Acute Myopericarditis in the Setting of Crohn's Colitis: Challenging Management Decisions.

Myopericarditis is a rare extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease (CD). Myopericarditis has also been attributed to treatment with mesalamine and heart failure to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) use. When a patient with CD, controlled on these medications, presents with myopericarditis and/or heart failure, it can confound both the differential diagnosis and management of such patients. Our case is acute myopericarditis in a 34-year-old male, with a history of CD controlled with mesalamine and infliximab, who had been off TNFi therapy for over six months due to loss of insurance coverage and had been intermittently using leftover mesalamine. He presented to the ED complaining of a one-day history of abdominal pain with bloody diarrheal stools, chest discomfort, and fever. A colonoscopy performed two days back had demonstrated active colonic CD. Findings included ECG evidence of pericarditis, elevated cardiac biomarkers, and reduced left ventricular function on ventriculography consistent with myopericarditis. We present the differential, diagnostic and management challenges encountered in this situation, review the pertinent literature, and discuss decision making in what appears to be myopericarditis attributed to an extraintestinal manifestation of active GI Crohn's.

Myocarditis Post Moderna Vaccination: Review of Criteria for Diagnosis.

Case reports of myocarditis post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccination have not uniformly reported long-term follow-up beyond 90 days. We present a 23-year-old male who is typical of a patient presenting with myocarditis post-COVID-19 mRNA-1273 Moderna vaccination (young males, onset several days after second dose of the mRNA vaccine, and excellent short term complete recovery). Follow-up at 128 days revealed no residual sequelae in our patient. Although a definitive diagnosis of myocarditis requires an endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), diagnosis is usually made clinically and with imaging in most clinical settings unless part of an approved research protocol or if indicated clinically. We recommend active surveillance and reporting for myocarditis post mRNA vaccination and even consider reporting those with symptom onset beyond 90 days.

Distressed Communities Index in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in an Affluent County in New York.

BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of the distressed communities index (DCI), a composite measure of economic well-being based on the U.S. zip code, is becoming increasingly recognized. Ranging from 0 (prosperous) to 100 (distressed), DCI's association with cardiovascular outcomes remains unknown. We aimed to study the association of the DCI with presentation and outcomes in adults with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve intervention (TAVR) in an affluent county in New York. METHODS: The study population included 286 patients with severe symptomatic AS or degeneration of a bioprosthetic valve who underwent TAVR with a newer generation transcatheter heart valve (THV) from December 2015 to June 2018 at an academic tertiary medical center. DCI for each patient was derived from their primary residence zip code. Patients were classified into DCI deciles and then categorized into 4 groups. The primary and secondary outcomes of interest were 30-day, 1-year, and 3-year mortality, respectively. RESULTS: Among 286 patients studied, 26%, 28%, 28%, and 18% were categorized into DCI groups 1-4, respectively (DCI <10: n = 73; DCI 10-20: n = 81; DCI 20-30: n = 80; DCI >30: n = 52). Patients in group 4 were younger with worse kidney function compared to patients in groups 1 and 2. They also had smaller aortic annuli and were more likely to receive a smaller THV. No significant difference in hospital length of stay or distribution of in-hospital, 30-day, 1-year, and 3-year mortality was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: While the DCI was associated with differences in the clinical and anatomic profile, it was not associated with differences in clinical outcomes in this prospective observational study of adults undergoing TAVR suggesting that access to care is the likely discriminator.

Brugada syndrome.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited cardiac arrhythmia syndrome that causes a heightened risk for ventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. BrS is characterised by a coved ST-segment elevation in right precordial leads. The prevalence is estimated to range between 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 2,000 in different populations, with the highest being in Southeast Asia and in males. More than 18 genes associated with BrS have been discovered and recent evidence has suggested a complex polygenic mode of inheritance with multiple common and rare genetic variants acting in concert to produce the BrS phenotype. Diagnosis of BrS in patients currently relies on presentation with a type-1 Brugada pattern on ECG either spontaneously or following a drug provocation test using a sodium channel blocker. Risk assessment in patients diagnosed with BrS is controversial, especially with regard to the predictive value of programmed electrical stimulation and novel ECG parameters, such as QRS fragmentation. The first line of BrS therapy remains an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), although radiofrequency catheter ablation has been shown to be an effective option in patients with contraindications for an ICD. True BrS can be unmasked on ECG in susceptible individuals by monitoring factors such as fever, and this has been recently evident in several patients infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Aggressive antipyretic therapy and regular ECG monitoring until fever resolves are current recommendations to help reduce the arrhythmic risk in these COVID-19 patients. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, genetics, clinical diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment of patients with BrS, with special emphasis on COVID-19 comorbidity.

Impact of Severity of Chronic Kidney Disease on Management and Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement With Newer-Generation Transcatheter Valves.

BACKGROUND: The association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the setting of newer-generation transcatheter heart valves (THVs) is not well known. Accordingly, we sought to assess the impact of CKD severity on outcomes in adults undergoing TAVR with newer-generation THVs. METHODS: The study population included 298 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR with a newer-generation THV (Sapien 3 [Edwards Lifesciences] or CoreValve Evolut R or Evolut Pro [Medtronic]) from December 2015 to June 2018 at an academic tertiary medical center. Patients were classified into three groups: group I, defined as creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≥60 mL/ min (n = 133); group II, defined as CrCl ≥30 mL/min and <60 mL/min (n = 128); and group III, defined as CrCl <30 mL/min (n = 37). RESULTS: Median length of stay was longer in groups II and III (2.0 days in group I vs 3.0 days in group II vs 4.0 days in group III; P<.01). While rates of 30-day readmission were significantly higher in groups II and III compared with group I (14.5% in group I vs 26.6% in group II vs 37.1% in group III; P<.01), rates of in-hospital and 30-day mortality and disabling stroke were similar. In multivariable analysis, CKD was independently associated with higher 30-day readmission rates (group II: odds ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval 1.02-4.32; group III: odds ratio, 3.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.40-8.87; group I: referent). CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective study of adults undergoing TAVR with newer-generation THVs, moderate and severe CKD was associated with a nearly 2-fold and 3-fold higher risk of 30-day readmission, respectively.

Gender Disparities in Management and Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With Newer Generation Transcatheter Valves.

The impact of gender on management and early outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in the setting of newer generation transcatheter heart valves (THVs) is not well known. We evaluated gender-specific differences on clinical management and in-hospital outcomes in adults who underwent TAVI with newer generation THVs. The study population included 298 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI and received a newer generation THV (Sapien 3 [Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California] or Corevalve Evolut R or Evolut Pro [Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota]) from December 2015 to June 2018 at an academic tertiary medical center. Of the 298 patients, 154 (52%) were men and 144 (48%) were women. Compared with men, women were older, had lower serum creatinine, higher left ventricular ejection fraction, and lower rates of multiple co-morbidities, including previous coronary artery bypass graft surgery, previous myocardial infarction, and atrial fibrillation. Women were noted to have smaller aortic annular area and perimeter and underwent implantation of smaller THVs than men. At the time of discharge, women were more frequently prescribed a P2Y12 inhibitor (primarily clopidogrel) and less frequently prescribed oral anticoagulation (namely warfarin). Hospital length of stay and in-hospital rates of mortality, disabling stroke, and pacemaker were similar in men and women. In conclusion, in this observational prospective study of adults who underwent TAVI with newer generation THVs, while gender-related disparities in clinical presentation and procedural management were observed, no significant difference in clinical outcomes were noted in men and women. Further studies examining gender-related differences in procedural and postprocedural care after TAVI in the contemporary era are warranted to better understand and optimize clinical outcomes in both men and women.