormone deficiency, LS has high levels of growth hormone, but insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) cannot be synthesized. Mecasermin treatment is the only option for the patients who suffer from LS.

Relationship Between Prodromal Angina Pectoris and Neutrophil-to Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients With ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between prodromal angina (PA) with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods: The study group included 145 patients with STEMI who underwent emergency coronary angiography (CA) within 24hours of symptom onset. Data were collected regarding whether patients had experienced PA before acute myocardial infarction.

Extrinsic compression of left main coronary artery by aneurysmal pulmonary artery in severe pulmonary hypertension: its correlates, clinical impact, and management strategies.

Aims: Although left main coronary artery (LMCA) compression (Co) by pulmonary artery (PA) aneurysm (A) has been reported in some pulmonary hypertension (PH) series, clinical importance and management of this complication remain to be determined. In this single-centre prospective study, we evaluated correlates, clinical impact, and management strategies of LMCA-Co in patients with PH.

Methods And Results: Our study group comprised 269 (female 166, age 52.

In-Hospital and long term results of primary angioplasty and medical therapy in nonagenarian patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Although percutaneous coronary intervention is an accepted "first-line" therapy in acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in general population, few data are available on the short- and long-term outcomes of very old patients (age >90 years). Our aim is to evaluate and compare the short and long-term outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) or medical therapy in nonagenarian patients with STEMI. We retrospectively identified patients older than 90 years old in our clinic, with acute STEMI who presented within 12 hours after symptoms onset, either underwent PPCI or medically treated.