Aorto-cardiac fistula etiology, presentation, and management: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Aorto-cardiac fistulae are a rare but increasingly reported entity, and data are scarce. METHOD: The authors performed a systematic review of ACFs to characterize the underlying etiology, clinical presentation, and compare outcomes of treatment strategies. RESULTS: 3,733 publications were identified in the search. Of those, 292 studies including 300 patients were included. Etiology of ACFs was 38% iatrogenic, 25% infectious, 14% traumatic, and 15% due to other causes. Most patients (74%) presented with heart failure. Common locations were aortic-right atrium (37%), and aortic-pulmonary artery (25%). The majority of patients (71%) were treated surgically, while 13% were treated percutaneously, and 16% were treated conservatively. Patients who were managed conservatively had a higher mortality than those treated with invasive closure (53% vs. 12% vs. 3%, p = <0.00001). CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review sheds light on this highly morbid condition. Once recognized, fistula closure appears to be superior to conservative management.

The Feasibility and Safety of Same-Day Discharge for All Comers after Elective Percutaneous Coronary Interventions.

BACKGROUND: The safety of same day discharge (SDD) after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) has been demonstrated in several studies. However, SDD was only allowed in patients meeting strict criteria. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of SDD following elective-PCI in all comers. METHODS: In 2012, we implemented a strategy of SDD for all elective PCI (no exclusion) but admissions were allowed at the discretion of the treating physician. We assessed the feasibility and safety of this approach in consecutive patients who underwent elective PCI at WVU. RESULTS: Out of 3355 patients who underwent PCI between 2012 and 2016, 691 (21%) presented electively. Radial access was utilized in 480 (69.5%). Same day discharge was achieved in 539/691 (78%), and there was no difference between patients who had SDD and those who were admitted with regards to the 30-day major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (3.2% vs. 3.5% respectively, P = 0.195). Predictors of SDD failure were procedural complications (OR 12.08, 95%CI 2.20-57.8. P = 0.002), use of Glycoprotein IIB-IIIA inhibitors (OR 3.45, 95%CI 1.067-11.41, P = 0.039), femoral access (OR 2.067, 95%CI 1.25-3.419, p = 0.005), anemia (OR 1.80, 95%CI 1.06-3.04, P = 0.029), home distance ≥60 miles (OR 1.68, 95%CI 1.03-2.72, P = 0.037). CONCLUSION: SDD is feasible in the majority of all-comers after elective PCI, and is not associated with increase in adverse events at 30-days. Certain procedural and patient's characteristics predict SDD failure. If validated in prospective studies, these factors can possibly be integrated in a predictive tool to aid in triaging patients, post-elective PCI.

Effect of Race on the Incidence of Aortic Stenosis and Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacement in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of race on the incidence of aortic stenosis (AS) and utilization and outcomes of aortic valve replacement (AVR). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients older than 60 years hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of AS and those who underwent AVR between 2003 and 2014 were included. Adjusted and unadjusted incidence of AS-related hospitalizations, utilization rates of AVR, in-hospital morbidity and mortality, and resource utilization was compared between whites and African Americans (AAs). RESULTS: Between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2014, the incidence of AS-related admissions increased from 13 (95% CI, 12.8-13.2) to 26 (95% CI, 25.7-26.4) cases per 100,000 patient-years in whites and from 3 (95% CI, 3.5-3.8) to 9.5 (95% CI, 9.4-9.8) cases per 100,000 patient-years in AAs (P<.001). The incidence density ratio decreased from 4.3 (95% CI, 2.27-6.6) in 2003 to 2.7 (95% CI, 1.1-3.8) in 2014. The ratio of AVR to AS-related admissions was 11.3% in whites and 6.7% in AAs (P<.001). Crude in-hospital mortality after AVR was higher in AAs (6.4% vs 4.7%; P<.001). However, after propensity score matching, in-hospital morality after isolated AVR was not significantly different between AAs and whites (4.7% vs 3.7%; P=.12). African Americans also had longer hospitalizations (12±12 days vs 10±9 days; P<.001), higher rates of nonhome discharge (32.1% vs 27.2%; P=.004), and higher cost of hospitalization ($55,631±$37,773 vs $52,521±$38,040; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: African Americans undergo AVR less than whites. The underlying etiology of this disparity is multifactorial, but may be related to a lower incidence of AS in AAs. Aortic valve replacement is associated with similar risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality but higher cost and longer hospitalizations in AAs than in whites.

Comparative Outcomes of Surgical and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis in Nonagenarians.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) emerged as a promising alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in extreme-aged patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Data on the outcomes of TAVR or SAVR in nonagenarians are limited. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to identify patients aged 90 years or older who underwent TAVR or SAVR from 2004 to 2013. In-hospital morbidity and mortality were assessed. From 2004 to 2013, 9,066 (national estimate) nonagenarians underwent aortic valve replacement. After the introduction of TAVR, most nonagenarians were treated with TAVR (76%) compared with SAVR (24%). A total of 1,847 nonagenarians who underwent SAVR (n = 1,152) or TAVR (n = 695) were included in the analysis. In-hospital mortality was similar between patients who underwent SAVR (6.4%) compared with TAVR (6.5%; p = 0.29). Vascular complications were more common after TAVR (11.9% vs 6.3%, p <0.001), whereas blood transfusion (46.2% vs 33.7%, p <0.001), and acute kidney injury (25.8% vs 20.4%, p = 0.009) were more common after SAVR. Pacemaker implantation and stroke rates were similar between the 2 groups. In a propensity-matched analysis of 630 patients who underwent isolated TAVR (n = 315) or SAVR (n = 315), in-hospital mortality was similar for (6.0% for SAVR vs 7.9% for TAVR, p = 0.35). SAVR was associated with higher rates of acute kidney injury (24.1% vs 16.8%, p = 0.02) and blood transfusion (46.0% vs 35.2%, p = 0.001), whereas TAVR was associated with increased rates of vascular complications (10.2% vs 6.0%, p = 0.07). Stroke (4.1% vs 4.1%, p = 0.99) and pacemaker implantation rates were also similar (13.0% vs 9.2%, p = 0.12) between the TAVR and SAVR groups, respectively. In conclusion, in nonagenarians, both SAVR and TAVR can be performed with acceptable in-hospital outcomes. Referral for aortic valve replacement in these patients should not be precluded based on age alone.