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Objectives This study sought to evaluate and assess the extent of serial coronary artery calcification in response to oral calcium supplementation. Background Oral calcium supplements are frequently used despite their cardiovascular safety remaining controversial. Their effects on serial coronary calcification are not well established. Methods In a post hoc patient-level analysis of 9 prospective randomized trials using serial coronary intravascular ultrasound, changes in serial percentage of atheroma volume (PAV) and calcium indices (CaI) were compared in matched segments of patients coronary artery disease who were receiving concomitant calcium supplements (n = 447) and in those who did not receive supplements (n = 4,700) during an 18- to 24-month trial period. Results Patients (mean age 58 ± 9 years; 73% were men; 43% received concomitant high-intensity statins) demonstrated overall annualized changes in PAV and CaI with a mean of −0.02 ± 1.9% (p = 0.44) and a median of 0.02 (interquartile range: 0.00 to 0.06) (p Conclusions Oral calcium supplementation may increase calcium deposition in the coronary vasculature independent of changes in atheroma volume. The impact of these changes on plaque stability and cardiovascular outcomes requires further investigation.

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) on 30-day readmission rates following hospitalization with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) using a national database. Background AMI in the setting of SCAD represents an uncommon type of myocardial infarction with limited data on short-term outcomes. Methods All hospitalizations with primary or index diagnoses of AMI from 2010 to 2015 in the Nationwide Readmissions Database were queried. The primary outcome was overall 30-day readmission rates in both SCAD and non-SCAD cohorts. Propensity score matching (1:2) was conducted. Results A total of 2,654,087 patients with AMI were included in the final analysis, of whom 1,386 (0.052%) were diagnosed with SCAD. SCAD was associated with a higher readmission rate in the SCAD cohort (12.3% vs. 9.9%; p = 0.022). The main causes of readmissions in the SCAD cohort were cardiac causes (80.6%), and AMI was the most common cardiac cause (44.8%), followed by chest pain (20.1%) and arrhythmia (12.7%). Among the SCAD readmissions, 50.6% patients were readmitted in the first week post-discharge, with 54.5% of AMI readmissions occurring in the first 2 days post-discharge. Conclusions The incidence of 30-day readmission following AMI and SCAD is nontrivial and occurs early post-discharge. Most readmissions are due to cardiac causes, especially AMI. Targeted management approaches are needed to diminish the high rates of readmission and early recurrent AMI.

Cardiac tamponade is a rare yet major complication following transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure (TAVR) [(1)][1]. It is well known that institutional experience has a significant impact on outcomes of the cardiovascular interventions, but there is a scarcity of evidence examining the

With U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the MitraClip, percutaneous mitral valve procedures have increased in frequency and are performed at a wide range of hospitals with varying levels of experience. These procedures are often challenging, with technical and imaging nuances that are

This study sought to evaluate and assess the extent of serial coronary artery calcification in response to oral calcium supplementation.Oral calcium supplements are frequently used despite their cardiovascular safety remaining controversial. Their effects on serial coronary calcification are not well established.In a post hoc patient-level analysis of 9 prospective randomized trials using serial coronary intravascular ultrasound, changes in serial percentage of atheroma volume (PAV) and calcium indices (CaI) were compared in matched segments of patients coronary artery disease who were receiving concomitant calcium supplements (n = 447) and in those who did not receive supplements (n = 4,700) during an 18- to 24-month trial period.Patients (mean age 58 ± 9 years; 73% were men; 43% received concomitant high-intensity statins) demonstrated overall annualized changes in PAV and CaI with a mean of -0.02 ± 1.9% (p = 0.44) and a median of 0.02 (interquartile range: 0.00 to 0.06) (p 0.001) from baseline, respectively. Following propensity-weighted mixed modeling adjusting for treatment and a range of demographic, clinical, ultrasonic, and laboratory parameters (including but not limited to sex, race, baseline, and annualized change in PAV, baseline CaI, concomitant high-intensity statins, diabetes mellitus, renal function), there were no significant between-group differences in annualized changes in PAV (least-squares mean: 0.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.20 to 0.37 vs. 0.01; 95% CI: -0.27 to 0.29; p = 0.092) according to calcium supplement intake. Per a multivariable logistic regression model accounting for the range of covariates described, calcium supplementation independently associated with an increase in annualized CaI (odds ratio: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.26; p = 0.004).Oral calcium supplementation may increase calcium deposition in the coronary vasculature independent of changes in atheroma volume. The impact of these changes on plaque stability and cardiovascular outcomes requires further investigation.

Transcatheter aortic valves are prone to acute recoil similar to the metal-based coronary stents. However, it is not clear if recoil remains a factor only after the initial valve deployment or also after post-dilation.We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients who underwent transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with SAPIEN-3 valve. Acute recoil at the upper, central, and lower levels of the valve was calculated in both anteroposterior right anterior oblique (RAO) and lateral left anterior oblique (LAO) views after initial deployment as well as after post-dilation. The average recoil of the RAO and LAO views was also calculated and described as RAO/LAO.The acute recoil in the RAO/LAO views (mean ± SD) was 3.9 ± 1.1% after valve deployment in the whole study population (n = 257). Among the subset of patients who required post-dilation (n = 133), the mean acute recoil in the RAO/LAO views was found to be greater after initial valve deployment as compared with after post-dilation (3.8 ± 1.1% vs. 3.0 ± 0.9%; p .001). Further, acute recoil was significantly greater in the RAO view than the LAO view and at the central level of the prosthesis as compared with the upper and lower levels. Those findings were consistent after initial deployment as well as after post-dilation. Clinical outcomes were similar between patients who required post-dilation compared to those who did not. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, only smaller valve cover index was found to be an independent predictor of 30-day mild or greater aortic regurgitation (OR 0.007; 95% CI 0.0001-0.707; p = .035).Acute elastic recoil of the SAPIEN-3 valve was significantly less after post-dilation as compared with after deployment. It was also greater when measured in the RAO view as compared with the LAO view. Furthermore, acute recoil was not homogenous across the height of the valve stent frame.

The aim of this study was to determine the utility of rapid atrial pacing immediately after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to predict the need for permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI).Risk stratification for patients without high-grade atrioventricular block (AVB) after TAVR is imprecise and based on anatomic considerations, electrocardiographic characteristics, and clinical suspicion. A more reliable assessment is necessary to minimize inpatient rhythm monitoring and/or reduce unnecessary PPI.Consecutive patients undergoing TAVR at 2 centers were included. After valve implantation in patients without pacemakers who did not have complete heart block or atrial fibrillation, the temporary pacemaker was withdrawn from the right ventricle and placed in the right atrium. Rapid atrial pacing was performed from 70 to 120 beats/min, and patients were assessed for the development of Wenckebach AVB. Patients were then followed for clinical outcomes, including PPI.A total of 284 patients were included. Of these, 130 (45.8%) developed Wenckebach AVB. There was a higher rate of PPI within 30 days of TAVR among the patients who developed Wenckebach AVB (13.1% vs. 1.3%; p 0.001), with a negative predictive value for PPI in the group without Wenckebach AVB of 98.7%. A greater percentage of patients receiving self-expanding valves required PPI than those receiving a balloon-expandable valves (15.9% vs. 3.7%; p = 0.001), though these rates were still relatively low among patients who did not develop Wenckebach AVB (2.9% and 0.8%).Atrial pacing post-TAVR is easily performed and can help identify patients who may benefit from extended rhythm monitoring. Patients who did not develop pacing-induced Wenckebach AVB demonstrated an extremely low likelihood of PPI.

Introduction Percutaneous femoral access is the preferred access route for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The majority of experienced TAVR centers use two 6F Perclose ProGlide™ devices to close the primary vascular access site, deployed prior to upsizing sheath size with closure completed at the end of the case (the "preclose" approach). A strategy of utilizing a single Perclose device to preclose may have advantages including fewer complications, complexity, and cost, but the safety of this is unknown. This study examines in the safety and efficacy of using a single Perclose versus double Perclose for perclosure of large bore access during TAVR. Methods Patients undergoing Transfemoral (TF) TAVR from January 2014 to December 2017 within the Cleveland Clinic Aortic Valve Center were identified. A retrospective review of medical charts was conducted. Vascular complications were defined according to the VARC-2 criteria. Results A total of 740 patients were included; 487 (65.8%) received a single Perclose device while 253 (34.2%) received double Perclose devices. Baseline characteristics were similar with no differences between the single versus double Perclose groups, respectively. The access sheath size was similar in both groups with (14, 16, and 18 F) being the most common sizes utilized. Of the total 487 patients with single Perclose, 75.6% needed additional closure device (AngioSeal). With double Perclose strategy, additional closure device (AngioSeal) was used in 40.3% patients with 470 (63.5%) patients being successfully perclosed. Vascular complication rates including hematoma, stenosis requiring stenting, pseudoaneurysm, and other major vascular complications were similar between both groups. Conclusion Single 6F ProGlide use for preclosure is a safe strategy for TF TAVR using the S3 valve. Additional closure device was not needed in almost one-quarter of the patients. When necessary, residual bleeding can be controlled with the AngioSeal Device at the end of the procedure. This single device preclose strategy can help to reduce the cost of TAVR procedure without increasing risk.

Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a significant in-hospital complication in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and has been shown to be associated with poor outcomes. Prior studies have shown an upward trend of AKI post PCI which may be related to a multitude of factors. In this study, we aim to discern whether the recent changes in AKI definition, awareness of risk calculators, and preventive measures have been effective in changing the inclining trend. Methods Patients who underwent PCI during hospitalization were identified retrospectively in the Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) from January 2010 to December 2014. All patients older than 18 years were included in the current study. Patient demographics and comorbidities were identified using appropriate ICD-9 codes. The primary outcome is the temporal trends of AKI following PCI and secondary outcomes are temporal trends in mortality, length of stay and hospitalization cost in patients with AKI. Continuous variables were expressed as means ± standard deviation or median (IQR), and categorical variables were expressed as percentages (%). All statistical tests were two-sided. Results Among the 2,712,473 patients who underwent PCI from 2010 to 2014, 162,286 (6%) patients developed AKI post PCI. Mean age was 69.22±12.34 years and 65% of them were males. The percentage of cases with AKI rose almost twofold from 2010 to 2014 (4.8% to 8.1%, p-value AKI Incidence and mortality trend Conclusion This large cohort study shows a consistent uptrend of AKI in patients undergoing PCI from 2010 to 2014. Despite this, the mortality and length of stay are decreasing while the cost of hospitalization only slightly increased in patients with AKI. Thus, future drives to implement renal protective measures and advanced studies to identify new preventive therapies are needed to reduce the incidence of AKI post-PCI.

Background High lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels have been shown to increase Myocardial Infarction (MI) and all-cause mortality. However, studies evaluating the optimal preventive measures for that subset of cardiac patients are scarce. This study aims to study the outcomes of aspirin use versus no aspirin for the prevention of all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction in patients with high Lp(a) levels. Purpose We sought to determine the effect of Aspirin in reducing the rate of MI and all-cause mortality among patients with high lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a) ≥50mg/dL] Methods Patients who attended the preventive cardiology clinic from 2005 to 2016 and included in the Preventive Cardiology Database were included in the current single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study that was conducted according to the guidelines of the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology Statement) checklist. The primary outcome was the incidence of myocardial infarction and the secondary outcome was all-cause mortality. Patients were excluded in cases of I) Lp(a)a Results 1,805 patients fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria out of 7,410 patients initially identified with recorded Lp(a) levels in the Preventive Cardiology Database. Of these, 376 patients were taking aspirin, and 1429 patients were not receiving aspirin. After propensity score matching for different baseline characteristics and comorbidities as mentioned above, 316 patients were matched in each group. Patients who were on Aspirin had a significantly lower rate of MI events compared to patients who were not on aspirin (6.96% vs 12.02%, P=0.03) and a lower rate, however statistically non-significant, of all-cause mortality (2.84% vs 4.11%, P=0.385). Conclusion The use of aspirin in patients with elevated Lp(a) levels significantly lowers the rate of myocardial infarction events. Larger randomized clinical trials are warranted to evaluate the use of aspirin for primary and secondary prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with high Lp(a) levels.

Introduction Arrhythmia is one of the most common complications in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Prior attempts to address these arrhythmias “aggressively” did not show improvement in survival. This study aims to investigate the impact of acute arrhythmias on in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing angioplasty in the United States. Methods Data about patients undergoing PCI between January 2010 and December 2014 on the Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) was queried from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). All patients undergoing PCI were identified with the appropriate ICD-9 procedure codes. Binominal logistic regression testing was utilized to perform a multivariate analysis and different patient baseline characteristics were adjusted for including age, gender, LOS, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, renal failure, and cancer diagnosis. Odds Ratio (OR) of in-hospital mortality following acute arrhythmia were reported alongside 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Results A total of 2,712,078 patients underwent PCI during hospitalization from January 2010 to December 2014. Out of those, 56,985 (2.1%) patients died while hospitalized. Most of the patients who died were older (mean age 70.73±12.9) and males (59.3%). After adjusting for age, female gender, hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, anemia, malignancy, psychiatric disorder, and longer length of stay; ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias were found to be predictors of in-hospital mortality. Atrial fibrillation had an OR of 1.588 (95% CI: 1.551–1.626), ventricular tachycardia an OR of 2.191 (95% CI: 2.133–2.250), and ventricular fibrillation an OR of 4.143 (95% CI: 4.031–4.258). Conclusions Ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias are independent predictors of in-hospital mortality following angioplasty. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the optimal management for patients with acute arrhythmia following PCI.

MitraClip utilization in mitral valve repair is growing with promising results; however, multiple studies reported uncertain results in patients with atrial fibrillation. This study’s aim is to highlight the difference in short-term outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous mitral valve repair

Permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation is common after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We conducted a prospective multi-center study to determine whether the induction of Wenckebach/Mobitz type I heart block would predict the need for PPM after TAVR. We included consecutive patients

Elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] has been associated with faster aortic stenosis (AS) progression. However, our group has shown that Lp(a) was not associated with mitral annular calcification (MAC) or mitral stenosis progression. We now aim to study its association with AS progression in

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is the most common cardiac procedure performed and understanding the cost of hospitalization will enable us to better understand the burden of disease in the U.S. Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) was queried and data from 2010 to 2014 were included.