A Modular Communicative Leadless Pacing-Defibrillator System.

Background: The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is associated with fewer lead-related complications than a transvenous ICD; however, the subcutaneous ICD cannot provide bradycardia and antitachycardia pacing. Whether a modular pacing-defibrillator system comprising a leadless pacemaker in wireless communication with a subcutaneous ICD to provide antitachycardia and bradycardia pacing is safe remains unknown.

Methods: We conducted a multinational, single-group study that enrolled patients at risk for sudden death from ventricular arrhythmias and followed them for 6 months after implantation of a modular pacemaker-defibrillator system.

Radiological Parameters for the Detection of Pulmonary Hypertension in Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis and Their Influence on Mortality: Does Sex Matter?

Echocardiography has long been established as the primary noninvasive method for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension (PH) prior to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS). In recent years, radiological methods for diagnosing PH have been investigated. Measurements such as the computed tomography angiography (CTA)-derived pulmonary artery (PA) diameter and PA diameter/body surface area (PA/BSA) have shown promising results regarding their diagnostic strength.

The Presence of Ascending Aortic Dilatation in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Is Negatively Correlated with the Presence of Diabetes Mellitus and Does Not Impair Post-Procedural Outcomes.

Unlabelled: Both relevant aortic valve stenosis (AS) and aortic valve insufficiency significantly contribute to structural changes in the ascending aorta (AA) and thus to its dilatation. In patients with severe AS undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), survival data regarding aortic changes and laboratory biomarker analyses are scarce.

Methods: A total of 179 patients with severe AS and an available computed tomography were included in this retrospective study.

A Story of PA/BSA and Biomarkers to Diagnose Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis-The Rise of IGF-BP2 and GDF-15.

(1) Background: Currently, echocardiography is the primary non-invasive diagnostic method used to screen patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) for pulmonary hypertension (PH) by estimating systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP). Other radiological methods have been a focus of research in the past couple of years, as it was shown that by determining the pulmonary artery (PA) diameter, prognostic statements concerning overall mortality could be made in these patients. This study compared established and novel cardiovascular biomarkers with the PA/BSA value to detect PH in patients with severe AS.

Comparability between Computed Tomography Morphological Vascular Parameters and Echocardiography for the Assessment of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis-Results of a Multi-Center Study.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) of the aorta and cardiac vessels, which is performed in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), offers the possibility of non-invasive detection of pulmonary hypertension (PH), for example, by determining the diameter of the main pulmonary artery (PA), the right pulmonary artery (RPA) or the left pulmonary artery (LPA). An improvement of the significance of these radiological parameters is often achieved by indexing to the body surface area (BSA). The aim of this study was to compare different echocardiographic systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) values with radiological data in order to define potential clinical cut-off values for the presence or absence of PH.

Complications Associated with Fetal Cardiac Interventions: Prevalence and Management - Experience from 213 Procedures.

Introduction: Fetal cardiac interventions (FCIs) were introduced to change the natural history of some congenital heart defects. The aim of this study was to analyze the complications and management strategies associated with FCI at our institution.

Methods: The local FCI database was retrospectively reviewed for all fetuses who underwent FCI in our center since 2000 regarding complications and fetal outcome.

CT-Diagnosed Sarcopenia and Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Is It Possible to Predict Muscle Loss Based on Laboratory Tests?-A Multicentric Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) often present with heart failure and sarcopenia. Sarcopenia, described as progressive degradation of skeletal muscle mass, has frequently been implicated as a cause of increased mortality, prolonged hospitalization and generalized poor outcome after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). At present, sarcopenia is defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) based on clinical examination criteria and radiological imaging.

Prenatal aortic valvuloplasty as a definite treatment in fetuses with critical aortic stenosis, severe mitral regurgitation and giant left atrium: a report of two cases with medium-term follow-up.

Fetuses with critical aortic stenosis, severe mitral regurgitation and left atrial enlargement are at risk to develop heart failure and intrauterine death. We present two cases with this physiology who underwent fetal aortic balloon valvuloplasty at 25 + 5 and 28 + 2 weeks as their only intervention without requiring postnatal treatment during short- to medium-term follow-up of 1.4 and 4.

Main pulmonary artery diameter in combination with cardiovascular biomarkers: new possibilities to identify pulmonary hypertension in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis.

Background: Echocardiography is currently the noninvasive method of choice to screen patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) for pulmonary hypertension (PH) by estimating systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP). However, radiological options are also available by determining the main pulmonary artery (MPA) diameter in the setting of CT angiography. The aim of the present study was to compare cardiovascular biomarkers with the MPA diameter to allow other ways of detecting PH in patients with severe AS.

Systolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure and Cardiovascular Biomarkers-New Non-Invasive Ways to Detect Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis Undergoing TAVR?

Background: Patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) frequently present with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The gold standard for detection of pulmonary hypertension is right heart catheterization, which is not routinely performed as a preoperative standard in cardiology centers today, neither before surgical valve replacement nor before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. Echocardiographic determination of systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) provides an opportunity to assess the presence or absence of PH.

Protocol for the Exercise, Cancer and Cognition - The ECCO-Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Simultaneous Exercise During Neo-/Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients and Its Effects on Neurocognition.

Introduction: Epidemiological studies show that increased physical activity is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer and mortality. As a result, physical activity can significantly improve patients' quality of life (QOL) both during and after therapy.Many breast cancer patients demonstrate a decrease in cognitive capacity, referred to as the symptom-complex cancer related cognitive impairment (CRCI).

Valvuloplasty in 103 fetuses with critical aortic stenosis: outcome and new predictors for postnatal circulation.

Objectives: To review our experience with fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) in fetuses with critical aortic stenosis (CAS) and evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome (eHLHS), including short- and medium-term postnatal outcome, and to refine selection criteria for FAV by identifying preprocedural predictors of biventricular (BV) outcome.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of all fetuses with CAS and eHLHS undergoing FAV at our center between December 2001 and September 2020. Echocardiograms and patient charts were analyzed for pre-FAV ventricular and valvular dimensions and hemodynamics and for postnatal procedures and outcomes.

Cardiac Complications in Pregnant Women With Isolated Mitral Stenosis and Their Association With Echocardiographic Changes During Pregnancy.

In women with mitral stenosis (MS), mitral valve gradients and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) can increase in response to the physiologic stress of pregnancy. The prognostic significance of these echocardiographic changes has not been well studied. Pregnancy outcomes and serial echocardiograms were collected in women with MS prospectively recruited as part of a larger study on pregnancy outcomes.

Perirectal intraperitoneal splenosis: A case report of MRI with laparoscopic correlation.

Splenosis is a benign acquired condition, which appears after rupture of the spleen and heterotopic auto-transplantation. Mostly found as an incidental finding on cross-sectional imaging, definitive diagnosis is frequently made histologically after resection or tissue sampling. We report a case of a 36-year-old male patient who presented with increased susceptibility to infections, chronic fatigue, and a history of traumatic splenic rupture.

Secondary pneumothorax associated with Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome: a case report.

Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS) is a rare autosomal-dominant inherited disease. Typical clinical features include skin lesions, pulmonary cysts, and renal tumors. However, the syndrome remains to be underdiagnosed as a result of its heterogeneous clinical manifestation.

Fetal aortic valvuloplasty may rescue fetuses with critical aortic stenosis and hydrops.

Objective: Critical aortic stenosis (CAS) with a restrictive interatrial septum may lead to fetal congestive heart failure and hydrops, usually culminating in fetal demise if left untreated. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) on hemodynamics and outcome in these patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of fetuses with CAS and signs of hydrops that underwent FAV in our center between 2000 and 2020.

Incidental imaging findings suggesting Zinner syndrome in a young patient with pulmonary embolism: A case report.

A triad of seminal vesical cyst, ipsilateral renal agenesis and ipsilateral ejaculatory duct obstruction is known as Zinner Syndrome. First described in 1914, only about 200 cases have been reported in literature. Usually it stays undiagnosed until the second to third decade of life due to lack of symptoms or nonspecific symptoms such as lower urinary tract symptoms, dysuria or painful ejaculation.

Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage Due to Delta Storage Pool Disease in a Patient on a Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor.

We report a case of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) due to delta storage pool disease in a 60-year-old female on a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). Increased susceptibility to SNRI-effects on hemostasis was due to a genetic disposition mediated by a polymorphism of the SLC6A4 gene coding for the human serotonin transporter (SERT). Pathophysiological and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Perioperative beta-blockers for preventing surgery-related mortality and morbidity in adults undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

Background: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have yielded conflicting results regarding the ability of beta-blockers to influence perioperative cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Thus routine prescription of these drugs in an unselected population remains a controversial issue. A previous version of this review assessing the effectiveness of perioperative beta-blockers in cardiac and non-cardiac surgery was last published in 2018.

Perioperative beta-blockers for preventing surgery-related mortality and morbidity in adults undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have yielded conflicting results regarding the ability of beta-blockers to influence perioperative cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Thus routine prescription of these drugs in unselected patients remains a controversial issue. A previous version of this review assessing the effectiveness of perioperative beta-blockers in cardiac and non-cardiac surgery was last published in 2018.

Leveraging medical imaging for medical education - A cinematic rendering-featured lecture.

Background: The integration of medical imaging into anatomical education offers advantages in understanding and learning. However, spatial orientation with conventional (2D) imaging data is challenging, and the students' ability to imagine structures in three dimensions is individual. In addition, the quality of current volume rendering methods is limited.

Reversible impairment of coronary flow reserve in acute myocarditis.

Objective: Acute myocarditis is accompanied by an impaired coronary microcirculation. These microcirculatory disturbances are not well defined, and data are derived from complex invasive measurements. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the inflammation-induced microcirculatory dysfunction including its reversibility and association with markers of inflammation severity (extent of LGE on CMR imaging and laboratory markers of myocardial necrosis) using the noninvasive technique of echocardiographic CFR measurement.

Monocenter Investigation Micra® MRI study (MIMICRY): feasibility study of the magnetic resonance imaging compatibility of a leadless pacemaker system.

Aims: As in vivo real-life data are still scarce, we conducted a study to assess the safety and feasibility of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with a leadless pacemaker system.

Methods And Results: In this prospective non-randomized interventional trial, we enrolled 15 patients with an MRI conditional Micra® leadless pacemaker system to undergo either a 1.5 T or 3.