Infective Endocarditis of a Left Ventricular Myxoma in a Heroin User.

Infected cardiac myxomas are rare and can have disastrous sequelae; urgent surgical resection is typically indicated. We report the case of a 43-year-old user of intravenous heroin who presented with weakness and dyspnea. He was diagnosed with infective endocarditis of a myxoma attached to the left ventricular lateral wall. The patient underwent successful surgical resection of the myxoma and then completed 4 weeks of antibiotic therapy. In addition to discussing this patient's case, we briefly review the relevant medical literature, in which we found only 4 previous reports of left ventricular myxoma associated with infective endocarditis.

Successful Retrieval of a Migrated Shunt Catheter Causing Severe Pulmonary Insufficiency.

We report a case of a woman who presented with worsening shortness of breath due to a migrated ventriculoatrial shunt catheter into the pulmonary artery causing severe pulmonary insufficiency. She underwent surgical catheter removal. The majority of the catheter was easily retrieved; however, there were areas where the catheter was embedded into the myocardium, which would have posed a challenge with an endovascular approach.

Serum vitamin D levels correlate to coronary artery disease severity: a retrospective chart analysis.

BACKGROUND: The pro-atherosclerotic nature of vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase cardiovascular events. We further emphasized and evaluated the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) with varying levels of vitamin D in relation to age, gender, ethnicity and baseline confounders. METHODS: A retrospective, single-center study of 9,399 patients admitted between 2005 and 2014 for chest pain who underwent coronary angiography. Patients without a vitamin D level, measured as 25-dihydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) were excluded from our study. 25(OH)D deficiency and insufficiency were defined by having serum concentration levels of less than 20 ng/ml and 20 to 29.9 ng/ml, respectively, while normal levels were defined as greater than or equal to 30 ng/ml. We assessed levels of 25(OH)D and extent of coronary disease with coronary angiography as obstructive CAD (left main stenosis of ≥50% or any stenosis of ≥70%), non-obstructive CAD (≥1 stenosis ≥20% but no stenosis ≥70%) and normal coronaries (no stenosis >20%). RESULTS: Among 9,399 patients, 1,311 qualified, of which 308 patients (23%) had normal 25(OH)D levels, 552 patients (42%) had 25(OH)D deficiency and 451 patients (35%) had 25(OH)D insufficiency. In an analysis of the extent of coronary disease, we identified 20% of patients having normal coronaries, 55% having obstructive CAD and 25% having non-obstructive CAD. Baseline clinical risk factors and co-morbidities did not differ between the groups. Patients with normal 25(OH)D levels were found to have normal coronaries compared to patients with 25(OH)D deficiency or insufficiency (OR: 7, 95% CI: 5.2 - 9.5, p < 0.0001). Comparing patients with normal 25(OH)D levels, patients with 25(OH)D deficiency or insufficiency (<29 ng/ml), 62% were found to have obstructive CAD (n = 624, OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 2.3-3.7, p < 0.0001) and 25% had non-obstructive CAD (n = 249, OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1-2, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Normal coronaries and CAD were shown to correlate with normal and low levels of 25(OH)D, respectively. There is an inverse relationship between the percentage of coronary artery occlusion and serum 25(OH)D concentrations. Vitamin D may provide benefits in risk stratification of patients with CAD and serve as a possible risk factor.

Pulmonic Valve Repair in a Patient with Isolated Pulmonic Valve Endocarditis and Sickle Cell Disease.

A 49-year-old woman with sickle cell disease presented with one month of exertional dyspnea, weakness, and fever and was diagnosed with isolated pulmonic valve endocarditis secondary to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus bacteremia in the setting of a peripherally inserted central venous catheter. Chest computerized tomography showed multiple bilateral pulmonary nodular opacities consistent with septic emboli. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms revealed a large echodensity on the pulmonic valve requiring vegetation excision and pulmonic valve repair. In conclusion, isolated pulmonic valve endocarditis is a rare cause of infective endocarditis that warrants a high index of clinical suspicion. Furthermore the management of patients with sickle cell disease and endocarditis requires special consideration.

The Assessment and Potential Implications of the Myocardial Performance Index Post Exercise in an at Risk Population.

BACKGROUND: The myocardial performance index (MPI) first described by Chuwa Tei in 1995 is a relatively new echocardiographic variable used for assessment of overall cardiac function. Previous studies have demonstrated the MPI to be a sum representation of both left ventricular systolic and diastolic function with prognostic value in patients with coronary artery disease as well as symptomatic heart failure. METHODS: Ninety patients with either established coronary artery disease (CAD) or CAD risk factors underwent routine treadmill exercise stress testing with two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography using the standard Bruce protocol. Both resting and stress MPI values were measured for all 90 of the patients. RESULTS: Using a normal MPI cut off of ≤ 0.47, the prevalence of an abnormal resting MPI in our 90 subjects was 72/90 or 80% and the prevalence of an abnormal stress MPI in our 90 subjects was 48/90 or 53.33%. The average MPI observed in the resting portion of the stress test for the cohort was: 0.636 with a standard deviation of 0.182. The average MPI in the stress portion of the stress test for the cohort was 0.530 with a standard deviation of 0.250. The P value with the use of a one-tailed dependent T test was calculated to be < 0.05. CONCLUSION: We postulate that these findings reflect that the MPI (Tei) index assessed during exercise may be a sensitive indicator of occult coronary disease in an at risk group independent of wall motion assessment.

The short-term effects of vitamin D repletion on cholesterol: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Vitamin D deficiency is common and associated with dyslipidemia. However, it is unclear whether oral vitamin D supplementation improves the lipid profile. Therefore, we conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine the short-term effects of vitamin D repletion on the lipid profile. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred fifty-one vitamin D-deficient (25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/mL) adults with elevated risk for cardiovascular disease were randomized to receive either 50 000 IU of vitamin D3 weekly for 8 weeks or placebo. The primary outcome was the change in small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle number. Secondary outcomes included changes in other nuclear magnetic resonance-based and chemical lipid fractions. Vitamin D failed to improve the lipid profile. Compared with the placebo, vitamin D repletion did not change small LDL particle number (mean change, +18 nmol/L; 95% CI [-80 to +116 nmol/L]; P=0.63). There were also no changes in the chemical lipid profile: total cholesterol (+5.8 mg/dL, 95% CI [-1.4 to +13.0 mg/dL], P=0.14); LDL cholesterol (+3.8 mg/dL, 95% CI [-2.5 to +10.2 mg/dL], P=0.13); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (+0.4 mg/dL 95% CI [-1.6 to +2.6 mg/dL], P=0.71); and triglycerides (+7.9 mg/dL 95% CI [-6.5 to +22.3 mg/dL]). In the vitamin D repletion group, exploratory multivariate regression analysis demonstrates that changes in LDL cholesterol were positively correlated with the changes in serum calcium (P<0.001) and inversely with the changes in serum parathyroid hormone (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the association between low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and dyslipidemia, correcting vitamin D deficiency in the short-term does not improve the lipid profile. Repletion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels raised serum calcium levels and decreased serum parathyroid hormone levels. These expected physiological responses to vitamin D therapy were correlated with a significant increase in LDL cholesterol. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01008384.

Sitcom syncope: a case series and literature review of gelastic (laughter-induced) syncope.

Syncope is a common complaint that is frequently evaluated without identifying a precipitating cause. Gelastic (laughter-induced) syncope is an uncommon and poorly understood condition. We describe 3 patients who experienced loss of consciousness during vigorous laughter. Each patient had an extensive medical evaluation, including a comprehensive history and physical examination, 12-lead electrocardiography, chest radiograph, routine blood analysis, polysomnography, tilt table testing, 2-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography, nuclear or echocardiographic stress testing, and 24-hour Holter monitoring. All 3 patients had an abnormal response to head-up tilt table testing, with either a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure or inappropriate heart rate response on achieving an upright position. These observations together with our review of the literature suggest that gelastic syncope may be a variant of vasodepressor syncope. Knowledge of this condition, its pathophysiology, and potential treatment options may be of value to clinicians when evaluating patients with unexplained loss of consciousness.

Cardiac manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis: Case report and review of the literature.

Wegener's granulomatosis, first characterized as a clinical syndrome in 1936, is a rare form of vasculitis of the small- and medium-sized blood vessels affecting mainly the upper and lower respiratory tracts as well as the kidneys. This review article describes the case of a 45-year-old man who developed aortic regurgitation and third degree heart block secondary to Wegener's granulomatosis. He subsequently presented to our institution 3 years later with pulmonary hemorrhage. The ensuing literature review reveals that historically clinical cardiac involvement in Wegener's has been rare, particularly with valvular lesions. However, recent literature has shown an increase in reported cases of cardiac valvular lesions in Wegener's. The presented case report along with recently reported case reports highlight the morbidity and mortality associated with such cardiac lesions. We believe routine cardiovascular supervision including echocardiography and electrocardiograms are important for the screening and monitoring of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis.