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Abstract A 19‐year‐old woman with no previous cardiac history was admitted to the hospital with third‐degree atrioventricular block and left ventricular dysfunction. Her condition quickly deteriorated to severe biventricular failure and cardiogenic shock requiring mechanical circulatory support. An endomyocardial biopsy revealed lymphocytic myocarditis with no PCR‐detectable viral genomes, with CD8 T‐cell predominance and pro‐inflammatory macrophage expansion shown by myocardial flow cytometry. The therapy consisted of immunosuppression (high‐dose methylprednisolone) and temporary mechanical circulatory support with enhanced ability to achieve left ventricular unloading by combination of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with Impella (ECMELLA). After 2 weeks of support, complete and sustained recovery from myocarditis was observed.

Objective Approximately 3.4% of adults aged >75 years suffer from aortic stenosis (AS). Guideline indications for aortic valve replacement (AVR) distinguish between patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic severe AS. The present analysis aims to assess contemporary practice in the treatment of severe AS across Europe and identify characteristics associated with treatment decisions, namely denial of AVR in symptomatic patients and assignment of asymptomatic patients to AVR.Methods Participants of the prospective, multinational IMPULSE database of patients with severe AS were grouped according to AS symptoms, and stratified into subgroups based on assignment to/denial of AVR.Results Of 1608 symptomatic patients, 23.8% did not undergo AVR and underwent medical treatment. Denial was independently associated with multiple factors, including severe frailty (p=0.024); mitral (p=0.002) or tricuspid (p=0.004) regurgitation grade III/IV, and the presence of renal impairment (p=0.017). Of 392 asymptomatic patients, 86.5% had no prespecified indication for AVR. Regardless, 36.3% were assigned to valve replacement. Those with an indexed aortic valve area (AVA; p=0.045) or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; p

Aims There is an increasing awareness of gender-related differences in patients with severe aortic stenosis and their outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).Methods Data from the IMPULSE registry were analysed. Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) were enrolled between March 2015 and April 2017 and stratified by gender. A subgroup analysis was performed to assess the impact of age.Results Overall, 2171 patients were enrolled, and 48.0% were female. Women were characterised by a higher rate of renal impairment (31.7 vs 23.3%; p

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a strong predictor of prognosis in chronic heart failure. We aimed to evaluate the clinical correlates and interpretation of BNP monitoring in LVAD out-patient recipients. Methods: We performed a prospective study in 136 individuals after HeartMate II LVAD implantation. During follow-up they were divided into group A (severe adverse events requiring hospitalisation), group B (mild to moderate adverse events) and group C (an uneventful course). BNP was measured pre-implant, at the first out-patient visit, and then every 2 months. We identified the lowest level, and the level at the clinical event and/or the highest value in patients without clinical events (BNP peak). Results: During a median follow-up of 298 days, 8 patients (6%) died, 21 patients (15%) experienced a severe adverse event (group A) and 38 patients (28%) had other adverse event (group B). Both the absolute value of BNP peak and its percentage values relative to pre-implant, first visit and minimum BNP had similar areas under the curve (AUC) to identify individuals with adverse events (group A and B) from group C. The performance of BNP peak rose from detection of infection to diagnosis of heart failure and culminated in individuals with pump thrombosis (AUC 0.68 vs. 0.75 vs. 0.93). Conclusions: Serial measurement of BNP in outpatients with LVAD correlates with the occurrence of adverse events. Assessment of absolute values of BNP peak seems to have a similar accuracy to analysis of intra-individual variation of BNP and it is more practical.

Background Many patients with severe aortic stenosis are referred late with advanced symptoms or inappropriately denied intervention. The objective was to investigate whether a structured communication to referring physicians (facilitated data relay) might improve the rate and timeliness of intervention. Methods and Results A prospective registry of consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis at 23 centers in 9 European countries with transcatheter as well as surgical aortic valve replacement being available was performed. The study included a 3‐month documentation of the status quo (phase A), a 6‐month intervention phase (implementing facilitated data relay), and a 3‐month documentation of a legacy effect (phase‐B). Two thousand one hundred seventy‐one patients with severe aortic stenoses were enrolled (phase A: 759; intervention: 905; phase‐B: 507). Mean age was 77.9±10.0 years, and 80% were symptomatic, including 52% with severe symptoms. During phase A, intervention was planned in 464/696 (67%), 138 (20%) were assigned to watchful waiting, 8 (1%) to balloon aortic valvuloplasty, 60 (9%) were listed as not for active treatment, and in 26 (4%), no decision was made. Three hundred sixty‐three of 464 (78%) patients received the planned intervention within 3 months. Timeliness of the intervention improved as shown by the higher number of aortic valve replacements performed within 3 months (59% versus 51%, P=0.002) and a significant decrease in the time to intervention (36±38 versus 30±33 days, P=0.002). Conclusions A simple, low‐cost, facilitated data relay improves timeliness of treatment for patients diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis, resulting in a shorter time to transcatheter aortic valve replacement. This effect was mainly driven by a significant improvement in timeliness of intervention in transcatheter aortic valve replacement but not surgical aortic valve replacement. Clinical Trial Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. Unique identifier: NCT02241447.

Most people moving to suburban municipalities seek to enhance their quality of life. However, residential suburbanization may contribute to spatial separation of the population and adversely affect the collective quality of life. This article focuses on socio-geographical aspects of quality of life in the context of suburbanization from a theoretical perspective and also based on a case study in the countryside around the Czech city of Olomouc. Due to the complex nature of this issue, a range of qualitatively oriented methods was applied in the municipalities most affected by residential suburbanization. The findings of the case study show that quality of life for people living in these suburbs is influenced by geographical conditions as well as relations within the community and residents’ participation in public life in the municipality.