AIDS-related primary cardiac lymphoma with right-sided heart failure and high-grade AV block: insights from magnetic resonance imaging.

A 44-year-old patient, with personal history of AIDS, was referred to our emergency unit with tachycardia and moderate signs of right-sided heart failure. The cardiac MRI study showed an impairment of the right ventricular free and inferior wall and the interventricular septum. The mass was characterized by notable heterogeneity with mixed areas of hypo- and hypersignal intensity in SSFP and T2-weighted images with fat saturation. There was global hyperenhancement of the mass after gadolinium contrast injection on T1-weighted images with and without fat saturation. The entire right coronary artery was included into the infiltrative mass. One day after the admission, the patient suddenly presented a paroxysmal third degree atrioventricular block, permanently corrected by an implanted cardiac pacemaker. Endomyocardial biopsy conformed the diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma. The patient died 4months after the diagnosis of acute heart failure with multi-organ dysfunction, after a short period of improvement under chemotherapy. We present this case to highlight the importance to consider that a large, solitary, right atrial mass in conjunction with pericardial effusion in a patient with HIV infection should lead to consider, as soon as possible, the diagnosis of lymphoma. MRI has explained the conduction disorders by showing the septal extension of the mass, and by demonstrating right coronary artery involvement.

Cost analysis of bivalirudin versus reference anticoagulants without GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome in routine clinical practice. Pompidou registry.

Randomized controlled trials have shown improved short-term bleeding outcomes for bivalirudin compared to other anticoagulant in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study analyzed the cost/efficacy profile of bivalirudin-based anticoagulation strategy versus non bivalirudin-based anticoagulant strategy without use of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in routine clinical practice. From January 2009 to December 2010, 216 patients who underwent PCI for ACS at hospital Georges-Pompidou without GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors were studied. Of these patients, 24 (11%) received bivalirudin and 192 (88%) received others anticoagulants (mainly unfractionated heparin or low molecular weight heparin). Ischemic events and bleeding or transfusion were slightly lower in bivalirudin group (0 vs. 4.2%, P=0.60 and 4.2 vs. 8.9%, P=0.70, respectively). In spite of a higher cost of the medication, the overall cost of the bivalirudin strategy was slightly lower (9167±3688 € vs. 14,016±14,749 €, P=0.23), in relation with a shorter average duration of the hospital stay. In conclusion, in this limited, single-center, population of patients with ACS, the clinical efficacy and safety of bivalirudin appeared at least as good as that of reference anticoagulants in real world clinical practice, with no increase in overall costs.