Extremely Hyperdominant LAD Supplying the Anterior, Inferior, and Lateral Walls of the Left Ventricle.

Hyperdominant left anterior descending artery (LAD) is a rare anomaly in which the LAD gives rise to the posterior descending artery. Our case report describes an extreme case of hyperdominant LAD supplying the anterior, inferior, and partially the lateral walls of the left ventricle. It is crucial that physicians be aware of the possibility of extreme LAD dominance.

Lower Rates of Heart Failure and All-Cause Hospitalizations During Pulmonary Artery Pressure-Guided Therapy for Ambulatory Heart Failure: One-Year Outcomes From the CardioMEMS Post-Approval Study.

Background: Ambulatory hemodynamic monitoring with an implantable pulmonary artery (PA) sensor is approved for patients with New York Heart Association Class III heart failure (HF) and a prior HF hospitalization (HFH) within 12 months. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of PA pressure-guided therapy in routine clinical practice with special focus on subgroups defined by sex, race, and ejection fraction.

Methods: This multi-center, prospective, open-label, observational, single-arm trial of 1200 patients across 104 centers within the United States with New York Heart Association class III HF and a prior HFH within 12 months evaluated patients undergoing PA pressure sensor implantation between September 1, 2014, and October 11, 2017.

Combination of mural thrombus and age improves the identification of all-cause mortality following branched endovascular repair.

Background: In-hospital and 30-day mortality rates of endovascular repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms shows a significant improvement over open surgery, although we are not seeing a significant difference at 1 year. We assess the hypothesis that a greater mural thrombus ratio within the aorta could function as an indicator of postoperative mortality.

Methods: The mural thrombus ratio and preoperative comorbidities of 100 consecutive patients from a single center undergoing endo-debranching between 2012 and 2019 were evaluated.

Triple-Guidewire Technique for Treating Stent Underexpansion in Severely Calcified Coronary Artery Lesions.

Stent underexpansion, a potential complication of percutaneous coronary intervention in severely calcified and stenotic coronary arteries, may result in in-stent thrombosis and restenosis. Different balloon-based and atheroablative techniques have been proposed to reduce the risk of these complications. We describe a simple triple-guidewire technique that we used to treat stent underexpansion in 2 elderly men.

Robotic-Assisted Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Through Transradial Approach: Experience in 4 Patients with Complex Lesions.

Robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention can reduce the exposure of interventional cardiologists to radiation and minimize the risk of occupational orthopedic injuries from wearing heavy protective aprons. The PRECISE (Percutaneous Robotically-Enhanced Coronary Intervention) study showed the efficacy and safety of robotic-assisted procedures for relatively low-risk lesions in single coronary arteries. Several reports have described robotic-assisted treatment of complex high-risk lesions, mostly through the transfemoral approach.

Optical Coherence Tomography in Intracoronary Diagnostics.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been revolutionary in the field of medical imaging since its inception in 1991, especially in the field of ophthalmology, but its use in coronary artery disease (CAD) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still to be explored to its full potential. OCT has proven benefits in guiding PCI when it comes to assessing baseline lesion characteristics, plaque burden and its composition. OCT images provide high axial resolution (10 micrometer) in assessing intra and transluminal coronary structures, which is useful in identifying vulnerable thin fibrous cap atheroma (TCFA) and to differentiate plaque rupture from plaque erosion causing acute coronary syndrome.

Right Ventricular Thrombus-in-Transit in Submassive Pulmonary Embolism.

Right heart thrombus (RHT) occurs secondary to deep venous thrombus in transit to pulmonary veins, intra cardiac devices and prosthetic valves. When RHT is present in a patient with pulmonary embolism (PE) it is generally shown to be associated with worse outcomes. Even though multiple trials have studied treatment of PE, the optimal treatment of PE associated with RHT is still largely based on clinical judgment.

Dietary Supplement Use in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Importance And Objective: Dietary supplements and herbs (called naturoceuticals) are commonly used by Americans, but little is known about their use in cardiovascular disease patient populations. The objective was to evaluate naturoceutical use in a sample population of cardiovascular disease patients in the U.S.

Mycotic Aneurysm of the Middle Cerebral Artery Leading to Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, as the Initial Presentation of Bartonella henselae Endocarditis.

Bartonella species was first reported as a cause of endocarditis in 1993, currently it is thought to account for 3-4 percent of all diagnosed cases. Initial symptoms of Bartonella endocarditis are non-specific like weight loss, fever and fatigue. There are very few reported cases of Bartonella endocarditis causing mycotic aneurysm.

A prospective study of contrast preservation using ultra-low contrast delivery technique versus standard automated contrast injector system in coronary procedures.

Background: We aimed to assess the decrease in contrast media volume (CMV) with ultra-low contrast delivery technique (ULCD) developed at our institution versus the usual automated contrast injector system (ACIS) contrast delivery in coronary procedures.

Methods: We analyzed the amount of contrast given in the consecutive 204 patients of the operators who use ULCD technique versus consecutive 200 patients of the other operators who use ACIS without ULCD technique for coronary angiograms and/or percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) from May 2017 to July 2018 at our center. We calculated the mean CMV between these groups.

Pulmonary Hypertension: Brief Review Article.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined as mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) 25 mmHg or greater at rest; this measurement is obtained during right heart catheterization. The exact prevalence of PH in the U.S.

Collateral Flow Reversal: Exploring Protective Role of Collateral Circulation in Acute Coronary Syndrome.

The effect of pre-existing collateral circulation on presentation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not well known. We present a case of a 54-year-old male with a known history of chronic total occlusion of left circumflex artery and well-developed collaterals, who presented to the emergency department with non-STsegment elevation myocardial infarction. He underwent urgent coronary angiogram which showed an acute total thrombotic occlusion in proximal large right coronary artery with collaterals from left to right.

A Brief Review of Left Ventricular Assist Devices and Their Management.

The number of people older than 65 will double by 2060, and with it, the number of people suffering from heart failure will also surge. In the United States, it is estimated that there are close to 250,000-500,000 endstage/ advanced heart failure cases. Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is an evolving advanced therapy for end-stage heart failure.

Prosthetic Aortic Valve Endocarditis Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a life-threating complication, resulting in high in-hospital and one-year mortality. With the ongoing evolution of transcatheter aortic interventions, the proportion of endocarditis cases encountered by health care providers will continue to rise. Early diagnosis of infective endocarditis is of paramount importance to institute appropriate treatment with antibiotics and/or surgery to avoid negative clinical outcomes.

Coronary Artery Perforation Spilling into Right Ventricle: A Rare Complication of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Injury to the coronary circulation during percutaneous interventions is an existent risk. One of these is coronary artery perforation that can have grave consequences. Fortunately, this is rare and overall there is a declining incidence of complications due to technological advances and extensive experience over time.

Recurrent Ischemic Stroke: A Manifestation of a Sinus of Valsalva Pseudoaneurysm.

An 83-year-old female presented to the emergency department with bilateral eye pain, dizziness, and acute shortness of breath. Her blood pressure (BP) at presentation was 184/93 mmHg. She was admitted for hypertensive emergency and her symptoms improved with BP control.

Amiodarone Refractory Electrical Storm Post-Revascularization for Anterior ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Case Report and Brief Review of the Literature.

"Electrical storm" is a life-threatening condition defined as the occurrence of at least two episodes of malignant ventricular arrhythmia in a 24-hour period despite anti-arrhythmic therapy. It leads to unpredictable degrees of clinical instability - in the most severe cases mechanical support for circulation and oxygenation and for definitive therapy radiofrequency ablation or cardiac sympathetic denervation. We describe a case of medication refractory electrical storm complicating severe left ventricular dysfunction after an anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

M. chimaera: A Multi-Headed Pathogen.

We present the case of a 64-year-old man with Mycobacterium chimaera prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis likely acquired through exposure to a contaminated heater-cooler device used for cardiopulmonary bypass during valve replacement. This case demonstrates multi-system involvement with a non-tuberculous mycobacterial species that was previously not considered a significant human pathogen. We review the key features of the case and review published literature regarding an international outbreak of M.