Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

BMC Surg 2022 May 21;22(1):199. Epub 2022 May 21.

Department of Cardiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guoxue Street, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041, China.

Background: Percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy is a common therapeutic approach for rheumatic mitral stenosis. Avulsion of the papillary muscle is a rare but serious complication of balloon mitral valvotomy. The papillary muscles are derived from the trabecular layer of the developing ventricular walls. Read More

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

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Cardiac Surgery, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Pulmonary valve infective endocarditis (PVIE) represents a rare subset of right-sided IE. This study aimed to evaluate the population-level surgical outcomes of PVIE in the United States.

Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study using the 2002-2017 National Inpatient Sample database. 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

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

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

Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2022 May 17. Epub 2022 May 17.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne; Heart Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne; Melbourne Centre for Cardiovascular Genomics and Regenerative Medicine, Melbourne. Electronic address:

Background: Mitral valve infective endocarditis (IE) in children is rare, and there are few reports on the outcomes of surgery in these patients. This study investigated the long-term outcomes of mitral valve repair in children with IE.

Methods: Data were retrospectively obtained from medical records and correspondence. 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

Front Nutr 2022 28;9:842734. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Department of Geriatric Intensive Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Geriatrics Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China.

Background: The prognostic value of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in elderly patients is controversial. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between the preoperative LDL-C and adverse outcomes in elderly patients undergoing valve replacement surgery (VRS).

Methods: A total of 2,552 aged patients (age ≥ 60 years) undergoing VRS were retrospectively recruited and divided into two groups according to LDL-C level on admission: low LDL-C (<70 mg/dL, = 205) and high LDL-C groups (≥ 70 mg/dL, = 2,347). 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.

Heart 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Laboratories (CORELAB), Division of Cardiac Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

Objective: Although kidney transplant (KTx) recipients are at significant risk for cardiovascular disease, outcomes following cardiac operations have been examined in limited series. The present study thus aimed to assess the impact of KTx on in-hospital perioperative outcomes and readmissions in a nationally representative cohort.

Methods: All adults undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting, valve repair/replacement or a combination thereof were identified from the 2010-2018 Nationwide Readmissions Database. 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.

Clin Med (Lond) 2022 May;22(3):282-284

Wexham Park Hospital, Slough, UK

A 60-year-old woman presented with sudden-onset epigastric pain, vomiting and small volume rectal bleeding. She had a history of mechanical mitral valve replacement, for which she was on warfarin. Computed tomography (CT) angiography of the abdomen showed gallstones, a fluid-filled stomach and faecal loading. Read More

Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2022 May 15. Epub 2022 May 15.

Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. Electronic address:

Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2022 May 6. Epub 2022 May 6.

Heart Centre for Children, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Objective: We studied the effect of various coronary transfer techniques (CTT) on neo-aortic root size after an arterial switch operation (ASO) in simple transposition by excluding the impact of recognized predisposing factors.

Methods: 178 patients with simple transposition were reviewed retrospectively (January 2004-December 2018) and grouped as Punch Hole (n=83/178), Non-Punch Hole (n=65/178; Trapdoor or Standard) and Mixed (n=30/178). Factors predicting the neo-aortic root z-scores- annulus, mid-sinus, and sino-tubular junction (STJ) were analysed by uni/multivariable linear regression. Read More

Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

APHP, Département de la Recherche Clinique et du Développement (DRCD) Groupement Interrégional de Recherche Clinique et d'Innovation-GIRCI Ile-de-France Hôpital Saint Louis.

Aims: Despite growing evidence that aortic valve repair improves long-term patient outcomes and quality of life, aortic valves are mostly replaced. We evaluate the effect of aortic valve repair versus replacement in patients with dystrophic aortic root aneurysm up to 4 years.

Methods: The multicentric CAVIAAR prospective cohort study enrolled 261 patients: 130 underwent standardized aortic valve repair (REPAIR) consisting of remodelling root repair with expansible aortic ring annuloplasty, and 131 received mechanical composite valve and graft replacement (REPLACE). Read More

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Cardiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Aims: The association between use of statins, renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors and/or β-blockers and long-term mortality in patients with aortic stenosis who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is unknown.

Methods And Results: All patients with aortic stenosis who underwent isolated first time SAVR in Sweden from 2006 to 2017 and survived six months after discharge were included. Individual patient data from four mandatory nationwide registries were merged. Read More

J Card Surg 2022 May 17. Epub 2022 May 17.

Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.

J Cardiol Cases 2022 May 3;25(5):297-299. Epub 2022 Jan 3.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka Police Hospital, Kitayama-cho 10-31, Tennouji-ku, Osaka 543-0035, Japan.

Cardiac calcified amorphous tumors are rare non-neoplastic intracavitary masses. Herein, we report a case of a 75-year-old woman who presented with dyspnea on exertion and multiple cerebral infarctions 3 months prior. Transthoracic echocardiography showed severe mitral regurgitation from the posterior mitral leaflet with valve perforation and severe mitral annular calcification. Read More

J Cardiol Cases 2022 May 16;25(5):282-284. Epub 2021 Dec 16.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan.

We report a case of mechanical prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis in a 52-year-old woman with previous diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy, who was supported with advanced mechanical circulatory support after urgent mechanical mitral valve replacement (MVR) and tricuspid annuloplasty. Difficult weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass needed support with veno-arterial extracorporeal membranous oxygenation and Impella (Abiomed Inc, Danvers, MA, USA), so-called ECPELLA. Temporary discontinuation of heparin and massive blood transfusion were necessary due to four times of reoperation for bleeding during ECPELLA support. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2022 May 18;23:e935526. Epub 2022 May 18.

Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

BACKGROUND Osteogenesis imperfecta is a skeletal disease with a range of phenotypes, depending on the genetic mutation. Individuals with osteogenesis imperfecta type I often have mutations in COL1A genes. This disease can be associated with chest wall deformities such as pectus excavatum, but the number of patients with this presentation is limited, and genetic variants associated with this phenotype have not been reported. Read More

J Cardiothorac Surg 2022 May 17;17(1):121. Epub 2022 May 17.

Department of Comprehensive Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.

Background: The current study aimed to investigate the sleep quality of patients after valve replacement surgery due to infective endocarditis and identify risk factors for disturbed sleep post hospitalisation.

Methods: Eighty patients were assessed postoperatively using subjective scale measures, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and the Epworth sleepiness scale, and an objective measure, actigraphy. Scale measures were assessed approximately 2 weeks and 6 months after surgery. Read More

Open Heart 2022 May;9(1)

Cardiology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK.

Objectives: The management of severe aortic stenosis mandates consideration of aortic valve intervention for symptomatic patients. However, for asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis, recent randomised trials supported earlier intervention. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate all the available data comparing the two management strategies. Read More

Heart 2022 May 17. Epub 2022 May 17.

Cardiac Anaesthesia, St George's Hospital, London, UK.

Objective: To determine the early and long-term outcomes of conventional aortic root (ARR) and valve-sparing root replacement (VSRR) using a standard perioperative and operative approach.

Methods: We present prospectively collected data of 609 consecutive patients undergoing elective and urgent aortic root surgery (470 ARR, 139 VSRR) between 2006 and 2020. Primary outcomes were operative mortality and incidence of postoperative complications. Read More

JAMA 2022 05;327(19):1870-1871

Division of Cardiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.