The implications of measuring lipoprotein(a) in clinical practice.

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is a well-recognized causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and calcific aortic valve stenosis. There are ongoing challenges with screening and management in primary and secondary prevention; however, future recommendations for clinical practice await the outcomes of clinical trials that are in progress.

Synergistic effects of herpes oncolytic virus and cyclophosphamide for recurrent malignant glioma: a narrative review.

Gliomas, comprising nearly 80% of brain malignancies, present a formidable challenge with glioblastomas being the most aggressive subtype. Despite multidisciplinary care, including surgery and chemoradiotherapy, the prognosis remains grim, emphasizing the need for innovative treatment strategies. The blood-brain barrier complicates drug access, and the diverse histopathology hinders targeted therapies.

Sutureless Aortic Valve Replacement with Perceval Bioprosthesis Superior to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Promising Option for the Gray-Zone of Aortic Valve Replacement Procedures-A State-of-the-Art Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Future Directions.

: The management of patients with aortic valve pathologies can sometimes fall into a "gray zone", where the optimal treatment approach is not straightforward. The comparative benefits of sutureless aortic valve replacement (SUAVR) using the Perceval bioprosthesis versus transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for the "gray zone" of aortic valve replacement procedures remain a topic of debate. To further explore this issue, we conducted a study with pairwise, single-arm, and Kaplan-Meier-based meta-analyses to compare the outcomes of SUAVR with the Perceval bioprosthesis versus TAVI, as well as to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and durability of SUAVR with the Perceval bioprosthesis over mid-term and long-term follow-up periods.

Minimally invasive vs. conventional mitral valve surgery: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Objective: The evidence underlying the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) is inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate whether MIMVS improves clinical outcomes compared with conventional sternotomy.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.

Transoesophageal echocardiography in cardiac arrest: From the emergency department to the intensive care unit.

Cardiac arrest is a hyper-acute condition with a high mortality that requires rapid diagnostics and treatment. As such, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become a valuable tool in the assessment of these patients. While transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the more conventional modality used to find reversible causes of cardiac arrest, transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) has been increasingly utilised due to its superior image quality, continuous imaging, and ability to be operated away from the patient's chest.

Relationship between preoperative FT3 levels and new-onset atrial fibrillation after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most common arrhythmia after cardiac surgery. While thyroid dysfunction can predict POAF, the association between preoperative serum free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels and POAF in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) grafting remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between preoperative FT3 levels and POAF in OPCAB patients.

Mechanical life support algorithm for the emergency management of patients with left-sided Impella.

We sought to remedy the limited guidance that is available to support the resuscitation of patients with the Impella Cardiac Power (CP) and 5.0 devices during episodes of cardiac arrest or life-threatening events that can result in haemodynamic decompensation. In a specialist tertiary referral centre we developed, by iteration, a novel resuscitation algorithm for Impella emergencies, which we validated through simulation and assessment by our multi- disciplinary team.

Precision prediction of heart failure events in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and mildly reduced ejection fraction using multi-parametric cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Aims: To assess whether left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS), derived from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), is associated with (i) progressive heart failure (HF), and (ii) sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy with mildly reduced ejection fraction (DCMmrEF).

Methods And Results: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of patients with DCM and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40% assessed by CMR, including feature-tracking to assess LV GLS and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Long-term adjudicated follow-up included (i) HF hospitalization, LV assist device implantation or HF death, and (ii) SCD or aborted SCD (aSCD).

Long-term outcomes of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in octogenarians.

Background And Aims: Catheter ablation is superior to pharmacological therapy in controlling atrial fibrillation (AF). There are few data on the long-term outcome of AF ablation in octogenarian patients. This analysis aims to evaluate the outcome of AF ablation in octogenarians vs.

The Current Landscape of Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Intervention.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is common, and its prevalence increases with age. It was previously estimated that there are 1.6 million patients in the United States with moderate or worse TR, and more contemporary data suggest the age-adjusted prevalence of TR is 0.

International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Guidelines for the Evaluation and Care of Cardiac Transplant Candidates-2024.

The "International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Guidelines for the Evaluation and Care of Cardiac Transplant Candidates-2024" updates and replaces the "Listing Criteria for Heart Transplantation: International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Guidelines for the Care of Cardiac Transplant Candidates-2006" and the "2016 International Society for Heart Lung Transplantation Listing Criteria for Heart Transplantation: A 10-year Update." The document aims to provide tools to help integrate the numerous variables involved in evaluating patients for transplantation, emphasizing updating the collaborative treatment while waiting for a transplant. There have been significant practice-changing developments in the care of heart transplant recipients since the publication of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) guidelines in 2006 and the 10-year update in 2016.

A comparison of respiratory oscillometry and spirometry in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: performance time, symptom burden and test-retest reliability.

Study Question: In large multinational patient surveys, spirometry (which requires repeated, reproducible maximal efforts) can be associated with cough, breathlessness and tiredness, particularly in those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Oscillometry is an effort-independent test of airways resistance and reactance. We hypothesised that oscillometry would take less time to perform and would be associated with reduced symptom burden than spirometry.

Potential Role of Left Atrial Strain to Predict Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence after Catheter Ablation Therapy: A Clinical and Systematic Review.

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with catheter ablation (CA) represents an effective therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF). Unfortunately, it is still not exempt from severe complications. The balance of risks and benefits should be assessed, and a patient-tailored approach is desirable.

Combined low-dose dobutamine and exercise stress echocardiography: a new hybrid protocol to detect inducible ischaemia.

Aims: Myocardial response to stress echocardiography may be elicited physiologically, through exercise, or pharmacologically, often with dobutamine. Both have advantages but also limitations due to reduced exercise capacity or side-effects to stressor agent/lack of closeness to true pathophysiology of ischaemic cascade. We have combined low-dose dobutamine and exercise, creating a 'hybrid' protocol to utilize the advantages of both techniques and limit the drawbacks.