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Am J Cardiol 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. Electronic address:

Previous studies reported that new-onset persistent left bundle branch block (NOP-LBBB) was related to worse outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, these results can be confounded by the presence of permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation before and after TAVI. Long-term outcomes and the risk stratification of NOP-LBBB not having PPM implantation before and after TAVI have not been fully investigated. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Cardiology, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Mindelsohn Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2WB, UK; Institute for Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical & Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.. Electronic address:

Background: Small studies have suggested left ventricular (LV) rapid pacing has similar safety and efficacy to conventional right ventricular (RV) rapid pacing in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, there are limited data on the comparative rates of tamponade. The study compared the rate of cardiac tamponade between LV and RV-pacing during TAVI. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2022 May 13. Epub 2022 May 13.

Quebec Heart & Lung Institute, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.

Background: Data comparing valve systems in the valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV-TAVR) field has been obtained from retrospective studies.

Objectives: To compare the hemodynamic results between the balloon-expandable SAPIEN (3/ULTRA) (BEV) and self-expanding Evolut (R/PRO/PRO+) (SEV) valves in ViV-TAVR.

Methods: Patients with a failed small (≤23 mm) surgical valve. Read More

Egypt Heart J 2022 May 21;74(1):41. Epub 2022 May 21.

Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Jl. Kalimantan No. 37, Jember, East Java, 68121, Indonesia.

Background: Takayasu arteritis (TA) is included in large vessel vasculitis with unknown aetiopathogenesis. TA is one of the rare diseases with a predilection for young women. The diagnosis of TA is difficult due to variation in clinical presentations and non-specific initial symptoms. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2022 May 10. Epub 2022 May 10.

Civil Hospital and University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the ACURATE neo2 transcatheter heart valve (THV) in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis.

Background: The first-generation ACURATE neo THV was associated with a non-negligible occurrence of moderate or greater paravalvular aortic regurgitation (AR) following transcatheter aortic valve replacement. To overcome this issue, the ACURATE neo2 iteration, which incorporates a taller outer skirt aimed at reducing the occurrence of paravalvular AR, has recently been developed. Read More

Cardiovasc Revasc Med 2022 Jun 2;39:26-27. Epub 2022 Apr 2.

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States of America. Electronic address:

J Am Coll Cardiol 2022 May 14. Epub 2022 May 14.

Clinical Trials Center, Cardiovascular Research Foundation, New York, New York; St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center, Roslyn, New York.

Background: The impact of aortic valve replacement (AVR) on progression/regression of extra-valvular cardiac damage and its association with subsequent prognosis is unknown.

Objectives: To describe evolution of cardiac damage post-AVR and its association with outcomes.

Methods: Patients undergoing transcatheter or surgical AVR from the PARTNER 2 and 3 trials were pooled and classified by cardiac damage stage at baseline and 1-year (Stage 0, no damage; Stage 1, left ventricular damage; Stage 2, left atrial or mitral valve damage; Stage 3, pulmonary vasculature or tricuspid valve damage; Stage 4, right ventricular damage). Read More

Ann Thorac Surg 2022 May 17. Epub 2022 May 17.

Department of Cardiac and Vascular Surgery, University Medical Center, Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany.

Background: It is still controversial as to which cannulation-strategy for acute-type-A-aortic-dissection (AAD) is optimal. Antegrade-perfusion to diminish further organ-mal-perfusion and -ischemia are preferable.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 420 patients who underwent AAD-surgery from January 2001 to December 2019. Read More

Niger J Clin Pract 2022 May;25(5):710-717

Department of Cardiology, Medical University, University Hospital Alexandrovska, Clinic of Propedeutics of Internal Diseases, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Background: In primary prevention, most guidelines rely on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk assessment to determine the appropriateness and intensity of risk factor modification.

Aims: This study aimed to analyze the prognostic role of risk factors, comorbidities, and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in Bulgarian patients with chronic coronary syndrome. An observational study conducted in a cardiology department. Read More

J Invasive Cardiol 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Interventional Cardiology Department, Mazzoni Hospital, Via degli Iris 1, 63100 Ascoli Piceno, Italy.

Background: Percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is actually recommended as a bridge to surgery or transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) in particular clinical settings. In this pilot study, for the first time, we report our experience utilizing a nonocclusive balloon for BAV, which does not require rapid ventricular pacing (RVP), in high-risk symptomatic elderly patients with severe AS.

Methods And Results: From 2018 to 2020, a total of 30 high-risk elderly patients with heart failure due to severe AS were treated with BAV and were all prospectively included in the study. Read More

J Invasive Cardiol 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Kerckhoff Heart Center, Department of Cardiology, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany.

Background: Data are lacking regarding the outcomes of balloon postdilation (BPD) for the Acurate neo and neo2 devices. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of BPD in a large, single-center cohort of patients treated with the Acurate platform.

Methods: For this retrospective analysis, we included all patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the Acurate neo or neo2 prosthesis at our institution. Read More

J Invasive Cardiol 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

62 W Seventh Ave, Suite 450, Spokane, WA 99204 USA.

Background: Patients with small aortic annuli (SAA) are prone to higher post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) transvalvular gradients and development of prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM). In many patients with SAA, the choice of TAVR valve commonly involves choosing between the 26-mm Medtronic Evolut 2 (ME26) or the 23-mm Edwards Sapien 3 valve (ES23). We compared echocardiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with SAA undergoing TAVR with either valve. Read More

EuroIntervention 2022 May 20. Epub 2022 May 20.

Cuspa LTD, Nazareth, Israel.

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2022 May 3;6(5):ytac194. Epub 2022 May 3.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume 830-0011, Japan.

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2022 May 3;6(5):ytac192. Epub 2022 May 3.

Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hokkaido Cardiovascular Hospital, 1-30 South27 West13, Chuo-ku, Sapporo City 064-8622, Japan.

Background: Single coronary artery is a rare coronary artery anomaly with an incidence of <0.03%. The coexistence of coronary artery anomalies with severe aortic stenosis is extremely rare. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2022 3;9:840946. Epub 2022 May 3.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.

It has been found that postoperative progressive dilatation of aortic root is not rare for adult patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), which leads to severe aortic regurgitation or even fatal dissection. Therefore, clinically, surgical treatment for both regurgitated aortic valve and dilated root is needed based on preoperative assessments and individual treatment strategies. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2022 3;9:871818. Epub 2022 May 3.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

The quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) is a rare congenital disease with a prevalence of 0. 013-0.043% of cardiac cases. Read More

Cureus 2022 Apr 16;14(4):e24189. Epub 2022 Apr 16.

Internal Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, USA.

Septic arthritis of the facet joint (SAFJ) is an uncommon etiology of low back pain that usually affects the elderly population and immunocompromised patients but is rare in immunocompetent and young patients. When such a clinical presentation occurs, it is imperative to diagnose the source of the infection. We report a case of septic arthritis of the left third and fourth lumbar vertebrae facet joint due to in a young immunocompetent adult, and the source of infection was found to be subacute infective endocarditis of a bicuspid aortic valve which was undiagnosed till now. Read More

Materials (Basel) 2022 May 5;15(9). Epub 2022 May 5.

Wallace H. Coulter School of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.

This paper provides a review of engineering applications and computational methods used to analyze the dynamics of heart valve closures in healthy and diseased states. Computational methods are a cost-effective tool that can be used to evaluate the flow parameters of heart valves. Valve repair and replacement have long-term stability and biocompatibility issues, highlighting the need for a more robust method for resolving valvular disease. Read More

Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi 2022 May;50(5):509-511

Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Research Unit of Cardiovascular Techniques and Devices, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, National Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China.

J Card Surg 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan.

J Cardiol 2022 May 16. Epub 2022 May 16.

Department of Echocardiography, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; Department of Echocardiography, Fuwai Yunnan Cardiovascular Hospital, Kunming, China. Electronic address:

Background: Cardiac blood cysts (BCs) are rare benign cardiac masses. This study aimed to summarize the clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with BCs.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients diagnosed with BC between 2009 and 2021 at a single center in China. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2022 May;15(10):1092

Cardiovasc Pathol 2022 May 16:107433. Epub 2022 May 16.

The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia; Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Whilst a combination of genetically mediated vulnerability and haemodynamic insult is suspected to contribute to bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) aortopathy, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood.

Methods: Utilising RT-qPCR, we compared the expression of 28 potentially relevant long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in aortic tissue from BAV patients undergoing aortic surgery for aortopathy, to healthy controls. Relative lncRNA expression was measured using ΔΔCT, with fold-change calculated as RQ=2. Read More

EuroIntervention 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Quebec Heart & Lung Institute, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.

S Afr Med J 2022 Apr 4;112(4):13554. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa.

Background: Prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of PVE in South African retrospective studies ranges between 13% and 17%.

Objectives: To define the clinical profile and outcomes of patients with PVE, and compare them with those of native valve endocarditis (NVE) patients. Read More

Eur Heart J 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

J Saudi Heart Assoc 2022 19;34(2):72-76. Epub 2022 Apr 19.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Health Sciences, Gülhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara 06010, Turkey.

Pseudoaneurysm of mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa is a rare entity related to mostly infective endocarditis and surgical trauma of aortic valve. Its diagnosis may be missed following trans-thoracic echocardiographic assessment. Therefore, further imaging investigation such as transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomographic angiography may play a key diagnostic role. Read More

World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2022 May 18:21501351221099272. Epub 2022 May 18.

12268Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, USA.

We report a case of a 38-year-old female with an variant who underwent valve-sparing aortic root replacement. encodes Filamin A, an actin-binding protein. Our patient had aortic root dilation due to this variant. Read More

J Med Ultrason (2001) 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.