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Heart Vessels 2022 May 20. Epub 2022 May 20.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.

Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) suffer from poor exercise tolerance due to impaired oxygenation and/or reduced cardiac output. However, the relationship between exercise tolerance and physical function remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between exercise tolerance and physical function in patients with PH. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2022 May 18;15(5). Epub 2022 May 18.

Periodontology, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.

A woman in her 30s presented with progressive worsening of dyspnoea for 6 months. On evaluation, she was diagnosed with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis (mitral valve area of 0.6 cm) and a large ostium secundum atrial septal defect (21 mm) with a left to right shunt and severe pulmonary artery hypertension. Read More

Cureus 2022 Apr 12;14(4):e24067. Epub 2022 Apr 12.

Cardiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, USA.

Acute myocardial infarction in a young patient is a nebulous entity, but in the absence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, particular attention must be paid to thrombotic disorders and hypercoagulable states. A 28-year-old male presented with worsening substernal chest pain for 36 hours. He was recently diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with active class II lupus nephritis. Read More

Pulmonology 2022 May 11. Epub 2022 May 11.

University Department of Respiratory Medicine, General Hospital of Thessaloniki "G. Papanikolaou", Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Introduction And Objective: Left-heart dysfunction and pulmonary vasculopathy are increasingly recognized as contributing factors of exercise capacity limitation in interstitial fibrosing lung disease (IFLD). Moreover, the clinical significance of exercise pulmonary hypertension (ePH) in pulmonary and cardiac diseases has been documented, representing a risk factor for decreased exercise capacity and survival, progression to resting pulmonary hypertension (PH) and overall clinical worsening. We conducted a prospective study aiming at: (a) assessing the prevalence of PH and ePH in a cohort of 40 functionally limited patients with IFLD, (b) determining the post-capillary (postC) or pre-capillary (preC) etiology of either PH or ePH in this cohort, and (c) examining the correlations between invasively and non-invasively measured exercise variables among hemodynamic groups. Read More

Eur Heart J 2022 May;43(19):1884

Heart Clinic Zurich, Hirslanden, Witellikerstrasse 40, 8032 Zürich, Switzerland.

Int J Mol Sci 2022 Apr 20;23(9). Epub 2022 Apr 20.

Cardiovascular Diseases Unit, Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Department, Le Scotte Hospital, 53100 Siena, Italy.

One of the most important diagnostic challenges in clinical practice is the distinction between pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to primitive pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and PH due to left heart diseases. Both conditions share some common characteristics and pathophysiological pathways, making the two processes similar in several aspects. Their diagnostic differentiation is based on hemodynamic data on right heart catheterization, cardiac structural modifications, and therapeutic response. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2022 26;9:875204. Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Division of Cardiology, Leviev Center of Cardiovascular Medicine, Sheba Medical Center in Tel-Ha'Shomer, Ramat Gan, Israel.

Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) may reverse elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) which is associated with worse prognosis in heart failure (HF) patients. We aim to describe the temporal changes in hemodynamic parameters before and after LVAD implantation among patients with or without elevated PVR.

Methods: HF patients who received continuous-flow LVAD (HeartMate 2&3) at a tertiary medical center and underwent right heart catheterization with PVR reversibility study before and after LVAD surgery. Read More

Artif Organs 2022 May 12. Epub 2022 May 12.

Heart & Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Objectives: To highlight the role of percutaneous left ventricular assist device (LVAD) decommissioning as a safe procedure after myocardial recovery in patients with advanced heart failure.

Background: The HeartMate3 LVAD (Abbott, Chicago, IL, USA) is designed to provide circulatory support with enhanced hemocompatibility for patients with advanced heart failure. Most VADs are used as a bridge to heart transplantation; however, in certain cases, myocardial function recovers, and VADs can be explanted after the patient is weaned. Read More

Eur J Heart Fail 2022 Apr;24(4):593-595

Cardiology and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardio-Thoracic Department, Civil Hospitals; Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2022 Mar-Apr;12(2):319-328. Epub 2021 Aug 21.

Division of Cardiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Slot #567, Little Rock, AR, 70205, United States.

Background: End-stage liver disease (ESLD) is not considered a risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, lifestyle characteristics commonly associated with increased ASCVD risk are highly prevalent in ESLD. Emerging literature shows a high burden of asymptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with ESLD and a high ASCVD risk in liver transplantation (LT) recipients. Read More

Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J 2022 18;18(1):14-16. Epub 2022 Apr 18.

Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston, Texas, US.

A left atrial ridge is an anomaly of irregular fusion between the septum primum and septum secundum.1 Aberrant fusion of the septa results in thickened and fibrotic tissue along the region of the fossa ovalis that will occasionally protrude into the left atrium.2 The presence of a left atrial ridge has multiple clinical implications due to its close proximity to the fossa ovalis. Read More

Pulm Circ 2022 Apr 18;12(2):e12067. Epub 2022 Apr 18.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital Capital Medical University Beijing China.

Pediatric patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) are considered to be at risk for pulmonary hypertensive crisis (PHC) or even death during right heart catheterization (RHC). This retrospective study was designed to identify the risks and clinical characteristics associated with PHC in pediatric PAH patients. We included 163 consecutive procedures from 147 pediatric patients diagnosed with PAH who underwent diagnostic RHC in Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 2007 and December 2020. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2022 May;15(9):962-964

Division of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Pacific Heart Institute, Santa Monica, California, USA. Electronic address:

Eur Heart J 2022 May 4. Epub 2022 May 4.

Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.

Aims: Non-invasive imaging is routinely used to estimate left ventricular (LV) filling pressure (LVFP) in heart failure (HF). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is emerging as an important imaging tool for sub-phenotyping HF. However, currently, LVFP cannot be estimated from CMR. Read More

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2022 May 3. Epub 2022 May 3.

Department of Cardiology, Sanjay Gandhi postgraduate institute of medical sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Aims: Assessment of pulmonary vascular dimensions (PVDs) in Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is an integral part of planning transcatheter and surgical interventions. We sought to examine the reliability and correlation of echocardiography (ECHO) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) measurements with those obtained by cardiac catheterization and angiography (CCA).

Methods And Results: Tetralogy of Fallot physiology patients undergoing ECHO, CTA, and CCA within a month prior to surgical correction during 2018-2020 were retrospectively enrolled. Read More

Pulm Circ 2022 Jan 18;12(1):e12005. Epub 2022 Jan 18.

Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Johns Hopkins University Baltimore Maryland USA.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) measures of right ventricular (RV) mass, volumes, and function have diagnostic and prognostic value in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We hypothesized that RV mass-based metrics would discriminate incident PAH as redefined by the lower mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) threshold of >20 mmHg at the Sixth World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension (6th WSPH). Eighty-nine subjects with suspected PAH underwent CMR imaging, including 64 subjects with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Read More

Zhonghua Er Ke Za Zhi 2022 May;60(5):442-446

Beijing Institute of Heart Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing 100029, China.

To explore the risk factors for syncope in children with severe idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). Forty-four patients (age<18 years) with IPAH admitted to the Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital between May 2011 and October 2021 were retrospectively included. Patients were devided into syncope group and non-syncope group. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Interv 2022 May 29;15(5):e011664. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Division of Pediatric Cardiology (H. El-Sabrout, P.G., K.R., G.V., J.P., S.H., H. El-Said), Rady Children's Hospital/University of California, San Diego.

Background: Neonatal myocardial infarction is rare and is associated with a high mortality of 40% to 50%. We report our experience with neonatal myocardial infarction, including presentation, management, outcomes, and our current patient management algorithm.

Methods: We reviewed all infants admitted with a diagnosis of coronary artery thrombosis, coronary ischemia, or myocardial infarction between January 2015 and May 2021. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2022 May 26;11(9):e023554. Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Department of Interventional Cardiology Royal Papworth Hospital Cambridge United Kingdom.

Background Post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) fractional flow reserve ≥0.90 is an accepted marker of procedural success, and a cutoff of ≥0.95 has recently been proposed for post-PCI instantaneous wave-free ratio. Read More

Cureus 2022 Mar 13;14(3):e23114. Epub 2022 Mar 13.

Department of Internal Medicine, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, USA.

Systolic anterior motion (SAM) is the dynamic displacement of mitral valve leaflets anteriorly toward the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) during systole. SAM-like physiology has been reported to occur shortly after mitral valve replacement (MVR) surgery; occurrence beyond two years after surgery is very rare. A 55-year-old woman who had bioprosthetic MVR eight years earlier for non-rheumatic mitral stenosis presented to the emergency room with progressive dyspnea and sudden-onset chest pressure. Read More

Front Physiol 2022 6;13:848011. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.

This study aimed to create an imaging-derived patient-specific computational model of low-flow, low-gradient (LFLG) aortic stenosis (AS) to obtain biomechanics data about the left ventricle. LFLG AS is now a commonly recognized sub-type of aortic stenosis. There remains much controversy over its management, and investigation into ventricular biomechanics may elucidate pathophysiology and better identify patients for valve replacement. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2022 7;9:868123. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Center for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Pulmonary Vascular Disease, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.

Balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) is an indicated treatment for subjects with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), particularly for those with advanced right heart failure before bridging to lung transplantation. The mid-term clinical and hemodynamic benefits of BAS are not well studied. Here, we present a young female patient with IPAH who received maximal target medication and was admitted to our hospital due to advanced right heart failure. Read More

J Interv Cardiol 2022 4;2022:2764296. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Collage of Medicine, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq.

Introduction: Surgical closure of a large secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) with an absent superior or inferior rim is the standard method of management, but transcatheter closure of such a defect is possible and feasible.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety of transcatheter closure of large secundum ASD with an absent superior or inferior rim through implantation of a cheatham platinum (CP) stent at the entrance of the superior vena cava (SVC) or inferior vena cava (IVC) into the right atrium (RA) to create a suitable rim for subsequent complete closure of the defect using a septal occluder. . Read More

Life (Basel) 2022 Apr 17;12(4). Epub 2022 Apr 17.

Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8560, Japan.

The usefulness of the parameters of biventricular function simultaneously measured using enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) pulmonary angiography in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has not been clarified. This study aimed to verify the correlation between left and right ventricular (RV) parameters and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Patients who underwent enhanced MDCT before diagnostic right heart catheterization at Nagoya University Hospital between October 2014 and April 2021 were enrolled. Read More

Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars 2022 Apr;50(3):175-181

Division of Cardiology, Rovigo General Hospital, Rovigo, Italy.

Background: Left atrial function is impaired in patients with patent foramen ovale. This study aimed to evaluate the role of left atrial function index in monitoring the course of left atrial function in a patient with patent foramen ovale before and after percutaneous closure.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the findings of consecutive patients evaluated in our tertiary center for patent foramen ovale closure to identify those subjects with acute ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, or radiological evidence of cerebral ischemic events (index event) who performed a complete echocardiography evaluation reporting evidence of patent foramen ovale between September 2004 and September 2018. Read More

World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2022 May;13(3):311-320

105565Department of Congenital Cardiac Surgery and Pediatric Cardiology, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with either intact atrial septum (IS) or highly restrictive interatrial communication (HRIC) is associated with poor survival. Immediate postpartum access to cardiac therapy and timely left atrial decompression (LAD) are paramount to a successful outcome. We describe herein our evolving approach to LAD and report interstage and longer-term results. Read More

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2022 Apr 21:e12954. Epub 2022 Apr 21.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Background: Atrial pacing and right ventricular (RV) pacing are both associated with adverse outcomes among patients with first-degree atrioventricular block (1°AVB). His-bundle pacing (HBP) provides physiological activation of the ventricle and may be able to improve both atrioventricular (AV) and inter-ventricular synchrony in 1°AVB patients. This study evaluates the acute echocardiographic and hemodynamic effects of atrial, atrial-His-bundle sequential (AH), and atrial-ventricular (AV) sequential pacing in 1°AVB patients. Read More

Turk Gogus Kalp Damar Cerrahisi Derg 2022 Jan 28;30(1):1-7. Epub 2022 Jan 28.

Department of Cardiology, Kartal Koşuyolu High Specialization Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Background: This study aims to investigate the association between right atrial pressure and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score and to evaluate the ability of this scoring system to accurately predict the value of right atrial pressure.

Methods: Between April 2016 and November 2018, a total of 137 patients (118 males, 19 females; median age: 49 years; range, 40 to 54 years) with advanced heart failure who were candidates for left ventricular assist device implantation or heart transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. We developed a formula calculated by using the biochemical and cardiac catheterization parameters of the patients. Read More

Heart Vessels 2022 Apr 18. Epub 2022 Apr 18.

Department of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University Hospital, North 15 West 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan.

Biplane Area-Length (AL) method by left ventriculography (LVG) has been widely adopted as a standard method to estimate left ventricular volume. However, we have experienced difficulties in adopting the value by AL method for the children with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) due to the discrepancy among volumetric modalities. This study validated some limitations of AL method, considering the basic principles of its formulation. Read More

Resusc Plus 2022 Jun 5;10:100231. Epub 2022 Apr 5.

Texas Emergency Medicine Research Center, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, United States.

Background: Large variation exists for out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest (OHCA) prehospital care, but less is known about variations in post-arrest care. We sought to evaluate variation in post-arrest care in Texas as well as factors associated with higher performing hospitals.

Methods: We analyzed data in Texas Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (TX-CARES), including all adult, non-traumatic OHCAs from 1/1/2014 through 12/31/ 2020 that survived to hospital admission. Read More