Right Coronary Artery to Left Ventricular Fistula Complicated by Symptomatic Arrhythmia.

Coronary cameral fistulas (CCFs) are rare and are characterized by an abnormal connection between a coronary artery and any of the four chambers of the heart. Most cases of CCFs are asymptomatic. The most common presentation in symptomatic patients includes chest pain or heart failure; however, arrhythmias are rarely associated. We report the case of a 32-year-old male previously unknown to have any medical illnesses. He presented to the clinic with complaints of frequent palpitations, necessitating recurrent admissions. His electrocardiograms revealed regular wide complex tachycardia with a right bundle branch block pattern, suggestive of fascicular ventricular tachycardia. During hospitalization, an elective coronary angiography showed a large CCF originating from the right posterior descending coronary artery and draining into the left ventricle. Moreover, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging did not show any scar or evidence of cardiomyopathies. The patient underwent a successful catheter-based right coronary artery to left ventricular fistula occlusion with coils. In addition, the patient underwent a complex electrophysiological study with three-dimensional mapping and ablation. The presented case underscores the rarity and complexity of such clinical presentations. It also highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in addressing this unique cardiac anomaly.

Tacrolimus-Induced Diffuse Coronary Artery Spasm.

Prinzmetal angina, also known as vasospastic angina, is defined as an intermittent focal or diffuse coronary artery narrowing, which is often associated with transient ST-segment elevation on an electrocardiogram. Also, it could be associated with an atherosclerotic lesion at the site of the spasm. Vasospastic angina might be induced by medications, most commonly with cocaine and other examples which include catecholamines such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, isoproterenol, dopamine, and dobutamine. Parasympathomimetic agents include acetylcholine, methacholine, and pilocarpine. It is rarely caused by tacrolimus. The clinical evaluation includes an electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. The confirmed diagnosis is done by coronary angiography. Cardiac catheterization is indicated in such cases to rule out coronary artery disease.

Self-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Outcomes: Findings From the Western Region of Saudi Arabia.

Background and objective The prevalence of aortic stenosis in Saudi Arabia is expected to increase owing to the rise in the life expectancy of the population. Such increase is expected to be met with higher demand for interventions including transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In this study, we aimed to identify the outcomes of this procedure among the population of the Western region of Saudi Arabia. Methods This was a retrospective observational study involving patients who underwent TAVI at the King Faisal Cardiac Center (KFCC), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from June 2018 to January 2020. All patients who had undergone TAVI were included, and patients who were lost to follow-up for more than 90 days were excluded. The collected data included sociodemographic characteristics, peri-procedural assessment, and outcomes within 90 days. Results The study included a total of 52 patients. There were 28 males (53.8%) and 24 females (46.2%). The mean age of the cohort was 78 years. Type two diabetes mellitus was present in 67.3%, and hypertension and dyslipidemia were seen in 80.8% of patients. Coronary diseases were seen in 55.8%. The majority had prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (53.8%) and 3.8% had coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Twenty patients (38.5%) had heart failure. Atrial fibrillation was encountered in 13 patients (25%). Chronic kidney disease was described in nine (17.3%) patients, and four (7.7%) were on regular hemodialysis. The median Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) risk score was 2.4 (IQR: 1.97-5). High STS scores (>8) were only seen in 9% of the patients. The success rate was 98%, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 3.8%. Vascular complications were seen in eight patients (15.4%), and the majority of them were minor. One patient (1.9%) had a major vascular complication. There was a tendency toward high blood transfusions (19.2%). Clinically manifest stroke was seen in three patients (5.8%). Eight patients (15.4%) had post-procedure complete heart block (CHB). Endocarditis was seen in two patients (3.8%). Thirty-day cardiac readmission was observed in 17.3% of patients, and acute kidney injury was seen in eight patients (15.4%). Mild aortic regurgitation was seen in 51.9% of the patients, but moderate or severe aortic insufficiency (AI) was not encountered. Conclusion Transfemoral TAVI using a self-expandable valve is a safe and feasible procedure at KFCC, an intermediate-sized center. Our data is comparable to local and international centers of similar size. Program sustainability depends on the development of robust referral networks and implementing regulatory quality and patient safety standards.

The pulmonary vascular bed in patients with functionally univentricular physiology and a Fontan circulation.

Fontan palliation represents one of the most remarkable surgical advances in the management of individuals born with functionally univentricular physiology. The operation secures adult survival for all but a few with unfavourable anatomy and/or physiology. Inherent to the physiology is passive transpulmonary blood flow, which produces a vulnerability to adequate filling of the systemic ventricle at rest and during exertion. Similarly, the upstream effects of passive flow in the lungs are venous congestion and venous hypertension, especially marked during physical activity. The pulmonary vascular bed has emerged as a defining character on the stage of Fontan circulatory behaviour and clinical outcomes. Its pharmacologic regulation and anatomic rehabilitation therefore seem important strategic therapeutic targets. This review seeks to delineate the important aspects of pulmonary artery development and maturation in functionally univentricular physiology patients, pulmonary artery biology, pulmonary vascular reserve with exercise, and pulmonary artery morphologic and pharmacologic rehabilitation.

The Adult Patient with a Fontan.

The authors summarize the most important anatomic and physiologic substrates of Fontan circulation. Common anatomic substrates include hypoplastic left heart syndrome, tricuspid atresia, double inlet left ventricle, and unbalanced atrioventricular septal defects. After the Fontan operation exercise capacity is limited and the key hemodynamic drivers is limited preload due to a relatively fixed pulmonary vascular resistance. The authors provide contemporary data on survival, morbidity, and need for reintervention. Operative morality is now expected to be less than 1% and 30 year survival approximately 89%. The authors delineate potential therapeutic approaches for the potential late complications.

Percutaneous Device Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Adult Patients with 10-Year Follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: We report our 10-year experience with transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in adult using different closure devices. BACKGROUND: Transcatheter closure of PDA in adults can be challenging because of frequently associated comorbidities. Reports on immediate and intermediate-term results of PDA closure are excellent. This study aimed to provide the outcomes of PDA closure using different devices on long and very long term follow-up in adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 2009 and December 2018, data were retrospectively reviewed from 27 patients who underwent transcatheter closure of PDA. Outcome parameters were procedural success, procedure-related complications, evidence of residual shunt, and improvement in the signs/symptoms for which the procedure was performed. The mean follow-up interval was 72 months. RESULTS: A device was successfully implanted in 27 of 27 patients (15 females). Median age and weight were 24 years (range: 18-57 years) and 69 kg (range: 53-102 kg), respectively. The mean PDA diameter was 4.1 ± 2.1 mm. Devices used were Amplatzer Duct Occluder (19/27), Occlutech Duct Occluder (6/27), and PFM Nit-Occlud (2/27). Doppler transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated 92.6% of full occlusion at day 1, rising to 96.3% at 1 month. Three procedure-related complications occurred with no death. Among symptomatic 26 patients (96.3%), there was marked improvement in symptoms. Among 22 patients (81.5%) for whom the procedure was performed to address left ventricular (LV) enlargement, there was reduction or stabilization in LV size on serial TTEs. CONCLUSIONS: Transcatheter closure of PDA in the adult patient appears to be safe and effective.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy in adults with congenital heart disease.

Aims: In adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) heart failure is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality but experience with and reported outcome of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is limited. We investigated the efficacy of CRT in adults with CHD. Methods and results: This was a retrospective study including 48 adults with CHD who received CRT since 2003 in four tertiary referral centres. Responders were defined as patients who showed improvement in NYHA functional class and/or systemic ventricular ejection fraction by at least one category. Ventricular function was assessed by echocardiography and graded on a four point ordinal scale. Median age at CRT was 47 years (range 18-74 years) and 77% was male. Cardiac diagnosis included tetralogy of Fallot in 29%, (congenitally corrected) transposition of great arteries in 23%, septal defects in 25%, left sided lesions in 21%, and Marfan syndrome in 2% of the patients. The median follow-up duration after CRT was 2.6 years (range 0.1-8.8). Overall, 37 out of 48 patients (77%) responded to CRT either by improvement of NYHA functional class and/or systemic ventricular function. There were 11 non-responders to CRT. Of these, three patients died and four underwent heart transplantation. Conclusion: In this cohort of older CHD patients, CRT was accomplished with a success rate comparable to those with acquired heart disease despite the complex anatomy and technical challenges frequently encountered in this population. Further studies are needed to establish appropriate guidelines for patient selection and long term outcome.

ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Door to Balloon Time Improvement Project.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate prospectively the causes of delay for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) requiring primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) upon arrival at the emergency department (ED) and implement recommendations to reduce delays and analyze the impact of recommendations to reduce the door-to-balloon (D2B) time in a newly established cardiac center (King Faisal Cardiac Center (KFCC)). Primary PCI has developed as an effective treatment strategy for acute STEMI, the survival rate and patient outcome are however dependent on the time to treatment. The international benchmark for all programs dealing with acute coronary syndrome patients suffering from STEMI has been established as 90 minutes or less from the time the patient arrives at the hospital to the opening of the affected vessel in the cardiac catheterization laboratory "door-to-balloon time" or D2B. In KFCC during the year 2014, the STEMI, D2B time of ≤ 90 minutes was achieved in 25%. METHODS: We conducted a single center prospective data collection for consecutive patients presenting with STEMI within 24 hours of the onset of chest pain between January 2015 and December 2015. The boundaries of the process began when the patient entered the emergency department and ended when the balloon was inflated during the PCI. Certain well-defined metrics were chosen to drive the change and identify the defect. RESULTS: A total of 37 patients presented with STEMI. The number of patients who achieved the target D2B time ≤ 90 minutes was 20 (54%). Nine patients (24.4%) had D2B time between 91 and 120 minutes and eight patients (21.6%) beyond 120 minutes. The delays were due to late identifications of patients with chest pain as well as in obtaining ECG, activation and transport to the catheterization laboratory. CONCLUSION: There was a measurable improvement up to 54%. Several factors have contributed to the delays in achieving the goal standard of above 90%; these include late identifications of patients with STEMI, delays in obtaining the ECG, activation of the catheterization laboratory and delay of patients' transportation.

Long-term outcomes after percutaneous intervention of the internal thoracic artery anastomosis: the use of drug-eluting stents is associated with a higher need of repeat revascularization.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of data and absence of clear recommendations regarding the optimal treatment of lesions located at the anastomosis of internal thoracic artery (ITA) grafts and native coronary arteries (CAs). The objective of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at the ITA anastomosis according to delivered treatment, namely deployment of a drug-eluting stent (DES), bare-metal stent (BMS), or balloon angioplasty only (POBA). METHODS: We used a prospective PCI registry at a large Canadian teaching hospital to identify all patients who underwent PCI at the ITA-CA anastomosis between June 2000 and June 2010. Our primary end point was repeat target lesion revascularization (TLR) at follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 53 patients included in the study (mean age 67.1 ± 10.7; 84.9% males), 45 (84.9%) underwent a successful PCI procedure. Of these, 23 patients (51.1%) received DES, 18 (40%) BMS, and 4 (8.9%) POBA. After a median follow-up of 29.2 months (interquartile range, 11.1-77.7 months), TLR was 47.8% with DES, 7.1% with BMS, and 50% with POBA (P = 0.032). Patients who underwent repeat revascularization were more likely to have longer stents than those who did not (18.2 mm vs 14.2 mm, P = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: Deployment of a DES for the treatment of ITA anastomotic lesions appears to be associated with a higher rate of repeat revascularization compared with BMS. Further studies will be necessary to evaluate if the present results might reflect different underlying pathophysiology in anastomotic and native coronary atherosclerotic lesions.

Use of clopidogrel post-coronary artery bypass surgery in canadian patients with acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials have established the efficacy of clopidogrel in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The benefit of clopidogrel has also been observed in the subgroup of ACS patients who subsequently undergo coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG); however, this therapy is discontinued preoperatively and the frequency with which clopidogrel is restarted post-CABG is unknown. METHODS: We examined the pattern of clopidogrel use in the Canadian Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE), GRACE2, and CANRACE (2003-2008) post-CABG ACS patients. We stratified the patients according to whether they underwent CABG during their index hospitalization for ACS and whether they were prescribed clopidogrel at discharge. RESULTS: Among those patients in whom clopidogrel status at discharge was known, 5904 (60%) of 9841 were discharged from hospital on clopidogrel. Use of clopidogrel at discharge was observed in 2222 (40.8%) of 5443 patients who were medically managed (ie, did not undergo percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI] or CABG) and in 3585 (90.1%) of 3980 patients who underwent in-hospital PCI. Overall, 455 (3.3%) of 13,776 patients underwent CABG during the index hospitalization; 255 (56%) patients were started on clopidogrel during the first 24 hours, and 66 of these patients (25.9%) were discharged on clopidogrel. In contrast, 5681 (61.3%) of the 9262 patients who did not undergo in-hospital CABG were discharged on clopidogrel. CONCLUSIONS: Although current guidelines recommend the use of clopidogrel post-CABG in patients with ACS, our observations suggest that only 1 in 4 or 5 Canadian patients are discharged on this therapy.