Desaturation after Fontan procedure due to systemic venous collateral and improvement after closure with embolization.

Key Clinical Message: Systemic to pulmonary venous collaterals (SPVCs) are common findings in patients with Fontan and may be responsible for desaturation in this group of patients. In selected cases, percutaneous closure of SPVCs with coils or vascular plugs could be offered as a safe and effective treatment modality for these patients.

Abstract: A 27-year-old female patient who had operated primarily with Glenn operation and she underwent later a lateral tunnel Fontan operation.

Inflammatory fibroid polyp of the esophagus: a systematic review.

Introduction: Esophageal inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) is a rare benign tumor of the gastrointestinal tract with limited available data on clinicopathologic features and treatment strategies.

Evidence Acquisition: A systematic review of the literature in PubMed/Medline and Scopus databases was performed for articles concerning esophageal IFP in adult population.

Evidence Synthesis: A total of 16 studies were identified, involving 16 patients with a Male-Female Ratio of 3:1 and mean age of 50.

Successful management of pulmonary hemorrhage from lung carcinoid, in a patient on VenoArterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.

Introduction: A young man was referred to our Center for refractory cardiogenic shock, accompanied with uncontrolled atrial flutter of unknown duration. The patient was supported with VenoArterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA ECMO) and Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) as a bridge to decision.

Case Report: His course was complicated by pulmonary hemorrhage due to an unknown endobronchial mass.

Quality of life and functional capacity in patients after cardiac surgery intensive care unit.

Coronary heart disease and aortic stenosis are prevalent cardiovascular diseases worldwide, leading to morbidity and mortality. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) have therapeutic benefits, including improved postoperative quality of life (QoL) and enhanced patient functional capacity which are key indicators of cardiac surgery outcome. In this article, we review the latest studies of QoL outcomes and functional capacity in patients who underwent cardiac surgery.

Current Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading the cause of death worldwide among the various cardiac pathologies that directly or indirectly affect the quality of life of patients [...

The left ventricular assist device 'skeleton man': case report-simple tools for skeletal muscle evaluation and very early aerobic/resistance/inspiratory training in cardiac cachexia.

Background: Skeletal muscle wasting (SMW) is highly prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF) at left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and is associated with morbidity and mortality. At the same time, SMW is clinically under-recognized, while exercise training (ET) studies in weak LVAD patients are lacking.

Case Summary: A 60-year-old man with advanced HF, SMW, cardiac cachexia, and frailty was confined in bed for 6 months initially supported with intravenous inotropes and subsequently with an intra-aortic balloon pump.

Right pulmonary artery originating from the ascending aorta with tetralogy of fallot and pulmonary atresia.

Key Clinical Message: Anomalous origin of right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta is a rare congenital heart malformation that results in early infant mortality. These patients are at risk for the early development of significant pulmonary hypertension. The surgical management during the early period of life is imperative.

Left ventricular structural integrity on tetralogy of Fallot patients: approach using longitudinal relaxation time mapping.

Purpose: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a congenital heart disease, and patients undergo surgical repair early in their lives. The evaluation of TOF patients is continuous through their adulthood. The use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is vital for the evaluation of TOF patients.

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Arrhythmogenic Substrates in Patients with Systemic Autoimmunity: An Update.

Patients with systemic autoimmunity due to autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) or sarcoidosis frequently present with systemic manifestations including cardiac involvement. Cardiac rhythm disturbances and specifically ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) may affect the prognosis of these patients. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is a non-invasive imaging modality that can provide valuable diagnostic and prognostic information in patients with ARDs or systemic autoimmunity in general.

Artificial intelligence-enabled atrial fibrillation detection using smartwatches: current status and future perspectives.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) significantly increases the risk of stroke and heart failure, but is frequently asymptomatic and intermittent; therefore, its timely diagnosis poses challenges. Early detection in selected patients may aid in stroke prevention and mitigate structural heart complications through prompt intervention. Smartwatches, coupled with powerful artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled algorithms, offer a promising tool for early detection due to their widespread use, easiness of use, and potential cost-effectiveness.

Haemolytic Anaemia-Related Pulmonary Hypertension.

Haemolytic anaemia represents a risk factor for the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH), currently classified as World Health Organization group 5 PH, and data regarding appropriate therapeutic strategy are limited. A total of 28 patients, 85.7% with thalassaemia and 14.

Safety and Feasibility of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Patients with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and thoroughly assess any potential adverse events. : We conducted a prospective observational study assessing safety and feasibility, including 16 ICU patients on ECMO support who were admitted to the cardiac surgery ICU from January 2022 to December 2023. The majority of patients were females (63%) on veno-arterial (VA)-ECMO (81%), while the main cause was cardiogenic shock (81%) compared to respiratory failure.

Revealing the nature of cardiovascular disease using DERGA, a novel data ensemble refinement greedy algorithm.

Background: The study aimed to determine the most crucial parameters associated with CVD and employ a novel data ensemble refinement procedure to uncover the optimal pattern of these parameters that can result in a high prediction accuracy.

Methods And Results: Data were collected from 369 patients in total, 281 patients with CVD or at risk of developing it, compared to 88 otherwise healthy individuals. Within the group of 281 CVD or at-risk patients, 53 were diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD), 16 with end-stage renal disease, 47 newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus 2 and 92 with chronic inflammatory disorders (21 rheumatoid arthritis, 41 psoriasis, 30 angiitis).

Ticagrelor potentiates cardioprotection by remote ischemic preconditioning: the ticagrelor in remote ischemic preconditioning (TRIP) randomized clinical trial.

Objective: Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) reduces periprocedural myocardial injury (PMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) through various pathways, including an adenosine-triggered pathway. Ticagrelor inhibits adenosine uptake, thus may potentiate the effects of RIPC. This randomized trial tested the hypothesis that ticagrelor potentiates the effect of RIPC and reduces PMI, assessed by post-procedural troponin release.

Incidence, risk factors and clinical outcome of multidrug-resistant organisms after heart transplantation.

Background: Transplant recipients commonly harbor multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), as a result of frequent hospital admissions and increased exposure to antimicrobials and invasive procedures.

Aim: To investigate the impact of patient demographic and clinical characteristics on MDRO acquisition, as well as the impact of MDRO acquisition on intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay, and on ICU mortality and 1-year mortality post heart transplantation.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 98 consecutive heart transplant patients over a ten-year period (2013-2022) in a single transplantation center.

Obesity and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Amidst an aging population and escalating obesity prevalence, elucidating the impact of obesity on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) outcomes becomes paramount. The so-called "obesity paradox"-a term denoting the counterintuitive association of obesity, typically a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, with improved survival outcomes in TAVR patients relative to their leaner or normal-weight counterparts-merits rigorous examination. This review comprehensively investigates the complex relationship between obesity and the clinical outcomes associated with TAVR, with a specific focus on mortality and periprocedural complications.