Transcatheter tricuspid valve-in-valve implantation for degenerative surgical bio-prosthesis using SAPIEN 3: A case series.

We evaluated early outcomes of transcatheter valve-in-valve (ViV) implantation in patients with degenerated bio-prosthesis in tricuspid position. Total of 5 patients were included in our case series. Baseline native tricuspid valve etiology were highly varied ranging from chest wall trauma, Ebstein anomaly, rheumatic heart disease, infective endocarditis and complex congenital heart disease. These differences also made patient comorbidities highly varied. Procedure details were also varied due to different clinical and technical challenges. All cases underwent successful Tricuspid VIV implantation with satisfactory hemodynamics results. All patients experienced improved clinical symptoms at follow up.

Demographics and Outcomes of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Thailand: Data from Thai Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Registry.

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been and continues to be standard treatment in patients with coronary artery disease. The data for demographic and outcomes in Thailand are limited. Objective: To study data and characteristics relating to patients, the procedure, and outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in the Thai population. Material and Method: The Thai Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Registry (TPCIR) was established in 2006, consisting of 27 hospitals in Thailand that perform the PCI procedure. All patients who underwent PCI between May 2006 and October 2006 in participating hospitals were asked to participate in this registry. Data was recorded in case record form and then entered into the web-based registry. Key variables include demographic data, risk factors, indications for PCI, outcomes, and complications. Results: Four thousand one hundred fifty six patients were enrolled; 69.2% were male. Average age of PCI patients was 62.7 years. Indications for PCI were ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (14%), Non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (37.3%), and stable coronary artery disease (48.7%). PCI was successfully performed in 92.5% of lesions or 89.6% of cases with in-hospital complications reported in 12% of cases. Conclusion: This was the first nationwide multi-center study of PCI in Thailand. The overall PCI procedure success rate was 92.5%.

Efficacy of Blood Pressure reduction of Losartan in selected Thai populations using Home Blood Pressure Monitoring and Office Blood Pressure measurements.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin Receptor Blockades (ARB) is becoming a first line drug for essential Hypertension for many types of patient. Losartan is the prototype of ARB due to its vast clinical trials. Home Blood pressure monitoring can provide accurate evaluation of certain drug effect on blood pressure with small number of patient samples. Local production of medicine has made the Medicine readily available and could bring about clinical improvement. Our hypothesis was that Thai population with essential hypertension responded quite well to Losartan and Generic Losartan was not inferior to Original- Losartan. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety in BP reduction by Losartan in certain Thai population and to compare these parameters between Generic Losartan and Original-Losartan using both office and HBPM method. METHOD: After a two-week run-in period when they would learn to use HBPM device and their blood pressure were still recorded to be higher than 140/90 by office BP or 135/85 by HBPM with or without previous medical regimen, 24 patients were randomized to receive either Generic Losartan or Original-Losartan for 6 weeks. Then they would cross over to receive the alternative and were followed again at 6 weeks. HBPM was performed in the morning and in the evening for 5 days, at baseline, and after 6 & 12 weeks. Office BP measurements were obtained at baseline and after 6 & 12 weeks. RESULT: One patient in each group dropped out from the study. 22 patients with average age of 54 and averaged office BP 154/88 completed the 12 weeks study. By office BP, SBP was reduced by 27±14.2 at week 6 and 28±15.1 mmHg at week 12. By HBPM, SBP dropped by 17±10.8 at week 6 and by 18±9. at week12. At the end of 12 weeks 68% (15/22) of patients had Office BP <140/90 and 64% (14/22) of patients had HBPM <135/85. There was no significant difference of BP reduction at week 6 between Original-xLosartan and Generic Losartan group. After crossover the BP reduction was maintained in both groups. The percentage of patient whose Office BP <140/90 or HBPM <135/85 were not different among the two Losartan groups. There was no serious adverse side effect. CONCLUSION: Using both office BP and HBPM this group of Thai patient with essential hypertension responded well to Losartan and Generic Losartan.

Arcanobacterium pyogenes endocarditis: a case report and literature review.

We report the case of a 64-year-old man with Arcanobacterium pyogenes endocarditis. The patient presented with dyspnea and asymmetrical progressive quadriparesis. A transthoracic echocardiogram revealed mobile vegetations on both leaflets of his mitral valve measuring 0.5 x 3 cm, thickening of the mitral valve with severe mitral regurgitation due to dehiscence of the papillary muscle to the posterior mitral leaflet. He also had aortic sclerosis with a vegetation measuring 0.5 x 1 cm causing aortic valve dehiscence and free flow aortic regurgitation. An initial hemoculture grew out pleomorphic, gram-positive, non-motile, anaerobic to microaerophilic bacilli. A diagnosis of infective endocarditis was made using modified Duke criteria. He was treated with intravenous ampicillin and gentamicin. Four days after admission, he developed acute respiratory failure and succumbed to the disease. A pre-mortem hemoculture and post-mortem heart valve culture grew Arcanobacterium pyogenes. Septic thromboemboli involving the brain, kidneys, lungs and spleen were documented. The patient also had ischemic vasculopathy with focal spinal arteriolitis and bilateral demyelination of the cervical corticospinal tracts. There are three published reports of human A. pyogenes endocarditis in the literature. Neurological involvement with ischemic spinal vasculopathy and demyelination has not been reported. We report the first autopsy proven case of A. pyogenes infective endocarditis with ischemic spinal vasculopathy. We review the clinicopathologic features of systemic A. pyogenes infection.

Prasugrel versus clopidogrel in Asian patients with acute coronary syndromes: design and rationale of a multi-dose, pharmacodynamic, phase 3 clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Prasugrel is a third generation thienopyridine that is more potent, rapid in onset, and consistent in inhibition of platelets than clopidogrel. However, early prasugrel dose-ranging studies and the subsequent phase 3 TRITON-TIMI 38 trial were conducted primarily in Caucasian populations. OBJECTIVES: The current clinical study is designed to confirm superior inhibition of platelet aggregation with prasugrel versus clopidogrel in the treatment of Asian subjects with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, multi-dose, four-arm parallel, multinational clinical trial. East and Southeast Asian patients (N = 715) with moderate- to high-risk ACS undergoing PCI will be randomized to one of three prasugrel dosing regimens (60 mg LD/10 mg MD; 30 mg LD/7.5 mg MD; 30 mg LD/5 mg MD) or clopidogrel (300 mg LD/75 mg MD) for 90 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint is inhibition of platelet aggregation measured by the point-of-care Accumetrics VerifyNow P2Y12 device, and the primary analysis will be performed in a hierarchical manner for descending doses of prasugrel. Additional key endpoints include major adverse cardiovascular events, non-coronary artery bypass-graft (CABG) surgery-related TIMI bleeding, and genetic analyses of cytochrome P450 polymorphisms. CONCLUSIONS: This study is a phase 3, multi-dose, pharmacodynamic comparison of prasugrel versus clopidogrel in Asian patients with ACS undergoing PCI. It is the first study designed to investigate prasugrel therapy specifically in Asian ACS subjects, and will inform which doses of prasugrel are effective and safe for patients of Asian ethnicity.

Transcoronary infusion of bone marrow derived multipotent stem cells to preserve left ventricular geometry and function after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial damage after myocardial infarction (MI) was deemed irreversible after late reperfusion. Administration of multipotent stem cell (MSC) into such infarct may regenerate the myocardium and capillary network. HYPOTHESIS: Transcoronary infusion of bone marrow derived multipotent stem cells into infarcted related artery after acute myocardial infarction is feasible, safe and improve left ventricular function. METHODS: We conducted a pilot study in patients who survived ST-elevation MI with late reperfusion therapy and remained hemodynamically stable. Bone marrow derived MSC was infused into a patent infarct-related coronary artery during brief low pressure (2 atm) balloon inflation. A 3-T gadolinium-based MRI was performed at baseline and 8 weeks later to evaluate infarct area and LV function. RESULTS: We enrolled 10 patients, age 63.8 +/- 2.8 years 5.2 +/- 4.12 x 10(6) MSC were infused via coronary artery 24.8 +/- 16 days after infarction. The procedures were successful in all patients without any in-hospital event. Infarct size by MRI decreased by 5.84% (P = .018) over 8 weeks. Mean baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 44.1% +/- 9% and was 46.3% +/- 9% at 8 weeks (P = .34). A trend of smaller LV end-systolic volume with 65.02 +/- 18.2 ml vs 63.04 +/- 21.89 ml (P = .09) with no change of LV end-diastolic volume observed. CONCLUSION: MSC infusion into coronary circulation was feasible and safe after myocardial infarction. Infarct size was reduced with preservation of LV geometry.

Effect of atorvastatin on LDL & hs-CRP in a selected Thai population.

BACKGROUND: LDL and hs-CRP are risk factors for vascular events and can be modified by Statin. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the baseline hs-CRP of a certain Thai population who would need Atorvastatin, to evaluate the dose response of Atorvastatin toward LDL and hs-CRP level, and to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different types of Atorvastatin. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Subjects, who needed Statin therapy, were randomized to receive either 20 mg of Berlin(B)-Atorvastatin(R) or Pfizer(P)-Atorvastatin(R). The cross over took place after 8 weeks of therapy and continued for 16 weeks. Baseline blood tests were compared to 8 and 16 weeks. The effect of two brands of 20 mg Atorvastatin toward serum lipid, LFT, muscle enzyme and hs-CRP were compared. RESULTS: One hundred and ten subjects aged between 20-75 years enrolled in the present study. Fifty-four and 56 patients were randomized to group A and B. Baseline total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and TG were 251, 174, 55, and 160 mg/dl respectively. There was a wide variation of baseline hs-CRP level. One hundred and seven patients completed this 16 weeks study. Atorvastatin 20 mg lowered TC by 32%, LDL 44% and hs-CRP 10% at 16 weeks for the entire study (p < 0.003). The effect of either Atorvastatin the lipid profiles and hs-CRP were different. There was no significant change in LFT or muscle enzyme. CONCLUSION: Atorvastatin 20 mg has a dramatic effect on the lipid but moderate effect on CRP. The two different types of Atorvastatin (group A and B) have similar effect on both safety and efficacy.

Thrombolysis for prosthetic valve malfunction: case report and review.

A 40 year old female with severe mitral valve stenosis, underwent mitral valve replacement by single disc valve 4 years ago. She presented at this admission with a new onset of congestive heart failure. The prothrombin time was inadequate with international normalized ratio (INR) 1.43. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed high pressure gradient across the mitral valve. Fluoroscopy demonstrated restrictive opening of single disc motion. Intravenous thrombolysis was given for presumptive diagnosis of prosthetic valve thrombosis. The patient gradually improved and did not have to undergo surgical correction.