C-Reactive Protein Levels and Outcomes in Infarct-Related Cardiogenic Shock: Data from the ECLS-SHOCK Trial.

Background: The impact of systemic inflammation in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) is still a matter of debate. The present ECLS-SHOCK sub-study investigates the association of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels with short-term outcomes in patients with AMI-CS.

Methods: Patients with AMI-CS enrolled in the multicenter, randomized ECLS-SHOCK trial between 2019 and 2022 were included.

High-risk percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction deemed not suitable for surgical revascularisation. A clinical consensus statement from the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) in collaboration with the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery.

This clinical consensus statement of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions was developed in association with the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery. It aims to define procedural and contemporary technical requirements that may improve the efficacy and safety of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), both in the acute phase and at long-term follow-up, in a high-risk cohort of patients on optimal medical therapy when clinical and anatomical high-risk criteria are present that entail unacceptable surgical risks, precluding the feasibility of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This document pertains to patients with surgical contraindication according to the Heart Team, in whom medical therapy has failed (e.

Fully Automated Assessment of Cardiac Chamber Volumes and Myocardial Mass on Non-Contrast Chest CT with a Deep Learning Model: Validation Against Cardiac MR.

: To validate the automated quantification of cardiac chamber volumes and myocardial mass on non-contrast chest CT using cardiac MR (CMR) as a reference. : We retrospectively included 53 consecutive patients who received non-contrast chest CT and CMR within three weeks. A deep learning model created cardiac segmentations on axial soft-tissue reconstructions from CT, covering all four cardiac chambers and the left ventricular myocardium.

Outcomes and Impact of Device Iterations in Mitral Valve Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair: The REPAIR Study.

Background: The PASCAL P10 system for mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair has undergone iterations, including introduction of the narrower Ace implant and the Precision delivery system.

Objectives: The study sought to evaluate outcomes and the impact of PASCAL mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair device iterations.

Methods: The REPAIR (REgistry of PAscal for mltral Regurgitation) study is an investigator-initiated, multicenter registry including consecutive patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) treated from 2019 to 2024.

Steerable Delivery Sheath for Optimized LAA Closure: First Experience and Procedural Outcomes.

Background: The new Amplatzer Steerable Delivery Sheath is a delivery system designed to improve ease-of-use and procedural results of left atrial appendage closure (LAAC). We aimed to compare procedural results after switching our LAAC program at a tertiary care center with the Amulet device to the Steerable Delivery Sheath, with a control group of LAAC employing the standard sheath.

Methods: The first n = 32 consecutively treated patients at our site using the Amulet device with the Steerable Delivery Sheath were included in this retrospective analysis.

Exercise, Sports, and Cardiac Rehabilitation Recommendations in Patients with Aortic Aneurysms and Post-Aortic Repair: A Review of the Literature.

Introduction: Balancing the well-documented benefits of regular exercise, particularly its positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, with the potential risks for patients with aortic aneurysms presents a significant challenge. This narrative review aims to summarize the current evidence and guidelines to assist clinicians in making informed exercise and sports recommendations for patients with aortic aneurysms or post-aortic repair.

Methods: Nine clinical trials on the effect of exercise on abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) were identified, including one study on cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in AAA patients.

Quantitative flow ratio of the donor coronary artery supplying a chronic total occlusion territory.

Background: Coronary physiology to guide multi-vessel coronary intervention is associated with better outcome. In the presence of a coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO), hemodynamic evaluation of intermediate lesions in the donor coronary artery supplying a CTO territory still has limitations. We aim to evaluate implementing quantitative flow ratio (QFR) in assessing angiographically intermediate lesions of the main donor coronary artery supplying a CTO territory.

Subpulmonary ventricular function and inflammation are related to clinical heart failure in patients with a systemic right ventricle.

Background: Timely diagnosis of heart failure (HF) in patients with a systemic right ventricle (sRV) is difficult but important since clinical deterioration is fast once HF develops. We aimed to compare echocardiography and biomarker profile between sRV patients with and without HF and patients with a systemic left ventricle diagnosed with HF (sLV-HF).

Methods And Results: Eighty-seven sRV patients and 30 sLV-HF patients underwent echocardiographic evaluation and blood sampling.

Retinal microvascular dysfunction in systemic sclerosis.

Background And Aims: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by widespread microvasculopathy and fibrosis. Vascular and endothelial cell changes appear to precede other features of SSc. Retinal vascular analysis is a new, easy-to-use tool for the assessment of retinal microvascular function.

Resting Heart Rate and Associations With Clinical Measures From the Project Baseline Health Study: Observational Study.

Background: Though widely used, resting heart rate (RHR), as measured by a wearable device, has not been previously evaluated in a large cohort against a variety of important baseline characteristics.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the validity of the RHR measured by a wearable device compared against the gold standard of ECG (electrocardiography), and assess the relationships between device-measured RHR and a broad range of clinical characteristics.

Methods: The Project Baseline Health Study (PHBS) captured detailed demographic, occupational, social, lifestyle, and clinical data to generate a deeply phenotyped cohort.

Covered Stent Correction for Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defects, an Emerging Alternative to Surgical Repair: Results of an International Registry.

Background: Covered stent correction for a sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) was first performed in 2009. This innovative approach was initially viewed as experimental and was reserved for highly selected patients with unusual anatomic variants. In 2016, increasing numbers of procedures began to be performed, and in several centers, it is now offered as a standard of care option alongside surgical repair.

Anatomy of the aortic segmental arteries-the fundamentals of preventing spinal cord ischemia in aortic aneurysm repair.

Objective: Spinal cord ischemia due to damage or occlusion of the orifices of aortic segmental arteries (ASA) is a serious complication of open and endovascular aortic repair. Our study aims to provide detailed descriptions of the proximal course of the ASAs and metric information on their origins.

Materials And Methods: Initially, 200 randomly selected, embalmed cadavers of human body donors were anatomically dissected and systematically examined.

Comparative Analysis of Real-World Clinical Outcomes of a Novel Pulsed Field Ablation System for Pulmonary Vein Isolation: The Prospective CIRCLE-PVI Study.

Pulsed field ablation (PFA) represents a novel non-thermal approach for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) through pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). By utilizing irreversible electroporation, PFA creates lesions with minimal impact on adjacent tissues. This study investigates the procedural outcomes and safety of a novel circular PFA catheter in comparison to an established PFA system in a real-world clinical setting.

Frequency and consequences of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated inflammatory changes in different organs: an autopsy study over 13-years.

While immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized modern oncology, they are also associated with immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Previous histopathological descriptions of organ-related inflammatory changes do not consider systemic effects of ICIs, because of an absence of comprehensive autopsy studies. We performed a retrospective study on 42 whole-body autopsies of patients treated with ICIs from January 2011 to March 2024 to determine frequency, organ distribution and morphology of ICIs-associated inflammatory changes as well as their clinical relevance.

Intra-operative and post-operative management of conduits for coronary artery bypass grafting: a clinical consensus statement of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Coronary Task Force.

The structural and functional integrity of conduits used for coronary artery bypass grafting is critical for graft patency. Disruption of endothelial integrity and endothelial dysfunction are incurred during conduit harvesting subsequent to mechanical or thermal injury and during conduit storage prior to grafting, leading to acute thrombosis and early graft failure. Late graft failure, in particular that of vein grafts, is precipitated by progressive atherogenesis.

Riociguat in pulmonary arterial hypertension: Application of the 4-strata COMPERA 2.0 risk assessment tool in the PATENT studies.

Background: Risk stratification is an essential part of evaluating disease severity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This study applied the 4-strata COMPERA 2.0 risk model to the Phase 3 PATENT-1/2 studies of riociguat.

Happy heart syndrome - The impact of different triggers on the characteristics of takotsubo syndrome.

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a condition of acute ventricular dysfunction mainly in aging women that is frequently precipitated by episodes of physical or emotional stress. The association with negative emotional triggers such as fear, grief, or interpersonal conflicts was observed soon after the first description of TTS three decades ago and led to the popular term "broken heart syndrome". However, more recent research shows that TTS can also be provoked by pleasant emotions in some patients, referred to as "happy heart syndrome".

European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT) Consensus Statement on Machine Perfusion in Cardiothoracic Transplant.

The machine perfusion (MP) of transplantable grafts has emerged as an upcoming field in Cardiothoracic (CT) transplantation during the last decade. This technology carries the potential to assess, preserve, and even recondition thoracic grafts before transplantation, so it is a possible game-changer in the field. This technology field has reached a critical turning point, with a growing number of publications coming predominantly from a few leading institutions, but still need solid scientific evidence.

Pre-interventional renal artery calcification and survival after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

The prognostic significance of renal artery calcification (RAC) is unknown in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) eligible for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). RAC can be assessed by computed tomography (CT) performed during pre-interventional planning for TAVI. This study aimed at investigating the utility of RAC for predicting survival after TAVI.

Impact of diabetes on epicardial reperfusion and mortality in a contemporary STEMI population undergoing mechanical reperfusion: Insights from the ISACS STEMI COVID 19 registry.

Background And Aim: Diabetes has been shown in last decades to be associated with a significantly higher mortality among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary PCI (PPCI). Therefore, the aim of current study was to evaluate the impact of diabetes on times delays, reperfusion and mortality in a contemporary STEMI population undergoing PPCI, including treatment during the COVID pandemic.

Methods And Results: The ISACS-STEMI COVID-19 is a large-scale retrospective multicenter registry involving PPCI centers from Europe, Latin America, South-East Asia and North-Africa, including patients treated from 1st of March until June 30, 2019 and 2020.

Long-term clinical and angiographic outcome of T-and protrusion technique with ultrathin strut drug eluting stents.

Objectives: Data about coronary bifurcations treated with ultrathin strut drug-eluting stents (DES) using T-and-protrusion (TAP) technique is limited.

Methods: In this study, a total of 84 consecutive patients, who underwent bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with TAP technique using Orsiro® DES (Biotronik, Berlin, Germany), were included. All pre- and post-procedural data, as well as 1- and 2-year follow-up angiograms, were analyzed.