Non-vitamin K versus vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in surgical mitral valve repair or bioprosthetic valve replacement in the first three months after surgery.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Oral anticoagulation (OAC) with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) after surgical mitral valve repair (MVR) or bioprosthetic valve replacement (BVR) in mitral position remains a controversial topic among the cardiovascular community, in particular in the early postoperative period. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NOACs in the first three months after MVR or mitral BVR compared to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective study with prospectively collected peri-intervention outcomes between 2020 and 2021. Records were retrieved and all participants were contacted by telephone. Patients were divided into groups according to OAC strategy. The primary outcome was a composite of death, rehospitalization, myocardial infarction, stroke or transient ischemic attack, systemic embolism, mitral thrombosis, or bleeding during the first three months after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 148 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 65.5±12.2 years, 56.8% male. On discharge, 98 (66.2%) patients were on VKAs and 50 (33.8%) were on DOACs for at least three months. The primary outcome occurred in 22 (22.4%) patients in the VKA group and in three (6%) in the NOAC group (p=0.012), mainly driven by more bleeding events in the former. Independent predictors of the primary outcome were smoking (p=0.028) and OAC with VKAs at discharge, the latter predicting three times more events (p=0.046, OR 3.72, 95% CI 1.02-13.5). CONCLUSIONS: NOACs were associated with fewer events, supporting their efficacy and safety during the first three months after surgical MVR or mitral BVR.

Case report: acute myocarditis complicated with persistent complete heart block: a clinical dilemma when myocardial inflammation remains.

Background: Atrioventricular conduction abnormalities due to acute myocarditis are typically transient and do not require ventricular pacing beyond the acute phase of myocardial inflammation. Notwithstanding, selective injury and necrosis of the heart's conduction system may lead to persistent complete heart block (CHB) requiring device implantation. Case summary: We report the case of a 23-year-old man with acute lymphocytic myocarditis complicated by cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, and persistent CHB. Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) showed signs of subacute myocarditis, with no evidence of granulomas or giant cells, nor criteria for eosinophilic myocarditis. Aetiological work-up found serological evidence of previous Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection; Borrelia burgdorferi serology for Lyme disease was negative. The real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the EMB was positive for the presence of EBV DNA, but in situ hybridization for viral ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was negative. The patient progressed favourably, and left ventricle ejection fraction recovered 2 weeks after initial presentation. However, CHB persisted for more than 3 weeks, and the patient underwent definitive pacemaker implantation with left bundle branch pacing. Discussion: Persistent CHB after acute myocarditis is generally considered unlikely, but in rare circumstances the damage portended by inflammation may be irreversible. Besides the play of chance, possible mechanisms behind the apparent predilection for the conduction system of the myocardium warrant further research.

High-definition blood flow imaging improves quantification of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction.

AIMS: The accuracy and reproducibility of echocardiography to quantify left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is limited due to image quality. High-definition blood flow imaging is a new technique which improves cavity delineation without the need for medication or intravenous access. We sought to examine the impact of high-definition blood flow imaging on accuracy and reproducibility of LV systolic function assessment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Prospective observational study of consecutive patients undergoing 2D and 3D transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), high-definition blood flow imaging, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) within 1 h of each other. Left ventricular systolic function characterized by left ventricular end-systolic volumes and left ventricular end-diastolic volumes and LVEF were measured. Seventy-six patients were included. Correlation of 2D TTE with CMR was modest (r = 0.68) with a worse correlation in patients with three or more segments not visualized (r = 0.58). High-definition blood flow imaging was feasible in all patients, and the correlation of LVEF with CMR was excellent (r = 0.88). The differences between 2D, high-definition blood flow, and 3D TTE compared to CMR were 5 ± 9%, 2 ± 5%, and 1 ± 3%, respectively. The proportion of patients where the grade of LV function was correctly classified improved from 72.3% using 2D TTE to 92.8% using high-definition blood flow imaging. 3D TTE also had excellent correlation with CMR (r = 0.97) however was only feasible in 72.4% of patients. CONCLUSION: High-definition blood flow imaging is highly feasible and significantly improves the diagnostic accuracy and grading of LV function compared to 2D echocardiography.

Better Lucky Than Clever.

With an ever-expanding field of advanced cardiac imaging, clinicians tend to underestimate the importance of a detailed clinical history in reaching the correct diagnosis. This case illustrates 1 such example. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Coronary artery disease and its management in TAVI.

OBJECTIVE: Aortic stenosis and coronary artery disease (CAD) are frequently associated. The preprocedural evaluation and indications for treatment in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve intervention (TAVI) remain controversial. This study sought to 1) determine the prevalence and angiographic characteristics of CAD in TAVI candidates, along with revascularization patterns, and 2) to evaluate the impact of the presence and complexity of CAD, as well as angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention, on prognosis after TAVI. METHODS: Single-center retrospective study from a prospectively collected institutional registry that included all patients that underwent TAVI between 2009 and 2018 and pre TAVI coronary angiography (CA) in our institution in the context of pre-procedure work-up. A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the effect of CAD and PCI on 2-year mortality. RESULTS: A total of 379 patients were included: 55 patients (14.5%) presented with normal coronary arteries, 120 (31.6%) with non-obstructive CAD, and 204 (53.8%) with obstructive CAD (the mean SxS was 8.2). Ultimately, 110 patients (29%) underwent PCI. Two-year survival after TAVI was decreased in patients with complex coronary lesions (SS > 22), while it was not affected by the overall presence of non-obstructive CAD, obstructive CAD, residual SxS, or pre-TAVI PCI of angiographically significant lesions (OR 0.631, 95%CI 0.192-1.406). CONCLUSION: In our population, the overall presence and management of obstructive CAD did not appear to impact mortality at 2 years after TAVI. Survival was decreased in patients with baseline complex coronary anatomies.

Bicaval Transcatheter Prosthesis Implantation for Treatment of Tricuspid Regurgitation: First Report of Thrombosis.

The transcatheter bicaval valve system is an emerging therapeutic option for tricuspid regurgitation, consisting of 2 biological valves to prevent caval reflux. The experience with this device is still scarce, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of thrombosis ever reported. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).

To read or not to read: a neurophysiological study.

Pure alexia (PA) has been associated with visual deficits or a failure to activate the visual word form area (VWFA). We report a patient with pure alexia due to posterior cortical atrophy, in whom event-related potentials revealed a delay in the P100 component and an absent N170 compared with controls. Furthermore, there was a tendency for a larger delay in P100 latencies associated with incorrectly read words. This suggests that some cases of PA might result from deficits in visual perception, signaled by the P100 early potential which could lead to an inability to consistently activate the VWFA, marked by the absent N170.