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Aims: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an under-diagnosed cause of heart failure (HF) and has a worse prognosis than other forms of HF. The frequency of death or rehospitalization following discharge for acute heart failure (AHF) in CA (relative to other causes) has not been documented. The study aims to compare hospital readmission and death rates 90 days after discharge for AHF in patients with vs. without CA and to identify risk factors associated with these events in each group., Methods and Results: Patients with HF and CA (HF + CA+) were recruited from the ICREX cohort, after screening of their medical records. The cases were matched 1:5 by sex and age with control HF patients without CA (HF + CA-). There were 27 HF + CA + and 135 HF + CA- patients from the ICREX cohort included in the study. Relative to the HF + CA- group, HF + CA+ patients had a higher heart rate (P = 0.002) and N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide levels (P < 0.001) and lower blood pressure (P < 0.001), weight, and body mass index values (P < 0.001) on discharge. Ninety days after discharge, the HF + CA+ group displayed a higher death rate, a higher all-cause hospital readmission rate, and a higher hospital readmission rate for AHF. Death and hospital readmissions occurred sooner after discharge in the HF + CA+ group than in the HF + CA- group., Conclusions: The presence of CA in patients with HF was associated with a three-fold greater risk of death and a two-fold greater risk of all-cause hospital readmission 90 days after discharge. These findings emphasize the importance of close, active management of patients with CA and AHF., (© 2023 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Context: A growing number of elderly patients hospitalized for Acute Heart Failure (AHF) are being managed in cardiogeriatrics departments, but their characteristics and prognosis are poorly known. This study aimed to investigate the profile and outcome (rehospitalization at 90 days) of patients hospitalized for AHF in cardiogeriatrics departments in the Val-de-Marne area in the suburbs of Paris, and to compare them to AHF patients hospitalized in cardiology departments in the same area., Methods: Observational study, ICREX-94, conducted in seven cardiology departments in France and three specific cardiogeriatrics departments in Val-de-Marne., Results: A total of 308 patients were hospitalized for AHF between October 2017 and January 2019. During the 90 days following discharge, 29.6% patients were readmitted to the hospital. Compared with patients hospitalized in cardiology departments, patients in cardiogeriatrics departments were older (p < 0.001), less independent (living more often alone or in an institution) (p < 0.001), more often depressed (p < 0.001), had more often major neurocognitive disorder (p < 0.001), had a higher Human Development Index (HDI, p < 0.001), and were less often diagnosed with amyloidosis (p < 0.001). There was no difference in outcome whether patients were discharged from cardiology or cardiogeriatrics departments. The most frequent precipitating factors underlying AHF decompensation between the first and second hospitalization were arrhythmia and infection., Conclusion: AHF patients discharged from cardiogeriatrics departments, compared to cardiology departments, showed clinical differences but had the same prognosis regarding AHF rehospitalization at 90 days.

The authors report a case of Double Mitral Orifice (DMO), existing in isolation and type 3 by the Floch Prigent classification. This rare anomaly is often associated with another congenital malformation, dominated by intra-atrio-ventricular defect. Two-dimensional echocardiography is the essential diagnostic factor. Hemodynamic consequences may be nil, but mitral insufficiency and/or stenosis may complicate this malformation. Treatment may be summarised as abstention, surgical repair or valve replacement, according to the severity of lesions.

Acquired coronary cardiac fistulas are rare. To date, thirty cases have been published in the literature, all secondary to thoracic trauma. The right cardiac chambers were more frequently involved. A recent continuous cardiac murmur is the most constant finding. Nontreated, these lesions tend to induce coronary insufficiency and congestive heart failure. 22 of the 30 reported cases were managed surgically. We hereby report a case of postoperative coronary cardiac fistula secondary to left ventricular venting, in which the fistula involved the left ventricular cavity.

A 47 yr-old man had an anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left anterior wall of the ascending aorta. This was demonstrated by aortography and by selective right coronary angiography.

The diagnosis of pheochromocytoma is biological. If ultrasound enables the visualization of certain adrenal tumours or hepatic metastasis, in fact two tests enable the topographic diagnosis, the screening of ectopic localizations and metastasis. They are IMBG scintigraphy and tomographic scanning. The place of magnetic resonance imaging is not yet specified. However, it has many advantages: absence of irradiations, good anatomic precision, meticulous screening of ectopic forms, of metastases and of adenopathies, study of the tissue characterization, good definition of the tumour relation with the vascular pedicles and the neighbouring structures.

Fulguration of the heart cavities seems currently to be a technique of increasing value in the treatment of untractable arrhythmias, of supraventricular junctional or ventricular origin. This study represents the evaluation of our experience with 64 patients, maximum follow-up is 54 months and the minimum follow-up is 7 months. Although the results are quite satisfactory in the fulguration of the bundle of his and in the fulguration of the arrhythmic site inducing ventricular tachycardia, these results are inferior in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in which fulguration of the coronary sinus seems contraindicated al filter (LEM type), resulting in the death of the patient. It is a true, early (1st week) migration after accurate positioning, opposite L4, and not an incident of insertion.

Acquired coronary cardiac fistulas are rare. To date, thirty cases have been published in the literature, all secondary to thoracic trauma. The right cardiac chambers were more frequently involved. A recent continuous cardiac murmur is the most constant finding. Nontreated, these lesions tend to induce coronary insufficiency and congestive heart failure. 22 of the 30 reported cases were managed surgically. We hereby report a case of postoperative coronary cardiac fistula secondary to left ventricular venting, in which the fistula involved the left ventricular cavity.

The great vessels (aorta, pulmonary arteries, carotid arteries, renal arteries, vena cava) can now be visualized by several methods, such as digital subtraction angiography, computed tomography, Doppler sonography and magnetic resonance imaging. The indications for these methods depend on the vessel studied and on the pathology investigated. The authors review the indications for each of the great vessels.