Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2020 May 23. Epub 2020 May 23.

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, Houston, Texas.

Objectives: This study sought to compare outcomes in patients with bicuspid versus tricuspid anatomy undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Background: TAVR has shown excellent safety and efficacy in patients with tricuspid aortic valve stenosis, but limited data are available on the use of self-expanding valves in patients with bicuspid valves.

Methods: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT Registry was used to analyze patients who underwent TAVR with the Evolut R or Evolut PRO valves. Read More

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Heart and Vascular Institute, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is increasingly encountered, particularly among the elderly and those with chronic kidney disease, and is often associated with a transvalvular gradient. In contrast to rheumatic mitral stenosis relatively little is known about mitral stenosis due to MAC. We aimed to clarify whether exercise limitation in this group is primarily due to valvular obstruction or ventricular dysfunction resulting from multiple comorbidities. Read More

J Cardiol 2020 May 22. Epub 2020 May 22.

National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, China and Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, ,100037, China. Electronic address:

Background: Percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (PBPV) is the procedure of choice for uncomplicated severe or symptomatic pulmonary stenosis. Echocardiography (echo)-guided PBPV can completely avoid the use of radiation and contrast agents compared to fluoroscopy-guided PBPV. Although we have confirmed that echo-guided PBPV is feasible in humans, the poor visibility of the traditional catheter under echo greatly limits the promotion of this new technology. Read More

Ann Thorac Surg 2020 May 8. Epub 2020 May 8.

Department of Thoracic- and Cardiovascular Surgery, Siegburg Heart Center, Germany. Electronic address:

Background: Aortic valve repair is an attractive alternative to valve replacement for the treatment of aortic valve insufficiency. Hereby, we report on the mid-term outcomes after aortic valve repair for aortic valve insufficiency with emphasis on durability of repair.

Methods: Between 1996 and 2017, 560 consecutive patients (mean age 56 ± 16 years) underwent various aortic valve repair procedures on tricuspid (n=415, 74%) and bicuspid aortic valve (n=145, 26%). Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2020 May 18;20(1):229. Epub 2020 May 18.

Department of Cardiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, #37 Guo Xue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.

Background: To explore why bicuspid aortic stenosis has certain clinical differences from the tricuspid morphology, we evaluated the metabolomics profile involved in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) aortic stenosis prior to and after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in comparison with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV).

Methods: In this TAVR cohort with prospectively collected data, blood samples were obtained before TAVR valve deployment and at the 7th day after TAVR, which were then sent for liquid and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection. Besides comparisons between BAV and TAV, BAV patients were also divided in subgroups according to baseline hemodynamics (i. Read More

Surg Case Rep 2020 May 13;6(1):101. Epub 2020 May 13.

Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757, Asahimachi-dori, Niigata City, 951-8510, Japan.

Background: In a Fontan candidate, univentricular pacing may cause delay in interventricular conduction, which induces asynchronous contraction. Cardiac resynchronization therapy is expected to be an effective mode of therapy in such a case.

Case Presentation: A 7-month-old girl, diagnosed with dextrocardia, congenitally corrected transposition of the great artery [situs solitus, L-loop, and L-transposition], ventricular septal defect, infundibular and pulmonary valvular stenosis, and straddling of the tricuspid valve, was considered as a candidate for the Fontan procedure. Read More

J Cardiol 2020 May 10. Epub 2020 May 10.

University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Background: The arterial switch operation (ASO) for transposition of the great arteries has excellent survival, but a substantial number of patients suffer from a reduced exercise capacity. The goal of this study was to identify imaging parameters associated with a reduced exercise capacity in patients after ASO.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of ASO patients who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) between 2007 and 2017. Read More

Circ Genom Precis Med 2020 May 12. Epub 2020 May 12.

Unit of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet & Theme Heart and Vessels, Division of Valvular and Coronary Disease, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

- Aortic stenosis (AS) contributes to cardiovascular mortality and morbidity but disease mechanisms remain largely unknown. Recent evidence associates a single nucleotide polymorphism rs174547 within the gene, encoding fatty acid desaturase 1, with risk of several cardiovascular outcomes, including AS. encodes a rate-limiting enzyme for ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acid metabolism. Read More

Pediatr Cardiol 2020 May 11. Epub 2020 May 11.

Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

We determined the prevalence and factors associated with tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in adults with repair of right ventricular (RV) outflow obstruction. A total of 256 patients (128 males) were studied at 25.7 ± 7. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2020 May;100(18):1390-1395

Department of Cardiac Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550001, China.

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of on-pump total arterial revascularization with bilateral radial artery (BRA) and left internal mammary artery (LIMA) as conduits in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD). All the perioperative medical records and follow-up results of coronary artery disease patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 40% undergoing CABG from 24 heart centers of 15 provinces and autonomous regions in China between July 2015 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 87 consecutive patients (55 males and 32 females) underwent on-pump CABG with BRA and LIMA, with a mean age of (57. Read More

Cardiovasc Revasc Med 2020 Apr 29. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Section of Interventional Cardiology, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, United States of America. Electronic address:

Background: The advent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has changed which patients undergo surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). We sought to understand the impact of TAVR on the characteristics of SAVR patients in the United States.

Methods: A cohort of 2959 patients who underwent isolated SAVR at 11 US hospitals that perform both TAVR and SAVR from 2013 through 2017 were grouped by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database version (v)2. Read More

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020 Mar 12. Epub 2020 Mar 12.

Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address:

Objective: We aimed to analyze the association among flow patterns, gene expression, and histologic alterations of the proximal aorta in patients with aortic valve disease.

Methods: A total of 131 patients referred for aortic valve replacement were grouped by valve dysfunction (aortic stenosis vs aortic regurgitation) and valve morphology (bicuspid vs tricuspid). On the basis of magnetic resonance imaging, aortic tissue from outer and inner curvature was collected for gene expression and histologic analysis. Read More

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2020 May 9. Epub 2020 May 9.

Department of Medicine, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec-Université Laval/Quebec Heart & Lung Institute-Laval University, 2725 Chemin Sainte-Foy, Quebec City, Quebec G1V 4G5, Canada.

Aims: To compare the progression of aortic stenosis (AS) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) or tricuspid aortic valve (TAV).

Methods And Results: One hundred and forty-one patients with mild-to-moderate AS, recruited prospectively in the PROGRESSA study, were included in this sub-analysis. Baseline clinical, Doppler echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography characteristics were compared between BAV (n = 32) and TAV (n = 109) patients. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2020 May 8;9(10):e015610. Epub 2020 May 8.

Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec/Québec Heart and Lung Institute Université Laval Québec City Québec Canada.

Background In calcific aortic valve disease on tricuspid aortic valves (TAVs), men have higher aortic valve calcification and less fibrosis than women. However, little is known in bicuspid aortic valves (BAV). We thus aimed to investigate the impact of age, sex, and valve phenotype (TAVs versus BAVs) on fibro-calcific remodeling in calcific aortic valve disease. Read More

Surg Technol Int 2020 May;36:217-223

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.

Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is associated with significant mortality and morbidities. Currently, surgical tricuspid repair with annuloplasty is the gold standard treatment. However, the prohibitive risks of open surgery and increasing evidence that severe TR should be intervened on early has led to an outburst in the development and evolution of transcatheter tricuspid valve interventions (TTVI). Read More

Heart Surg Forum 2020 04 3;23(2):E193-E199. Epub 2020 Apr 3.

Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospitals of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Background: Mortality after cardiac surgery for Ebstein's anomaly ranges from 2.5% to 31%. Independent predictors for mortality and morbidity remain poorly defined because of the low incidence of this congenital anomaly. Read More

Can J Cardiol 2020 Apr 29. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.

A young female characterized by concomitant symptomatic severe stenosis and regurgitation was managed by percutaneous valve implantation due to a failing mitral homograft in tricuspid position, using an Edwards S3 23mm valve, with good hemodynamic results and intermediate follow-up free from hospitalization and symptoms. Read More

Quant Imaging Med Surg 2020 Apr;10(4):853-861

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.

Background: Aortic valve (AV) repair has evolved towards a treatment alternative in young patients with AV regurgitation and was accompanied by the development of surgical repair strategies. An efficient and reproducible AV annulus stabilization (i.e. Read More

Cureus 2020 Mar 29;12(3):e7453. Epub 2020 Mar 29.

Statistics, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, PAK.

Background Patients with mitral stenosis (MS) are more prone to develop left atrial (LA) thrombus. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the frequency of LA thrombus on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in patients with MS. Methods In this study, we included patients diagnosed with MS undergoing TTE at the echocardiography department of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (NICVD), Karachi, Pakistan. Read More

Cardiovasc Revasc Med 2020 Mar 16. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.

Objectives: To compare transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for patients in shock.

Background: There are minimal data on the clinical and echocardiographic outcomes for patients in shock that undergo TAVR and no data comparing these outcomes to similar patients undergoing SAVR.

Methods: This is a single center, retrospective cohort study of patients having Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)-defined urgent or emergent AVR for aortic stenosis with clinical signs and symptoms of shock. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2020 Apr 1. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Cardiology Division, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Background: In patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased long-term mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR), which may be due to unfavorable hemodynamics in AF. We aimed to analyze the hemodynamic profile of patients with severe AS and AF versus sinus rhythm (SR).

Methods: We performed cardiac catheterization in 486 patients (age 74 ± 10 years, 58% males) with severe AS [indexed aortic valve area 0. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2020 Apr;75(14):1659-1672

Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

Background: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) may reflect early prognosis in patients with valvular heart disease (VHD).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the association between NT-proBNP and mortality in elderly patients with VHD.

Methods: A total of 5,983 elderly patients (age ≥60 years) with moderate or severe VHD underwent echocardiography and NT-proBNP measurement. Read More

Circulation 2020 May 10;141(19):1527-1537. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, NY (A.D., E.A., M.C.A., M.B.L., R.T.H.).

Background: This study aimed to compare echocardiographic findings in low-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Methods: The PARTNER 3 trial (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves) randomized 1000 patients with severe aortic stenosis and low surgical risk to undergo either transfemoral TAVR with the balloon-expandable SAPIEN 3 valve or SAVR. Transthoracic echocardiograms obtained at baseline and at 30 days and 1 year after the procedure were analyzed by a consortium of 2 echocardiography core laboratories. Read More

J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) 2020 Mar 23. Epub 2020 Mar 23.

Cardiology Unit.

: A 36-year-old Egyptian women with both mitral and aortic valve bioprostheses and tricuspid annuloplasty became pregnant and was referred to our centre for very severe aortic prosthetic valve stenosis (mean gradient 87 mmHg) and New York Heart Association III dyspnea. Echocardiography revealed aortic bioprosthesis degeneration with patient-prosthesis mismatch. This is the first case reported about a pregnant women with a patient-prosthesis mismatch involving a bioprosthesis. Read More

Echocardiography 2020 Apr 25;37(4):586-591. Epub 2020 Mar 25.

Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.

Introduction: Limited data are available regarding the evaluation of right ventricular (RV) performance in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of RV dysfunction in patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI and long-term changes.

Methods: Consecutive patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI from January 2016 to July 2017 were included. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2020 Mar 24. Epub 2020 Mar 24.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of the Norwood procedure with right ventricle-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduit for hypoplastic left heart complex.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed in 136 patients with hypoplastic left heart complex who underwent a Norwood procedure with RV-PA conduit between 1998 and 2017. The probabilities of survival, reintervention and Fontan completion were analysed. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2020 Jun 16;7(3):1130-1135. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.

Cardiac amyloidosis results in an infiltrative restrictive cardiomyopathy, with a number of characteristic features: biventricular hypertrophy, abnormal myocardial global longitudinal strain with relative apical sparing, biatrial dilation, and small pericardial effusion along with conduction abnormalities. Amyloid deposits leading to hemodynamically significant valvular heart disease are very rare. We describe a rare case of concomitant moderately severe tricuspid and mitral valve stenosis because of ongoing amyloid deposition in a patient with progressive multiple myeloma and fat pad biopsy-proven light chain amyloidosis. Read More

Open Heart 2020 13;7(1):e001158. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Department of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario Quironsalud Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Objective: The main objective of the present study was to compare the use of four-dimensional (4D) flow MRI with the habitual sequence (two-dimensional phase-contrast (2DPC) MRI) for the assessment of aortic regurgitation (AR) in the clinical routine.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational cohort study of patients with varying grades of AR. For the purposes of the present study, we selected all the cases with a regurgitant fraction (RF)>5% as determined by 2DPC MRI (n=34). Read More

Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2020 Mar 6. Epub 2020 Mar 6.

Houston Methodist Debakey Heart and Vascular Center, Houston, Texas, USA.

While transcatheter valve-in-valve (ViV) implantation may reduce the number of lifetime surgical reinterventions in some patients with congenital heart disease, in other patients the bioprosthetic valve ring can lead to patient-prosthesis mismatch due to reduction of internal diameter if a transcatheter valve is implanted. A 49-year-old woman with multiple prior cardiac surgeries presented with heart failure due to bioprosthetic tricuspid valve stenosis. Initial predilation valvuloplasty suggested conventional ViV implant would produce patient-prosthesis mismatch, therefore, we intentionally fractured the bioprosthetic valve ring to facilitate optimal hemodynamics with implantation of a 29 mm transcatheter valve. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2020 Mar;75(9):1033-1043

Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Background: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is common among adults with corrected tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) or pulmonary stenosis (PS) referred for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR). Yet, combined valve surgery remains controversial.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the impact of concomitant tricuspid valve intervention (TVI) on post-operative TR, length of hospital stay, and on a composite endpoint consisting of 7 early adverse events (death, reintervention, cardiac electronic device implantation, infection, thromboembolic event, hemodialysis, and readmission). Read More

Circulation 2020 Mar 26;141(13):1071-1079. Epub 2020 Feb 26.

Duke University School of Medicine (J.M.B.), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.

Background: Patients with bicuspid aortic valve (AV) stenosis were excluded from the pivotal evaluations of transcatheter AV replacement (TAVR) devices. We sought to evaluate the outcomes of TAVR in patients with bicuspid AV stenosis in comparison with those with tricuspid AV stenosis.

Methods: We used data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry (November 2011 through November 2018) to determine device success, procedural outcomes, post-TAVR valve performance, and in-hospital clinical outcomes (mortality, stroke, and major bleeding) according to valve morphology (bicuspid versus tricuspid). Read More

Pediatr Cardiol 2020 Apr 17;41(4):795-800. Epub 2020 Feb 17.

Pediatric Department, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.

Little data are published about right ventricular (RV) growth and function in infants and neonates after balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (BPV) for critical valvular pulmonary stenosis (PS). We aimed to assess the RV growth and function during 1 year after BPV for critical valvular PS in neonates and infants. A total of 41 infants and neonates with isolated critical valvular PS who underwent BPV from August 2016 to Sep 2018 were enrolled in the study. Read More

Cardiol Young 2020 Mar 17;30(3):409-412. Epub 2020 Feb 17.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey.

Objective: Double-chambered right ventricle is characterised by division of the outlet portion of the right ventricle by hypertrophy of the septoparietal trabeculations into two parts. We aim to report our experiences regarding the presenting symptoms of double-chambered right ventricle, long-term prognosis, including the recurrence rate and incidence of arrhythmias after surgery.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated 89 consecutive patients who were diagnosed to have double-chambered right ventricle and underwent a surgical intervention from 1995 to 2016. Read More

Echocardiography 2020 Feb 15;37(2):215-222. Epub 2020 Feb 15.

Cardiovascular Diseases Unit 1, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Department, University of Pisa, Italy.

Aim: Pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (PADP) correlates closely with pulmonary wedge pressure (PAWP); therefore, we sought to evaluate whether an algorithm based on PADP assessment by the Doppler pulmonary regurgitation (PR) end-diastolic gradient (PRG) may aid in estimating increased PAWP in cardiac patients with reduced or preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF).

Methods And Results: Right heart catheterization, with estimation of PAWP, right atrial pressure (RAP), PADP, and Doppler echocardiography, was carried out in 183 patients with coronary artery disease (n = 63), dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 52), or aortic stenosis (n = 68). One-hundred and seventeen patients had LV EF <50%. Read More

Am J Cardiovasc Drugs 2020 Feb 11. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

BJC Medical Group Cardiology, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Background: Current guidelines recommend direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) over warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and valvular heart disease (VHD) without a mechanical valve or moderate to severe mitral stenosis. However, real-world data to support the safety and efficacy of DOACs in this patient population are lacking.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the safety and effectiveness of DOACs in patients with AF and VHD. Read More

J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2020 Apr 4;33(4):452-460. Epub 2020 Feb 4.

Cardiovascular Core Laboratories, MedStar Health Research Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, District of Columbia; Section of Interventional Cardiology, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, District of Columbia. Electronic address:

Background: Conventional right ventricular (RV) echocardiographic measurements of systolic function (SF) have demonstrated conflicting results when their association with long-term outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is evaluated. RV free-wall (FW) longitudinal strain (LS) is a novel, single parameter to measure RV SF and may provide a better evaluation than fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and myocardial velocity (S'). The value of RV FW LS in patients undergoing TAVR and its association with 1-year mortality are unknown. Read More

Ann Pediatr Cardiol 2020 Jan-Mar;13(1):11-15. Epub 2019 Nov 7.

Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease Division, National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Background: Critical pulmonary stenosis (PS) is one of the life-threatening congenital heart diseases which present during the neonatal period with cyanosis. Surgical valvotomy was once the procedure of choice for critical PS; however, balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty (BPV) has now become the standard treatment. Although the procedure is usually simple, crossing the pulmonary valve from the femoral vein can be difficult, especially when severe tricuspid regurgitation and right atrium dilatation are present. Read More

Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020 Jan 30. Epub 2020 Jan 30.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the surgical outcomes of aortic valve neocuspidization (AVNeo) in patients under 65 years old.

Methods: From December 2010 to February 2019, we performed AVNeo in a total of 168 patients. Of them, we evaluated 36 patients aged under 65 years. Read More

Wien Klin Wochenschr 2020 Feb 29;132(3-4):61-68. Epub 2020 Jan 29.

Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.

The development of new devices and treatment options has greatly increased the interest in heart valve diseases. In this context, the consideration of gender differences in diagnosis, treatment success, and prognosis is of great importance. Available data show that women and men with heart valve disease have different risk profiles, which have a significant impact on treatment outcomes and prognosis. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2020 Jan;13(2):170-179

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Institute, Houston, Texas.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of early outcomes for 3 iterative self-expanding transcatheter aortic valves.

Background: Over the past decade there have been rapid advancements in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) technologies, including 3 generations of supra-annular self-expanding transcatheter systems.

Methods: Data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry for patients undergoing TAVR with CoreValve, Evolut R, or Evolut PRO valves to treat tricuspid aortic stenosis between January 2014 and September 2017 were obtained. Read More

Cardiovasc Ultrasound 2020 Jan 21;18(1). Epub 2020 Jan 21.

Department of Echocardiography, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, No180, Fenglin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, 200032, China.

Background: To evaluate the detailed dynamic change of left ventricular diastolic function (LVDF) by echocardiography in aortic stenosis (AS) patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and compare LVDF classification according to 2009 ASE/EAE and 2016 ASE/EACVI recommendations.

Methods: Thirty-five AS patients receiving TAVI underwent echocardiography the day before operation (PRE), on the third day (3D), in the first-month (1 M) and the six-month (6 M) after TAVI. LVDF was analyzed using 2D and doppler imaging to get parameters including E/A, E/e', isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), deceleration time, LA area, LA volume index (LAVI) and systolic tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TR). Read More

J Clin Med 2020 Jan 19;9(1). Epub 2020 Jan 19.

German Center of Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site Hamburg/Lübeck/Kiel, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.

Objective: Aortic size-based criteria are of limited value in the prediction of aortic events, while most aortic events occur in patients with proximal aortic diameters < 50 mm. Serological biomarkers and especially circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed as an elegant tool to improve risk stratification in patients with different aortopathies. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the levels of circulating miRNAs in a surgical cohort of patients presenting with bicuspid aortic valve disease and distinct valvulo-aortic phenotypes. Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2020 Jan 20;20(1):27. Epub 2020 Jan 20.

Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Jiangxi Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, China.

Background: TAB2 is an activator of MAP 3 K7/TAK1, which is required for the IL-1 induced signal pathway. Microdeletions encompassing TAB2 have been detected in various patients with congenital heart defects (CHD), indicating that haploinsufficiency of TAB2 causes CHD. To date, seven variants within TAB2 were reported associated with CHD, only two of them are nonsense mutations. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2020 Jan 21;13(1):e009802. Epub 2020 Jan 21.

Department of Cardiology, Amiens University Hospital, France (Y.B., P.G., D.R., M.K., C.T.).

Background: Pulmonary hypertension is an established outcome predictor in patients with aortic stenosis (AS), but the prognostic impact of right ventricular dysfunction has not been well studied.

Methods: We included 2181 patients (50.4% men; mean age, 77 years) with aortic valve area <1. Read More

Chest 2020 Jan 17. Epub 2020 Jan 17.

Department of Cardiology, Hospital del Mar. Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona.

Background: Severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with aortic stenosis is related to poor prognosis following aortic valve replacement (AVR). Current European PH guidelines recommend adding two different echocardiographic signs to tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) in PH estimation, classifying its probability as low (TRV ≤ 2.8 m/s), intermediate (TRV 2. Read More

Circ Genom Precis Med 2020 Feb 12;13(1):e002649. Epub 2020 Jan 12.

Executive Director, Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Disaster Reconstruction Center (M. Sasaki), Iwate Medical University, Japan.

Acta Cardiol 2020 Jan 10:1-9. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Department of Cardiology, Thorax Center, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Elevated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) is a strong predictor of adverse prognosis. This study sought to assess the relation between PAP and clinical and echocardiographic parameters in elderly patients with severe AS, as well as to identify the determinants of the change in PAP after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The study included 170 subjects (age 81 ± 7 years, 45% men) with symptomatic severe AS who were treated by TAVI. Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2020 Jan 7;20(1). Epub 2020 Jan 7.

Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Heart Valve Center, Institut Cœur Poumon CHU de Lille, 2 Av Oscar Lambret, 59037, Lille, France.

Background: While rheumatic mitral stenosis has been effectively treated percutaneously for more than 20 years, mitral and tricuspid regurgitation treatment appear as a contemporary unmet need. The advent of transcatheter therapies offer new treatment options to often elderly and frail patients at high risk for open surgery. We aimed at providing an updated review of fast-growing domain of transcatheter mitral and tricuspid technology. Read More

Heart Surg Forum 2019 12 17;22(6):E486-E493. Epub 2019 Dec 17.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.

Background: To compare baseline and outcome characteristics of multiple valve surgery with single-valve procedures in a multicenter patient population of mainland China.

Methods: From January 2008 to December 2012, data from 14,322 consecutive patients older than 16 years who underwent heart valve surgery at five cardiac surgical centers (except pulmonary valve operations) were collected. The patients were divided into seven subgroups according to the type of valve procedures, and baseline characteristics and postoperative outcomes were contrasted between all seven combinations of single-valve and multiple-valve procedures involving aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valves. Read More