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We report a case of cycle length dependent activation sequence in the coronary sinus catheter during assessment of mitral-pulmonary vein isthmus block. A 61-year-old patient presented with atrial tachycardia following a recent pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. A perimitral macroreentrant atrial tachycardia was demonstrated during mapping. The isthmus block observed following initial ablation of the mitral-pulmonary vein appeared to be pacing cycle dependent and to our knowledge has not been previously described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preoperative differentiation of a thrombus from a myxoma is important but not always easy. Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of myxoma and thrombi are not diverse enough to always reliably distinguish the two. We report the case of a patient who was found to have a left atrial appendage thrombus that was misdiagnosed as a myxoma on the basis of its imaging characteristics on cardiac magnetic resonance in addition to the detection of dense neovascularization on coronary angiography. This case highlights the unusual features of an organized thrombus that can mimic many of the distinguishing characteristics of a myxoma. (Echocardiography 2010;27:E98-E101) The preoperative differentiation of a thrombus from a myxoma is important but not always easy. Clinical and echocardiographic features of myxoma and thrombi are not diverse enough to always reliably distinguish the two. We report the case of a patient who was found to have a left atrial appendage thrombus that was misdiagnosed as a myxoma on the basis of its imaging characteristics by cardiac magnetic resonance in addition to the detection of dense neovascularization on coronary angiography. This case highlights the unusual features of an organized thrombus that can mimic many of the distinguishing characteristics of a myxoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with supra-annular transcatheter heart valves has been adopted in patients with degenerated surgical aortic valves. The next generation self-expanding Evolut PRO valve has not been evaluated in patients with surgical valve failure. Methods and Results Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement in degenerated surgical aortic valve procedures using the Evolut R or Evolut PRO transcatheter heart valves in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry between April 2015 and June 2019 were evaluated. Transcatheter valve performance was evaluated by clinical site echocardiography. In-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year clinical outcomes were based on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons-American College of Cardiology-Transcatheter Valve Therapy registry definitions. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in degenerated surgical aortic valve was performed in 5897 patients (5061 [85.8%] patients received the Evolut R valve and 836 [14.2%] received the Evolut PRO valve). Thirty-day transcatheter heart valves hemodynamic performance was excellent in both groups (mean gradient: Evolut PRO: 13.8±7.5 mm Hg; Evolut R: 14.5±8.1 mm Hg), while paravalvular regurgitation was significantly different between valve types ( P =0.02). Clinical events were low at 30 days (Evolut PRO: for the all-cause mortality, 2.8%, any stroke was 1.8%, new pacemaker implantation, 3.0%: Evolut R:all-cause mortality, 2.5%, any stroke was 2.2%, new pacemaker implantation, 5.3%) and 1 year (Evolut PRO: all-cause mortality, 9.2%; any stroke, 3.1%; Evolut R: all-cause mortality, 9.8%; any stroke, 2.9%). Conclusions Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in degenerated surgical aortic valve with self-expandable supra-annular transcatheter heart valves is associated with excellent clinical outcomes and valve hemodynamics. Additional reductions in residual paravalvular regurgitation were obtained with the next generation Evolut PRO.

Background Suprasternal access is an alternative access strategy for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) where the innominate artery is cannulated from an incision above the sternal notch. To date, suprasternal access has never been compared with transfemoral TAVR. Thus, we sought to assess safety, feasibility, and early clinical outcomes between suprasternal and transfemoral access for patients undergoing TAVR. Methods and Results We evaluated patients from 2 institutional prospective, observational registries containing 1348 patients. Patients were selected in a 2:1 ratio (transfemoral:suprasternal) on the basis of propensity score matching. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and secondary outcomes included the incidence of ischemic stroke, major bleeding, vascular injury, left bundle-branch block, and permanent pacemaker implantation at 30-day follow-up. Propensity score matching identified 89 patients undergoing suprasternal TAVR and 159 patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR suitable for analysis. There was no significant difference between suprasternal TAVR and transfemoral TAVR with respect to in-hospital mortality (1.1% versus 0.6%; odds ratio [OR], 1.80; 95% CI, 0.11-29.06; P =0.680). No patients in either cohort suffered an ischemic stroke. The incidence of major bleeding (2.2% versus 2.5%; OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.16-4.96; P =0.895) and vascular injury (1.1% versus 1.9%; OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.06-5.77; P =0.651) did not differ significantly. The frequency of left bundle-branch block (9.4% versus 15.8%; OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.24-1.30; P =0.177) and permanent pacemaker implantation (11.2% versus 5.9%; OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 0.75-5.45; P =0.169) were not statistically significantly different. Conclusions Suprasternal TAVR was safe and achieved promising short-term clinical outcomes when compared with transfemoral TAVR. Future studies seeking to identify the optimal alternative access site should evaluate suprasternal TAVR access alongside other substitutes for transfemoral TAVR.

Background The impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) in intermediate surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis who undergo either transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) is not well established. Methods and Results Data were assessed in 2663 patients from the PARTNER (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve) 2A or S3i trials. Analyses grouped patients into 3 categories according to their baseline and discharge rhythms (ie, sinus rhythm [SR]/SR, SR/AF, or AF/AF). Among patients with transcatheter AVR (n=1867), 79.2% had SR/SR, 17.6% had AF/AF, and 3.2% had SR/AF. Among patients with surgical AVR (n=796), 71.7% had SR/SR, 14.1% had AF/AF, and 14.2% had SR/AF. Patients with transcatheter AVR in AF at discharge had increased 2-year mortality (SR/AF versus SR/SR; hazard ratio [HR], 2.73; 95% CI, 1.68-4.44; P <0.0001; AF/AF versus SR/SR; HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.16-2.09; P =0.003); patients with SR/AF also experienced increased 2-year mortality relative to patients with AF/AF (HR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.04-3.00; P =0.03). For patients with surgicalAVR, the presence of AF at discharge was also associated with increased 2-year mortality (SR/AF versus SR/SR; HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.25-2.96; P =0.002; and AF/AF versus SR/SR; HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.06-2.63; P =0.027). Rehospitalization and persistent advanced heart failure symptoms were also more common among patients with transcatheter AVR and surgical AVR discharged in AF, and major bleeding was more common in the transcatheter AVR cohort. Conclusions The presence of AF at discharge in patients with intermediate surgical risk aortic stenosis was associated with worse outcomes-especially in patients with baseline SR-including increased all-cause mortality at 2-year follow-up. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifiers: NCT01314313 and NCT03222128.

Background & Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as the most common liver disease. The only effective treatment is 7%-10% weight loss. Mobile technology is increasingly used in weight management. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of text messaging intervention on weight loss in patients with NAFLD., Methods: Thirty well-defined NAFLD patients (mean age 52 years, 67% females, mean BMI 38) were randomized 1:1 to control group: counselling on healthy diet and exercise, or intervention group: text messages in addition to healthy life style counselling. NAFLD text messaging program sent weekly messages for 22 weeks on healthy life style education. Primary outcome was change in weight. Secondary outcomes were changes in liver enzymes and lipid profile., Results: Intervention group lost an average of 6.9 lbs. (P = .03) compared to gain of 1.8 lbs. in the control group (P = .45). Intervention group also showed a decrease in ALT level (-12.5 IU/L, P = .035) and improvement in serum triglycerides (-28 mg/dL, P = .048). There were no changes in the control group on serum ALT level (-6.1 IU/L, P = .46) and on serum triglycerides (-20.3 mg/dL P = .27). Using one-way analysis of variance, change in outcomes in intervention group compared to control group was significant for weight (P = .02) and BMI (P = .02)., Conclusions: Text messaging on healthy life style is associated with reduction in weight in NAFLD patients. Larger studies are suggested to examine benefits on liver histology, and assess long-term impact of this approach in patients with NAFLD., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The influence of coronary artery disease (CAD) on clinical and echocardiographic outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is still controversial. We sought to evaluate the impact of CAD severity as measured by the SYNTAX score (SS) on patients undergoing TAVR., Methods and Results: A total of 377 patients who underwent TAVR in 2 high-volume centers in North America were included in our retrospective analysis. A blinded angiographic core laboratory calculated the SS on all available coronary angiograms with the use of quantitative coronary analysis. Patients were stratified into 4 groups: (1) no CAD (SS=0); (2) low SS (SS between 1 and 22); (3) intermediate SS (SS between 23 and 32); and (4) high SS (SS ≥33). Patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention within 6 months prior to TAVR were separated into 2 categories based on their residual SS (<8 and ≥8). Patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were divided into 2 groups: (1) low CABG SS and (2) high CABG SS. The primary end point was a composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke. At 30 days and 1 year, both the presence and the severity of CAD had no impact on the rate of the combined primary end point and on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and myocardial infarction. Patients with less complete revascularization (residual SS ≥8 versus residual SS <8 and low CABG SS versus high CABG SS, had similar rates of the combined primary end point, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, MI, and stroke, at both 30 days and 1 year., Conclusions: In our core laboratory-validated study, neither the severity of CAD nor completeness of revascularization after percutaneous coronary intervention or CABG were associated with clinical outcomes after TAVR, at both 30 days and 1 year., (© 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.)

Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) occurs in about one-third of individuals reporting long-term heavy alcohol use. It is associated with high short-term mortality, economic burden, and hospital resources utilization. We performed this systematic review to (i) describe clinical characteristics and genomics associated with the risk of AH; (ii) discuss role and limitations of liver biopsy and prognostic scoring systems; (iii) summarize evidence regarding the currently available therapies including liver transplantation; and (iv) outline emerging therapies with areas of unmet need. Literature search was performed for studies published in English language (January 1971 through March 2016). The following search engines were used: PubMed, Elsevier Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library. For the treatment section, only randomized controlled studies were included for this review. A total of 138 studies (59 randomized, 22 systematic reviews or meta-analyses, 7 surveys or guidelines, 7 population-based, and 43 prospective cohorts) were cited. There are over 325,000 annual admissions with AH contributing to about 0.8% of all hospitalizations in the United States. Liver biopsy may be required in about 25 to 30% cases for uncertain clinical diagnosis. Corticosteroids with or without N-acetylcysteine remains the only available therapy for severe episodes. Data are emerging on the role of liver transplantation as salvage therapy for select patients. Abstinence remains the most important factor impacting long-term prognosis. Results from the ongoing clinical trials within the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism-funded consortia are awaited for more effective and safer therapies. AH is a potentially lethal condition with a significant short-term mortality. A high index of suspicion is required. There remains an unmet need for noninvasive biomarkers for the diagnosis, and predicting prognosis and response to therapy., (Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.)

Although use of the laser for stapedectomy has become common in recent years, controversy remains regarding whether the CO2 or visible-spectrum lasers (argon and KTP) are best suited for this operation. The main concern has been the potential for thermal injury to the inner ear with the visible-spectrum lasers attributable to their absorption characteristics. To further investigate this issue, the author performed 20 laser stapedectomies on adult chinchillas. Following placement of a 0.127-mm-diameter copper/constantan thermocouple (sampling at 12 Hz) beneath the footplate on the medial wall of the vestibule via a distant fenestration site, thermal changes with a micromanipulator-based CO2 and fiberoptic KTP system were compared. This was the first live animal model comparison of these two lasers. There was no statistical difference in the mean temperature elevation between the two systems (P = 0.395).