Increasing Incidence of ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome in Young South Asian Population, a Challenge for the World? An Assessment of Clinical and Angiographic Patterns and Hospital Course of Premature Acute Myocardial Infarction.

The incidence of premature ischemic heart disease (IHD) is increasing because of urbanization, a sedentary lifestyle, and various other unexplored factors, especially in South Asia. This study aimed to assess the distribution of premature ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (STE-ACS) with its clinical and angiographic pattern along with hospital course in a contemporary cohort of patients who underwent primary percutaneous intervention at a tertiary care center in the South Asian region. We included consecutive patients of either gender diagnosed with STE-ACS and who underwent primary percutaneous intervention. Patients were stratified based on age as ≤40 years (young) and >40 years (old). Clinical characteristics, angiographic patterns, and hospital course were compared between the 2 groups. Of the total of 4,686 patients, 466 (9.9%) were young (≤40 years). Young patients had a lower prevalence of hypertension (40.8% vs 54.5%, p <0.001), diabetes (26.6% vs 36.4%, p <0.001), metabolic syndrome (14.8% vs 24%, p <0.001), history of IHD (5.8% vs 9.3%, p = 0.013) and a higher frequency of smoking (33% vs 24.7%, p <0.001), positive family history (8.2% vs 3.2%, p <0.001), and single-vessel involvement (60.1% vs 33.2%, p <0.001). The composite adverse clinical outcome occurrence was significantly lower in young patients (14.2% vs 19.5%, p = 0.006). On multivariable analysis, history of IHD in young, whereas age, Killip class III/IV, intubated, arrhythmias on arrival, diabetes, history of IHD, pre-procedure left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, ejection fraction <40%, and slow flow/no-reflow during the procedure were found to be the independent predictors of adverse clinical outcome in old patients. In conclusion, we have a substantial burden of premature STE-ACS, mostly in male patients potentially driven by smoking and positive family history. Despite favorable pathophysiology, with mostly single-vessel hospital courses of STE-ACS in the young equally lethal in nature.

Diffuse St Depression With St Elevation Avr In Acute Coronary Syndrome And Its Association With Significant Left Main Or Three Vessel Coronary Artery Disease And Its Confounders.

BACKGROUND: : Global ST depression in 8 or more leads along with ST elevation in aVR has been considered as hallmark of widespread sub-endocardial ischemia. It has been associated with left main (LM) stem or three vessel disease (3VD). But different studies have shown different results. We collected data from patients to see association of these ECG changes with significant LM stem disease and/or significant (3VD). METHODS: TIt was a prospective observational study performed at tertiary care cardiac center. All patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) having global ST depression and ST Elevation in aVR (that is ST depression of at least 0.5 mv in ≥8 leads along with ST elevation in aVR of at least 0.5 mv) and have undergone coronary angiogram were included. RESULTS: Our study included 404 patients with above mentioned ECG findings. We observed significant LM stem or significant 3VD in 67% (n=274), 3VD in 55% (n=222) and significant LM stem in only 29% (n=118). Risk factors like diabetes, hypertension and smoking increase probability of these ECG changes up to 40.4%, 32.1% and 33.3% for significant LM stem disease and 62.7%, 57.1% and 57.5% for significant 3VD. Magnitude of ST elevation in aVR leads ≥1 mm increase sensitivity for LM stem disease 35% and for 3VD up to 60.4% and TIMI score ≥4 up to 36.7% for significant LM stem disease and 62.5% for significant 3VD. CONCLUSIONS: : Global ST depression along with ST elevation in aVR in patients with ACS has low probability for significant LM stem intermediate probability for significant 3VD. Factors like presence of diabetes, hypertension, smoking, magnitude of ST elevation in aVR, and TIMI score improves its diagnostic yield.

The outcome of primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stent thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a recommended management strategy for patients with de novo ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Still, the efficacy of primary PCI in-stent thrombosis (ST) induced STEMI is unclear. The aim was to assess the clinical characteristics and the in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI caused by acute, sub-acute, or late ST. METHODS: A sample of hundred consecutive patients who presented with STEMI due to ST were included in this study. The angiographic evidence of a flow-limiting thrombus or total vessel occlusion (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow grade 0 to II) at the site of the previous stent implant was taken as ST. Primary PCI was performed, and all enrolled patients and in-hospital mortality were observed. RESULTS: Male patients were 69, and the mean age was 58.9 ± 7.78 years. ST was categorized as acute in 40 patients, sub-acute in 53, and late in the remaining seven patients. Killip class III/IV was observed in 45 patients. Dissection was observed in 25, under deployment in 74, and/or malposition in 24 patients. Thrombus aspiration was performed in 97, plain old balloon angioplasty in 76, and stenting in 22 patients. Final TIMI III flow was achieved in 32 patients. During a mean hospital stay of 4.93 ± 2.46 days, the mortality rate was 27%. CONCLUSION: In-hospital mortality after primary PCI was observed in more than 1/4th of the patients with STEMI due to ST undergoing primary PCI.

The Burden of Short-term Major Adverse Cardiac Events and its Determinants after Emergency Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization: A Prospective Follow-up Study.

Objectives: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains recommended reperfusion therapy for patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and their determinants among patients who underwent primary PCI at a tertiary care cardiac center of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A cohort of patients who underwent primary PCI were followed for the MACE. Multivariable Cox-regression analysis was performed with backward conditional variable selection and hazard ratio (HR) along with 95% confidence interval (CI) were obtained. Results: A total of 1150 patients were included, of which follow-up was successful in 95.8% (1102) and median follow-up duration was 6.1 [6.9-5.1] months. MACE were observed in 210 (19.1%) patients with 14.2% (157) all-cause mortality, 5.4% (60) cardiac mortality, 0.7% (8) stroke, 3.6% (40) re-hospitalization due to heart failure, and 6.1% (67) myocardial infarction requiring revascularization. Independent predictors of short-term MACE were found to be admission glucose ≥200 mg/dL (1.66 [1.25-2.21]), serum creatinine ≥1.5 mg/dL (1.52 [1.02-2.27]), intubation (2.81 [1.98-4.00]), history of PCI (2.06 [1.45-2.93]), history of cerebrovascular accident (2.64 [1.34-5.2]), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure ≥20 mmHg (1.81 [1.3-2.51]), triple vessel diseases (1.43 [1.08-1.9]), culprit left main or proximal left anterior descending artery (1.77 [1.32-2.35]), pre-ballooning (2.14 [1.2-3.82]), and thrombus grade ≥4 (2.21 [1.51-3.24]). Conclusions: A significant number of individuals undergone primary PCI are still vulnerable to subsequent short-term MACE, hence, systematic follow-up and early risk stratification should be considered as an integral part of STEMI management protocol specially for patients with high-risk features as highlighted herein.

Left Ventricular Functional Remodeling after Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Improvement in left ventricular (LV) function after revascularization is an important determinant of long-term prognosis in a patient with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, data on the changes of LV function after revascularization are scarce in our population. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the changes in LV function and dimensions by echocardiography at 3 and 6 months after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Materials and Methods: A total of 188 patients were recruited in this study who had undergone primary PCI. Patients with preexistent LV dysfunction, prior PCI, or with congenital heart disease were excluded. Echocardiography was performed at baseline (within 24 h of intervention), 3 months, and 6 months of intervention. Remodeling in terms of change in LV ejection fraction (LVEF), LV end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD), LV end-systolic dimension, and wall motion score index (WMSI) was evaluated. Results: Out of the 188 patients, 90.4% were male, and mean age was 53.94 ± 9.12 years. Baseline mean LVEF was 39.79 ± 6.2% with mean improvement of 5.11 ± 3.87 (P < 0.001) at 3 months and 6.38 ± 4.29 (P < 0.001) at 6 months. Baseline LVEDD was 46.23 ± 3.86 mm which improved to 44.68 ± 2.81 mm at 6 months. Basal WMSI decreased by -0.09 ± 0.08 and -0.13 ± 0.09 at 3 and 6 months, respectively, after revascularization. Conclusions: Primary PCI is the recommended mode of reperfusion in patients with AMI. It reduces infarct size, maintains microvascular integrity and preserves LV systolic function hence improving LV function.

Prognostic value of GRACE score for in-hospital and 6 months outcomes after non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score for predicting in-hospital and 6 months mortality after non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). RESULTS: In this observational study, 300 patients with NSTE-ACS of age more than 30 years were included; 16 patients died during the hospital stay (5.3%). Of 284 patients at 6 months assessment, 10 patients died (3.5%), 240 survived (84.5%), and 34 were lost to follow-up (12%) respectively. In high risk category, 10.5% of the patients died within hospital stay and 11.8% died within 6 months (p = 0.001 and p = 0.013). In univariate analysis, gender, diabetes mellitus, family history, smoking, and GRACE score were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality whereas age, obesity, dyslipidemia, and GRACE were significantly associated with 6 months mortality. After adjustment, diabetes mellitus, family history, and GRACE score remained significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (p ≤ 0.05) and age remained significantly associated with 6 months mortality. CONCLUSION: GRACE risk score has good predictive value for the prediction of in-hospital mortality and 6 months mortality among patients with NSTE-ACS.

Pakistan Following Foot Prints of Developed World in Structural Interventions: Experience of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Reported First Time.

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) program in a Tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology This study was conducted by interventional cardiology department of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi from July 2015 to February 2020. All patients of severe aortic stenosis (AS) who underwent TAVI were included. Baseline characteristics, in-hospital course and one-month follow-up data were collected. Results This study included 100 consecutive patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI. Sixty-three (63.0%) patients were males and the mean age was 67.38 ± 10.73 years. Eighty-five (85%) patients were in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV. Aortic valve mean gradient was 51.33±10.47 mmHg and 50% of patients had bicuspid aortic valves. Core valve was implanted in 86 (86%) and evolute-R aortic valve was implanted in 14 (14%) patients. TAVI was successfully done in 94% of patients. Post-deployment aortic valve mean gradient was 5.33±4.13 mmHg. Major vascular access site complications were noted in 14% and atrioventricular (AV) blocks were seen in 22% of cases. There was a significant difference in symptoms of patients before and after the procedure. Overall, eight (8%) patients expired during hospital stay. At one-month follow-up, 76% of patients were found to have no limitation of physical activities. Conclusions Results of this study showed that TAVI is a safe procedure in these high-risk patients and is an alternative to surgery for AS patients in the region.

Validity of the Stent Thrombosis Risk Score in Predicting Early Stent Thrombosis after Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The thrombosis of the stent is one of the most important complications of percutaneous interventions, resulting in complete occlusion of the stented vessel. Aim of this study was to determine the validity of Stent Thrombosis Risk Score (STRS) in predicting early stent thrombosis (ST) after primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). METHODS: For this study, 569 consecutive patients undergone primary PCI from July 2018 to December 2018 were recruited. Early ST was defined as ST occurred during or within 30 days after the procedure. The STRS was calculated as proposed, developed, and validated in a past study. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cut-off value and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 569 patients were included, the median age was 56 [61-50] years. Early ST was observed in 33 (5.8%) patients. The median STRS was 4 [5-3] vs. 3 [4-2]; p = 0.009 for patients with and without Early ST respectively. STRS was found to be an independent predictor of early ST with an adjusted odds ratio of 1.41 (1.02-1.95). AUC was 0.631 and the optimal cut-off value was ≥5. Early ST rate was 3.3% at STRS of 0-2, which raised to 5.0% at STR of 3-4, and 17.2% at STRS of ≥5. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, STRS was found to be an independent predictor of early ST after primary PCI and has significant discriminating power. The rate of early stent thrombosis after primary PCI exponentially increased at STRS cut-off value of ≥5.

Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: What is the Clinically Significant Difference?

Background In the current coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the pattern of hospital admissions for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is changing, and increased mortality and morbidity is being noted in these patients. Cardiac manifestations of COVID-19 are complex and include STEMI, myocarditis, myocardial injury, and cardiomyopathy. The objective of our study was to compare the data of patients with STEMI presenting in COVID-19 versus the non-COVID-19 era.  Methods We analyzed the clinical and angiographic characteristics of STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at our center. The primary outcome variables were admission rate for STEMI, mean total ischemic time (TIT), coronary artery disease burden, mean ejection fraction, and in-hospital mortality for three defined groups. Group A consisted of patients who underwent primary PCI from March through April 2020. Group B included patients who underwent primary PCI from January to February 2020. Group C consisted of patients who underwent primary PCI from March to April 2019. We then compared the data among the three groups and calculated any significant p-value (p<.001). Results In Group A, 1139 patients were admitted for primary PCI. The mean admission rate was 18.6 ± 4.36 admissions per day. There were 1535 patients in Group B and an admission rate of 26.01 ± 4.90 (p<.001 compared to Group A). In Group C, there were 1537 patients and an admission rate of 24.8 ± 4.55 (p<.001, compared to Group A). The mean TIT was 429.25±272.16 minutes for Group A, 359.78±148.04 minutes for Group B, and 346.75±207.31 minutes for Group C (p<.001). A higher mortality rate was noted in Group A (COVID-19 era) versus Group C (non-COVID-19 era; p<.001). Conclusions A lower admission rate, higher TIT, and higher mortality rates were noted in patients with acute STEMI during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-COVID era. During the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians should bear in mind that patients with STEMI have increased mortality and morbidity. Where possible, efforts should be made for timely management of these critical patients to decrease mortality.

Frequency of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction III Flow in Patients With Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Not All Culprit Vessels Are Completely Occluded in ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is classically characterized by total occlusion of the culprit coronary artery. However during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 0 flow is not observed in all patients' culprit arteries in angiographic views. This study was conducted to find out the frequency of TIMI flow in acute STEMI patients in view of the above concept. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of pre-procedural TIMI III flow in those patients who underwent primary PCI for acute STEMI in a public sector hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology This study is an audit of already saved data in the catheterization laboratory of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, that was collected prospectively from January 2016 to December 2018. These data were collected after taking consent from those patients who presented to hospital within 12 hours of symptoms and underwent primary PCI. Data were entered and analyzed on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results A total of 8018 patients were included in this study who presented with STEMI and underwent primary PCI. Out of them 80.9% were males. Hypertension was the leading risk factor in 54.1% (4340) of patients. TIMI III flow was present in 11.4% of patients before primary PCI, while TIMI 0, I and II flow were present in 57.1%, 15.1%, and 16.3% of patients respectively (p<0.001). Fourteen percent of patients with TIMI III flow were of age group 51 to 60 years. Among those who had TIMI III flow, 11.2% were those with door to balloon time of <90 minutes. In 11% of cases, left anterior descending (LAD) artery had TIMI III flow as compared to other vessels (p<0.001). The length of the lesion was significantly smaller in patients who had TIMI III flow compared to those who had TIMI 0-II flow. Conclusions This study revealed that not all patients with acute STEMI had totally occluded culprit coronary artery but some of them had angiographic TIMI I-III flow in the infarct-related artery. Further studies are needed to find the reason for re-establishment of flow in the culprit vessel in STEMI patients before PCI.

Burden of Non-cardiac Patients on the Emergency Room of a Rural Cardiac Center in Sindh, Pakistan.

Introduction The number of cardiac patients increases on a daily basis, and emergency departments bear much of the burden of non-cardiac patients due to pathological fears of the aftermath of the disease. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the burden of non-cardiac patients on the emergency department of a cardiac center in a rural area of Sindh, Pakistan. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the emergency department of Chandka Medical College Hospital in Larkana. Consecutive patients who presented with cardiac symptoms with no previous history of cardiac disease were included. After a brief history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, and a cardiac enzyme assessment, patients were categorized as cardiac or non-cardiac. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0. (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, US) and p ≤0.05 was statistically significant. Results Of the 204 patients included, 112 (59.8%) were men, and the mean age was 47 ± 16 years. Most patients (n = 146; 71.6%) were diagnosed as non-cardiac. The non-cardiac diagnosis was significantly more common among patients without diabetes (n = 123, 77.4% vs. n = 23, 51.1%; p = 0.001), without chest pains (n = 93, 81.6% vs. n = 53, 58.9%; p< 0.001), and without shortness of breath (n = 107, 75.9% vs. n = 39, 61.9%; p = 0.041). Conclusion More than two-thirds of the patients were found to have a non-cardiac mechanism behind their symptoms. A major proportion of the emergency room's cardiology department is occupied by non-cardiac patients. Owing to its direct and indirect implication on an otherwise struggling health system, we suggest chest pain units should be developed to decrease the workload and provide better care to cardiac patients.

Multivessel Disease As A Prognostic Marker In Patients Presenting For Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Multi-vessel disease is associated with higher mortality rates in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) patients, which may further alter clinical course and decision making. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine prevalence, in hospital and early after discharge (up to 30 days) outcome of patients with multi-vessel disease as compared to single vessel disease presenting with acute STEMI undergoing Primary PCI. METHODS: This study includes 282 consecutive selected patients, presented in emergency department with acute STEMI; undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at Catheterization Laboratory of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi Pakistan during the study period of 17th December 2016 to 16th June 2017. Demographic characteristics, clinical history, post procedural complications, and short term adverse clinical events in patients with SVD and MVD were assessed and compared using z-test, t-test, and Fisher's Exact test.. RESULTS: Comparing the patients with single vessel disease, multi-vessel disease patients have worse post procedural outcomes, increased overall complications, length of hospital stay, higher referral for CABG, and in-hospital mortality. On follow up relatively higher, but not statistically significant, patient with MVD developed recurrence of symptoms and got re-admission. CONCLUSIONS: Multi-vessel disease in patients presenting for primary PCI is the direct indicative of significantly higher post procedure complications, mortality, morbidity, and prolonged hospitalization. Also, risk of recurrence of symptoms and re-admission remains high in patients with multi-vessel disease..

Predictors of successful percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy using the Bonhoeffer Multi-Track system in patients with moderate to severe mitral stenosis: Can we see beyond the Wilkins score?

OBJECTIVE: To know the predictors of a successful outcome of percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) other than described in the Wilkins scoring system. METHODS: Two hundred fifty-eight consecutive patients were enrolled for this observational study in a tertiary care heart center of Pakistan who had a Wilkins score of ≤ 8. Patients with more than mild mitral regurgitation (MR) or having a clot in the left atrium were excluded. The Bonhoeffer multi-track system was used as a default technique. Successful PTMC was defined as achieving a mitral valve area (MVA) of ≥ 1.5 cm(2) with no more than mild MR. RESULTS: Out of 258 PTMC procedures, 197 were successful. The Bonhoeffer multi-track system was used in ~94% cases. Among unsuccessful procedures, 41 patients did not achieve the required valve area, and 21 patients developed more than mild MR, including those 8 patients who did not achieve the required valve area and had more than mild MR. Bigger mean annulus size (33.5 ± 2.6 versus 32.8 ± 2.1 mm; p=0.02) and preprocedure MVA (0.93 ± 0.1 versus 0.87 ± 0.1 cm(2); p=0.002) had a significant effect on successful PTMC. Lower mean preprocedure systolic right ventricular pressure on echo (65.4 ± 19.4 versus 75.3 ± 18 mm Hg; p=0.000) and on cath (74 ± 21.5 versus 81.5 ± 24.6 mm Hg; p=0.002), lower grade of left ventricular dysfunction (p=0.04), and tricuspid regurgitation on echo (p=0.003) also had positive effects on the outcome. CONCLUSION: Bigger preprocedure mitral valve annulus size and mitral valve area, and better left and right ventricular hemodynamics are correlated with successful PTMC.

Safety of primary percutaneous coronary intervention with and without (selective) thrombus aspiration.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety and efficacy of selective thrombus aspiration during Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). METHODS: This observational prospective study was conducted in the catheterization laboratory of a tertiary care cardiovascular centre. A total of 150 consecutive patients who underwent primary PCI were enrolled. Aspiration was done only when thrombus burden was considered significant. After completion of procedure angiographic and electrocardiographic signs were recorded and clinical follow up was documented up to 1 year. RESULTS: No significant difference among the groups was found in age, height, weight and other risk factors like Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus and Smoking. In general, left anterior descending artery was culprit in - 65% of patients and more than 90% of culprit vessels had visible thrombus. Multivessel disease was present in 38% of patients and 22.7% had past history of myocardial infarction. Out of 150 patients 117 (78%) underwent thrombus aspiration. No significant difference was found in ST resolution within 60 minutes (72.6 vs 81.8%; P < 0.285) and myocardial blush grade II & III (41.9 vs 27.3%; P < 0.128). No difference in event free survival was observed among the two groups (80.3 vs 84.8%; P < 0.708) at one year. CONCLUSION: Selective thrombus aspiration in definite thrombus laden arteries and no aspiration in low or negligible thrombus burden vessels may be a safe and effective strategy in patients undergoing primary PCI. Overall poor risk profile of our patients as compared to western population necessitates further evaluation of this matter in randomized studies.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention in a patient with dextrocardia.

The case of a 40-year-old male with dextrocardia who presented with ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) is reported. Coronary angiogram was performed after due manipulation and then successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of Left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery was done. His 9 months follow up primary PCI in a patient with angiogram revealed patent stent in proximal LAD. There are very few published case reports of this rare congenital anomaly addressing technical details of successful primary PCI with dextrocardia.

Severe mitral stenosis with atrial fibrillation--a harbinger of thromboembolism.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of Left Atrial thrombus in patients suffering from severe mitral stenosis with atrial fibrillation. METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive type study was conducted in the Echocardiography department of the National Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases (NICVD) Karachi from October 1, 2007 to March 17, 2008. A total of 100 consecutive adult patients with severe Mitral stenosis (MS) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF) were included in this study. 12-lead Electrocardiography was done once clinical and echocardiographic features revealed Sever MS. Patients with signs of AF were selected and Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE) was obtained to detect Left Atrial Thrombus. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed whenever thrombus could not be found with TTE and / or nature of the mass could not be confirmed. RESULTS: Among 100 patients studied; there were 52 males and 48 females. TTE was performed in all patients and LA thrombi were detected in 24% patients. TEE was performed in remaining 76% patients and additional 14 patients with LA thrombi were detected in this subgroup. Therefore a total of 38% of the patients with LA thrombi were documented. Among them, 6% had clots in LA body while LA appendage clots were found in 32% of patients. Left atrial dimension was found to be relevant (P-value = 0.004) with the presence of thrombus in patients with severe mitral stenosis associated with atrial fibrillation. Left atrial spontaneous echo contrast (LASEC) was found in 54% of patients but it was not found to be relevant with the presence of LA thrombus (P = 0.75). CONCLUSION: Left atrial thrombus was present in 38% patients with severe mitral stenosis associated with atrial fibrillation. Larger left atrial diameter is a stronger predictor of presence of LA thrombus

Transverse testicular ectopia.

We present a case of Transverse testicular ectopia of the right testis that presented to our surgical out patient department with left inguinal hernia and an impalpable testis in the right scrotum. Patient was operated. Left herniotomy was performed and right testis was found in the left inguinal canal which was brought to the right scrotum and anchored through suprapubic subcutaneous tunnel.