Thrombolytic Therapy as the Management of Mitral Transcatheter Valve-in-Valve Implantation Early Thrombosis.

A 70-year-old male underwent mitral transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation for a failed bioprosthesis implanted 11 years earlier. In the first days following the procedure, he developed thrombosis of the new bioprosthesis with restricted cusp motion. The transmitral mean gradient increased significantly despite effective anticoagulation therapy using unfractionated heparin infusion. Low dose and slow infusion of alteplase resulted in resolution of the thrombus and normalisation of cusp motion. Thereafter long-term anticoagulation using a vitamin K antagonist was instituted and the patient remained asymptomatic.

Antimicrobial stewardship program implementation in a medical intensive care unit at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have shown to prevent the emergence of antimicrobial resistance associated with an inappropriate antimicrobial use. The primary objective of this study was to compare the prescribing appropriateness rate of the empirical antibiotic therapy before and after the ASP implementation in a tertiary care hospital. Secondary objectives include the rate of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), physicians' acceptance rate, patient's intensive care unit (ICU) course, total utilization using defined daily dose, and total direct cost of antibiotics. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: This is a comparative, historically controlled study. Adult medical ICU patients were enrolled in a prospective fashion under the active ASP arm and compared with historical patients who were admitted to the same unit before the ASP implementation. This study was approved by the institutional review board, and the need for informed consent was waived because the interventions and recommendations were evidence based and considered the standard of care. The study was conducted at KFSHRC, Riyadh. METHODS: Adult medical ICU patients were enrolled under the active ASP arm if they were on any of the 5 targeted antibiotics (piperacillin/tazobactam, imipenem/cilastatin, meropenem, vancomycin, tigecycline), and had no official infectious disease consultation. The interventions were conducted via prospective audit and feedback. RESULTS: A total of 73 subjects were recruited, 49 in historical control and 24 in the active arm. The appropriateness of empirical antibiotics was improved from 30.6% (15/49) in the historical control arm to 100% (24/24) in the proactive ASP arm (P value < .05). For the ASP group, initially 79.1% (19/24) of the antibiotic uses were inappropriate and diminished by ASPs to 0% on the recommendations implementation. A total of 27 interventions were made with an acceptance rate of 96.3%. The rate of CDAD did not differ between the groups. A reduction in antibiotics utilization and direct cost were also noticed in the ASP arm. CONCLUSION: A proactive ASP is a vital approach in optimizing the appropriate empirical antibiotics utilization in an ICU setting in tertiary care hospitals. This study highlights the importance of such a program and may serve as a foundation for further ASP initiatives particularly in our region.

The prevalence, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of diastolic heart failure: a clinical study in elderly Saudi patients with up to 5 years follow-up.

Data from 519 patients older than 65 years with congestive heart failure (CHF) were analyzed after 5 years of clinical follow-up. Two groups were included in the analysis: 321 patients with ejection fractions > or =50% (group with diastolic heart failure) and 198 patients with reduced ejection fraction <50% (group with systolic heart failure). Hypertension (81%) was the strongest predictor of congestive heart failure, followed by diabetes (46%) and coronary disease (33%). Diastolic heart failure was more predominant in elderly female (P=.007), hypertensive (P=.0001), and hypertrophic (P=.001) patients. Length of hospital stay, readmission rate, all-cause morbidity, and cumulative mortality were not statistically significant between both groups (P=.09).

The impact of clinical pharmacist in a cardiac-surgery intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical pharmacists' interventions in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting with regard to their acceptance by the medical team, frequency, clinical significance, and targeted patient's outcomes. METHODS: This is a prospective, non-comparative, observational study evaluating the clinical pharmacist interventions in an ICU setting from December 2002 to May 2003. The study was conducted in a 19-bed Cardiac-Surgery ICU at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, a tertiary-care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The clinical pharmacist performed daily multi-disciplinary team rounds, with documentation of all his interventions. On the same day, a physician, who is a part of the team, verified all interventions for validity and clinical significance. The institutional Office of Research Affairs approved the study. RESULTS: The clinical pharmacist intervened 394 times on the 600 patients [0.66 intervention-per-patient]. The medical team accepted almost all interventions (94.3%). The main drug-related problems were the following: no drug prescribed for medical condition (33.2%), inappropriate dosing regimen (28.9%), and no indication for drug use (14.3%). Approximately 55.7% of the interventions targeted enhancing therapeutic outcomes, whilst 21.8% of interventions resulted in the prevention of an adverse drug reaction. The interventions that may have resulted in decreasing mortality, preventing, or reducing organ damage, or decreasing hospitalization, represented 8.1% of all interventions. CONCLUSION: Participation of a clinical pharmacist in the daily multidisciplinary team rounds in an ICU setting significantly reduces unfavorable morbidities and enhances therapeutic outcomes.

Long-term effects of balloon angioplasty on left ventricular hypertrophy in adolescent and adult patients with native coarctation of the aorta. Up to 18 years follow-up results.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the long-term follow-up results of balloon angioplasty (BA) for patients with native aortic coarctation (AC) on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) regression. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to define the long-term effect of BA of AC on LVH in adolescent and adult patients. METHODS: Follow-up data of 53 patients (36 male) mean age 24 +/- 9 years undergoing BA for discrete AC at median interval of 11.8 years (range 4-18 years) including cardiac catheterization, magnetic resonance imaging, and Echocardiography form the basis of this study. Patients were divided into two groups at 1 year after BA based on absence (group A) or presence (group B) of persistent hypertension and need for medication. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients had baseline LVH, BA produced an immediate reduction in peak AC gradient from 66 +/- 23 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59.5-72.7) to 10.8 +/- 7 mm Hg (95% CI: 8.8-12.5) (P < 0.0001). Follow-up catheterization 12 months later revealed a residual gradient of 6.2 +/- 6 mm Hg (95% CI: 4.4-7.9) (P < 0.001). The blood pressure had normalized without medication in 38 of the 49 patients (165 +/- 17 to 115 +/- 10 mm Hg). Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) decreased significantly (>20% decrease LVMI from baseline) in 48 patients (98%) at median interval 1.4 years (range 0.5-3 years) post BA, group A (38 patients) LVMI decreased from 132 +/- 30.7 g/m(2) (95% CI: 122-141.9) to 86 +/- 19.9 g/m(2) (95% CI: 79.5-92.5) (P < 0.0001). Similarly, in 10 patients (group B) the LVMI decreased from 157 +/- 38.7 g/m(2) (95% CI: 127-185) to 102 +/- 29 g/m(2) (95% CI: 105-151) (P < 0.0001) at follow-up. Mild (<20% decrease in LVMI) regressions were noted in one patient from group B. There was no progression to LVH in the four patients who had normal baseline LVMI. CONCLUSION: (1) Long-term results of BA for discrete AC are excellent and should be considered as first option for treatment of this disease; (2) Regression of LVH (> or =20% reduction in LVMI) occurred in 98% of patients after BA.

Immediate and intermediate results of intracoronary stand-alone bolus administration of eptifibatide during coronary intervention (ICE) study.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the immediate and intermediate results of intracoronary (i.c.) eptifibatide administration during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Several studies tested intravenous (i.v.) bolus and continuous administration of eptifibatide during PCI. However, limited data are available regarding giving eptifibatide as i.c. bolus alone during PCI. METHODS: We studied clinical outcomes of 376 patients who received coronary stent(s) and eptifibatide by 3 applications during PCI and were followed up over 24 months. Group A (119 patients) had i.c. eptifibatide bolus only, group B (119 patients) had i.c. bolus and i.v. infusion, and group C (138 patients) had i.v. bolus and infusion. The standard 2 boluses of eptifibatide 180 microg/kg were given either via i.c. or i.v. route, and only groups B and C received i.v. infusion at 2 microcg x kg(-1) x min(-1) for 18 to 24 hours. RESULTS: There were 256 males and 120 females, with a mean age of 57 +/- 11 years. Among them, 52% were diabetic. The 6-, 12-, and 24-month cumulative composite end point of death and myocardial infraction was lower in group A (2.5%) compared with group C (10.8%, odds ratio [OR] 4.3, P = .029) and group B (5.8%, OR 2.6, P = .17). Compared with group A, target vessel revascularization was 3-fold in group C (OR 3.3, P = .001) and 2-fold in group B (OR 2.0, P = .061). Bleeding was significantly higher in group C (OR 5.4, P < .0001) and group B (OR 3.4, P = .007) compared with group A. Rehospitalization was significantly lower in group A (10.9%) compared with group B (16.8%) and group C (28%) (P = .0009). CONCLUSION: The i.c.-bolus-alone application of eptifibatide may be safer and superior to the i.v. route, and continuous infusion may not be necessary. Large-scale prospective randomized trials are needed to further validate these findings.

Long-term results (up to 18 years) of balloon angioplasty on systemic hypertension in adolescent and adult patients with coarctation of the aorta.

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the long-term follow-up results of balloon angioplasty (BA) for patients with aortic coarctation (AC) on systemic hypertension. HYPOTHESIS: To define the long-term effect of BA of AC on systemic hypertension in adolescent and adult patients. METHODS: Follow-up data of 53 patients (36 male), mean age 24 +/- 9 years, undergoing BA for discrete AC at median interval of 11.8 years (range, 4-18 years), including cardiac catheterization, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and echocardiography. Patients were divided into two groups at 1 year after BA on the basis of absence (group A: 40 patients) or presence (group B: 11 patients) of persistent hypertension and need for medication. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients had baseline hypertension, BA produced an immediate reduction in peak AC gradient from 66 +/- 23 mmHg to 10.8 +/- 7 mmHg (p < 0.0001). The immediate systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased from 165 +/- 17 mmHg (95% CI: 159 to 171) to 125 +/- 10 mmHg (95% CI: 122 to 131) (p < 0.001) in 40 patients (group A) and from 184 +/- 19 mmHg (95% CI: 169 to 198) to 142 +/- 22 mmHg (95% CI: 124 to 156) (p<0.001) in 11 patients (group B). At 1-year follow-up, SBP decreased further to 115 +/- 10 in group A (95% CI 111-119) and 134 +/- 19 in group B (95% CI 122-142) (p<0.001). The blood pressure had normalized without medication in group A (165 +/- 17 to 115 +/- 10 mmHg). CONCLUSION: Long-term results of BA for discrete AC are excellent and should be considered as the first option for treatment of this disease. No paradoxical hypertension occurred post angioplasty, and normalization of blood pressure without medication occurred in 78% of the patients after BA.

Cardiac unilateral pulmonary edema: is it really a rare presentation?

Unilateral pulmonary edema is a distinctly unusual clinical entity that presents interesting and confusing diagnostic challenges. It is usually described as occurring with re-expansion of a collapsed lung after rapid thoracocentesis of pleural air or pleural fluid. Unilateral pulmonary edema as an initial presenting manifestation for heart failure is uncommon and can be confused with other more common causes of alveolar or interstitial infiltrate, which can lead to a significant delay in treatment.

Successful lysis of intra-cardiac thrombi with streptokinase in patients with renal failure; two case reports and review of the literature.

In situ formation of thrombi within the cardiac cavities carries a substantial risk of morbidity and mortality due to the inherent danger of embolization to vital organs. This typically occurs in patients with underlying cardiac disorders associated with low flow state favoring regional stagnation of blood and subsequent clotting. Occasionally, extra-cardiac conditions such as renal failure predispose to the development of intra-cardiac thrombi in the presence or absence of identifiable cardiac abnormalities. Once identified, the appropriate treatment of such thrombi remains highly controversial. Here, we report on the successful and safe use of streptokinase in two patients with end stage renal disease with high risk left ventricular, right ventricular and right atrial thrombi.

Rescue in situ thrombolysis for acute coronary thromboembolism in an angiographically normal coronary artery.

Coronary thromboembolism in an angiographically normal coronary artery is extremely uncommon. There are few instances where normal coronary arteries have been documented just prior to an episode of acute thromboembolic insult. We now report such a case of acute coronary thromboembolism in a patient with widely patent coronary vessels documented just prior to the event during preoperative screening angiogram with successful in situ revascularization.