Femoral micropuncture or routine introducer study (FEMORIS).

OBJECTIVES: The Micropuncture® 21-gauge needle may reduce complications related to vessel trauma from inadvertent venous or posterior arterial wall puncture. METHODS: This was a single-center, multiple-user trial. Four hundred and two patients undergoing possible or definite percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomized 1:1 to an 18-gauge versus a 21-gauge needle. Patients and personnel pulling the sheaths and performing the follow-up were blinded. The primary end point was a composite of access bleeding. Events were tabulated following sheath removal, ≤ 24 h after the procedure and at the follow-up (at 1-2 weeks). End points were blindly adjudicated. RESULTS: The event rate overall was 12.4% and did not differ significantly between groups, although the 21-gauge needle was found to reduce events by more than one third. An exploratory subgroup analysis of prespecified variables indicated that: patients who did not undergo PCI or elective procedures, female patients and those with a final sheath size of ≤ 6 Fr all had a significant or near-significant reduction of complications with Micropuncture. CONCLUSIONS: Although no significant differences between the use of the 18- and 21-gauge needles were observed, there was a 50-75% reduction with Micropuncture in several subgroups. The study was terminated prematurely. Access site complications may be reduced by the use of the 21-gauge needle, particularly when the risk of bleeding is not high. Further multicenter data will be required to confirm these hypothesis-generating observations.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection after intense weightlifting UCSF Fresno Department of Cardiology.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a rare cause of chest pain and cardiomyopathy. This phenomenon usually occurs during the peripartum period. SCAD associated with exercise and heavy weight lifting is even rarer and has been reported in less than 10 cases in the literature. We describe a case of SCAD associated with heavy weight lifting and exercise in a 29-year-old male who presented with exertional chest pain. The patient subsequently underwent a cardiac catheterization that showed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% and a dissection in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery after the first diagonal/septal branch with extension to the distal LAD that wrapped around the apex. He was effectively managed with the combination of medical therapy followed by a few days later with stenting. In summary, diagnosis and treatment of this rare phenomenon is a challenge, but early diagnosis and appropriate management can lead to a successful outcome.

Calcific constrictive pericarditis demonstrated on 99mTc-MDP bone scintigraphy.

The authors present a case of calcific constrictive pericarditis, imaged with bone scintigraphy. The patient presented with three months of shortness of breath, chest pain, and chest tightness during exercise, among other nonspecific symptoms. Although the diagnosis was made based on chest radiography and cardiac MRI, bone scintigraphy was used to corroborate the diagnosis of calcific constrictive pericarditis. Bone scintigraphy showed a pattern of tracer accumulation consistent with pericardial uptake. Calcific constrictive pericarditis was also confirmed at the time of surgery.