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EBioMedicine 2020 Jul 6;57:102843. Epub 2020 Jul 6.

Lankenau Institute for Medical Research and Lankenau Heart Institute, Wynnewood, PA and Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a rare inherited disease causing sudden cardiac death (SCD). Copy number variants (CNVs) can contribute to disease susceptibility, but their role in Brugada syndrome (BrS) is unknown. We aimed to identify a CNV associated with BrS and elucidated its clinical implications. Read More

IDCases 2020 26;21:e00891. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Department of Cardiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.

endocarditis is a fatal source of valvular infection with a near 100 % mortality rate if pharmacotherapy and valve-replacement surgery are not initiated swiftly after diagnosis. Complicating its diagnosis is the low yield for growth on standard blood culture and time requirements for molecular diagnostic tools to return a result. endocarditis of the mitral valve presents as valvular vegetations that reduce the caliber of the mitral valve and can cause syncope as in the case of mitral stenosis with subsequent valve failure, left atrial enlargement, and prospective cardiovascular failure. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Jul 8;13(7). Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Internal Medicine, Ako City Hospital, Ako, Hyogo, Japan.

A 72-year-old Japanese man treated with omeprazole for 11 years was admitted due to loss of consciousness and muscle weakness. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome-induced tachycardia was considered as the cause of syncope. His blood examination revealed rhabdomyolysis, hypokalaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hypocalcaemia, hyperlactacidaemia, hyperammonaemia and high-anion-gap metabolic acidosis. Read More

J Healthc Manag 2020 Jul-Aug;65(4):273-283

assistant professor of emergency medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota associate professor of emergency medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine assistant professor of emergency medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine associate professor of medicine, Department of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic statistician, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic research associate, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic legal counsel, Legal Department, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota associate professor of emergency medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine; and professor of emergency medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

Executive Summary: We sought to determine emergency medicine physicians' accuracy in designating patients' disposition status as "inpatient" or "observation" at the time of hospital admission in the context of Medicare's Two-Midnight rule and to identify characteristics that may improve the providers' predictions. We conducted a 90-day observational study of emergency department (ED) admissions involving adults aged 65 years and older and assessed the accuracy of physicians' disposition decisions. Logistic regression models were fit to explore associations and predictors of disposition. Read More

J Comp Eff Res 2020 Jul 8. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Cardiology, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton Rd, Heath Town, Wolverhampton WV10 0QP, UK.

The study assesses the burden and costs of recurring unexplained syncope and injuries and the effectiveness of implantable loop recorders. The English national hospital database (Hospital Episode Statistics) was retrospectively analyzed. 12,002 patients were identified with repeated syncope hospitalizations. Read More

Int J Womens Dermatol 2020 Jun 15;6(3):186-190. Epub 2020 Feb 15.

Division of Dermatology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, United States.

Background: Vasovagal syncope is a common clinical occurrence during routine outpatient dermatology procedures, such as injections and biopsies. Despite its prevalence, many medical students and health care professionals do not know how to respond appropriately to a syncopal episode.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a health education video in teaching medical students and health care professionals the appropriate management steps for vasovagal syncope and its prodromal symptoms in a clinical setting. Read More

Case Rep Womens Health 2020 Jul 3;27:e00230. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Obstetrics & Gynecology, Geisinger Medical Center, 100 Academy Avenue, Danville, PA 17822, United States of America.

Background: Rupture of a splenic artery aneurysm (SAA) is a rare and often life-threatening complication of pregnancy. The reported incidence is 0.01% to 10. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2020 Jul 4. Epub 2020 Jul 4.

Medical Division, Manchester Medical Association, Simon Building, Brunswick Street, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Electronic address:

J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2020 Jul;21(7):524-536

School of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.

Pacemaking dysfunction has become a significant disease that may contribute to heart rhythm disorders, syncope, and even death. Up to now, the best way to treat it is to implant electronic pacemakers. However, these have many disadvantages such as limited battery life, infection, and fixed pacing rate. Read More

J Cardiol 2020 Jul 3. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Division of Cardiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine, and Cardiovascular Research Institute, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: A discordant biological clock could potentially induce sudden cardiac death (SCD). We aimed to evaluate the circadian change of heart rate variability (HRV) and its relationship to the risks of ventricular arrhythmia (VA) and near syncope in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: In this retrospective study, non-CKD and CKD patients were enrolled and underwent a 24-hour Holter examination for linear and nonlinear HRV analyses. Read More

Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2020 Jun 29. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Departamento de Neurofisiología, México.

Mol Med Rep 2020 Aug 12;22(2):1285-1294. Epub 2020 Jun 12.

Department of Endocrinology, National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, P.R. China.

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS‑1) is a rare inherited autoimmune disease, characterized by a classic triad, including chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, primary adrenocortical insufficiency and hypoparathyroidism. The present study investigated phenotypes and pathogenic variants in a Chinese woman with non‑classical APS‑1. Disease‑associated variants in a patient with APS‑1 were identified via targeted next generation sequencing and the variant was confirmed via Sanger sequencing. Read More

Oxf Med Case Reports 2020 Jun 25;2020(6):omaa036. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

Cardiology Department, Nicosia General Hospital, Nicosia, Cyprus.

A 70-year-old woman with known history of hypertension presented because of a syncopal episode during dinner at a wedding party, followed by chest pain. On physical examination a systolic murmur was noted, and her electrocardiogram showed ST segment elevation in anterior leads. She had elevated troponin levels while echocardiography showed a hypertrophic interventricular septum with dyskinetic apex and left ventricular outflow (LVOT) obstruction. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Jul 5;13(7). Epub 2020 Jul 5.

School of Medicine, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Classic Bartter syndrome is a rare condition caused by mutations in the gene and characterised by metabolic alkalosis, hypokalaemia, hyper-reninaemia and hyperaldosteronism. Early signs and symptoms usually occur before a child's sixth birthday and include polyuria and developmental delay. We treated a 13-year-old Vietnamese boy with this syndrome presenting with atypical presentations including syncope and hypertension, but normal growth and development. Read More

Can J Cardiol 2020 Jul 2. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Syncope is a symptom that occurs in multiple settings and has a variety of underlying causes, ranging from benign to life threatening. Determining the underlying diagnosis and prognosis can be challenging and often results in an unstructured approach to evaluation, which is ineffective and costly. In this first ever document, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) provides a clinical practice update on the assessment and management of syncope. Read More

Neurosurg Rev 2020 Jul 4. Epub 2020 Jul 4.

Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University Health Physicians, Indianapolis, IN, USA.

Atlanto-axial instability (AAI) is common in the connective tissue disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and increasingly recognized in the heritable disorders of Stickler, Loeys-Dietz, Marfan, Morquio, and Ehlers-Danlos (EDS) syndromes, where it typically presents as a rotary subluxation due to incompetence of the alar ligament. This retrospective, IRB-approved study examines 20 subjects with Fielding type 1 rotary subluxation, characterized by anterior subluxation of the facet on one side, with a normal atlanto-dental interval. Subjects diagnosed with a heritable connective tissue disorder, and AAI had failed non-operative treatment and presented with severe headache, neck pain, and characteristic neurological findings. Read More

Eur J Med Genet 2020 Jul 2:103996. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address:

Cantú syndrome (CS) is a rare developmental disorder characterized by a coarse facial appearance, macrocephaly, hypertrichosis, skeletal and cardiovascular anomalies and caused by heterozygous gain-of-function variants in ABCC9 and KCNJ8, encoding heterooctameric ATP-sensitive potassium (K) channels. CS shows considerable clinical overlap with Zimmermann-Laband syndrome (ZLS), a rare condition with coarse facial features, hypertrichosis, gingival overgrowth, intellectual disability of variable degree, and hypoplasia or aplasia of terminal phalanges and/or nails. ZLS is caused by heterozygous gain-of-function variants in KCNH1 or KCNN3, and gain-of-function KCNK4 variants underlie the clinically similar FHEIG (facial dysmorphism, hypertrichosis, epilepsy, intellectual disability/developmental delay, and gingival overgrowth) syndrome; KCNH1, KCNN3 and KCNK4 encode potassium channels. Read More

Mayo Clin Proc 2020 Jul;95(7):1506-1511

Advisor to residents and Consultant in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Electronic address:

J Interv Card Electrophysiol 2020 Jul 4. Epub 2020 Jul 4.

Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 111 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Purpose: To report on the clinical utility of implantable loop recorders (ILRs) in a large academic hospital setting over a 4-year period.

Methods: Retrospective study (2013-2016) of patients receiving ILRs for any indication including syncope, cryptogenic stroke (CrS), atrial fibrillation (AF) burden, palpitations, ventricular arrhythmias (VA), and other. Remote checks, symptomatic transmissions, and in-person checks were reviewed. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2020 Jun 3;4(3):1-5. Epub 2020 May 3.

Department of Cardiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

Background: Percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) closure may reduce the risk of cardioembolic stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Given the prophylactic nature of the procedure, identifying and managing complications are paramount.

Case Summary: A 73-year-old man presented 14 months after percutaneous LAA closure with syncope and acute pericardial tamponade which required surgical exploration and haemostasis; the most temporally remote account of this complication albeit amongst very few case reports. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2020 Jun 26;4(3):1-4. Epub 2020 May 26.

Cardiology Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital, 199 Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland 4102, Australia.

Background: Complete heart block (CHB) is a frequent cause for acute admission in older patients with significant cardiac conduction disease. Common presenting symptoms are syncope and dyspnoea. Some patients may exhibit clinical and radiological signs of left ventricular (LV) decompensation, despite preserved LV ejection fraction on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and absent pre-existing LV dysfunction. Read More

Cureus 2020 May 30;12(5):e8357. Epub 2020 May 30.

Oncology, Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, USA.

Multiple myeloma (MM) infrequently involves the central nervous system (CNS). The usual sites of involvement are skull and meninges; however, intracranial tumors are exceedingly rare. We report the case of a 60-year-old female who presented to our center for the complaint of recurrent syncope. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2020 Jul 2;20(1):471. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

IPS Universitaria León XIII, Infectology Service, Cl. 69 # 51C - 24, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.

Background: Pertussis is a highly contagious disease of public health interest caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Although its incidence has decreased substantially after the introduction of a vaccination, the burden of the disease remains high. Although the paroxysmal phase is highly disabling, complications are uncommon and more prevalent in children than in adults. Read More

G Ital Med Lav Ergon 2020 Jun;42(2):121-123

IRCCS, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Milano, Italy.

Summary: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a disabling condition accompanying several diseases. It has increased morbidity and mortality, and limited chances of treatment. We report a case of a patient with stable ischemic heart disease and severe OH unresponsive to usual care. Read More

Egypt Heart J 2020 Jul 1;72(1):37. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Abbassia square, Abbasia, Cairo, 11566, Egypt.

Background: Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) cure patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Concerns have arisen the occurrence of significant bradyarrhythmias during treatment with DAAs. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a DAA combination for the treatment of HCV infection on heart rate, rhythm, and heart rate variability (HRV) using 24-h ECG monitoring. Read More

Dysphagia 2020 Jul 1. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Institute of Science and Engineering, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.

Swallowing can lead to the development of syncope in people who have difficulty swallowing during food intake. It has shown that even spontaneous saliva swallowing can change heart rate variability (HRV). Recently, it has been suggested that changes in heart rate during swallowing may be caused by respiratory activities. Read More

Front Pediatr 2020 16;8:312. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a group of myocardial diseases defined by cardiac hypertrophy which cannot be explained by secondary causes with a non-dilated left ventricle and preserved or increased ejection fraction. Sometimes it can be combined with restrictive cardiomyopathy. Here we describe a very rare case of a 12-year-old girl with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy accompanied by restrictive phenotype, complete left bundle branch block and intermittent third-degree atrioventricular block, who presented with recurrent syncope. Read More

Intern Med 2020 Jun 30. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tokyobay Urayasu Ichikawa Medical Center, Japan.

Amiodarone, prescribed for cardiac conditions, including dysrhythmia, is associated with bradycardia. However, few reports have demonstrated that bradycardia is observed when amiodarone is used in combination with sofosbuvir, a direct-acting antiviral drug for chronic hepatitis C. We herein report the case of a male patient in his 70s with chronic atrial fibrillation and prostatic hyperplasia and was also taking amiodarone, who experienced severe bradycardia and syncope a day after taking sofosbuvir and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. Read More

Acta Myol 2020 Mar 1;39(1):32-35. Epub 2020 Mar 1.

Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing, Istituto Clinico Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, Italy.

A significant number of sudden death (SD) is observed in myotonic dystrophy (DM1) despite pacemaker implantation and some consider the ICD to be the preferential device in patients with conduction disease. According to the latest guidelines, prophylactic ICD implantation in patients with neuromuscular disorder should follow the same recommendations of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, being reasonable when pacing is needed. We here report a case of DM1 patient who underwent ICD implantation even in the absence of conduction disturbances on ECG and ventricular dysfunction/fibrosis at cardiac magnetic resonance. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Jun 30;13(6). Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan.

A 74-year-old man presented with recurrent syncope 3 months after definitive surgery for hypopharyngeal cancer. The patient experienced dizziness and severe hypotension on the movement of the neck and head. CT revealed disease recurrence with masses encasing the left internal carotid artery. Read More

J Investig Med 2020 Jun 30. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio, USA.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is estimated to impact millions of people each year. However, there is no established gold standard for its treatment. Bupropion is a norepinephrine and a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and has been implicated as a potential treatment for POTS. Read More

Diagnostics (Basel) 2020 Jun 27;10(7). Epub 2020 Jun 27.

Unit for Screening Studies in Inherited Cardiovascular Diseases, National Institute of Cardiology, 04-628 Warsaw, Poland.

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is one of causes of sudden cardiac death in the young, especially in athletes. Diagnosis of CPVT may be difficult since all cardiological examinations performed at rest are usually normal, and exercise stress test-induced ventricular tachycardia is not commonly present. The identification of a pathogenic mutation in or is diagnostic in CPVT. Read More

Am J Med 2020 Jun 27. Epub 2020 Jun 27.

HRB-Clinical Research Facility, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG); Galway University Hospital, Newcastle Road, Galway, Ireland.

Background: Guidelines recommend increased salt intake as first-line in the management of orthostatic hypotension and syncope. There have been no systematic reviews of this intervention. We sought to summarize the evidence for this recommendation in patients with orthostatic intolerance. Read More

Tex Heart Inst J 2020 Apr;47(2):168-169

Department of Cardiology, Texas Heart Institute, Houston, Texas 77030.

Tex Heart Inst J 2020 Apr;47(2):165-167

Cardiovascular Institute, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria del Hospital Clinico San Carlos, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva with an intramural aortic course is a rare congenital anomaly with a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 14-year-old soccer player who briefly lost consciousness while sprinting. He had exertional chest pain, syncope, ischemic changes on his electrocardiogram, and elevated cardiac troponin levels. Read More

Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) 2020 Jun 26. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Departamento de Cardiología, Complejo Hospital Universitario de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV CB16/11/00226 - CB16/11/00420), Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.

J Child Neurol 2020 Jun 29:883073820936025. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Department of Pediatric Cardiovasology, Children's Medical Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Objective: To develop an orthostatic intolerance symptom scoring system to assess orthostatic intolerance and then to compare the symptom score among different head-up tilt test responses.

Methods: 272 subjects (5-18 years) presenting with orthostatic intolerance symptoms finished questionnaire and head-up tilt test. According to head-up tilt test hemodynamic responses, the subjects were divided into head-up tilt test negative, vasovagal syncope, and postural tachycardia syndrome groups. Read More

Ter Arkh 2019 Nov 15;91(11):116-123. Epub 2019 Nov 15.

Vishnevsky 3 Central Military Clinical Hospital.

Current problems of Prinzmetal angina (vasospastic angina, variant angina) considers in this review. Attention is drawn to early diagnosis, which should be comprehensive, taking into account possible atypical courses and the development of complications. The important role of electrocardiographic monitoring (including using implantable recorders) is highlighted. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2020 Jun 17;21:e924381. Epub 2020 Jun 17.

Emergency Department, Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND Transient abrupt loss of consciousness due to sudden but pronounced decrease in cardiac output caused by a change in heart rate and rhythm is termed Stokes-Adams disease. Causes of Stokes-Adams syndrome are 1) transition from normal rhythm to high grade block, 2) slowing of idioventricular rhythm in the course of complete heart block, and 3) abnormal ventricular rhythm such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Paroxysmal ventricular standstill is one of the rarest causes of Stokes-Adams attack. Read More

Cureus 2020 Jun 23;12(6):e8788. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Hematology and Oncology, Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance/Valleywise Health Medical Center, Phoenix, USA.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represents a common condition in the spectrum of myeloproliferative disorders (MPD). It classically exhibits leukocytosis, but rarely presents with isolated thrombocytosis. This paper is designed to review the clinicopathologic features, treatment, and outcomes of patients with CML who present with isolated thrombocytosis. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2020 Jun 28;13(6). Epub 2020 Jun 28.

Department of Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GN) is a rare pain syndrome caused by compression of the glossopharyngeal nerve. It is typically idiopathic and often goes misdiagnosed because of its similarities to trigeminal neuralgia. Vago-glossopharyngeal neuralgia, an even rarer subset of GN, occurs when the pain is accompanied by syncope and/or arrhythmia. Read More

Ann Emerg Med 2020 Jul 8;76(1):115-117. Epub 2020 May 8.

Infectious Disease Unit, Rochester Regional Health, Rochester, NY.

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Jun 23;17(12). Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Department of Nursing and Social Medical Problems, Faculty of Health Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland.

(1) Background: The features characterizing vasovagal syncope (VVS) are an important factor in the correct evaluation of diagnostic risk stratification in children and adolescents. The aim of the study was to determine the value of identifying the clinical characteristics in children with VVS. (2) Methods: We made a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 109 children with diagnosed VVS. Read More

Front Neurol 2020 2;11:432. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler Medical Centre, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.

Intracranially recorded high-frequency oscillations (>80 Hz) are considered a candidate epilepsy biomarker. Recent studies claimed their detectability on the scalp surface. We aimed to investigate the applicability of high-frequency oscillation analysis to routine surface EEG obtained at an epilepsy monitoring unit. Read More

ANZ J Surg 2020 Jun 23. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Department of General Surgery, Orange Health Service, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.

Pediatr Cardiol 2020 Jun 23. Epub 2020 Jun 23.

Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.

In this review, we provide a brief description of recently published articles addressing topics relevant to pediatric cardiologists. Our hope is to provide a summary of the latest articles published recently in other journals in our field. The articles address the following: (1) transcatheter closure of sinus venous atrial septal defect which is feasible in adults with careful planning, (2) exercise echocardiography in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which was found to be very helpful to identify low-risk patients when there is no gradient at rest or during exercise, (3) features of Fontan patients with normal exercise capacity who typically report more active life style and have less complications during the post-Fontan admissions, (4) the natural history of Anderson-Tawil syndrome which is characterized by high incidence of life-threatening arrhythmogenic events especially when there is history of syncope, ventricular tachycardia, or the use of amiodarone, (5) pulmonary artery banding in complete atrioventricular septal defects which were found to be a safe alternative to early complete repair and served as a bridge to biventricular repair with variable effect on common atrioventricular valve regurgitation and (6) tricuspid valve interventions (TVI) in patients undergoing pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) which further reduce tricuspid regurgitation beyond what is expected in PVR alone without increasing early complications or hospital length of stay. Read More

J Clin Med 2020 Jun 18;9(6). Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Institute of Cardiology, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.

Background And Aim: Isolated exercise-induced pulmonary hypertension (ExPH) associates with cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with left heart disease. We investigated its prognostic significance in scleroderma patients at risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods: In 26 consecutive scleroderma female patients with either low ( = 13) or intermediate probability ( = 13) of pulmonary hypertension (PH) at rest, we evaluated, both at time 0 and 1 year, prognostic determinants of CV risk: onset or progression of heart failure/syncope; worsening of functional class; functional performance at the 6-minute walking test and at cardiopulmonary exercise test; right atrial area; and pericardial effusion. Read More

Circulation 2020 Jun 22;141(25):e944-e945. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Cardiovascular Division, Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (D.G.B.).