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Aims: Pathophysiology and prognostic implications of right ventricle (RV) dysfunction in heart failure are complex and incompletely elucidated. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is the reference standard for RV quantification, but its clinical implications in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (NICM), in the context of myocardial fibrosis and functional mitral regurgitation are not well defined. We evaluated predictors, prognostic impact, and thresholds for defining significant RV dysfunction in NICM., Methods and Results: NICM patients (n = 624) undergoing CMR assessment during 2002-2017 were retrospectively studied. CMR's quantification of right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was evaluated against the primary outcome of all-cause mortality, heart transplant, and/or left ventricular assist device implantation in threshold and multivariable analyses. Mean RVEF was 43 ± 13%, and factors associated with reduced RVEF were male sex, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV, right bundle branch block, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, higher mitral regurgitant fraction (MR-RF) and right ventricle size in NICM. RVEF per 5% increase was independently associated with the primary endpoint hazards ratio (95% confidence interval) 0.80 (0.73-0.88), P < 0.001. RVEF ≤40% was the optimal threshold associated with worse prognosis, regardless of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) or MR-RF quantification. On the other hand, higher LGE was associated with primary endpoint in patients with RVEF ≤40% only, while risk associated with MR-RF was significant dampened after adjusting for RVEF., Conclusion: RVEF provides powerful risk stratification, with RVEF ≤40% defining significant RV dysfunction associated with adverse outcomes in NICM. The integration of quantitative CMR measurements for RVEF, LGE, and MR-RF provides comprehensive NICM risk prognostication., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: Nothing to disclose., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Valve-sparing aortic root replacement for proximal aortic dilation with aortic regurgitation is associated with excellent outcomes. Modified aortic reimplantation entails reducing the anulus size to the expected size for sex and body surface area and creating neosinuses to preserve the aortic valve. We present our mid- and late-term outcomes with the modified technique, including a single-surgeon's experience over the past 2 decades., Methods: From January 2002 to January 2024, 528 patients underwent modified aortic reimplantation for aortic aneurysm or dilation; 491 were included in this study. End points included time-related mortality and postoperative morbidities, including aortic valve reintervention and longitudinal aortic regurgitation grade., Results: There were no operative deaths. Survival at 30 days, 1 year, and 15 years were 100%, 99.6%, and 87%, respectively. Postoperative stroke occurred in 4 patients (0.81%) and reoperation for bleeding in 7 (1.4%). Moderate or severe aortic valve regurgitation was seen in 6.2% and 10% of patients at 1 and 10 years, respectively. Aortic valve mean gradients were 7.0 and 7.5 mm Hg at 1 and 10 years, respectively. Freedom from reintervention on the aortic valve was 99.9%, 99%, and 95% at 30 days, 1 year, and 15 years, respectively., Conclusions: Modified aortic reimplantation technique is a reliable and reproducible technique with excellent mid- and long-term outcomes in survival and freedom from reintervention. The results advocate for modified reimplantation in patients with enlarged aortic roots, especially in younger patients with connective tissue disorder., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Statement The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The Journal policy requires editors and reviewers to disclose conflicts of interest and to decline handling or reviewing manuscripts for which they may have a conflict of interest. The editors and reviewers of this article have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known to increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and arterial thromboembolism (ATE). However, the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of clinical thrombosis for inpatients with COVID-19 are not well known. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of clinical thrombosis in COVID-19, its associated factors, and mortality outcomes., Method: Hospitalised adult (≥18 years of age) patients with COVID-19 in 2020 were retrospectively identified from the US National Inpatient Sample database. Clinical characteristics, incident VTE, ATE, and in-hospital mortality outcomes were recorded. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify clinical factors associated with thrombosis and in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 inpatients., Results: A total of 1,583,135 adult patients with COVID-19 in the year 2020 were identified from the National Inpatient Sample database; patients with thrombosis were 41% females with a mean age of 65.4 (65.1-65.6) years. The incidence of thrombosis was 6.1% (97,185), including VTE at 4.8% (76,125), ATE at 3.0% (47,790), and the in-hospital mortality rate was 13.4% (212,785). Patients with thrombosis were more likely to have respiratory symptoms of COVID-19 (76.7% vs 75%, p<0.001) compared with patients without thrombosis. The main factors associated with overall thrombosis, VTE, and ATE were paralysis, ventilation, solid tumours without metastasis, metastatic cancer, and acute liver failure. Although all thrombosis categories were associated with higher in-hospital mortality for COVID-19 inpatients in univariable analyses (p<0.001), they were not in multivariable analyses-thrombosis (odds ratio [OR] 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.90-1.70; p=0.19), VTE (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-1.00; p=0.05), and ATE (OR 1.07; 95% CI 0.92-1.25; p=0.36)., Conclusions: The association of COVID-19 with thrombosis and VTE increases with increasing severity of the COVID-19 disease. Risk stratification of thrombosis is crucial in COVID-19 patients to determine the necessity of thromboprophylaxis., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest There are no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: There are significant sex and age differences in left ventricular (LV) remodeling that may lead to disparity in outcomes when used to inform the timing of aortic regurgitation (AR) intervention., Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine whether left atrial (LA) parameters might represent better criteria than LV parameters to inform the timing of AR intervention., Methods: Using data on patients with moderate to severe or severe AR with serial echocardiography (2010-2016), the longitudinal trends in left atrial volume index (LAVI) and left atrial reservoir strain (LAr) were evaluated by sex and age. The incremental utility of these parameters in predicting adverse events over LV parameters was also determined., Results: In 525 patients (25.7% women) with 1,687 echocardiograms over a median follow-up period of 2.0 years (Q1-Q3: 1.0-3.6 years), there was significant increase in LAVI (1.0 mL/m 2 per year [95% CI: 0.76-1.2 mL/m 2 per year]) and decrease in LAr (-1.3% per year [95% CI: -1.6% to -0.92%]), without a significant interaction by sex or age category (P for interaction ≥ 0.17). In addition, both LAVI and LAr were significant predictors of adverse events independent of LV parameters. The optimal discriminatory thresholds were 37 mL/m 2 for LAVI and 35% for LAr. These thresholds were similar across categories of sex and age. Within the relatively short-term follow-up, surgery was associated with survival benefit among patients with LAVI ≥37 mL/m 2 (HR: 0.33 [95% CI: 0.15-0.72]; P = 0.006) but was not statistically significant among patients with LAVI <37 mL/m 2 (HR: 0.46 [95% CI: 0.18-1.17]; P = 0.09). Similarly, surgery was associated with survival for the subgroup with LAr ≤35% but not among those with LAr >35%., Conclusions: Unlike LV remodeling, LA remodeling demonstrates a similar rate of progression between categories of sex and age among patients with AR. In addition, LA parameters provide incremental prognostic value over LV parameters., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is an established revascularisation strategy for multivessel and left main coronary artery disease. Although aspirin is routinely recommended for patients with CABG, the optimal antiplatelet regimen after CABG remains unclear. We evaluated the efficacies and risks of different antiplatelet regimens (dual (DAPT) versus single (SAPT), and dual with clopidogrel (DAPT-C) versus dual with ticagrelor or prasugrel (DAPT-T/P)) after CABG., Methods: We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and performed a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Data were extracted and pooled using random-effects models and Review Manager (V.5.4)., Results: Among the 2970 article abstracts screened, 215 full-text articles were reviewed and 38 studies totaling 77 447 CABG patients were included for analyses. DAPT compared with SAPT was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality (OR 0.65 with 95% CI 0.50 to 0.86; p=0.002), cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.84; p=0.008), and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.91; p=0.01), but higher rates of major (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.56; p=0.007) and minor bleeding (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.28 to 2.74; p=0.001) after CABG. DAPT-T/P compared with DAPT-C was associated with significantly lower all-cause (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.65; p≤0.0001) and cardiovascular mortality (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.80; p=0.008), and no differences on other cardiovascular or bleeding outcomes after CABG., Conclusion: In patients with CABG, DAPT compared with SAPT and DAPT-T/P compared with DAPT-C were associated with reduction in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, especially in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Additionally, DAPT was associated with reduction in MACCE, but higher rates of major and minor bleeding. An individualised approach to choosing antiplatelet regimen is necessary for patients with CABG based on ischaemic and bleeding risks., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the first-line tool to evaluate isolated tricuspid regurgitation (TR) but it has limitations and its TR quantification compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been studied infrequently. We compared isolated severe TR quantification by TTE against MRI and developed a novel TTE-based algorithm. Isolated TR patients graded severe by TTE and who underwent MRI January 2007 to June 2019 were studied. The TTE and MRI measurements were analyzed by correlation, area under receiver-operative characteristics curve (AUC), and classification and regression tree algorithm of TTE parameters to best identify MRI-derived severe TR (regurgitant volume ≥45 ml and/or fraction ≥50%). A total of 108 of 262 (41%) that were graded as severe TR by TTE also had severe TR by MRI. There were moderate correlations between TTE and MRI in the quantification of TR severity and right atrial size (Pearson r = 0.428 to 0.645) but none to modest correlations between them in right ventricle quantification. The key TTE parameters to identify MRI-derived severe TR in the decision tree regression algorithm were right atrial volume indexed ≥47 ml/m 2 and effective regurgitant orifice area ≥0.45 cm 2 and especially if there is right ventricle free wall strain ≥ -9.5%. This novel algorithm has an AUC of 0.76% and 79% agreement to detect severe TR by MRI, which higher than the American Society of Echocardiography criteria with AUC 0.68% and 66% agreement (p = 0.006 and p <0.001, respectively). In conclusion, TTE-derived TR and right atrial quantification had moderate correlation and discrimination of severe TR by MRI, from which a novel TTE algorithm was derived, which had incrementally a higher accuracy than contemporary guidelines' criteria alone., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Desai has research and consultant agreements with Myokardia Inc, Medtronic, and Silence therapeutics. Dr. Gillinov is a consultant for AtriCure, Medtronic, Edwards, CryoLife, Abbott, Johnson and Johnson, and ClearFlow and has right to equity in ClearFlow. The remining authors have no competing interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Infective endocarditis (IE) is common in patients with liver disease. Outcomes of IE in patients with liver disease are limited. We aimed to investigate IE outcomes in patients with variables associated with liver disease in the USA. We used the 2017 National Readmission Database to identify index admission of adults with IE, based on the International Classification of Disease, 10 th revision codes. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission. Secondary outcomes were mortality and predictors of hospital readmission. We identified 40,413 IE admissions. Patients who were readmitted were more likely to have a history of HCV (19.4 vs 12.3%, P < .001), hyponatremia (25 vs 21%, P < .001), and thrombocytopenia (20.3 vs 16.3%, P < .001). After adjusting for age, hypertension, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, and end stage renal disease, hyponatremia (odds ratio (OR) 1.25; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.17-1.35; P < .001) and thrombocytopenia (OR 1.16; 95% CI: 1.08-1.24; P < .001) correlated with higher odds of 30-day readmission. Mortality was higher among patients with hyponatremia (29 vs 22%, P < .001), thrombocytopenia (29 vs 17%, P < .001), coagulopathy (12 vs 5%, P < .001), cirrhosis (6 vs 4%, P < .001), ascites (7 vs 3%, P < .001), liver failure (18 vs 3%, P < .001), and portal hypertension (3 vs 1.5%, P < .001)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

COronaVIrus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a hypercoagulable state. Intracardiac thrombosis is a potentially serious complication but has seldom been evaluated in COVID-19 patients. We assessed the incidence, associated factors, and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with intracardiac thrombosis. In 2020, COVID-19 inpatients were identified from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Data on clinical characteristics, intracardiac thrombosis, and adverse outcomes were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with intracardiac thrombosis, in-hospital mortality, and morbidities. In 2020, 1,683,785 COVID-19 inpatients (mean age 63.8 years, 32.2% females) were studied. Intracardiac thrombosis occurred in 0.10% (1830) of cases. In-hospital outcomes included 13.2% all-cause mortality, 3.5% cardiovascular mortality, 2.6% cardiac arrest, 4.4% acute coronary syndrome (ACS), 16.1% heart failure, 1.3% stroke, and 28.3% acute kidney injury (AKI). Key factors for intracardiac thrombosis were congestive heart failure history and coagulopathy. Intracardiac thrombosis independently linked to higher risks of all-cause mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 3.32 (2.42-4.54)), cardiovascular mortality (OR: 2.95 (1.96-4.44)), cardiac arrest (OR: 2.04 (1.22-3.43)), ACS (OR: 1.62 (1.17-2.22)), stroke (OR: 3.10 (2.11-4.56)), and AKI (OR: 2.13 (1.68-2.69)), but not heart failure. While rare, intracardiac thrombosis in COVID-19 patients independently raised in-hospital mortality and morbidity risks., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Obesity leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and death, including heart failure. Bariatric surgery has been proven to be the most effective long-term weight management treatment. This study investigated the changes in cardiac structure and function after bariatric surgery, including left ventricular global longitudinal strain., Methods and Results: There were 398 consecutive patients who underwent bariatric surgery with pre- and postoperative transthoracic echocardiographic imaging at a US health system between 2004 and 2019. We compared cardiovascular risk factors and echocardiographic parameters between baseline and follow-up at least 6 months postoperatively. Along with decreases in weight postoperatively, there were significant improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, including reduction in systolic blood pressure levels from 132 mm Hg (25th-75th percentile: 120-148 mm Hg) to 127 mm Hg (115-140 mm Hg; P =0.003), glycated hemoglobin levels from 6.5% (5.9%-7.6%) to 5.7% (5.4%-6.3%; P <0.001), and low-density lipoprotein levels from 97 mg/dL (74-121 mg/dL) to 86 mg/dL (63-106 mg/dL; P <0.001). Left ventricular mass decreased from 205 g (165-261 g) to 190 g (151-236 g; P <0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 58% (55%-61%) to 60% (55%-64%; P <0.001), and left ventricular global longitudinal strain improved from -15.7% (-14.3% to -17.5%) to -18.6% (-16.0% to -20.3%; P <0.001) postoperatively., Conclusions: This study has shown the long-term impact of bariatric surgery on cardiac structure and function, with reductions in left ventricular mass and improvement in left ventricular global longitudinal strain. These findings support the cardiovascular benefits of bariatric surgery.

The current guidelines for the management and treatment of acute coronary syndromes do not fully consider the role of age in guiding medical or invasive management. We investigated the characteristics, management strategies, and clinical outcomes of patients aged 80 years and older presenting with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). A cohort study using the nationwide inpatient sample database of patients aged 80 years and older presenting with NSTEMI in the United States between 2012 to 2018 was performed. About 24.2% (151,472/625,916) of NSTEMI patients were 80 years and older. Older patients (≥80 years) had higher in-hospital mortality and cardiovascular complications compared to younger patients (odds ratio (OR) 1.79, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.71-1.88, P < 0.001). Among older patients, conservative medical management was associated with higher inpatient mortality compared to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (OR 2.3, 95% CI 2.18-2.41, P < 0.001) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.76-2.09, P < 0.001). The highest mortality rate was observed in older patients who underwent both PCI and CABG, followed by those treated conservatively and those undergoing coronary angiography without revascularization. This study provides valuable insights into the clinical characteristics and outcomes of elderly patients presenting with NSTEMI in the United States. The results emphasize the importance of a tailored approach to the management of ACS in elderly patients and the need for improved revascularization strategies to reduce in-hospital mortality and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Therefore, the clinician should tailor the management of older patients presenting with NSTEMI., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Kapadia receives fees of $5,000 or more per year (or, in rare cases, equity or stock options) as a paid consultant, speaker, or as member of an advisory committee for Anteris Technologies. Dr. Kapadia receives or has the right to receive royalty payments for inventions or discoveries commercialized through Bavaria Medizin Technologie GmbH. Dr. Kapadia may receive future financial benefits from the Cleveland Clinic for inventions or discoveries commercialized through Mitria Medical, LLC, Bavaria Medizin Technologie GmbH. All other authors have no disclosures., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background Heart failure with improved ejection fraction (EF) is increasingly recognized as a sizable and distinct entity. While the features associated with improvedEF have been explored and new guidelines have emerged, factors associated with sustaining an improved EF over time have not been defined. We aimed to assess factors associated with maintenance of an improved EF in a large real-world patient cohort. Methods and Results A total of 7070 participants with heart failure with improved EF and a subsequent echocardiogram performed after at least 9 months of follow-up were included in a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Multiple logistic regression models, adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, and medications were built to identify characteristics and therapeutic interventions associated with maintaining an improved EF. Mean age (SD) was 64.9 (13.8) years, 62.7% were men, and 75.1% were White participants. White race and the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors were associated with maintaining the EF at least 9 months after EF improvement. In contrast, male sex or having atrial fibrillation/flutter, coronary artery disease, history of myocardial infarction, presence of an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator, and use of loop diuretics were associated with a decline in EF after previously documented improvement. Conclusions Continued use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors was associated with maintaining the EF beyond the initial improvement phase.

The European winter moth, Operophtera brumata L. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), was accidentally introduced to North America on at least 4 separate occasions, where it has been hybridizing with the native Bruce spanworm, O. bruceata Hulst, at rates up to 10% per year. Both species are known to respond to the same sex pheromones and to produce viable offspring, but whether they differ in the seasonal timing of their mating flights is unknown. Therefore, we collected adult male moths weekly along 2 transects in the northeastern United States and genotyped individuals using polymorphic microsatellite markers as males of these 2 species cannot be differentiated morphologically. Along each transect, we then estimated the cumulative proportions (i.e., the number of individuals out of the total collected) of each species on each calendar day. Our results indicate that there are significant differences between the species regarding their seasonal timing of flight, and these allochronic differences likely are acting to promote reproductive isolation between these 2 species. Lastly, our results suggest that the later flight observed by winter moth compared to Bruce spanworm may be limiting its inland spread in the northeastern United States because of increased exposure to extreme winter events., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The severity classification of functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) remains controversial despite adverse prognosis and rapidly evolving interventions. Furthermore, it is unclear if quantitative assessment with cardiac magnetic resonance can provide incremental risk stratification for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) or non-ICM (NICM) in terms of FMR and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). We evaluated the impact of quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance parameters on event-free survival separately for ICM and NICM, to assess prognostic FMR thresholds and interactions with LGE quantification., Methods: Patients (n=1414) undergoing cardiac magnetic resonance for cardiomyopathy (ejection fraction<50%) assessment from April 1, 2001 to December 31, 2017 were evaluated. The primary end point was all-cause death, heart transplant, or left ventricular assist device implantation during follow-up. Multivariable Cox analyses were conducted to determine the impact of FMR, LGE, and their interactions with event-free survival., Results: There were 510 primary end points, 395/782 (50.5%) in ICM and 114/632 (18.0%) in NICM. Mitral regurgitation-fraction per 5% increase was independently associated with the primary end point, hazards ratios (95% CIs) of 1.04 (1.01-1.07; P =0.034) in ICM and 1.09 (1.02-1.16; P =0.011) in NICM. Optimal mitral regurgitation-fraction threshold for moderate and severe FMR were ≥20% and ≥35%, respectively, in both ICM and NICM, based on the prediction of the primary outcome. Similarly, optimal LGE thresholds were ≥5% in ICM and ≥2% in NICM. Mitral regurgitation-fraction×LGE emerged as a significant interaction for the primary end point in ICM ( P =0.006), but not in NICM ( P =0.971)., Conclusions: Mitral regurgitation-fraction and LGE are key quantitative cardiac magnetic resonance biomarkers with differential associations with adverse outcomes in ICM and NICM. Optimal prognostic thresholds may provide important clinical risk prognostication and may further facilitate the ability to derive selection criteria to guide therapeutic decision-making., Competing Interests: Disclosures None.

Background: Isolated tricuspid valve (TV) surgery has higher mortality compared with other single-valve operations. The optimal timing and indications remain controversial, and earlier surgery before the development of class I surgical indications may improve outcomes. We aimed to compare the characteristics and outcomes of surgery for isolated tricuspid regurgitation (TR), based on class I indication versus an earlier operation., Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing isolated TV surgery for TR without other concomitant valve surgery at our center during 2004 to 2018 were studied. Indications were divided into class I versus earlier surgery (asymptomatic severe TR with right ventricular dilation and/or dysfunction) for comparative analyses of characteristics and outcomes. The primary outcome was mortality., Results: The study included 159 patients (91 females [57.2%]; 115 for class I, 44 for early surgery), with a mean age of 59.7 ± 15.6 years, 119 (74.8%) with surgical repairs, and a mean follow-up of 5.1 ± 4.0 years. Overall operative mortality was 5.1% (8 patients) (class I, 7.0%; early surgery, 0.0%; P = .107), and class I had a higher composite morbidity than early surgery (35.7% [n = 41] vs 18.2% [n = 8]; P = .036). On Cox proportional hazard model analysis, class I versus early surgery (hazard ratio [HR], 4.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-19.7; P = .04), age (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.07; P = .046), and diabetes (HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.13-5.55; P = .024) were independently associated with higher mortality during follow-up., Conclusions: Patients with class I indication for isolated TV surgery had worse survival compared with those undergoing earlier surgery before reaching class I indication. Earlier surgery may improve outcomes in these high-risk patients., (Copyright © 2021 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Current guidelines for aortic regurgitation (AR) recommend the same linear left ventricular (LV) dimension for intervention regardless of age and sex., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of age and sex on the degree of LV remodeling and outcomes., Methods: We included consecutive patients with severe AR who were serially monitored by echocardiogram between 2010 and 2016. The 2 main endpoints were as follows: 1) LV end-systolic volume indexed to body surface area (LVESVi) and LV end-diastolic volume indexed to body surface area; and 2) adverse events (AE). We evaluated the longitudinal rate of LV remodeling and determined the association between LV volume and AE by age and sex., Results: A total of 525 adult patients (26% women) with a median echocardiogram follow-up of 2.0 years (IQR: 1.0-3.6 years) were included. At baseline, older patients (age ≥60 years) had smaller LV volumes compared with younger patients (age <60 years), eg, the mean LVESVi was 27.3 mL/m 2 vs 32.3 mL/m 2 , respectively. Similarly, women had smaller LV volumes compared with men (mean LVESVi was 23.3 mL/m 2 vs 32.4 mL/m 2 ). On serial evaluation, older patients and women maintained smaller LV volumes compared with younger patients and men, respectively. There were 210 (40%) AE during follow-up. The optimal discriminatory threshold for AE varies by age and sex, eg, the LVESVi threshold was highest for young men (50 mL/m 2 ), intermediate for older men (35 mL/m 2 ), and lowest for women (27 mL/m 2 )., Conclusions: On serial evaluation, older patients and women with chronic AR maintained smaller LV volumes than younger patients and men, respectively, and develop AE at lower LV volumes., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Data regarding mitral regurgitation (MR) in extremely elderly patients are limited. The aim of the present study was to assess symptomatic status, frailty, etiology and outcomes for nonagenarians with severe MR., Methods: Single-center cohort study of patients ≥90 years of age with at least 3+ MR on echocardiography between September 2010 and August 2018. Out of a total of 11,998 patients with at least 3+ MR, 267 patients were included in the present study., Results: The average age was 93.5 ± 2.6 years, and 57% were female. At baseline, 88% were symptomatic, with mean Charlson co-morbidity index of 6 ± 2 points, and mean frailty score of 2.9 ± 1.4 points. Primary MR was present in 50%, secondary in 47%, and prosthetic valve dysfunction in 3%. Among patients with primary MR, the most common etiology was mitral annular calcification (58%). In comparison, the most common etiology of secondary MR was atrial functional MR (52%). Of all, 95% were treated conservatively, and 5% underwent interventional management. Among 253 patients who had follow-up data with a median follow-up of 14 months (25th-75th interquartile range: 3-31 months), 191 patients (75%) died. Mortality trended higher in the conservative group versus the interventional group (60% vs. 22%, log-rank P = 0.063)., Conclusions: Most nonagenarians with significant MR were symptomatic at presentation, had elevated Charlson co-morbidity index and frailty scores. Etiologies of MR were almost equally distributed between primary and secondary causes. The vast majority of nonagenarians with significant MR were conservatively managed., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The implications of left ventricular remodeling and dysfunction before and after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for mixed aortic valve disease (MAVD) are not well understood. This study aims to evaluate the impact of AVR on left ventricular (LV) systolic function in MAVD, and determine the prognostic value of postoperative LV global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) and LV ejection fraction (LVEF)., Methods: We retrospectively assessed 489 consecutive patients with MAVD (defined as at least moderate aortic stenosis and at least moderate aortic regurgitation) and baseline LVEF ≥50%, who underwent AVR between February 2003 and August 2018. All patients had baseline echocardiography, whereas 192 patients underwent postoperative echocardiography between 3 and 18 months after AVR. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality., Results: Mean age was 65 ± 15 years, and 65% were male. AVR in MAVD patients has a neutral effect on LV systolic function quantitated by LVEF and LV-GLS. During a median follow-up period of 5.8 years, 65 patients (34%) of 192 patients with follow-up echocardiography died. The patients with postoperative LVEF ≥50% had better survival than those with postoperative LVEF <50% (P < .001). Furthermore, among patients with postoperative LVEF ≥50%, mortality differed between patients with postoperative LV-GLS worse than -15% and those with postoperative LV-GLS better than -15% (P < .001)., Conclusions: In patients with MAVD who underwent AVR, the mean postoperative LV-GLS and LVEF remain at a similar value to baseline. However, worse postoperative LV-GLS and LVEF were both independently associated with higher mortality in this population., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Constrictive pericarditis (CP) can result from uncontrolled inflammation of the pericardium. This can be due to various etiologies. CP can lead to both left- and right-sided heart failure with associated poor quality of life, so early recognition is key. The evolving role of multimodality cardiac imaging allows for earlier diagnosis and facilitates management to help mitigate this adverse outcome., Areas Covered: This review discusses the pathophysiology of constrictive pericarditis, chronic inflammation and autoimmune etiologies, clinical presentation of CP, and advances in multimodality cardiac imaging for diagnosis and management. Echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging remain cornerstone modalities to evaluate this condition, whereas additional imaging modalities such as computed tomography and FDG-positron emission tomography can provide complementary information., Expert Opinion: Advances in multimodality imaging allow for a more precision diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis. There has been a paradigm shift in pericardial disease management with advances in multimodality imaging, especially CMR, to detect subacute and chronic inflammation. This has enabled imaging-guided therapy (IGT) to both help prevent and potentially reverse established constrictive pericarditis.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Following an initial negative transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), high clinical suspicion warrants repeat examination. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of contemporary TEE imaging for IE., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients ≥18 years old undergoing ≥2 TEEs within 6 months, with confirmed diagnosis of IE based on Duke criteria, 70 in 2011 and 172 in 2019, were included. We compared the diagnostic performance of TEE for IE in 2019 versus 2011. The primary endpoint was the sensitivity of initial TEE to detect IE., Results: Sensitivity of the initial TEE to detect endocarditis was 85.7% versus 95.3%, in 2011 and 2019, respectively (P=0.01). On multivariable analysis, initial TEE more frequently detected IE in 2019, compared to 2011 [odds ratio (OR): 4.06, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.41-11.71, P=0.01]. Improved diagnostic performance was driven by improved detection of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVIE), sensitivity 70.8% in 2011 versus 93.7% (P=0.009) in 2019. In 2019, TEEs more frequently utilized probes with higher frame rates/resolution, than 2011 (P<0.001). Three dimensional (3D) technology was utilized in 97.2% of initial TEEs in 2019, compared to 70.5% in 2011 (P<0.001)., Conclusions: Contemporary TEE was associated with improved diagnostic performance for endocarditis, driven by improved sensitivity for PVIE., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://cdt.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/cdt-22-431/coif). BM received Education grant $5000 from Healthcare Delivery and Implementation Science Center (separate project) and was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the NIH under Award Number TL1TR002344. This grant contributed to drafting the manuscript, data analysis, manuscript submission, and manuscript revision. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. All rights reserved.)

Infective endocarditis (IE) remains to be a heterogeneous disease with high morbidity and mortality rates, which can affect native valves, prosthetic valves, and intra-cardiac devices, in addition to causing systemic complications. The combination of clinical, laboratory, and cardiac imaging evaluation is critical for early diagnosis and risk stratification of IE. This can facilitate timely medical and surgical management to improve patient outcomes. Key imaging findings for IE include vegetations, valve perforation, prosthetic valve dehiscence, pseudoaneurysms, abscesses, and fistulae. Transthoracic echocardiography continues to be the first-line imaging modality of choice, while transesophageal echocardiography subsequently provides an improved structural assessment and characterization of lesions to facilitate management decision in IE. Recent advances in other imaging modalities, especially cardiac computed tomography and 18 F-fluorodeox-yglucose positron emission tomography, and to a lesser extent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and other nuclear imaging techniques, have demonstrated important roles in providing complementary IE diagnostic and prognostic information. This review aims to discuss the individual and integrated utilities of contemporary multi-modality cardiac imaging for the assessment and treatment guidance of IE.

The objective of the study was to construct a multi-parametric mitral annular calcification (MAC) score using computed tomography (CT) features for prediction of outcomes in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery. We constructed a multi-parametric MAC score, which ranges between 2 and 12, and consists of Agatston calcium score (1 point: <1000 Agatston units (AU); 2 points: 1000-<3000 AU; 3 points: 3000-5000 AU; 4 points: >5000 AU), quantitative MAC circumferential angle (1 point: <90°; 2 points: 90-<180°; 3 points: 180-<270°; 4 points: 270-360°), involvement of trigones (1 point: 1 trigone; 2 points: both trigones), and 1 point each for myocardial infiltration and left ventricular outflow tract extension/involvement of aorto-mitral curtain. The association between MAC score and clinical outcomes was evaluated. The study cohort consisted of 334 patients undergoing mitral valve surgery (128 mitral valve repairs, 206 mitral valve replacements) between January 2011 and September 2019, who had both non-contrast gated CT scan and evidence of MAC. The mean age was 72 ± 11 years, with 58% of subjects being female. MAC score was a statistically significant predictor of total operation time (P<0.001), cross-clamp time (P = 0.001) and in-hospital complications (P = 0.003). Additionally, MAC score was a significant predictor of time to all-cause death (P = 0.046). A novel multi-parametric score based on CT features allowed systematic assessment of MAC, and predicted clinical outcomes in patients with mitral valve dysfunction undergoing mitral valve surgery., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Little data exist about the natural history and disease progression of secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR). We sought to study the temporal progression of left-sided volumes and functions in patients who progress to develop severe SMR., Methods and Results: We screened patients with chronic severe SMR who had at least one previous transthoracic echocardiography showing non-severe MR. Unsupervised phenotypic clustering based on baseline and rate of change in left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) volumes, ejection fraction (EF), and MR severity progression identified two different phenotypes. We then compared them in terms of clinical characteristics, mechanistic and anatomical features, management, and outcomes. A total of 257 patients were included. Cluster 1 started with lower EF and LA strain and higher LV and LA volumes compared with Cluster 2, with a slower progression into severe SMR. At the onset of severe MR, Cluster 2 still had higher EF, lower LV volumes, but similar LA volumes and strain, and less proportionate SMR, compared with Cluster 1. They also had higher tenting height and more compensatory leaflet growth. On follow-up, Cluster 1 had more ventricular-directed therapies, whereas Cluster 2 received more mitral valve interventions. While the heart failure burden was higher in Cluster 1, there was no difference in mortality rates., Conclusion: Based on disease progression, two distinct progression patterns of SMR exist, having different anatomical and mechanistic features with variation in management and outcomes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: There are no conflicts of interest to disclose for all of the authors., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is associated with poor outcome and high operative mortality resulting from late presentation. Yet, the optimal timing for intervention is unknown., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of echocardiographic parameters to inform early intervention in asymptomatic TR., Methods: Using the Cleveland Clinic echocardiography database 2004 to 2018, the authors identified a consecutive cohort of asymptomatic patients with moderate to severe (3+) or severe (4+) TR. Quantitative TR and right heart parameters were retrospectively determined, and their prognostic utility for all-cause mortality was assessed., Results: In 325 asymptomatic patients (mean age: 67.9 years; 79.4% female) with at least 3+ TR, there were 132 deaths (40.6%), with a median survival time of 9.9 years (95% CI: 7.9-12.7 years). By contrast, the median survival time in an age- and sex-matched cohort of symptomatic TR patients was 4.4 years (95% CI: 2.8-5.9 years). Among all the echocardiographic parameters evaluated, right ventricle free wall strain (RVFWS) and tricuspid regurgitant volume (RVol) were the strongest predictors of mortality in asymptomatic TR. The optimal discriminatory thresholds for these parameters were RVFWS <-19% and RVol >45 mL. The 5-year survival rates by number of risk factors (RF) were 93% (95% CI: 86%-96%), 65% (95% CI: 55%-74%), and 38% (95% CI: 26%-49%) for no RF, 1 RF, and both RFs, respectively. Compared with symptomatic TR, mortality was lower for asymptomatic TR with no RF (HR: 0.10; 95% CI: 0.04-0.29) or 1 RF (HR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.14-0.58), but similar for asymptomatic TR with both RFs (HR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.56-2.19)., Conclusions: RVFWS and RVol are key prognostic markers that can be serially monitored to inform optimal timing of intervention for severe asymptomatic TR., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Gillinov has served as a consultant to AtriCure, Medtronic, Edwards Lifesciences, CryoLife, Abbott, and ClearFlow; and has rights to equity in ClearFlow. Dr Desai has been supported by the Haslam Family endowed chair in cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. The current research was supported by a philanthropic gift from the Haslam family, Bailey family, and Khouri family. Dr Desai has research and consulting agreements with Bristol Myers Squibb, Medtronic, and Caristo Diagnostics. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) grading of aortic stenosis (AS) is challenging when parameters are discrepant, and four-dimensional cardiac computed tomography (4D-CCT) is increasingly utilized for transcatheter intervention workup. We compared TTE and 4D-CCT measures contributing to AS quantification. AS patients (n = 80, age 86 ± 10 years, 71% men) referred for transcatheter replacement in 2014−2017 were retrospectively studied, 20 each with high-gradient AS (HG-AS), classical and paradoxical low-flow low-gradient AS (CLFLG-AS and PLFLG-AS), and normal-flow low-gradient AS (NFLG-AS). Correlation and Bland−Altman analyses were performed between TTE and 4D-CCT parameters. There were moderate-to-high TTE versus 4D-CCT correlations for left ventricular volumes, function, mass, and outflow tract dimensions (r = 0.51−0.88), though values were mostly significantly higher by 4D-CCT (p < 0.001). Compared with 4D-CCT planimetry of aortic valve area (AVA), TTE estimates had modest correlation (r = 0.37−0.43) but were significantly lower (by 0.15−0.32 cm2). The 4D-CCT estimate of LVSVi lead to significant reclassification of AS subtype defined by TTE. In conclusion, 4D-CCT quantified values were higher than TTE for the left ventricle and AVA, and the AS subtype was reclassified based on LVSVi by 4D-CCT, warranting further research to establish its clinical implications and optimal thresholds in severe AS management.

Among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), aortic stenosis (AS) is associated with a significantly higher rate of mortality. We aimed to evaluate whether diffuse myocardial fibrosis, determined using native T1 mapping, has prognostic utility in predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), including all-cause mortality or heart failure hospitalization, in patients with CKD and severe AS who are evaluated for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Cardiac magnetic resonance with T1 mapping using the modified Look-Locker inversion recovery technique was performed in 117 consecutive patients with severe AS and CKD (stage ≥3). Patients were followed up to determine the occurrence of MACE. The mean age of the 117 patients in the cohort was 82 ± 8 years. Native T1 was 1,055 ms (25th- to 75th percentiles 1,031 to 1,078 ms), which is higher than previously reported in healthy controls. Patients with higher T1 times were more likely to have higher N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels (4,122 [IQR 1,578 to 7,980] pg/ml vs 1,678 [IQR 493 to 2,851] pg/ml, p = 0.005) and a history of heart failure (33% vs 9%, p = 0.034). After median follow-up of 3.4 years, MACE occurred in 71 patients (61%). The Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality score (hazard ratio [HR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 1.12, p = 0.006), native T1 >1,024 ms (HR 2.10, 95% CI 1.09 to 4.06, p = 0.028), and New York Heart Association class (HR 1.56, 95% 1.09 to 2.34, p = 0.016) were independent predictors of MACE. Longer native T1 was associated with MACE occurrence in patients with CKD and severe AS., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with marked morbidity and mortality in the United States and parallels the opioid pandemic. Few studies explore this interaction and its effect on clinical outcomes. We analyzed contemporary patients admitted with IE to determine predictors of readmission in the United States. The 2017 National Readmission Database was used to identify index admissions in adults with the diagnosis of IE, based on the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision codes. The primary outcome of interest was 30-day readmission. Secondary outcomes were mortality, hospital charges, and predictors of hospitalization readmission. Of 40,413 index admissions for IE, 5,558 patients (13.8%) were readmitted within 30 days. Patients who were readmitted were younger (55 ± 20 vs 61 ± 19 years, p <0.001) and more likely to have end-stage renal disease (12.2% vs 10.5%, p <0.001), hepatitis C virus (19.4% vs 12.6%, p <0.001), HIV (1.8% vs 1.2%, p = 0.001), opioid abuse (23.9% vs 15%, p <0.001), cocaine use (7.3% vs 4.4%, p <0.001), and other substance abuse (8.5 vs 5.6, p <0.001). Patients readmitted were less likely to have diabetes mellitus (27.8% vs 29.4%, p = 0.01), hypertension (56.9% vs 64%, p <0.001), heart failure (37.7% vs 40%, p <0.001), chronic kidney disease (31.2% vs 32%, p <0.001), and peripheral vascular disease (3.6% vs 4.6%, p = 0.001). The median cost of index admission for the total cohort was $84,325 (39,922 to 190,492). After adjusting for age, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, hypertension, and end-stage renal disease, opioid abuse (odds ratio [OR] 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23 to 1.46; p <0.001), cocaine use (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.48; p <0.001), other substance abuse (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.30; p = 0.008), and hepatitis C virus (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.43; p <0.001) correlated with higher odds of 30-day readmission. These factors may present targets for future intervention., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a challenging autoimmune and multi-system condition. With advances in cardiovascular screening and therapies for SLE patients, we evaluated the cardiovascular characteristics, multi-modality imaging, and outcomes of SLE at our tertiary referral center over an 8 year period. Consecutive patients from our SLE registry from April 2012 to March 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Data pertaining to cardiovascular manifestations, investigations, management, and outcomes were assessed. We studied 258 SLE patients (mean age 42.2 ± 14.7 years); 233 (90.3%) were female. The main cardiac manifestations at index SLE clinic were pericardial disease in 33.3%, valve disease in 18%, cardiomyopathy in 9.6%, and stroke in 7.4%. During a mean follow-up of 3.0 ± 2.2 years after index SLE clinic, there were 5 (1.9%) deaths, 24 (9.3%) cardiovascular events, and 44 (17.1%) SLE-related hospitalizations. A history of stroke and hypertension were independently associated with cardiovascular events, hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence intervals (CI)) of 5.38 (1.41-20.6) and 3.31 (1.02-10.7), respectively, while younger age and lower albumin predicted SLE-related hospitalizations. Cardiovascular manifestations are prevalent in SLE, especially for pericardial, valvular, and atherosclerotic diseases. With contemporary SLE and cardiovascular management, subsequent adverse cardiovascular events were infrequent in this study.

Background: The incremental utility of right ventricular (RV) strain on predicting right ventricular failure (RVF) following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, beyond clinical and haemodynamic indices, is not clear., Methods: Two hundred and forty-six (246) patients undergoing LVAD implantation, who had transthoracic echocardiograms pre and post LVAD, pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPI) measurements and Michigan risk score, were included. We analysed RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) using speckle tracking echocardiography. RVF following LVAD implantation was defined as the need for medical support for >14 days, or unplanned RV assist device insertion after LVAD implantation., Results: Mean preoperative RV-GLS was -7.8±2.8%. Among all, 27% developed postoperative RVF. A classification and regression tree analysis identified preoperative Michigan risk score, PAPI and RV-GLS as important parameters in predicting postoperative RVF. Eighty per cent (80%) of patients with PAPI <2.1 developed postoperative RVF, while only 4% of patients with PAPI >6.8 developed RVF. For patients with a PAPI of 2.1-3.2, having baseline Michigan risk score >2 points conferred an 81% probability of subsequent RVF. For patients with a PAPI of 3.3-6.8, having baseline RV-GLS of -4.9% or better conferred an 86% probability of no subsequent RVF. The sensitivity and specificity of this algorithm for predicting postoperative RVF were 67% and 93%, respectively, with an area under the curve of 0.87., Conclusion: RV-GLS has an incremental role in predicting the development of RVF post-LVAD implantation, even after controlling for clinical and haemodynamic parameters., (Copyright © 2022 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The simultaneous presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and secondary tricuspid regurgitation (STR) portends particularly poor outcomes. However, not all patients with PAH develop significant STR, and the mechanisms and clinical implications underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. We sought to describe the functional, anatomic, hemodynamic, and clinical characteristics of patients with PAH with and without STR. Patients diagnosed with PAH between 2007 and 2013 were included. STR, defined by absent primary tricuspid valve disease on transthoracic echocardiogram, was considered significant if ≥ moderate in severity. The characteristics of right-sided chambers and tricuspid valve annuli and leaflets were compared between patients with significant versus nonsignificant STR using a transthoracic echocardiogram, cardiac computed tomography, and right-sided cardiac catheterization. These features were then correlated with the composite outcome of all-cause mortality and PAH hospitalization. Of 88 included patients, 52 had significant STR. No baseline clinical differences, including atrial fibrillation, were observed. Patients with significant STR had worse right ventricular dysfunction (tricuspid annular planar systolic excursion = 1.5 vs 2.1 cm; p = 0.02) and increased right ventricular sphericity (sphericity index = 1.8 vs 2; p = 0.004), with similar annular dimensions/shape, lengths/angles of the mural and septal leaflets, and tenting height. After a median of 54 months, right atrial mean pressure was independently associated with the composite outcome on multivariable analysis (hazard ratio = 1.07, p = 0.02). In conclusion, anatomic and functional alterations in the right ventricle rather than the tricuspid valve are implicated in developing significant STR in PAH. Multimodality imaging provides mechanistic insight, and hemodynamic assessment may offer prognostic guidance in this population., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Calcium metabolism has long been implicated in aortic stenosis (AS). Studies assessing the long-term safety of oral calcium and/or vitamin D in AS are scarce yet imperative given the rising use among an elderly population prone to deficiency. We sought to identify the associations between supplemental calcium and vitamin D with mortality and progression of AS., Methods: In this retrospective longitudinal study, patients aged ≥60 years with mild-moderate native AS were selected from the Cleveland Clinic Echocardiography Database from 2008 to 2016 and followed until 2018. Groups were stratified into no supplementation, supplementation with vitamin D alone and supplementation with calcium±vitamin D. The primary outcomes were mortality (all-cause, cardiovascular (CV) and non-CV) and aortic valve replacement (AVR), and the secondary outcome was AS progression by aortic valve area and peak/mean gradients., Results: Of 2657 patients (mean age 74 years, 42% women) followed over a median duration of 69 months, 1292 (49%) did not supplement, 332 (12%) took vitamin D alone and 1033 (39%) supplemented with calcium±vitamin D. Calcium±vitamin D supplementation was associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (absolute rate (AR)=43.0/1000 person-years; HR=1.31, 95% CI (1.07 to 1.62); p=0.009), CV mortality (AR=13.7/1000 person-years; HR=2.0, 95% CI (1.31 to 3.07); p=0.001) and AVR (AR=88.2/1000 person-years; HR=1.48, 95% CI (1.24 to 1.78); p<0.001). Any supplementation was not associated with longitudinal change in AS parameters in a linear mixed-effects model., Conclusions: Supplemental calcium with or without vitamin D is associated with lower survival and greater AVR in elderly patients with mild-moderate AS., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: The authors report etiologies and outcomes and devise a risk model in a large contemporary cohort of patients with isolated tricuspid regurgitation (TR)., Background: Isolated TR is a challenging clinical entity with heterogeneous etiology and often poor outcomes, with a paucity of recent research regarding the epidemiology of isolated TR., Methods: Consecutive patients with isolated TR graded at least moderate to severe on echocardiography from January 2004 to December 2018 (n = 9,045, mean age 70.4 ± 15.4 years, 60.3% women) were studied. TR etiologies were individually adjudicated as secondary or primary, with subcategories. All-cause death during follow-up was the primary endpoint, with associations between etiology and outcomes analyzed and a risk model created., Results: Primary and secondary TR etiologies were present in 470 (5.2%) and 8,575 (94.8%) patients, respectively. The main secondary etiologies were left heart disease in 4,664 (54.4%), atrial functional in 2,086 (24.3%), and pulmonary disease in 1,454 (17.0%), and the main primary etiologies were endocarditis in 222 (47.2%), degenerative or prolapse in 86 (18.3%), and prosthetic valve failure in 79 (16.8%). There were 3,987 deaths (44.0%) over a mean follow-up period of 2.6 ± 3.3 years. In unadjusted analyses, patients with secondary TR had worse survival than those with primary TR (HR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.32-1.85), but this result was not statistically significant in multivariable analysis. The authors devised and internally validated a risk score for predicting 1-year mortality in these patients., Conclusions: Secondary TR constituted 95% of isolated significant TR and conferred worse survival than primary TR in unadjusted but not adjusted analyses. The present novel risk score stratifies the risk for 1-year death and may influence decision making for management in these high-risk patients., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Wang is supported by the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand Overseas Clinical and Research Fellowship (grant 1775). Dr Desai is supported by the Haslam Family endowed chair in cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, a generous philanthropic gift from the Haslam family, Bailey family, and Khouri family. Dr Desai has research and consulting agreements with Myokardia, Medtronic, and Silence Therapeutics. Dr Gillinov is a consultant to AtriCure, Medtronic, Edwards Lifesciences, CryoLife, Abbott, Johnson & Johnson, and ClearFlow; and has rights to equity in ClearFlow. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background:  A bioprosthesis- or mechanical-prosthesis-containing polyester graft (composite graft) is standard surgical management for aortic root aneurysms (Bentall procedure), but particularly in the young patient in whom a bioprosthesis is likely to deteriorate and a mechanical prosthesis mandates life-long anticoagulation, valve-sparing procedures have been devised. One such procedure involves reimplantation of the native aortic valve in the polyester graft. With focus on selecting the optimum procedure for young relatively asymptomatic patients, we compared outcomes of reimplantation of the aortic valve versus the Bentall procedure and identified factors influencing outcomes., Methods:  From January 2000 to January 2017, 643 adults age ≤ 70 with tricuspid aortic valves underwent elective aortic root replacement with either reimplantation ( n  = 448/70%) or a composite valve graft (Bentall) procedure ( n  = 195/30%). Outcomes were compared in 100 propensity-matched pairs., Results:  Patients with fewer symptoms, less aortic regurgitation (AR), higher left ventricular ejection fraction, and smaller cross-sectional aortic area/height ratio had a higher likelihood of valve repair with reimplantation (all p  < 0.02) versus receiving a Bentall procedure. Operative mortality was 0.16% (reimplantation, 1/448, 0.22%; Bentall 0/195, 0%). After reimplantation, 8-year freedom from severe AR was 95% and 10-year freedom from reintervention was 98%. Ten-year survival was 95%. Higher preoperative AR grade ( p  < 0.0001) but not larger root diameter ( p  = 0.3) was associated with higher grade of late regurgitation after a reimplantation procedure. Among propensity-matched patients, reimplantation compared with a Bentall was associated with similar 10-year survival (89% vs. 94%), but more late AR (8-year freedom from severe AR: 93% vs. 99.9%) and greater early reduction in, but similar late, left ventricular mass (104 vs. 105 g•m -2 at 8 years)., Conclusion:  Excellent aortic valve reimplantation results versus Bentall lead us to recommend reimplantation more often in patients who present with even moderately severe or severe AR and significantly enlarged aortic roots., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this article., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement-associated infective endocarditis (TAVR-IE) is a relatively rare complication of TAVR. Little is known about the characteristics of early, intermediate, and late-onset TAVR-IE., Methods: We studied the risk factors, microbiological patterns, and diagnostic and treatment strategies in patients with early (<60 days), intermediate (60-365 days), and late-onset (>1 year) TAVR-IE., Results: Ten out of 494 definite cases of prosthetic valve IE between 2007 and 2019 were confirmed to have TAVR-IE from the IE registry at our center. The mean age was 78.1 ± 13.7 years, with 50% being female. The mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score was 7.8 ± 5.7. Most (60%) TAVR-IE cases had an intermediate onset, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common organism (66.6%). 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography aided in diagnosis of TAVR-IE in 20% of cases. Mortality due to IE was observed in 40% of cases. Most of the patients underwent conservative management, and 37.5% survived over a mean follow-up of 709 ± 453 days. Two patients underwent surgery, of whom one died on day 30 postoperatively from sepsis. Mortality due to IE occurred in 25% of cases in the early and intermediate-onset groups, while there was 100% mortality in the late-onset group., Conclusions: In a single-center cohort, most TAVR-IE cases had an intermediate onset, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common organism. Understanding timing of TAVR-IE may have important prognostic implications., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest. This work represents original research of all authors and is not published elsewhere. The abstract of this work was presented at the 2020 Scientific Sessions of American Heart Associations., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Infective endocarditis due to Bartonella species is rare. The clinical and echocardiographic characteristics are not well defined. We aimed to investigate the clinical and echocardiographic findings of Bartonella endocarditis in the contemporary era., Methods: The infective endocarditis (IE) registry and echocardiographic database at our institution were retrospectively analysed to evaluate the clinical and echocardiographic features of Bartonella endocarditis., Results: Between January 2008 and December 2015, there were 11 patients with Bartonella IE (0.84% among a total of 1,308 cases of definite IE): median age 54 (30-69) years, all male, 9 Caucasian, 10 had a history of cat exposure, 10 had a pre-existing valvulopathy including 6 patients with a prosthetic valve with prosthesis age range between 3 to 5 years and 1 patient with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Bartonella henselae was responsible for all the cases. Echocardiographic evidence of IE was found in 6 of 11 patients on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), and 6 of 8 on transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Bartonella IE was associated with significant valvular destruction and dysfunction on echocardiography. Nine (9) patients were managed surgically with excellent outcomes, including two patients who failed initial medical therapy. Two (2) patients who were managed medically had progression of valvular dysfunction. At a median follow-up of 6 months, there were no deaths attributable to IE or other cardiovascular causes., Conclusion: In a contemporary single-centre cohort in the United States, Bartonella IE remains rare, but should be considered when pathogen could not be identified in patients with suspected IE, especially those with prosthetic valves or bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). The vast majority of patients with Bartonella IE were managed surgically with excellent outcomes., (Copyright © 2021 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) refers to calcium deposition in the fibrous skeleton of the mitral valve. It has many cardiovascular associations, including mitral valve dysfunction, elevated cardiovascular risk, arrhythmias, and endocarditis. Echocardiography conventionally is the first-line imaging modality for anatomic assessment, and evaluation of mitral valve function. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has demonstrated importance as an imaging modality for the evaluation and planning of related procedures. It also holds promise in quantitative grading of MAC. Currently, there is no universally accepted definition or classification system of MAC severity. We review the multimodality imaging evaluation of MAC and associated valvular dysfunction and propose a novel classification system based on qualitative and quantitative measurements derived from echocardiography and cardiac CT., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aims: We sought to assess the relationship between left atrial (LA) strain mechanics and exercise intolerance, and to evaluate the prognostic impact of LA strain mechanics on clinical deterioration necessitating septal reduction therapy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)., Methods and Results: Consecutive HCM patients who underwent exercise stress echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing on the same day between October 2015 and April 2019 were enrolled prospectively. LA strain mechanics were analysed using speckle tracking echocardiography. LA stiffness was calculated as the ratio of E/e' ratio to LA reservoir strain. The study cohort was divided into four groups based on the quartile of percent-predicted peak VO2, and exercise intolerance was defined as the lowest quartile (≤51%). Of 532 patients studied (mean age: 51 ± 15 years, 42% female), 138 patients demonstrated exercise intolerance. As exercise capacity worsened, LA strain mechanics worsened along a continuum (P < 0.001). LA contractile strain with a cut-off of -13.9% was optimal at identifying exercise intolerance. On multivariable analysis, worse LA contractile strain was an independent predictor for exercise intolerance (P = 0.002). Of patients with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, patients with LA stiffness worse than the median value (≥0.41) were significantly more likely to require septal reduction therapy than those with better LA stiffness (P = 0.026)., Conclusion: Worse LA contractile strain was an independent predictor for exercise intolerance in HCM. Patients with worse LA stiffness had a higher probability of clinical deterioration necessitating septal reduction therapy., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is a useful tool for assessing low-gradient significant aortic stenosis (AS) and contractile reserve (CR), but its prognostic utility has become controversial in recent studies. We evaluated the impact of DSE on aortic valve physiological, structural, and left ventricular parameters in low-gradient AS. Consecutive patients undergoing DSE for low-gradient AS evaluation from September 2010 to July 2016 were retrospectively studied, and DSE findings were divided into four groups: with and without severe AS and/or CR. Relationships between left ventricular chamber quantification, CR, aortic valve Doppler during DSE, and calcium score [by computerized tomography (CT)] were analyzed. There were 258 DSE studies performed on 243 patients, mean age 77.6 ± 10.8 yr and 183 (70.1%) were males. With increasing dobutamine dose, apart from systolic blood pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction, flow, cardiac power output, and longitudinal strain magnitude, along with aortic valve area and mean aortic gradient were all significantly increased ( P < 0.05). Flow and mean gradient increased in both the presence and absence of CR, whereas stroke volume and aortic valve area increased mainly in those with CR only. The aortic valve area increased in both patients with low and high calcium scores; however, the baseline area was lower in those with a higher calcium score. During DSE, aortic valve area increases with increase in aortic valve gradient. Higher calcium score is associated with lower baseline aortic valve area, but the aortic valve area still increases with dobutamine even in presence of a high calcium score. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that even in most severe aortic stenosis, there is some residual valve pliability. This suggests that a complete loss of pliability is not compatible with survival.

Objectives: To assess intermediate-term outcomes of aortic root replacement with valve-sparing reimplantation of bicuspid aortic valves (BAV), compared with tricuspid aortic valves (TAV)., Methods: From January 2002 to July 2017, 92 adults underwent aortic root replacement with BAV reimplantation and 515 with TAV reimplantation at the Cleveland Clinic. Balancing-score matching based on 28 preoperative variables yielded 71 well-matched BAV and TAV pairs (77% of possible pairs) for comparison of postoperative mortality and morbidity, longitudinal echocardiogram data, aortic valve reoperation, and survival., Results: In the BAV group, 1 hospital death occurred (1.1%); mortality among all reimplantations was 0.2%. Among matched patients, procedural morbidity was low and similar between BAV and TAV groups (1 stroke in TAV group; renal failure requiring dialysis, 1 patient each; red cell transfusion, 25% each). Five-year results: Severe aortic regurgitation was present in 7.4% of the BAV group and 2.9% of the TAV group (P = .7); 39% of BAV and 65% of TAV patients had none. Higher mean gradients (10 vs 7.4 mm Hg; P = .001) and left ventricular mass index (111 vs 101 g/m 2 ; P = .5) were present in BAV patients. Freedom from aortic valve reoperation was 94% in the BAV group and 98% in the TAV group (P = .10), and survival was 100% and 95%, respectively (P = .07)., Conclusions: Both BAV and TAV reimplantations can be performed with equal safety and good midterm outcomes; however, the constellation of higher gradients, less ventricular reverse remodeling, and more aortic valve reoperations with BAV reimplantations raises concerns requiring continued long-term surveillance., (Copyright © 2020 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Controversies remain in the management strategy for isolated tricuspid regurgitation (TR) because of adverse prognosis and uncertainties regarding the benefits of tricuspid valve surgery. We compared the characteristics and outcomes of a large cohort of patients with isolated TR, based on downstream tricuspid valve surgery versus medical management. Consecutive patients with isolated TR graded at least moderate-to-severe by echocardiography identified between January 2004 and December 2018 (n = 9,031, age 70 ± 15 years, 60% women) were retrospectively studied. The primary end point was time to all-cause mortality during follow-up. Outcomes were compared by management strategy using unadjusted and adjusted survival and multivariable regression analyses. Tricuspid valve surgery was performed in 632 of 9,031 of the cohort (7%), including 514 valve repairs and 118 valve replacements, with in-hospital mortality in 19 patients (2.9%). Overall, there were 3,985 all-cause deaths (44%) over mean follow-up of 2.6 ± 3.3 years. Tricuspid valve surgery was independently associated with lower mortality rate during follow-up, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.53 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45 to 0.64), and the association persisted in both primary and secondary TR subgroups. Tricuspid valve surgery also had a significantly higher rate of infective endocarditis and heart failure hospitalizations rates during follow-up, at HRs of 5.55 (95% CI 4.00 to 7.71) and 1.29 (95% CI 1.16 to 1.43), respectively. In conclusion, tricuspid valve surgery is rarely performed in isolated TR, but it is independently associated with greater survival for the overall cohort and both primary and secondary etiology subgroups. Increasing the utilization of this surgery at specialized centers is encouraged to try to improve the clinical outcomes for this challenging clinical entity., Competing Interests: Disclosures Dr. Desai has research and consultant agreements with Myokardia Inc, Medtronic, Silence therapeutics, and Caristo Diagnostics. Dr. Gillinov is consultant to AtriCure, Medtronic, Edwards, CryoLife, Abbott, Johnson and Johnson, and ClearFlow and has right to equity for ClearFlow. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Risk models play important roles in stratification and decision-making towards cardiac surgery. Isolated tricuspid valve surgery is a high risk but increasingly performed the operation, however, the performance of risk models has not been externally evaluated in these patients. We compared the prognostic utility of contemporary risk scores for isolated tricuspid valve surgery., Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing isolated tricuspid valve surgery at Cleveland Clinic during 2004-2018 were evaluated in this cohort study. EuroSCORE II, Society of Thoracic Surgeon's tricuspid (STS-TVS) score, and the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score were retrospectively calculated, and their performance for predicting operative mortality, postoperative complications, and mortality during follow-up was assessed., Results: Amongst 207 patients studied, the mean age was 54.1 ± 17.9 years, 116 (56.0%) were female, 92 (44.4%) had secondary tricuspid regurgitation, and 151 (72.9%) had a surgical repair. Mean EuroSCORE II, STS-TVS, and MELD scores were 6.3 ± 6.6%, 5.5 ± 6.2%, and 9.8 ± 4.7, respectively. C-statistics (95% confidence intervals) for operative mortality were 0.83 (0.74-0.93) for EuroSCORE II, 0.60 (0.45-0.75) for STS-TVS score, and 0.74 (0.58-0.89) for MELD score, while observed/expected ratios were 0.78 and 0.89 for the first two scores. All three scores were associated with mortality during follow-up and discriminated most postoperative complications., Conclusion: EuroSCORE II was superior to STS-tricuspid score for isolated TVS risk assessment. Although surgical risk scores traditionally underestimated operative mortality after isolated tricuspid valve surgery, they did not in our cohort, reflecting the excellent surgical results. The simple MELD score performed similarly to the EuroSCORE II, especially for discriminating morbidities., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to compare mortality and other clinical outcomes associated with chili pepper (CP) consumption versus no/rare consumption of CP., Methods: A comprehensive search was performed using Ovid, Cochrane, Medline, EMBASE, and Scopus from inception till January 16, 2020. Observational studies and randomized controlled trials were included, while pediatric/animal studies, letters/case reports, reviews, abstracts, and book chapters were excluded. All-cause mortality was studied as the primary outcome. Cardiovascular mortality, cancer-related deaths and cerebrovascular accidents were studied as secondary outcomes., Results: From 4729 studies, four studies met the inclusion criteria. Random effects pooled analysis showed that all-cause mortality among CP consumers was lower, compared to rare/non-consumers, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.87 [95% CI: 0.85-0.90; p <0.0001; I 2 =1%]. HR for cardiovascular mortality was 0.83 [95% CI: 0.74-0.95; p  = 0.005, I 2 =66%] and for cancer-related mortality as 0.92 [95% CI: 0.87-0.97; p  = 0.001; I 2 =0%]. However, the HR for CVA was 0.78 [95% CI: 0.56-1.09; p  = 0.26; I 2 =60%]. The mode and amount of CP consumption varied across the studies, and data were insufficient to design an optimal strategy guiding its intake., Conclusion: Regular CP consumption was associated with significantly lower all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer-related mortalities. However, based on current literature, it is difficult to derive a standardized approach to guide the optimal mode and amount of CP consumption. This warrants well-designed prospective studies to further investigate the potential health benefits of CP consumption., (© 2021 The Author(s).)