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Pericardial diseases can be classified broadly as 3 entities: acute pericarditis, cardiac tamponade, and constrictive pericarditis. These disorders can be diagnosed and managed with noninvasive studies following a comprehensive history and physical examination, without the need for cardiac catheterization in most patients. Despite the advances in noninvasive cardiac imaging, there are limitations to their diagnostic accuracy. The invasive hemodynamic study offers the advantage of simultaneous, direct pressure measurement across multiple chambers, with direct examination of blood flow. Herein, the authors review the techniques for obtaining and interpreting invasive hemodynamic data in patients with suspected pericardial disease.

Platelet adhesion and aggregation at the site of coronary stenting can have catastrophic clinical and economic consequences. Therefore, effective platelet inhibition is vital during and after percutaneous coronary intervention. Eptifibatide is an intravenous antiplatelet agent that blocks the final common pathway of platelet aggregation and thrombus formation by binding to glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptors on the surface of platelets. In clinical studies, eptifibatide was associated with a significant reduction of mortality, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. However, recent trials conducted in the era of dual antiplatelet therapy and newer anticoagulants failed to demonstrate similar results. The previously seen favorable benefit of eptifibatide was mainly offset by the increased risk of bleeding. Current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend its use as an adjunct in high-risk patients who are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with traditional anticoagulants (heparin or enoxaparin), who are not otherwise at high risk of bleeding. In patients receiving bivalirudin (a newer safer anticoagulant), routine use of eptifibatide is discouraged except in select situations (eg, angiographic complications). Although older pharmacoeconomic studies favor eptifibatide, in the current era of P2Y12 inhibitors and newer safer anticoagulants, the increased costs associated with bleeding make the routine use of eptifibatide an economically nonviable option. The cost-effectiveness of eptifibatide with the use of strategies that decrease the bleeding risk (eg, transradial access) is unknown. This review provides an overview of key clinical and economic studies of eptifibatide well into the current era of potent antiplatelet agents, novel safer anticoagulants, and contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention., Video abstract

Objectives The study undertook a systematic review to establish and compare the risk of stroke between the 2 widely used approaches (transfemoral [TF] vs. transapical [TA]) and valve designs (CoreValve, Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota vs. Edwards Valve, Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Background There has been a rapid adoption and expansion in the use of TAVR. The technique is however far from perfect and requires further refinement to alleviate safety concerns that include stroke. Methods All studies reporting on the risk of stroke after TAVR were identified using an electronic search and pooled using established meta-analytical guidelines. Results 25 multicenter registries and 33 single-center studies were included in the analysis. There was no difference in pooled 30-day stroke post-TAVR between the TF and TA approach in multicenter (2.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.4 to 3.4] vs. 2.8% [95% CI: 2.0 to 3.9]) and single-center studies (3.8% [95% CI: 3.1 to 4.6] vs. 3.4% [95% CI: 2.5 to 4.5]). Similarly, there was no difference in pooled 30-day stroke post TAVR between the CoreValve and Edwards Valve in multicenter (2.4% [95% CI: 1.9 to 3.2] vs. 3.0% [95% CI: 2.4 to 3.7]) and single-center studies (3.8% [95% CI: 2.8 to 4.9] vs. 3.2% [95% CI: 2.4 to 4.3]). There was a decline in stroke risk with experience and technological advancement. There was no difference in the outcome of 30-day stroke between TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the risk of 30-day stroke after TAVR is similar between the approaches and valve types. There has been a decline in stroke risk after TAVR with improvements in valve technology, patient selection, and operator experience.

Background Evaluation of pain localized to the chest in the emergency room is, challenging, time-consuming, costly, and often inconclusive. Available research, though limited, suggests a role for MDCTA in the evaluation of patients with acute chest pain of low to intermediate risk, for identifying and excluding ACSs during the initial emergency department evaluation. Accordingly, our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the diagnostic accuracy of MDCTA in this setting. Methods We included all studies that compared MDCTA with either coronary angiography or standard of care for early and accurate triage of patients presenting with acute chest pain. Published studies were identified by searches of the Pubmed, Ovid and Google scholar databases as well as hand searches of selected references. Data were extracted independently by two reviewers. Included studies were evaluated for heterogeneity. Meta-analysis was performed at patient level using a random-effects model. Results 16 studies totaling 1119 patients were included in the current meta-analysis: one randomized trial, one retrospective analysis and fourteen prospective cohort studies. Pooled DOR was 190.80 (95%CI, 102.94–353.65). The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.96 (95%CI, 0.93–0.98) and 0.92(95%CI, 0.89–0.94) respectively. The pooled NLR and PLR were 0.09 (95%CI, 0.06–0.14) and 10.12 (95%CI, 6.73–15.22). Conclusion MDCTA has an excellent diagnostic accuracy in detection of significant coronary artery stenosis in patients with acute chest pain. This diagnostic accuracy of MDCTA has a potential for rapid triage of patients in the ED, with acute chest pain of low to intermediate risk of acute coronary syndrome, to rule out significant epicardial stenosis as the etiology of chest pain.

Dyslipidemia and the contributions of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) are independent cardiovascular risk factors. There is growing evidence that dyslipidemia contributes not only to cardiovascular disease but also to the progressive decline of renal function in diabetic and non-diabetic kidney disease. Ox-LDL, by generating inflammation and oxidative stress, contributes to a pro-atherogenic mileu and leads to endothelial dysfunction, subsequent glomerular filtration barrier damage, and progressive renal injury. Chronic kidney disease (CKD), in turn, induces deleterious effects on lipid metabolism. Therefore, by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis and reducing ox-LDL, HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are attractive therapeutic options to preserve renal function. Current evidence demonstrates a reduction in cardiovascular risk and improved renal outcomes especially in patients with mild to moderate impairment of renal function. Evidence supports a beneficial role of statins thought to extend beyond their lipid-lowering effect, referred to as pleiotropic actions. These actions include modulatory effects on inflammation, oxidative stress and thrombosis, derived from their ability to prevent the formation of isoprenoid intermediates involved in cellular signaling, posttranslational modification of proteins and cellular function. This translates to potential reductions in the rate of decline in GFR in CKD and adverse effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the kidney. This review examines the role of statins for reno-protection as well as cardiovascular benefit in patients with CKD.

The goal of this study was to provide a systematic review comparing the long-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) versus coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) for unprotected left main coronary artery (UPLM) stenosis.One-year outcomes from randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and pooled analyses have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of PCI of the UPLM when compared with CABG. However, there remain concerns over the sustainability of PCI with DES at longer follow-up.Studies published between January 2000 and December 2012 of PCI versus CABG for UPLM stenosis were identified using an electronic search and reviewed using meta-analytical techniques.Twenty-four studies comprising 14,203 patients were included in the analysis. There was no significant difference for all-cause mortality between PCI or CABG at 1 year (odds ratio [OR]: 0.792, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53 to 1.19), 2 years (OR: 0.920, 95% CI: 0.67 to 1.26), 3 years (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.60 to 1.48), 4 years (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.53 to 1.33), and 5 years (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.57 to 1.08). The need for target vessel revascularization (TVR) was significantly higher in patients undergoing PCI at all time points. The occurrence of stroke, however, was significantly less frequent in patients treated with PCI. The occurrence of nonfatal myocardial infarction showed a statistically significant trend towards a lower incidence in CABG patients at 1 year (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.05 to 2.50), 2 years (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.09 to 2.35), and 3 years (OR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.36 to 3.1). There was no significant difference in combined major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events between the 2 groups.Our findings suggest that PCI with DES is a safe and durable alternative to CABG for the revascularization of UPLM stenosis in select patients at long-term follow-up.

Venomous snakebite is a common problem in India. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence, risk factors and prognostic factors in snakebite induced acute renal failure and to determine their outcome from a tertiary care center in India. A total of 1548 cases of snakebite admitted to adult medical wards of Government Rajaji hospital from January 2003 to December 2004, were studied from hospitalization to discharge or death. There were 1180 poisonous and 368 nonpoisonous snakebites. Among the poisonous, there were 1121 viperidae and 59 elapidae bites. A total of 159 (13.5%) patients (M = 98, F = 61) developed acute renal failure; of them 72 (45.3%) required dialysis and 36 (22.6%) expired (of them, 23 required dialysis). ARF patients were older than non ARF (39.1 vs. 35.4 years, p = 0.03). Cellulites (OR 9.20, p = 0.032), regional lymphadenopathy (OR 22.0, p= 0.001), intravascular hemolysis (OR 3.70, p = 0.004) and bite to needle time more than 2 hours (OR 2.10, p = 0.001) were identified as independent risk factors for the development of acute renal failure. Bite to needle time more than 2 hours (OR 2.10, p = 0.01), presence of intravascular hemolysis (OR 13.0, p = 0.004) and hypotension (OR 22.2, p = 0.04) and the presence of bleeding manifestations (OR 7.91, p = 0.032) were identified as independent predictors of poor outcome in snakebite victims. We conclude that our study demonstrates several risk factors and predictors for the development and outcome of ARF in patients with snakebites.