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Background: Left atrium (LA) enlargement is common in organic mitral regurgitation (MR) and is an emerging prognostic indicator. However, outcome implications of LA enlargement have not been analyzed in the context of routine clinical practice and in a multicenter study., Methods and Results: The Mitral Regurgitation International DAtabase (MIDA) registry enrolls patients with organic MR due to flail leaflets, diagnosed in routine clinical practice, in 5 US and European centers. We investigated the relation between LA diameter and mortality under medical treatment and after mitral surgery in 788 patients in sinus rhythm (64±12 years; median LA, 48 [43 to 52] mm). LA diameter was independently associated with survival after diagnosis (hazard ratio, 1.08 [1.04 to 1.12] per 1 mm increment). Compared with patients with LA <55 mm, those with LA ≥55 mm had lower 8-year overall survival (P<0.001). LA ≥55 mm independently predicted overall mortality (hazard ratio, 3.67 [1.95 to 6.88]) and cardiac mortality (hazard ratio, 3.74 [1.72 to 8.13]) under medical treatment. The association of LA ≥55 mm and mortality was consistent in subgroups. Similar excess mortality associated with LA ≥55 mm was observed in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients (P for interaction, 0.77). In patients who underwent mitral surgery, LA ≥55 mm had no impact on postoperative outcome (P>0.20). Mitral surgery was associated with greater survival benefit in patients with LA ≥55 mm compared with LA <55 mm (P for interaction, 0.008)., Conclusions: In MR caused by flail leaflets, LA diameter ≥55 mm is associated with increased mortality under medical treatment, independent of the presence of symptoms or left ventricular dysfunction.

Aims: To determine whether the timing of surgery could influence mortality and morbidity in adults with complicated infective endocarditis (IE)., Methods and Results: In 291 consecutive adults with definite IE who underwent surgery during the active phase, we compared those operated on within the first week of antimicrobial therapy (n=95) to those operated on later (n=191). The impact of the timing of surgery on 6-month mortality, relapses, and postoperative valvular dysfunctions (PVD) was analysed using propensity score (PS) analyses. After stratification of the cohort into quintiles based on the PS, ≤1st week surgery was associated with a trend of decrease in 6-month mortality in the quintile of patients with the most likelihood of undergoing this early surgical management [quintile 5: 11% vs. 33%, odds ratio (OR)=0.18, 95% CI (confidence interval) 0.04-0.83, P=0.03]. Patients of this subgroup were younger, were more likely to have Staphylococcus aureus infections, congestive heart failure, and larger vegetations. Besides, ≤1st week surgery was associated with an increased number of relapses or PVD (16% vs. 4%, adjusted OR=2.9, 95% CI 0.99-8.40, P=0.05)., Conclusion: Surgery performed very early may improve survival in patients with the most severe complicated IE. However, a greater risk of relapses and PVD should be expected when surgery is performed very early.

Objectives: We sought to determine the incidence, diagnostic value, and outcome of intracardiac masses observed by echocardiography after device removal. We hypothesized that these "ghosts" of leads could be associated with the diagnosis of cardiac device-related infective endocarditis (CDRIE)., Background: The echocardiographic appearance of residual floating masses in the right atrium after removal of permanent pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators was recently described. However, the significance of these ghosts and their relationship with CDRIE are unknown., Methods: The pre-operative clinical, microbiological, and echocardiographic conditions; the indication; and the removal technique were analyzed in a retrospective cohort including all consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous lead removal. Three groups were formed according to the final diagnosis: CDRIE, local device infection, and noninfectious indications. The incidence of ghosts was compared among the 3 groups. All clinical, infectious, and extraction-related factors were studied for their association with ghosts. All patients with ghosts were followed after hospitalization., Results: Two hundred twelve patients underwent lead removal. Ghosts were observed in 17 patients (8% incidence), including 14 (16%) of 88 patients with CDRIE and 3 (5%) of 59 patients with local device infection. Ghosts were never observed among the remaining 65 noninfected patients. A significant association was found between CDRIE and the presence of a ghost (odds ratio: 7.63, 95% confidence interval: 2.12 to 27.45, p = 0.001). At 3 months, 2 patients with ghosts died suddenly, 2 underwent surgery, and 1 had a pulmonary embolism., Conclusions: Ghosts are observed in 8% of patients after percutaneous device extraction. Their presence is suggestive of device infection and seems to be associated with the diagnosis of CDRIE. The prognostic significance of such findings needs further investigation., (Copyright 2010 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study analyzed the association of left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) with survival after diagnosis in organic mitral regurgitation (MR) due to flail leaflets., Background: LVESD is a marker of left ventricular function in patients with organic MR but its association to survival after diagnosis is unknown., Methods: The MIDA (Mitral Regurgitation International Database) registry is a multicenter registry of echocardiographically diagnosed organic MR due to flail leaflets. We enrolled 739 patients with MR due to flail leaflets (age 65 +/- 12 years; ejection fraction: 65 +/- 10%) in whom LVESD was measured (36 +/- 7 mm)., Results: Under conservative management, 10-year survival and survival free of cardiac death were higher with LVESD <40 mm versus > or =40 mm (64 +/- 5% vs. 48 +/- 10%; p < 0.001, and 73 +/- 5% vs. 63 +/- 10%; p = 0.001). LVESD > or =40 mm independently predicted overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 3.83) and cardiac mortality (HR: 3.09, 95% CI: 1.35 to 7.09) under conservative management. Mortality risk increased linearly with LVESD >40 mm (HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.27 per 1-mm increment). During the entire follow-up (including post-surgical), LVESD > or =40 mm independently predicted overall mortality (HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.24 to 2.80) and cardiac mortality (HR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.29 to 3.56), due to persistence of excess mortality in patients with LVESD > or =40 mm after surgery (HR: 1.86, 95% CI: 1.11 to 3.15 for overall death, and HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.05 to 3.54 for cardiac death)., Conclusions: In MR due to flail leaflets, LVESD > or =40 mm is independently associated with increased mortality under medical management but also after mitral surgery. These findings support prompt surgical rescue in patients with LVESD > or =40 mm but also suggest that best preservation of survival is achieved in patients operated before LVESD reaches 40 mm.

Background: An increasing number of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) are operated on before the end of the first week of antimicrobial therapy. The mortality and morbidity of this specific group are unknown., Aims: To evaluate the outcome of patients with IE requiring cardiac surgery performed within the first week of antimicrobial therapy., Methods: All consecutive patients with a definite diagnosis of IE operated on within the first week of antimicrobial therapy were followed prospectively. Endpoints were in-hospital mortality and a combined endpoint of long-term cardiovascular death, recurrence and non-infective postoperative valvular dysfunction (PVD). The three main conditions requiring surgery, namely haemodynamic impairment, high embolic risk and periannular extension, were tested as potential predictors of outcome after adjustment for relevant variables., Results: Among the 95 patients included, surgery was performed a median time of 3 days after starting antimicrobial therapy. In-hospital mortality was 15%. The 3-year cumulative rates of the combined endpoint and of cardiovascular death were 38+/-7% and 27+/-7%, respectively. Recurrence occurred in 12% and PVD in 7%. Periannular extension was the main predictor of in-hospital death and the combined endpoint., Conclusion: Despite the short time between starting antimicrobial therapy and performing surgery, the risk of death, recurrence and PVD does not appear excessively high. In the presence of periannular extension, however, surgery is associated with a greater risk of postoperative events.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess incidence and predictors of events associated with nonsurgical and surgical management of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in European institutions., Background: The management of patients with MR remains disputed, warranting multicenter studies to define clinical outcome in routine clinical practice., Methods: The MIDA (Mitral Regurgitation International DAtabase) is a registry created for multicenter study of MR with echocardiographically diagnosed flail leaflet as a model of pure, organic MR. Our cases were collected from 4 European centers. We enrolled 394 patients (age 64 +/- 11 years; 67% men; 64% in New York Heart Association functional class I to II; left ventricular ejection fraction 67 +/- 10%)., Results: During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, linearized event rates/year under nonsurgical management were 5.4% for atrial fibrillation (AF), 8.0% for heart failure (HF), and 2.6% for death. Mitral valve (MV) surgery was performed in 315 (80%) patients (repair in 250 of 315, 80%). Perioperative mortality, defined as death within 30 days from the operation, was 0.7% (n = 2). Surgery during follow-up was independently associated with reduced risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21 to 0.84; p = 0.014). Benefit was largely driven by MV repair (adjusted HR vs. replacement 0.37, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.76; p = 0.007). In 102 patients strictly asymptomatic and with normal ventricular function, 5-year combined incidence of AF, HF, or cardiovascular death (CVD) was 42 +/- 8%. In these patients, surgery also reduced rates of CVD/HF (HR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.89; p = 0.032)., Conclusions: In this multicenter study, nonsurgical management of severe MR was associated with notable rates of adverse events. Surgery especially MV repair performed during follow-up was beneficial in reducing rates of cardiac events. These findings support surgical consideration in patients with MR due to flail leaflets for whom MV repair is feasible.

Background: Transient functional mitral regurgitation (MR) has never been reported as a cause of heart failure (HF) with normal ejection fraction (EF) in the absence of epicardial coronary artery stenosis., Results: Performance of echocardiography in patients with acute HF before initiation of HF medical treatment allowed identification of three patients with normal EF but transient massive functional MR during the HF episode. In all patients, massive MR occurred as a consequence of sudden extreme apical tenting of both leaflets with total lack of coaptation, despite normal EF and absence of detectable left ventricular (LV) remodeling, and despite absence of significant stenosis on coronary arteries. In all patients MR was triggered by methylergonovine injection and was reversible either spontaneously or after nitroglycerine administration, leaving patients with normal echocardiogram between HF episodes. In two patients, long-term administration of calcium channel blockers prevented recurrences of MR and HF, whereas in one, mitral valve was eventually replaced., Conclusion: Sudden reversible apical tenting of mitral leaflets with subsequent torrential MR and acute HF can occur despite normal EF, absence of pre-existing LV remodeling and absence of coronary artery stenosis. This atypical type of functional MR is an unusual mechanism of HF in patients with normal LVEF.

We report an original case of mitochondrial cardiomyopathy discovered in a young woman during an episode of cardiac decompensation. The diagnosis was suspected from the echocardiographic appearances of granite-like heterogeneous hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It was confirmed by endomyocardial biopsies. The clinical evolution was favourable with classical treatment. Mitochondrial cardiomyopathy is a rare cause of cardiomyopathy, generally observed in children, with multisystemic localisation. The pathophysiology and genetics are complex. Cardiac involvement is observed in 25% of cases, with the principal manifestation being hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In the absence of any specific clinical or paraclinical signs, echocardiography and MRI are the techniques of choice for morphological evaluation. Diagnosis relies upon myocardial biopsy, which should be readily advocated in every unexplained case of cardiomyopathy in a young subject. The prognosis is poor and no specific treatment is available.

Background: Surgical treatment of active aortic infective endocarditis is challenging, and the type of prosthesis to be implanted during the active phase remains controversial., Methods: All consecutive patients with definite diagnosis of aortic infective endocarditis operated on during the active phase were included. Endpoints were in-hospital mortality and a combined endpoint including infective endocarditis recurrence, prostheses dysfunction, or long-term cardiovascular mortality., Results: Among 127 consecutive patients, mean age 57 +/- 15 years, 87% male, 30% with preexisting aortic prosthesis, and 63 (50%) with annulus abscess, 54 (43%) were treated with aortic homograft and 73 (57%) with conventional prosthesis. Median time between diagnosis and surgery was 10 days. In-hospital mortality was 9%, not different between homograft and conventional prostheses (11% versus 8%, p[ = 0.6). By multivariable analysis, prosthetic valve endocarditis (8.5 95% confidence interval: 2.2 to 33.6, ]p = 0.001) was the only variable independently associated with in-hospital mortality, which was not influenced by type valvular substitute (p = 0.6), even in the subset with annulus abscess (p = 0.2). Ten-year survival free from the combined endpoint was 44% +/- 10%, not different between homograft and conventional prostheses (log rank p = 0.2). By multivariable analysis, comorbidity index (2.6 [1.05 to 6.3], p = 0.04) and prosthetic valve endocarditis (2.3 [1.2 to 4.6], p = 0.02) were independently predictive of the combined endpoint, which was not determined by type of valvular substitute (p = 0.6) even in the subset with annulus abscess (p = 0.5)., Conclusions: Implantation of conventional prostheses during the active phase of aortic endocarditis yields similar low operative mortality and long-term prognosis as compared with aortic homografts, even in patients with annulus abscess.