Clinical Characteristics and Implications of Bradycardia in COVID-19 Patients Treated with Remdesivir: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Remdesivir is an antiviral drug used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a relatively obscure cardiac effect profile. Previous studies have reported bradycardia associated with remdesivir, but few have examined its clinical characteristics. The objective of this study was to investigate remdesivir associated bradycardia and its associated clinical characteristics and outcomes. METHODS: This is a single-institution retrospective study that investigated bradycardia in 600 patients who received remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19. A total of 375 patients were included in the study after screening for other known causes of bradycardia (atrioventricular [AV] nodal blockers). All patients were analyzed for episodes of bradycardia from when remdesivir was initiated up to 5 days after completion, a time frame based on the drug's putative elimination half-life. Univariate and multivariate statistical tests were conducted to analyze the data. RESULTS: The mean age of the sample was 56.63 ± 13.23 years. Of patients who met inclusion criteria, 49% were found to have bradycardia within 5 days of remdesivir administration. Compared to the cohort without a documented bradycardic episode, patients with bradycardia were significantly more likely to experience inpatient mortality (22% vs 12%, p = 0.01). The patients with bradycardia were found to have marginally higher serum D-dimer levels (5.2 vs 3.4 µg/mL, p = 0.05) and were more likely to undergo endotracheal intubation (28% vs 14%, p = 0.008). Male sex, hyperlipidemia, and bradycardia within 5 days of completing remdesivir were significant predictors of inpatient mortality. No significant differences in length of stay were found. CONCLUSIONS: Bradycardia that occurs during or shortly after remdesivir treatment in COVID-19 patients may be associated with an increased rate of in-hospital mortality. However, COVID-19 and its cardiac complications cannot be excluded as potential contributors of bradycardia in the present study. Future studies are needed to further delineate the cardiac characteristics of COVID-19 and remdesivir.

A single-center retrospective study on the incidence and clinical significance of the electrocardiographic "Triangular QRS-ST-T Waveform" pattern*.

BACKGROUND: The triangular QRS-ST-T waveform is a rare presentation of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction associated with a poor in-hospital prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence and clinical implications of the QRS-ST-T waveform pattern. METHODS: Clinical data from non-pregnant adult patients who presented as STEMI activations at a single institution between 2017 and 2021 were reviewed. Patients who met electrocardiographic criteria for triangular QRS-ST-T waveform - a giant wave from the fusion of the QRS complex, the ST-segment, and the T-wave - were included in the study. RESULTS: There were 417 STEMI activations, eight (1.9%) of which fulfilled the criteria for the triangular QRS-ST-T waveform pattern on electrocardiography. Coronary angiography was performed in five of these patients, four of whom demonstrated a significant lesion to the left anterior descending artery. Three patients did not undergo angiography secondary to hemodynamic instability. Seven of the patients in our study experienced cardiogenic shock requiring vasopressor, inotropic, and/or mechanical support. Only two patients survived to discharge; one was successfully bridged to coronary artery bypass grafting via intra-aortic balloon pump, while the other underwent a staged percutaneous coronary intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The triangular QRS-ST-T waveform pattern is a rare ECG finding that may indicate hyper-acute STEMI and is an ominous sign of impending hemodynamic instability. Patients who survived received prompt aggressive therapeutic management.

Blunt Chest Trauma Causing a Displaced Sternal Fracture and ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Blunt chest trauma and motor vehicle collisions are common presentations to the emergency department (ED). Chest pain in a trauma patient can usually and reasonably be attributed to chest wall injury, leading to a potential delay in diagnosis and treatment. CASE REPORT: In this case report, we present a 52-year-old male who was brought to the ED with complaints of chest pain and pressure after a motor vehicle collision. He was subsequently found to have both a displaced sternal fracture and simultaneous acute myocardial infarction with 100% occlusion of the mid left anterior descending artery without dissection requiring stent placement. CONCLUSION: Chest pain after blunt cardiac trauma is a common complaint. While rare, acute myocardial infarction must be considered. Most injuries result as direct trauma to the artery causing either dissection or acute thrombosis resulting in a myocardial infarction as opposed to acute plaque rupture with thrombosis, as seen in this case.

Significance of inferior wall ischemia in non-dominant right coronary artery anatomy.

AIM: To investigate the relationship of inferior wall ischemia on myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with non-dominant right coronary artery anatomy. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational analysis of consecutive patients who presented to the emergency department with primary complaint of chest pain. Only patients who underwent single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) were included. Patients who showed a reversible defect on SPECT MPI and had coronary angiography during the same hospitalization was analyzed. Patients with prior history of coronary artery disease (CAD) including history of percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass graft surgerys were excluded. True positive and false positive results were identified on the basis of hemodynamically significant CAD on coronary angiography, in the same territory as identified on SPECT MPI. Coronary artery dominance was determined on coronary angiography. Patients were divided into group 1 and group 2. Group 1 included patients with non-dominant right coronary artery (RCA) (left dominant and codominant). Group 2 included patients with dominant RCA anatomy. Demographics, baseline characteristics and positive predictive value (PPV) were analyzed for the two groups. RESULTS: The mean age of the study cohort was 57.6 years. Sixty-one point seven percent of the patients were males. The prevalence of self-reported diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia was 36%, 71.9% and 53.9% respectively. A comparison of baseline characteristics between the two groups showed that patients with a non-dominant RCA were more likely to be men. For inferior wall ischemia on SPECT MPI, patients in study group 2 had a significantly higher PPV, 32/42 (76.1%), compared to patients in group 1, in which only 3 out of the 29 patients (10.3%) had true positive results (P value < 0.001 Z test). The difference remained statistically significant even when only patients with left dominant coronary system (without co-dominant) were compared to patients with right dominant system (32/40, 76.1% in right dominant group, 3/19, 15.8% in left dominant group, P value < 0.001 Z test). There was no significant difference in mean hospital stay, re-hospitalization, and in-hospital mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The positive predictive value of SPECT MPI for inferior wall ischemia is affected by coronary artery dominance. More studies are needed to explain this phenomenon.

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, systems of care. An urgent need for policies to co-ordinate care in order to decrease in-hospital mortality.

BACKGROUND: Regional trends for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treatment is not known in the state of Nevada. HYPOTHESIS: Great disparity exists for treatment for STEMI in different geographical areas of Nevada. There is a great potential to improve treatment and outcomes of STEMI patients in the State of Nevada. METHODS: Admissions to non-federal hospitals in the state of Nevada, using 2011 to 2013 discharge data from the Nevada State Inpatient Data Base (acquired from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), were analyzed. Outpatient-onset STEMI patients were identified. The state of Nevada was divided into three divisions based on population densities, defined as population per square mile. Division A included counties with population density of <50 per square mile, Division B included counties with population density of 50 to 200 per square mile, and Division C included counties with population density of >200 per square mile. Trends in use of STEMI-related therapies and the impact on in-hospital mortality rates were compared. RESULTS: Almost 20% of the patients with outpatient-onset STEMI do not get any STEMI-related therapy and have significantly higher mortality rate. Patients from Division A do not have direct access to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) centers. These patients receive less STEMI-related therapies. Low-volume PCI centers had equivalent mortality rates for STEMI patients who got PCI, compared to high-volume PCI centers. CONCLUSIONS: Policies must be created and processes streamlined so all STEMI patients in Nevada receive appropriate treatment.

Coronary Artery Ectasia-A Review of Current Literature.

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is one of the uncommon cardiovascular disorders. Its incidence ranges from 1.2%-4.9%. Coronary artery ectasia likely represents an exaggerated form of expansive vascular remodeling (i.e. excessive expansive remodeling) in response to atherosclerotic plaque growth with atherosclerosis being the most common cause. Although, it has been described more than five decades ago, its management is still debated. We therefore reviewed the literature until date by searching PubMed and Google scholar using key words "coronary artery ectasia", "coronary artery aneurysm", "pathophysiology", "diagnosis", "management" either by itself or in combination. We reviewed the full articles and review articles and focused mainly on pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of CAE.

Comprehensive hemodynamic comparison and frequency of patient-prosthesis mismatch between the St. Jude Medical Trifecta and Epic Bioprosthetic aortic valves.

BACKGROUND: Patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) has been reported with a wide range of bioprosthetic valves after aortic valve replacement (AVR) and has been associated with multiple adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a novel low-profile stented pericardial tissue bioprosthesis for AVR, the Trifecta aortic valve, would have superior hemodynamics, a lower incidence of PPM, and an improvement in clinical outcomes. Its hemodynamic performance was evaluated, and a comparison was performed with a traditional stented pericardial bioprosthesis (Epic) with respect to hemodynamics, PPM, and clinical events. METHODS: One hundred twenty-four patients (mean age, 73.6 ± 11.0 years) underwent AVR. Prosthetic valve types used were Trifecta (n = 75 [60.5%]) and Epic (n = 49 [39.5%]). Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was used to evaluate hemodynamic variables before and after AVR. RESULTS: Postoperative comparison of the Epic valve and the Trifecta valve revealed a lower mean pressure gradient (16.5 ± 6.7 vs 8.8 ± 3.4 mm Hg, P < .001), a lower peak gradient (33.3 ± 11.8 vs 19.4 ± 8.6 mm Hg, P < .001), and higher indexed effective orifice area (0.8 ± 0.2 vs 1.1 ± 0.4 cm(2)/m(2), P < .001), favoring the Trifecta valve across several valve sizes. Severe PPM (6% vs 27%, P < .001) and valvular-related complications at follow-up (14.3% vs 36.7%, P = .005) were less frequent in the Trifecta group. CONCLUSIONS: The hemodynamic performance of the Trifecta valve is superior to that of the Epic valve across many conventional prosthesis sizes, and its implantation resulted in lower rates of severe PPM. These improvements were associated with lower valvular-related adverse events.

Comprehensive hemodynamic performance and frequency of patient-prosthesis mismatch of the St. Jude Medical Trifecta bioprosthetic aortic valve.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The study aim was to evaluate the performance of a new stented pericardial bioprosthesis, the Trifecta (St. Jude Medical, St. Paul, MN, USA), for aortic valve replacement (AVR) with respect to valvular hemodynamics and frequency of patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM). PPM has been reported in a wide range of bioprosthetic valves following AVR, and has been associated with multiple adverse outcomes. It was hypothesized that the Trifecta aortic valve would have superior hemodynamics and an acceptable incidence of PPM following AVR. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was performed between January 2010 and May 2012, following 75 patients (mean age 71.9 _ 11.1 years) who had undergone AVR with a Trifecta valve for aortic stenosis (88%) or regurgitation (12%) at the authors' institutions. Intraoperative three-dimensional and Doppler transesophageal echocardiography were used to evaluate hemodynamic variables before and after AVR, as well as pre-discharge. RESULTS: Echocardiographic evaluation showed a preoperative average mean gradient (MG) of 40.6 ± 21.6 mmHg, an average peak gradient (PG) of 72.1 ± 19.4 mmHg, and an average effective orifice area index (EOAI) of 0.39 ± 0.20 cm2/m2. Postoperative mean pressure gradient measurements showed a postoperative average MG of 8.76 ± 3.75 mmHg (p < 0.001), an average PG of 19.4 ± 8.6 mmHg (p < 0.001), and EOAI of 1.09 ± 0.36 cm2/m2 (p < 0.001), which demonstrated a significantly improved hemodynamic performance across all valve sizes. Postoperative MG versus measured EOAI demonstrated a fairly linear relationship (R2 = 0.0703), rather than a rapid increase in MG with EOAI < 0.85 and < 0.65, as was seen with previous valve designs. Severe PPM (defined as EOAI ≤ 0.65 cm2/m2) was found in four patients (6%), while moderate PPM (EOAI > 0.65 and < 0.85 cm2/m2) was seen in 11 patients (16%). CONCLUSION: The Trifecta pericardial valve demonstrated excellent hemodynamic performance at all valve sizes, and resulted in very low postoperative transvalvular pressure gradients and PPM, without the need for aortic root enlargement.