Successful Treatment of Confirmed Severe Bupropion Cardiotoxicity With Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Initiation Prior to Cardiac Arrest.

Bupropion is a substituted cathinone (ß-keto amphetamine) norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitor andnoncompetitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist that is frequently used to treat major depressive disorder. Bupropion overdose can cause neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity, the latter of which is thought to be secondary to gap junction inhibition and ion channel blockade. We report a patient with a confirmed bupropion ingestion causing severe cardiotoxicity, for whom prophylactic veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was successfully implemented. The patient was placed on the ECMO circuit several hours before he experienced multiple episodes of hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia, which were treated with multiple rounds of electrical defibrillation and terminated after administration of lidocaine. Despite a neurological examination notable for fixed and dilated pupils after ECMO cannulation, the patient completely recovered without neurological deficits. Multiple bupropion and hydroxybupropion concentrations were obtained and appear to correlate with electrocardiogram interval widening and toxicity.

Outcomes With Percutaneous Debulking of Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: In patients with tricuspid valve infective endocarditis, percutaneous debulking is a treatment option. However, the outcomes of this approach are less well known. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent percutaneous vegetation debulking for tricuspid valve infective endocarditis from August 2020 to November 2022 at a large academic tertiary care public hospital. The primary efficacy outcome was procedural success defined by clearance of blood cultures. The primary safety outcome was any procedural complication. For the composite outcome of in-hospital mortality or heart block, outcomes were compared (sequential noninferiority and superiority) with published surgical outcomes data. RESULTS: Of the 29 patients with tricuspid valve infective endocarditis who underwent percutaneous debulking, the average age was 41.3±10.1 years, all patients had septic pulmonary emboli with 27 (93.1%) patients having cavitary lung lesions before the procedure. For the efficacy outcomes, 28 patients (96.6%) had clearance of cultures after their procedure, mean white blood cell count significantly decreased from 16.8±1.4×103 to 12.6±1.0×103 per µL (P<0.01), and mean body temperature significantly decreased from 99.8F ±0.30 to 98.3F ±0.20 (P<0.001) post-procedure. For safety outcomes, there were no procedural complications (0%). Two patients (6.9%) died during the follow-up period, both during the index hospitalization due to severe necrotizing pneumonia. When compared with published data on surgical outcomes, percutaneous debulking was noninferior and superior for the composite of in-hospital death or heart block (noninferiority, P<0.001; superiority, P=0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous debulking is feasible, effective, and safe in treating patients with tricuspid valve infective endocarditis refractory to medical therapy.

Cardiac tamponade in venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Cardiac tamponade is a challenging diagnosis in the unstable patient requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. We present a case of cardiac tamponade secondary to hemorrhagic pericardial effusion that developed in the setting of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Specifically, we aim to discuss the pertinent diagnostic challenges in confirming this diagnosis.

COVID-19 complicated by acute myocardial infarction with extensive thrombus burden and cardiogenic shock.

A patient with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) developed acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by extensive coronary thrombosis and cardiogenic shock. She underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and placement of a mechanical circulatory support device but subsequently died from shock. This report illustrates the challenges in managing patients with COVID-19, AMI, and cardiogenic shock.

Progression of electrocardiographic changes in a patient with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

A 58-year-old man asymptomatic from the cardiovascular point of view and with no known relevant family history was found by transthoracic echocardiography to have apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (AHCM). His electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed prominent precordial R-waves, particularly in V3-V4 leads, and "giant" (>1.0 mV), inverted T-waves, previously associated with AHCM. ECGs recorded 17 and 13 years previously, did not disclose such abnormalities, as the ones of his current ECG. The presented case illustrates a potential role of serial ECGs (along with serial imaging testing) in detecting the development and progression of regional left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with AHCM, and probably in other hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotypes.

Papillary muscle rupture following acute myocardial infarction: Anatomic, echocardiographic, and surgical insights.

Papillary muscle (PM) rupture is a rare complication of acute myocardial infarction which carries an excessive mortality rate. Optimal outcomes require rapid diagnosis and prompt surgical referral, and in this regard, echocardiography plays a crucial role. Comprehensive echocardiographic examination of the patient with PM rupture consists of identification of the ruptured PM segment, visualization of flail mitral valve segment(s), evaluation of mitral regurgitation severity, and assessment of left ventricular systolic function. This article discusses anatomic and echocardiographic features as well as the surgical management of PM rupture.

Long-term Safety and Efficacy of New-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents in Women With Acute Myocardial Infarction: From the Women in Innovation and Drug-Eluting Stents (WIN-DES) Collaboration.

Importance: Women with acute myocardial infarction (MI) undergoing mechanical reperfusion remain at increased risk of adverse cardiac events and mortality compared with their male counterparts. Whether the benefits of new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) are preserved in women with acute MI remains unclear. Objective: To investigate the long-term safety and efficacy of new-generation DES vs early-generation DES in women with acute MI. Design, Setting, and Participants: Collaborative, international, individual patient-level data of women enrolled in 26 randomized clinical trials of DES were analyzed between July and December 2016. Only women presenting with an acute coronary syndrome were included. Study population was categorized according to presentation with unstable angina (UA) vs acute MI. Acute MI included non-ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI) or ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI). Interventions: Randomization to early- (sirolimus- or paclitaxel-eluting stents) vs new-generation (everolimus-, zotarolimus-, or biolimus-eluting stents) DES. Main Outcomes and Measures: Composite of death, MI or target lesion revascularization, and definite or probable stent thrombosis at 3-year follow-up. Results: Overall, the mean age of participants was 66.8 years. Of 11 577 women included in the pooled data set, 4373 (37.8%) had an acute coronary syndrome as clinical presentation. Of these 4373 women, 2176 (49.8%) presented with an acute MI. In women with acute MI, new-generation DES were associated with lower risk of death, MI or target lesion revascularization (14.9% vs 18.4%; absolute risk difference, -3.5%; number needed to treat [NNT], 29; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61-0.99), and definite or probable stent thrombosis (1.4% vs 4.0%; absolute risk difference, -2.6%; NNT, 46; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.19-0.69) without evidence of interaction for both end points compared with women without acute MI (P for interaction = .59 and P for interaction = .31, respectively). A graded absolute benefit with use of new-generation DES was observed in the transition from UA, to NSTEMI, and to STEMI (for death, MI, or target lesion revascularization: UA, -0.5% [NNT, 222]; NSTEMI, -3.1% [NNT, 33]; STEMI, -4.0% [NNT, 25] and for definite or probable ST: UA, -0.4% [NNT, 278]; NSTEMI, -2.2% [NNT, 46]; STEMI, -4.0% [NNT, 25]). Conclusions and Relevance: New-generation DES are associated with consistent and durable benefits over 3 years in women presenting with acute MI. The magnitude of these benefits appeared to be greater per increase in severity of acute coronary syndrome.

Optimal Antiplatelet Therapy in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Case-fatality rates for myocardial infarction (MI) in the United States have decreased over the past decades, in large part due to advances in the treatment of acute MI and secondary preventive therapy after MI. Antiplatelet therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment of MI. This article reviews the current state of antiplatelet therapy in ST-segment elevation MI.

Comparison of six risk scores in patients with triple vessel coronary artery disease undergoing PCI: competing factors influence mortality, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the discriminatory value of differing risk scores for predicting clinical outcomes following PCI in routine practice. BACKGROUND: Various risk scores predict outcomes after PCI. However, these scores consider markedly different factors, from purely anatomical (SYNTAX risk score [SRS]) to purely clinical (ACEF, modified ACEF [ACEFmod], NCDR), while other scores combine both elements (Clinical SYNTAX score [CSS], NY State Risk Score [NYSRS]). METHODS: Patients with triple vessel and/or LM disease with 12 month follow-up were studied from a single center PCI registry. Exclusion criteria included STEMI presentation, prior revascularization and shock. Clinical events at 12 months were compared to baseline risk scores, according to score tertiles and area under receiver-operating-characteristic curves (AUC). RESULTS: We identified 584 eligible patients (69.8±12.3yrs, 405 males). All scores were predictive of mortality, with the SRS being least predictive (AUC=0.66). The most accurate scores for mortality were the CSS and ACEF (AUC=0.76 for both: P = 0.019 and 0.08 vs. SRS, respectively). For TLR, while the SRS trended toward being positively predictive (P = 0.075), several scores trended towards a negative association, which reached significance for the NCDR (P = 0.045). The SRS and CSS were the only scores predictive of MI (both P < 0.05). No score was particularly accurate for predicting MACE (death+MI+TLR), with AUCs ranging from 0.53 (NCDR) to 0.63 (SRS). CONCLUSIONS: Competing factors influence mortality, MI and TLR after PCI. An increasing burden of comorbidities is associated with mortality, whereas anatomical complexity predicts MI. By combining these outcomes to predict MACE, all scores show reduced utility.