Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

JAMA 2021 Jun;325(24):2480-2494

Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and Departments of Medicine and Cardiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.

Importance: More than 40 million people are living with either mitral or aortic valve disease worldwide, and more than 180 000 heart valve replacement surgeries are performed each year in the US. Transcatheter valve repair has emerged as an important therapeutic option for patients who are candidates for heart valve replacement.

Observations: All transcatheter valve therapies involve a multidisciplinary team of interventional cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, radiologists, echocardiographers, nurses, and social workers, termed the heart team, to determine the optimal approach for managing each patient. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2021 Jun 17. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Department of Cardiology, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland.

Background: Appropriate size selection of transcatheter heart valves (THVs) is fundamental to reduce transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) related complications, particularly paravalvular aortic regurgitation, new permanent pacemaker implantation, and annular rupture. We sought to investigate the frequency of operator selection of intermediate-size balloon-expandable Myval THVs (Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. Read More

Circ Heart Fail 2021 Jun 18:CIRCHEARTFAILURE120008034. Epub 2021 Jun 18.

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine. (R.S., S.K., R.F., N.Q., C.B., P.K., Y.S., J.T., Y.J.W., W.H.).

Background: Progressive aortic valve disease has remained a persistent cause of concern in patients with left ventricular assist devices. Aortic incompetence (AI) is a known predictor of both mortality and readmissions in this patient population and remains a challenging clinical problem.

Methods: Ten left ventricular assist device patients with de novo aortic regurgitation and 19 control left ventricular assist device patients were identified. Read More

Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi 2021 Jun;49(6):610-614

Adult Cardiac Surgery Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China.

To observe the changes of parameters derived from transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before and after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, and to evaluate the clinical value of TTE in the perioperative period of LVAD implantation. This is a retrospective study. The data of patients who underwent LVAD implantation in Fuwai Hospital from January 2018 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Read More

Kardiol Pol 2021 ;79(5):517-524

Department of Cardiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.

Background: The diagnostic workup of low-gradient aortic stenosis (LG AS) is a challenge in clinical practice.

Aims: Our goal was to assess the diagnostic value of stress echocardiography (SE) performed in patients with undefined LG AS with low and preserved ejection fraction (EF) and the impact of its result on therapeutic decisions in Polish third level of reference.

Methods: All the patients with LG AS and with SE performed were recruited in 16 Polish cardiology departments between 2016 and 2019. Read More

Echocardiography 2021 Jun 10. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

Department of Radiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.

A 17-year-old male sustained a blunt thoracic trauma after he had a dirt bike accident. He was admitted for the management of multiple fractures, was hemodynamically stable, and presented without any cardiac symptoms. The patient underwent transthoracic echocardiography and CT angiogram of the thorax as the workup of possible cardiac injury as he had a new aortic regurgitation murmur, troponin rise, and a new RBBB. Read More

Rev Med Chil 2021 Jan;149(1):137-141

Instituto Cardiovascular, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España.

Reintervention of a mitral degenerated bioprosthesis has a high surgical risk, especially in elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. We report a 74 years old female with two previous cardiac surgical procedures and a new structural mitral bioprosthesis deterioration with severe mitral regurgitation. Considering her high-surgical risk, a fully percutaneous treatment was performed with a balloon-expandable aortic valve in mitral position (valve-in-valve) through a transseptal approach with a favorable outcome. Read More

Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther 2021 Jun 9. Epub 2021 Jun 9.

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA.

Introduction: Advancements in surgery and management have resulted in a growing population of aging adults with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). As a result, there has been a parallel growth in late complications associated with the sequelae from the underlying cardiac anomalies as well as the surgical and other interventional treatments.

Areas Covered: Here, we review challenges related to an aging population of patients with TOF, particularly late complications, and highlight advances in management and key areas for future research. Read More

J Cardiovasc Imaging 2021 Mar 30. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai, India.

Background: Perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSDs) has proximate relation to the aortic and tricuspid valves as well as the conduction tissues. Transcatheter closure utilizes various off-label device designs.

Methods: Perimembranous VSD without aortic margin were classified as group A, with thick aortic margin as group B, with membranous septal aneurysm as group C and defects restricted by tricuspid valve attachments as group D. Read More

J Card Surg 2021 Jun 1. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Cardiology, Gloucester Royal Hospital, Gloucester, UK.

Background And Aim Of The Study: A subtle aortic dissection can be challenging to detect despite the availability of multiple diagnostic modalities. Whilst rare, the inability to detect this variant of aortic dissection can lead to a dismal prognosis. We present an extremely rare case of a subtle aortic dissection with supra-annular aortic root intimal tear and acute severe aortic regurgitation in a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2021 May 31. Epub 2021 May 31.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.

Objectives: The appropriateness of moderate aortic regurgitation treatment during mitral valve (MV) surgery remains unclear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the immediate and long-term outcomes of patients with moderate aortic regurgitation at the time of MV surgery.

Methods: We included 183 patients admitted to our institution for elective treatment of MV disease between 2004 and 2018, in whom moderate aortic regurgitation was diagnosed during preoperative evaluation. Read More

Kyobu Geka 2021 Jun;74(6):413-417

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Yotsuba Circulation Clinic, Matsuyama, Japan.

Aortic valve-sparing surgery is a delicate procedure that requires specialized skills to control aortic valve regurgitation. Therefore, simulating the surgery before performing it on a patient is good practice for inexperienced surgeons. Herein, we present our experience of a simulation surgery using a three-dimensionally printed aortic root model of a 60-year-old man with severe aortic regurgitation and aortic root enlargement. Read More

Cureus 2021 Apr 27;13(4):e14714. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Ozarks Medical Center, West Plains, USA.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) in cardiac diseases results from pulmonary capillary stress failure due to pulmonary venous hypertension. The most common cardiac causes of DAH are heart failure and mitral valvular disease. Patients typically manifest with hemoptysis, radiologic chest abnormalities, and anemia. Read More

J Cardiothorac Surg 2021 May 29;16(1):150. Epub 2021 May 29.

New Tokyo Hospital, 1271 Wanagaya, Matsudo, Chiba, 270-2232, Japan.

Background: An isolated coronary sinus (CS) atrial septal defect (ASD) is defined as a CS unroofed in the terminal portion without a persistent left superior vena cava or other anomalies. This defect is rare and part of the wide spectrum of unroofed CS syndrome (URCS). Recently, several reports have described this finding. Read More

Vet Surg 2021 May 24. Epub 2021 May 24.

Clinical Sciences Department, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

Objective: To describe the treatment of persistent right aortic arch (PRAA) in dogs with combined ligamentum arteriosum (LA) transection and esophageal diverticulum resection.

Animals: Three client owned dogs.

Study Design: Short case series. Read More

JAMA Cardiol 2021 May 19. Epub 2021 May 19.

Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Importance: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) failure is often managed by an urgent implantation of a supplementary valve during the procedure (2-valve TAVR [2V-TAVR]). Little is known about the factors associated with or sequelae of 2V-TAVR.

Objective: To examine the incidence, causes, and outcomes of 2V-TAVR. Read More

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 2021 May 18. Epub 2021 May 18.

Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, German Heart Center Munich, Hospital at Technical University Munich, Lazarettstr. 36, 80636, Munich, Germany.

To compare the ability of cardiac magnetic resonance tomography (CMR) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to predict the need for valve surgery in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation on a mid-term basis. 66 individuals underwent assessment of aortic regurgitation (AR) both in CMR and TTE between August 2012 and April 2017. The follow-up rate was 76% with a median of 5. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2021 May 18;21(1):447. Epub 2021 May 18.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Anjo Kosei Hospital, Anjo-cho Higashi-Hirokute 28, Anjo City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Background: Enterococcus casseliflavus is rarely isolated from human specimens. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports on its detailed treatment course and prognosis. Here, we present the first known case of E. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2021 20;2021:5595614. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Department of Hepatology, First Hospital of Jilin University, Xinmin Street, No. 71, Changchun, Jilin Province 130021, China.

Background And Aims: There are few studies on the prevalence and clinical characteristics of portopulmonary hypertension (POPH) in patients with portal hypertension. In addition, invasive right heart catheterization further limits the clinical diagnosis of POPH patients.

Methods: From January 2018 to December 2019, 1004 patients with portal hypertension were treated in the Department of Hepatology, the First Hospital of Jilin University. Read More

Kyobu Geka 2021 May;74(5):375-378

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyoto University, Kyto, Japan.

Valve sparing aortic root replacement( VSRR) is currently an established option for patients with annuloaortic ectasia( AAE). A newly designed Valsalva graft, the J Graft Shield Neo Valsalva, was used for VSRR in three cases. All operations were successful and postoperative courses were uneventful. Read More

Circulation 2021 Jun 13;143(25):e1088-e1114. Epub 2021 May 13.

Aortic stenosis with concomitant chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a clinical challenge. Aortic stenosis is more prevalent and progresses more rapidly and unpredictably in CKD, and the presence of CKD is associated with worse short-term and long-term outcomes after aortic valve replacement. Because patients with advanced CKD and end-stage kidney disease have been excluded from randomized trials, clinicians need to make complex management decisions in this population that are based on retrospective and observational evidence. Read More

Pediatr Cardiol 2021 May 8. Epub 2021 May 8.

Pediatric Heart Center, Icahn School of Medicine At Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

Vein of Galen aneurysmal malformation (VGAM) is a rare anomaly associated with poor outcomes from high output cardiac failure and neurologic complications. Studies addressing fetal cardiovascular status and outcomes in this population are limited. A single-center retrospective review was conducted on patients with a prenatal diagnosis of VGAM who underwent a fetal echocardiogram between January 2015 and July 2019. Read More

Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther 2021 May 4. Epub 2021 May 4.

Department of Structural Heart Disease/Cardiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is expanding to lower risk and younger patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve disease. Despite clinical and technological improvements, post-procedural aortic regurgitation (AR) remains a limitation of TAVR, particularly when compared to surgical aortic valve replacement. Although several methods for AR quantification after TAVR are currently available, its exact graduation in everyday clinical practice remains challenging. Read More

Cardiol Young 2021 May 4:1-7. Epub 2021 May 4.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.

Background: Prior to the recent release of appropriate use criteria for imaging valvulopathies in children, follow-up of valvular lesions, including isolated bicuspid aortic valve, was not standardised. We describe current follow up, treatment, and intervention strategies for isolated bicuspid aortic valve with varying degrees of stenosis, regurgitation, and dilation in children up to 18 years old and compare them with newly released appropriate use criteria.

Methods: Online survey was sent to members of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery and PediHeartNet. Read More

Quant Imaging Med Surg 2021 May;11(5):1970-1982

Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Background: Complication rates of paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PVR) and permanent pacemaker insertion remain high in patients undergoing trans-catheter aortic valve insertion for severe aortic stenosis. The spatial distribution of calcium between individual aortic valve leaflets, and its potential role in these complications is gaining interest. We aimed to assess the accuracy of individual aortic valve leaflet calcium quantification, and to determine its effect on the frequency of these complications. Read More

PLoS One 2021 29;16(4):e0248862. Epub 2021 Apr 29.

Department of Paediatric Cardiology and General Paediatrics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate left ventricular (LV) remodeling and systolic function using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiographic (2D STE) imaging in children at a long-term (more than 36 months, 107.5±57.8 months) after balloon valvuloplasty for aortic stenosis (BAV). Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2021 Apr;14(8):830-845

Center for Structural Heart Disease, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate 1-year outcomes of valve-in-mitral annular calcification (ViMAC) in the MITRAL (Mitral Implantation of Transcatheter Valves) trial.

Background: The MITRAL trial is the first prospective study evaluating the feasibility of ViMAC using balloon-expandable aortic transcatheter heart valves.

Methods: A multicenter prospective study was conducted, enrolling high-risk surgical patients with severe mitral annular calcification and symptomatic severe mitral valve dysfunction at 13 U. Read More

Am J Med Genet A 2021 Jul 20;185(7):2180-2189. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Cardiac and Critical Care, Division of Medicine, Flinders Medical Center, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.

A 57-year-old man with a family history of aortic aneurysm was found, during assessment of unexplained fever, to have an infrarenal aortic aneurysm requiring immediate repair. Dilatation of popliteal and iliac arteries was also present. Progressive aortic root dilatation with aortic regurgitation was documented from 70 years leading to valve-sparing aortic root replacement at 77 years, at which time genetic studies identified a likely pathogenic FBN1 missense variant c. Read More

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 2021 Apr 19. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda, Manuel de Falla, 1, 28222, Madrid, Spain.

Previous studies using conventional echocardiographic measurements have reported subclinical left ventricular (LV) diastolic abnormalities in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS). Left atrial (LA) strain allows an accurate categorization of LV diastolic dysfunction. We aimed to characterize LV myocardial performance in a cohort of MFS patients using STE-derived measurements (LV and LA strain) along with conventional echocardiographic parameters. Read More

Jpn J Radiol 2021 Apr 18. Epub 2021 Apr 18.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama 6 Road, Phayatai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence and degree of aortic dilatation (A), severity of aortic stiffness (A), factors for A and level of aortic root most sensitive to A in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF).

Materials And Methods: 269 patients with rTOF (mean age 14.9 ± standard deviation 5. Read More