Abstract
Aims
To describe the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging findings of patients who developed myocarditis following messenger RNA (mRNA) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination.
...Methods and results
The present study retrospectively evaluated patients with clinically adjudicated myocarditis within 42 days of the first Pfizer-BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, between 20 December 2020 and 24 May 2021 who underwent CMR. A total of 15 out 54 patients (28%) with myocarditis underwent a CMR and were included, 100% males, median age of 32 years (interquartile range = 22.5–40). Most patients presented with chest pain (87%) and had an abnormal electrocardiogram (79%). The severity of the disease was mild in 67% and intermediate in 33%. All patients survived and one patient was readmitted during the study period. CMR was performed at a median of 65 days (range 3–130 days) following diagnosis. Median ejection fraction was 58% (range 51–74%) global- and regional wall motion abnormalities were present in one and three patients, respectively. Native T1 was available in 13/15 patients (2/3 in 3 T and 11/12 in the 1.5 T), with increased values among 6/13. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was found among 13/15 patients with a median of 2% (range 0–15%) with inferolateral wall being the most common location (8/13). The patterns of the LGE were: mid-wall in six patients; epicardial in five patients; and mid-wall and epicardial in two patients.
Conclusions
Among patients who were diagnosed with post-vaccination clinical myocarditis, CMR imaging findings are mild and consistent with ‘classical myocarditis’. The short-term clinical course and outcomes were favourable.
Abstract
Aims
The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) with balloon-expandable (BE) valves vs. ...self-expandable (SE) valves. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a minimally invasive and lifesaving treatment in patients with aortic valve stenosis. Even though BE-valves and SE-valves are both commonly used on a large scale, adequately sized trials comparing clinical outcomes in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis treated with BE-valves compared with SE-valves are lacking.
Methods and results
In this CENTER-collaboration, data from 10 registries or clinical trials, selected through a systematic search, were pooled and analysed. Propensity score methodology was used to reduce treatment selection bias and potential confounding. The primary endpoints were mortality and stroke at 30 days follow-up in patients treated with BE-valves compared with SE-valves. Secondary endpoints included clinical outcomes, e.g. bleeding during hospital admission. All outcomes were split for early-generation BE-valves compared with early-generation SE-valves and new-generation BE-valves with new-generation SE-valves. The overall patient population (N = 12 381) included 6239 patients undergoing TAVI with BE-valves and 6142 patients with SE-valves. The propensity matched population had a mean age of 81 ± 7 years and a median STS-PROM score or 6.5% interquartile range (IQR) 4.0–13.0%. At 30-day follow-up, the mortality rate was not statistically different in patients undergoing TAVI with BE-valves compared with SE-valves BE: 5.3% vs. SE: 6.2%, relative risk (RR) 0.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7–1.0, P = 0.10. Stroke occurred less frequently in patients treated with BE-valves (BE: 1.9% vs. SE: 2.6%, RR 0.7; 95% CI 0.5–1.0, P = 0.03). Also, patients treated with BE-valves had a three-fold lower risk of requiring pacemaker implantation (BE: 7.8% vs. SE: 20.3%, RR 0.4; 95% CI 0.3–0.4, P < 0.001). In contrast, patients treated with new-generation BE-valves more frequently experienced major and life-threatening bleedings compared with new-generation SE-valves (BE: 4.8% vs. SE: 2.1%, RR 2.3; 95% CI 1.6–3.3, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
In this study, which is the largest study to compare valve types in TAVI, we demonstrated that the incidence of stroke and pacemaker implantation was lower in patients undergoing transfemoral TAVI with BE-valves compared with SE-valves. In contrast, patients treated with new-generation BE-valves more often suffered from major or life-threatening bleedings than patients with new-generation SE-valves. Mortality at 30-days was not statistically different in patients treated with BE-valves compared with SE-valves. This study was a propensity-matched analysis generated from observational data, accordingly current outcomes will have to be confirmed in a large scale randomized controlled trial.
Background We aimed to describe the characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients during the Covid-19 era. Methods We conducted a ...prospective, multicenter study involving 13 intensive cardiac care units, to evaluate consecutive STEMI patients admitted throughout an 8-week period during the Covid-19 outbreak. These patients were compared with consecutive STEMI patients admitted during the corresponding period in 2018 who had been prospectively documented in the Israeli bi-annual National Acute Coronary Syndrome Survey. The primary end-point was defined as a composite of malignant arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, and/or in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included individual components of primary outcome, cardiogenic shock, mechanical complications, electrical complications, re-infarction, stroke, and pericarditis. Results The study cohort comprised 1466 consecutive acute MI patients, of whom 774 (53%) were hospitalized during the Covid-19 outbreak. Overall, 841 patients were diagnosed with STEMI: 424 (50.4%) during the Covid-19 era and 417 (49.6%) during the parallel period in 2018. Although STEMI patients admitted during the Covid-19 period had fewer co-morbidities, they presented with a higher Killip class (p value = .03). The median time from symptom onset to reperfusion was extended from 180 minutes (IQR 122-292) in 2018 to 290 minutes (IQR 161-1080, p < .001) in 2020. Hospitalization during the Covid-19 era was independently associated with an increased risk of the combined endpoint in the multivariable regression model (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.03-2.68, p value = .04). Furthermore, the rate of mechanical complications was four times higher during the Covid-19 era (95% CI 1.42-14.8, p-value = .02). However, in-hospital mortality remained unchanged (OR 1.73, 95% CI 0.81-3.78, p-value = .16). Conclusions STEMI patients admitted during the first wave of Covid-19 outbreak, experienced longer total ischemic time, which was translated into a more severe disease status upon hospital admission, and a higher rate of in-hospital adverse events, compared with parallel period.
The extent of myocardial fibrosis in patients with severe aortic stenosis might have an important prognostic value. Non-invasive imaging to quantify myocardial fibrosis by measuring extracellular ...volume fraction might have an important clinical utility prior to aortic valve intervention.
Seventy-five consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis, and 19 normal subjects were prospectively recruited and underwent pre- and post-contrast computed tomography for estimating myocardial extracellular volume fraction. Serum level of galectin-3 was measured and 2-dimensional echocardiography was performed to characterize the extent of cardiac damage using a recently published aortic stenosis staging classification.
Extracellular volume fraction was higher in patients with aortic stenosis compared to normal subjects (40.0±11% vs. 21.6±5.6%; respectively, p<0.001). In patients with aortic stenosis, extracellular volume fraction correlated with markers of left ventricular decompensation including New York Heart Association functional class, left atrial volume, staging classification of aortic stenosis and lower left ventricular ejection fraction. Out of 75 patients in the AS group, 49 underwent TAVI, 6 surgical AVR, 2 balloon valvuloplasty, and 18 did not undergo any type of intervention. At 12-months after aortic valve intervention, extracellular volume fraction predicted the combined outcomes of stroke and hospitalization for heart failure with an area under the curve of 0.77 (95% confidence interval: 0.65-0.88). A trend for correlation between serum galectin-3 and extracellular volume was noted.
In patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing computed tomography before aortic valve intervention, quantification of extracellular volume fraction correlated with functional status and markers of left ventricular decompensation, and predicted the 12-months composite adverse clinical outcomes. Implementation of this novel technique might aid in the risk stratification process before aortic valve interventions.
Background
The last decade, regarded as the DES era in PCI, has witnessed significant advances in the management of coronary disease. We aimed to assess temporal trends in the practice and outcome of ...percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during the drug eluting stent (DES) era.
Methods
We analyzed 18,641 consecutive PCI's performed between January 2004 and December 2016, distinguished by procedural date (Q1: 2004–2006, n = 4,865; Q2: 2007–2009, n = 4,977; Q3: 2010–2012, n = 4,230; Q4: 2013–2016, n = 4,569).
Results
At presentation, mean patients age was 65 (±11) years and 22.8% were females. Over time, there was a rise in the relative number of octogenarians (Q1: 10.7% vs Q4: 15.5%, P < 0.001) and an increase in the burden of most comorbidities (e.g., left ventricular dysfunction ≥ moderate and chronic kidney disease, P < 0.001 for both). Despite a 2‐fold increase in the rate of complex interventions, and a 3‐fold increase in the rate of unprotected left‐main angioplasty (P < 0.001 for both), the radial approach was increasingly adopted (Q1: 2% to Q4: 63.5%, P < 0.001). DES implantation increased from 43% to 83% at the expense of bare metal stent (BMS) application, and accompanied by drug coated balloon sprout to 1.8%, P < 0.001. Kaplan–Meier survival curves revealed a time‐based enhanced outcome, with a decreased rate of death, MI, target vessel revascularization and CABG over the years.
Conclusions
In the last decade, PCI has evolved to offer better outcome to more elderly, sicker patient population, with more complex coronary disease interventions. The shift to second generation DES and to enhanced PCI techniques may explain part of this progress.
Purpose
To evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary the “Endocarditis Team” (ET) on the course and outcome of infective endocarditis (IE) patients.
Methods
A retrospective before–after study, ...including hospitalized patients with definite IE, managed before (01.2013–12.2015) and after (01.2016–07.2019) the introduction of an ET. The primary outcomes were defined as 30-day and 1-year mortality and the secondary as conservative vs. invasive strategy, the interval from clinical suspicion of IE to the performance of echocardiography, utilization of multimodality evaluation, time to an invasive procedure, and the duration of hospitalization.
Results
Study population included 92 pre-ET and 128 post-ET implementation patients. Baseline characteristics were similar. During the post-ET period compared with pre-ET, we found higher rates of abscesses and extra-cardiac emboli (27.8% vs. 16.3%,
p
= 0.048); and a higher invasive procedures rate, including lead extraction (15.6% vs. 6.5%,
p
= 0.035) and noncardiac surgeries (14.8% vs. 6.5%,
p
= 0.05). Patients managed during the post-ET period had reduced short (8.5% vs. 17.4%,
p
= 0.048) and long-term mortality (Log-rank = 0.001). In multivariate analysis of risk factors for long-term mortality, period (pre- or post-ET) was not found to be significantly associated with the mortality.
Conclusion
Establishment of an ET was associated with faster and more intensive evaluation of patients with IE. During the period of an ET activity, mortality rates were reduced compared with the previous period.
In contrast to surgical aortic valve replacement, left ventricle (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) had not been clearly associated with mortality following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
We ...performed a retrospective analysis of patients enrolled in the Israeli multicenter TAVR registry for whom preprocedural LV mass index (LVMI) data were available. Patients were divided into categories according to LVMI: normal LVMI and mild, moderate, and severe LVH. Mild LVH was regarded as the reference group. Additionally, LV geometry patterns were examined (concentric and eccentric LVH, and concentric remodeling).
The cohort consisted of 1,559 patients, 46.5% male, with a mean age of 82.2 (±6.8) years and mean LVMI of 121 (±29) g/m2. Rates of normal LVMI and mild, moderate, and severe LVH were 31% (n = 485), 21% (n = 322), 18% (n = 279), and 30% (n = 475), respectively. Three-year mortality rates for normal LVMI and mild, moderate, and severe LVH were 19.8%, 18.3%, 23.7%, and 24.4%, respectively. Compared to mild LVH, moderate LVH and severe LVH were independently associated with an increased risk for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.15-2.18, P = .005; HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.1-1.95, P = .009; respectively). Concentric LVH was independently associated with a decreased risk for mortality compared to normal LV geometry (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.63-0.89, P = .001). Compared to concentric LVH, eccentric LVH was independently associated with a 33% increased risk for mortality (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.11-1.60, P = .002).
Mild concentric LVH confers a protective effect among patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVR. However, hypertrophy becomes maladaptive, and an increased baseline LVMI, eccentric pattern particularly, may be associated with all-cause mortality in this population.
Aim
To compare procedural outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients treated with new-generation valves.
Methods
We performed a retrospective analysis on an Israeli ...multicenter registry comprised of four tertiary centers, comparing patient outcomes implanted with the Edwards SAPIEN S3 (ES3) vs. the Medtronic Evolut R (MER) valves.
Results
The study population included 735 patients (ES3
n
= 223; MER
n
= 512). The use of MER was significantly associated (
p
< 0.05) with higher rates of post-dilatation (35% vs. 10%), and the need for a second valve (2.7% vs. 0.5%). Procedural device success was comparable between groups (97% vs. 98%,
p
= 0.76); however, moderate angiographic paravalvular leak was higher (3.3% vs. 0.5%,
p
= 0.027) for MER vs. ES3, respectively. As compared to MER, 1 month echocardiography revealed higher peak and mean aortic valve gradients for ES3 (12/6 vs. 17/10 mmHg,
p
< 0.001, respectively). While the safety outcome at 1 month was lower for MER (8.8% vs. 13.9%,
p
= 0.035), similar 1-month, 1-year, and 3-year all-cause mortality were observed (1.9% vs. 1.3%; 8% vs. 8.5%, and 9.7 vs. 10.3%, for MER vs. ES3, respectively). In a propensity score matching analysis, there was no difference in major outcomes between the groups, including device success and the 1 month safety outcome.
Conclusion
Although favorable efficacy and safety clinical outcomes were observed in this large contemporary registry for both new-generation devices used, some procedural and post-procedural outcomes differ significantly between the two valves.
Background and Aims. Plasma levels of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (sTREM-1) reflect innate immune cell activation. We sought to evaluate sTREM-1 levels in patients with ...acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and their predictive value for disease severity and outcome. Methods. Plasma sTREM-1 levels were prospectively measured by ELISA in 121 consecutive patients with new-onset (≤24 h) chest pain at arrival to the emergency department (ED) and 73 healthy controls. Secondary endpoints were the association of plasma levels of sTREM-1 with day 30 and month 6 major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as death, ACS, stroke, and need for coronary revascularization, as well as with CAD severity. The primary endpoint of the study was the association of plasma sTREM-1 level at the time of admission to the ED with a diagnosis of ACS at day 30. Results. Fifty-nine patients (48.7%) were diagnosed with ACS and 62 (51.3%) with nonspecific chest pain (NSCP). Median plasma sTREM-1 level at admission was significantly higher in the ACS group than the NSCP group and the control group (539.4±330.3 pg/ml vs. 432.5±196.4 pg/ml vs. 230.1±85.5 pg/ml, respectively; P<0.001) and positively correlated with the number of stenosed/occluded coronary arteries on angiography (P<0.001). On logistic regression analysis, higher sTREM-1 levels predicted definite ACS vs. NSCP determined on day 30 (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.07-1.54, P=0.01) as well as with recurrent ACS (P=0.04) and stroke (P=0.02) at 6 months. Conclusions. Plasma sTREM-1 levels are significantly elevated in patients with ACS and might serve as a biomarker differentiating ACS from NSCP in the ED as well as an inflammatory biomarker for coronary artery disease severity and outcome.
Large vessel vasculitis (LVV) is composed of conditions in which inflammation of blood vessel walls affects mainly large arteries, such as the aorta and its main branches, and in some cases the ...coronary arteries. Coronary artery involvement in systemic vasculitis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We present a case of a young patient diagnosed with extensive coronary disease diagnosed as Takayasu arteritis, when whom a concomitant diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma was made. The literature review revealed ten cases of malignancies associated with Takayasu arteritis. We discuss the complexity of the management of concurrent hematological malignancy with TAK and extensive coronary arteritis. This complicated and cross-disciplinary case also represents the pivotal importance of multi-disciplinary team decision in order to achieve the best clinical outcome of both disorders.
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