Fungal Endocarditis Secondary to Transdermal Fentanyl Patch.

Fungal endocarditis is an uncommon and dangerous disorder of the heart. The two most frequent etiologic fungi discovered to be responsible for fungal endocarditis are Aspergillus and Candida species. It is difficult to make a diagnosis of fungal endocarditis; a comprehensive assessment must be carried out, and specific diagnostic requirements must be completed. One of the main causes of endocarditis that physicians deal with in the hospital is intravenous drug abuse, but we never hear about transdermal drug abuse causing endocarditis. Here we present an interesting case of a 33-year-old male patient that presents to the hospital with non-specific complaints, and he was found to have fungemia. It was found out that the patient was using a kitchen appliance to cause dermal abrasion on his skin to increase the absorption rate of his fentanyl patch. Patient also suffers from trypanophobia, so he declined any surgical intervention and wanted lifelong oral medication therapy.

Ranolazine Toxicity Secondary to Paxlovid.

An Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) was issued by the FDA on December 22, 2021 for the investigational antiviral drug nirmatrelvir copackaged with the HIV-1 protease inhibitor ritonavir (Paxlovid - Pfizer) for outpatient treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in children 12 years and old that are high risk of severe disease. Due to the effects, Paxlovid has on liver metabolism it has a copious amount of drug-to-drug interactions. Here we present a rare case of a patient that was given Paxlovid and continued to take her Ranolazine at home. She presented to the emergency department obtunded and after an initial workup, it was determined to be secondary to ranolazine toxicity. She eventually recovered over 54 hours and returned to her baseline.

Blood Culture-Negative Endocarditis Secondary to Skin Popping.

Infectious endocarditis (IE) is a diagnosis in which thorough evaluation must be performed and certain diagnostic criteria must be met. Thorough history and detailed physical examination can affect and guide the management of a patient from the very beginning. One of the main causes of endocarditis that physicians deal with in the hospital is intravenous drug abuse. This case report is of a 29-year-old male presenting to a rural emergency department with a two-week history of altered mental status after being struck on the head with a metal pipe. The patient also endorsed using intravenous drugs along with subcutaneous injections (skin popping). The patient was initially treated as a traumatic intracranial hemorrhage, but it was later found to be secondary to septic emboli from blood culture-negative endocarditis. Throughout this case report, we will approach the difficulties of diagnosing IE in a patient who represented many of the less common findings including dermatologic manifestations of diseases such as Osler nodes and Janeway lesions.

Biventricular Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Secondary to COVID-19.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a heart failure syndrome characterized by acute and transient dysfunction of the apical segment of the left ventricle. Since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the diagnosis of TCM has increased in prevalence. Here we present an intriguing case of a patient who initially presented to the hospital with respiratory failure and received a diagnosis of COVID-19. During the patient's hospital course, he was also diagnosed with biventricular TCM and subsequently experienced complete resolution of TCM before discharge. Providers should be cognizant of the potential cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 and consider those heart failure syndromes, including TCM, could be causing some of the respiratory dysfunction in these patients.

Cardiac Metastasis From Renal Cell Carcinoma.

While metastasis is common, it is unusual for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) to spread to the heart and even more so without involving the inferior vena cava (IVC). In fact, only a few cases have been reported where RCC has metastasized to the heart without IVC invasion. There have been only a few cases published that show RCC metastasis to the heart without invasion through the IVC. Here, we present an interesting case of a patient that was found to have RCC metastasis to the lungs that had a direct invasion to the left atrium.

Atrioventricular Nodal Dysfunction Secondary to Chronic Alcohol Abuse.

Atrioventricular (AV) nodal conduction disorders occur when the AV conduction pathway is refractory due to functional or organic reasons, resulting in a delay or complete blockage of atrial impulses to the ventricles. One of the causes of nodal dysfunction includes chronic alcohol abuse and excessive binge drinking. We are presenting a case where a chronic alcoholic was binge drinking due to a loss of a close friend, which resulted in nodal dysfunction and multiple cardiac rhythms, including supraventricular bigeminy, sinus bradycardia, significant sinus pauses, and complete heart block. He eventually got a single-chamber permanent pacemaker and endorsed that he quit drinking alcohol when he was discharged. He followed up with cardiology after discharge, and his pacemaker interrogation showed that he has been without any type of cardiac arrhythmias.

Unusual Presentation of an Inguinal Bladder Hernia.

Cases of an inguinal bladder hernia (IBH) are rare as the diagnosis may be challenging because patients are often asymptomatic or have nonspecific symptoms. When patients are symptomatic, normally they complain of urinary symptoms. Our patient initially presented to the hospital because he had a ground-level fall after having chest pain while transitioning from a bed to a wheelchair. Incidentally in the emergency department, he was found to have scrotal edema, which was later diagnosed as inguinal bladder herniation. The patient did not have any further episodes of chest pain or abdominal pain once he was given medicinal therapy for his IBH. Surgery is usually the definitive treatment for inguinal bladder herniation, but our patient wished to try medicinal therapy and follow-up outpatient.

Hypokalemia-Induced Cardiac Arrest.

Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) refers to a group of disorders in which the elimination of hydrogen ions from the kidney or the reabsorption of filtered bicarbonate is impaired, resulting in metabolic acidosis. Hypokalemia is also prominent in different types of RTA. We are presenting an interesting case about a chronic alcoholic patient who presented to the emergency department and was found to be severely hypokalemic. During her hospital stay, she had multiple cardiac arrests likely secondary to her hypokalemia despite adequate treatment with potassium supplementation. We came to the conclusion of distal RTA in our patient based on hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, sodium bicarbonate of 10 mmol/L, low potassium, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine within normal limits, alkaline urine, and a positive urinary anion gap. It is likely that the cause of our patient's underlying type 1 RTA was secondary to her chronic alcohol abuse. Her potassium eventually returned to baseline, and she was discharged.

A Case of Symptomatic Paroxysmal Complete Atrioventricular Block.

Paroxysmal complete atrioventricular block (PCAB) is clinically characterized by a sudden change from 1:1 atrioventricular (AV) conduction leading to complete heart block. Patients may have a vast array of symptoms, but commonly, PCAB will lead to syncope and possible sudden cardiac death. The literature currently consists of three different types of PCAB: intrinsic paroxysmal atrioventricular block, extensive vagal paroxysmal atrioventricular block, and extrinsic idiopathic paroxysmal atrioventricular block. Currently, there is no single symptom or sign that is specific to a single type of AV block. PCAB is often missed or overlooked because of its unpredictability and no evidence of conduction disease with a normal 1:1 conduction on routine electrocardiograms. Here, we present a case of a 65-year-old female who has been intermittently symptomatic for four years and was found to have PCAB.

Management of Massive Rivaroxaban Overdose With Acetaminophen and Isosorbide Mononitrate Overdose.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been used more frequently for the prevention and management of thromboembolic disease in comparison to their predecessors. DOACs provide greater ease of administration, shorter half-lives, less monitoring, and fewer drug-drug interactions. With the rise of DOACs such as rivaroxaban, the opportunity for abuse also increases. Therefore, standardization of care based on rivaroxaban misuse must also be explored, an area in which there is not ample information. We present a case where a patient consumed a stockpile of her home medications in hopes to commit suicide. A 64-year-old female presented to the emergency department due to the ingestion of rivaroxaban 5,000 mg along with ingestion of acetaminophen 30,000 mg and isosorbide mononitrate 1000 mg in the setting of intentional self-harm with multiple declarations of being classified as Do Not Resuscitate. There have been documented cases of rivaroxaban overdose, however, there are no documented cases with levels of ingestion reaching 5,000 mg along with signs of severe bleeding. Our case study reviews the previously documented management of rivaroxaban abuse and the treatment that was given to our patient in the setting of extreme anticoagulant ingestion.

Mycotic Pseudoaneurysm Formation at the Cannulation Site in the Ascending Aorta.

The formation of mycotic pseudoaneurysms in the ascending aorta is a rare but sometimes fatal complication after open-heart surgery, requiring cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). There has been little cited about this rare complication. We present a case of a 51-year-old man who developed a mycotic pseudoaneurysm in the ascending aorta at a previous aortic cannulation site nine years after coronary artery bypass surgery. The patient presented to the emergency department with two weeks of worsening substernal chest pain and was found to have pseudoaneurysm in the anterior wall of the ascending aorta on chest computed tomography angiography (CTA) during his chest pain workup. The patient's blood cultures grew methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). During the hospital course, the patient's respiratory status worsened, and repeat CTA revealed enlargement of the pseudoaneurysm arising from the anterior proximal arch of the aorta. Chest X-ray obtained because of hypoxia demonstrated widening of the upper mediastinum, which appeared increased compared with the previous exam. Because of concern for rupture of an aneurysm, the patient was taken to the operating room for redo sternotomy and repair of the pseudoaneurysm with femoral artery cannulation for cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient completed eight weeks of IV nafcillin, and rifampin was added to decrease biofilm formation.

Type 2 versus type 1 myocardial infarction: a comparison of clinical characteristics and outcomes with a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 myocardial infarction (MI) is an imbalance between myocardial oxygen demand and supply, leading to myocardial ischemia. It is not due to plaque rupture, and is usually caused by a condition other than coronary artery disease (CAD). However, limited data are available comparing the prevalence of traditional coronary risk factors and mortality between type 1 and type 2 MI. We hypothesize that type 2 MI carries a higher mortality than type 1. METHODS: We searched the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and MEDLINE for studies comparing type 1 MI with type 2 MI. The baseline variables were compared in each cohort. Summary risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the random effects model to compare mortality between the two groups. RESULTS: The included studies yielded 25,872 patients of whom 2,683 (10%) had type 2 MI. Compared to the type 1 cohort, the type 2 cohort had significantly higher inpatient (15% vs. 4.7%, P<0.00001), 30-day (17.6% vs. 5.3%, P<0.00001) and 1-yr mortality (27% vs. 13%, P<0.00001), as well as higher 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (20% vs. 9%, P<0.0001). Operative stress (20%) was the most common trigger of type 2 MI, followed by sepsis (19%), arrhythmia (18.63%), heart failure (15%), and anemia (12%). CONCLUSIONS: Type 2 MI is a common entity and is more common in females, older age groups, and in patients with multiple comorbidities: it also tends to result in higher mortality.

Complex endovascular repair of bilateral iliac artery stenosis and coexisting aneurysm.

Concomitant stenosis and aneurysmal disease in the iliac artery lumen are a rare finding. Surgery has been the modality of choice for this degree of complexity; however, advancement in techniques, evolution of stent grafts and increasing operator experience have made endovascular intervention a feasible option. TransAtlantic InterSociety Classification (TASC) categorizes the presence of iliac stenosis adjacent to iliac aneurysm as the most severe category for aortoiliac lesions or a TASC II D lesion. The 2014 Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) expert consensus statement advocated endovascular approach for TASC II A, B and C lesions with a trend to favor endovascular approach for TASC II D lesions as well. If surgery is not an option or is refused, covered stent provides a viable option due to its ability to treat severe atherosclerotic disease and exclude the aneurysmal lumen at the same time. We here describe a case of a patient with Rutherford II (4) claudication symptoms who was found to have bilateral iliac artery stenosis with adjacent co-existing aneurysmal disease. After surgical intervention was refused, endovascular repair was performed with multiple Gore Viabahn covered stents with resolution of symptoms and good angiographic results.

Evaluating Health of Emerging Economies Through the Eyes of Heart Valve Disease in the Transcatheter Era.

China and India are the 2 fastest growing major world economies. However, they suffer from great differences in health policies, demographics, and rates of population growth. Whereas China has seen a steep decline in rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and a rise in life expectancy, India continues to suffer from a significant burden of RHD due to insufficient distribution of economic prosperity to health care, denser population, and ineffective application of World Health Organization RHD prevention guidelines. As China faces the burden of the world's largest geriatric population, focus has shifted to calcific aortic stenosis for which it prepares by expansions in the field of transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Conversely, India has a younger population and a lower average life expectancy. Therefore, focus in India has still not shifted to calcific aortic stenosis as a major cause of morbidity and mortality as RHD continues to constitute the bulk of valvular heart disease.

Staged High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Impella Support after On-Pump Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

The management of concomitant obstructive coronary artery disease and severe aortic stenosis in poor surgical candidates is an evolving topic. Although the typical current practice is to perform percutaneous revascularization before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), some data have emerged regarding revascularization after performing TAVR. We present the case of a 90-year-old man with multivessel coronary artery disease who was at prohibitive risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. We first performed TAVR with use of hemodynamic support, then Impella-assisted multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention on the patient's unprotected left main coronary artery. We describe this complex case and review the medical literature on percutaneous coronary intervention after TAVR.

Transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement in intermediate risk patients: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been approved in patients with high or prohibited surgical risk for surgery for treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Prospective studies examining the benefits of TAVR in intermediate risk patients are ongoing. Other smaller studies including lower risk patients have been conducted, but further meta-analysis of these studies is required to draw more broad comparisons. METHODS: A Medline search was conducted using standard methodology to search for clinical trials and observational studies including intermediate risk patients. We limited our meta-analysis to studies matching patient populations by propensity scores or randomization and examined clinical outcomes between TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). RESULTS: Analysis of the TAVR and SAVR cohorts revealed no significant differences in the outcomes of 30-day [OR (95% CI): 0.85 (0.57, 1.26)] or 1-year mortality [OR (95% CI): 0.96 (0.75, 1.23)]. A trend towards benefit with TAVR was noted in terms of neurological events and myocardial infarction (MI) without statistical significance. A statistically significant decrease in risk of post-procedural acute renal failure in the TAVR group [OR (95% CI): 0.52 (0.27, 0.99)] was observed, but so was a significantly higher rate of pacemaker implantations for the TAVR group [OR (95% CI): 6.51 (3.23, 13.12)]. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in intermediate risk patients undergoing aortic valve replacement, the risk of mortality, neurological outcomes, and MI do not appear to be significantly different between TAVR and SAVR. However, there appears to be a significant reduction in risk of acute renal failure at the expense of an increased risk of requiring a permanent pacemaker in low and intermediate risk patients undergoing TAVR compared to SAVR.

Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors with or without thienopyridine pretreatment improve outcomes after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in high-risk patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction--a meta-regression of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have casted a doubt on usefulness of routine glycoprotein IIb/IIIA inhibitors (GPI) in patients, pretreated with aspirin and clopidogrel, undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effect of relevant factors, particularly thienopyridine pretreatment, on clinical benefit from GPI in randomized controlled trials (RCT). METHODS: We searched electronic databases for RCT comparing GPI to control in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. Relevant study covariates and clinical outcomes were extracted. A random effect cumulative and subgroup analyses (thienopyridine non-pretreated studies vs. pretreated studies) were performed. A weighted random effect meta-regression to determine the effect of thienopyridine pretreatment, enrollment year, control group mortality, and ischemic time on mortality benefit from GPI use was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty studies (9 non-pretreated, 11 pretreated) with a total of 7,414 patients (3,811 GPI, 3,603 control) were included. GPI use reduces mortality (risk ratio, RR = 0.75 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57-0.97, P = 0.03), target vessel revascularization (TVR) (RR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.50-0.80, P = 0.0002), but not reinfarction (RR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-1.0, P = 0.05) at 30 days. There was no effect of thienopyridine pretreatment on reduction in mortality (P = 0.39), reinfarction (P = 0.46), or TVR (P = 0.95) in subgroup analysis. Meta-regression analyses showed significant effect of control group mortality risk (B = -12.15, P = 0.034) but not of thienopyridine pretreatment, enrollment year or control group ischemic time on mortality reduction from GPI use. CONCLUSION: The benefit from GPI use in primary PCI for STEMI appears to depend on mortality risk, and not on thienopyridine pretreatment.

Zotarolimus-eluting stent versus sirolimus-eluting and paclitaxel-eluting stents for percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: The zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) is a new drug-eluting stent that delivers zotarolimus, a synthetic analogue of sirolimus, through a biocompatible phosphorylcholine polymer coating. ZES has shown promising results compared with bare-metal stents, but its safety and efficacy against sirolimus-eluting (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting (PES) stents is yet to be established. AIMS: We aimed to summarize current evidence from randomized trials comparing ZES with SES and PES. METHODS: We searched the Medline, Embase and CENTRAL databases for randomized studies comparing ZES with SES and PES for percutaneous coronary intervention. Relevant clinical and angiographic outcomes were extracted and combined using random and fixed-effect models for heterogeneous and homogenous outcomes, respectively. RESULTS: Seven randomized trials met the inclusion criteria: ZES group, n=3787; SES group, n=2606; PES group, n=1966. Compared with SES, ZES was associated with significantly higher odds of clinically driven target vessel revascularization (odds ratio [OR] 2.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78-3.14) and target lesion revascularization (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.36-4.46). Compared with SES, ZES had higher in-stent restenosis (OR 6.13, 95% CI 3.96-9.50), late lumen loss 'in-stent' (mean difference [MD] 0.39 mm, 95% CI 0.34-0.44) and late lumen loss 'in-segment' (MD 0.18 mm, 95% CI 0.15-0.21). ZES was associated with higher in-stent late lumen loss than PES (MD 0.18 mm, 95% CI 0.07-0.28). There were no differences in mortality, reinfarction or stent thrombosis with ZES compared with SES and PES. CONCLUSION: ZES is not superior to PES and is inferior to SES in terms of angiographic outcomes and clinically driven revascularization.

Drug-eluting stents versus bare metal stents in ST elevation myocardial infarction at a follow-up of three years or longer: A meta-analysis of randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: Drug-eluting stents (DES) are associated with a decreased frequency of repeat revascularization compared with bare metal stents (BMS) in patients with coronary artery disease; however, uncertainty over their long-term safety, especially in high-risk patients, such as those with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), persists. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of DES compared with BMS in STEMI patients at a follow-up of three years or longer. METHODS: Two independent investigators systematically searched the Medline, CENTRAL, Embase and CardioSource databases for randomized trials comparing DES with BMS in STEMI, and reporting outcomes at three years or longer. Relevant study characteristics and clinical end points were extracted. Random-effect and fixed-effect models were used to calculate ORs for heterogeneous and homogenous outcomes, respectively. RESULTS: Ten randomized trials met the eligibility criteria, resulting in the inclusion of 4330 patients in the DES group and 2662 patients in the BMS group. DES use significantly reduced the odds of target vessel (OR 0.44 [95% CI 0.35 to 0.54]) and target lesion revascularization (OR 0.47 [95% CI 0.36 to 0.61]). Furthermore, patients in the DES group experienced major adverse coronary events less frequently than patients in the BMS group, which was driven mainly by the decreased revascularization rate. Although the incidence of stent thrombosis was similar, DES was associated with a higher risk of very late stent thrombosis (OR 1.69 [95% CI 1.11 to 2.57]). There were no differences between the groups with respect to death, cardiac death and myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: DES continues to be associated with a lower repeat revascularization rate in patients with STEMI, with a small but significantly increased risk of very late stent thrombosis compared with BMS at a follow-up of three years or longer.