Thrombolytic therapy or surgery for valve prosthesis thrombosis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prosthetic heart valve thrombosis is a life-threatening condition for which treatment has not been evaluated by randomized trials. OBJECTIVES: To compare surgery with thrombolytic therapy for the treatment of prosthetic valve thrombosis. METHODS: A comprehensive systematic review was carried out by independent researchers using PubMed, Web of Knowledge, HINARI, LILACS and EMBASE, including papers indexed up to 23 October 2013 with at least 10 patients, evaluating one or both treatment options. Outcomes of interest were death, stroke, bleeding, embolic events and success. Study quality was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (ranges from 0 to 9). Comprehensive Meta Analysis Software was used to pool study results, for publication bias analysis and for meta-regression. RESULTS: Forty-eight studies were included (2302 patients). No randomized study was identified, and all were observational in design. Study quality varied from 4 to 6 stars using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Mortality for surgery was 18.1% (95%CI, 14.6-22.1; I(2) , 62% [42-75]), while mortality for thrombolytic therapy was 6.6% (95% CI, 4.8-8.9; I(2) , 0% [0-13]). Surgical mortality appeared to increase with NYHA-class, according to meta-regression. Other results related to surgery and thrombolytic therapy, respectively, were: embolic events, 4.6% (2.9-7.3) and 12.8% (10.8-15.2); stroke, 4.3%,(2.7-6.6%) and 5.6%,(4.3-7.4%); success rate, 81.9% (77.2-85.8) and 80.7% (75.6-85.0); bleeding, 4.6% (2.9-7.1) and 6.8% (5.4-8.6); and death or stroke, 19.0% (14.8-24.2) and 11.4% (8.7-14.7). CONCLUSION: Mortality in patients treated by thrombolytic therapy for valve prosthesis thrombosis is significantly lower than in patients treated surgically. As we cannot yet ascertain whether this difference is due to the treatment alone, more studies are now necessary to further clarify these findings.

Genetic testing improves the diagnosis of adult type hypolactasia in the Mediterranean population of Sardinia.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, the C/T-13910 polymorphism on chromosome 2q21 in North-European populations has been found completely associated with lactase activity and its genetic typing proposed as first-stage screening test for adult hypolactasia. However, the C/T-13910 variant in some sub-Saharan African groups is not a predictor of lactase persistence. In this work, we wanted to verify if in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, located in Southern Europe, the C/T-13910 polymorphism may be useful or not for the diagnosis of adult type hypolactasia. DESIGN: Validation study of a genetic testing for adult type hypolactasia in Sardinians. SETTING: Brotzu Hospital and Microcitemico Hospital, Cagliari, Italy. SUBJECTS: The sample consisted in 84 Sardinian individuals (63 women and 21 men; range 20-73 years) selected from a group of 832 patients. METHODS: Genetic testing was compared to an improved test obtained by a combination of different breath hydrogen tests and clinical assessment. RESULTS: We found that all 49 individuals with lactose malabsorption, demonstrated by a combination of different breath hydrogen tests and clinical assessment, carried the C/C-13910 genotype associated with lactase non-persistence, 23 individuals with lactose normal absorption carried the C/T-13910 genotype associated with lactase persistence and only one person with the above phenotype showed a discordant C/C-13910 genotype. The genetic testing showed very high sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 100, 95.8, 98 and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Sardinians, unlike some ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa, show the same genetic association of hypolactasia with the C/T-13910 variant as other North-European populations. The genetic testing for the C/T-13910 variant may contribute to improving the diagnosis of adult type hypolactasia.

Tratamiento trombolítico en la trombosis valvular protésica. Experiencia en el Instituto de Cardiología de Cuba / Thrombolytic treatment in prosthetic heart valve thrombosis. Experience in the Institute of Cardiology of Cuba

Antecedentes y objetivos: La trombosis valvular protésica es una grave complicación en los pacientes con prótesis valvular. El tratamiento tradicional es la cirugía de emergencia. La trombosis es una alternativa no quirúrgica en estos pacientes. En este trabajo evaluamos la eficacia de la trombosis en la trombosis valvular protésica. Métodos: Se analizaron los datos de 25 pacientes con el diagnóstico de trombosis de prótesis valvular atendidos en el Instituto de Cardiología y Cirugía Cardiovascular, de la habana, Cuba, en un período de 5 años, se les realizo trombosis con estreptokinasa recombinante (SKr) a 250 000 UI en 30 minutos, seguido de una infusión continua a 100 000 UI/hora, por 72 hora o menos si existió resolución de la trombosis. La evolución se basó en el seguimiento clínico y ecocardiográfico de los pacientes. Resultados: Las prótesis más afectadas eran mitrales en 14 casos, tricúspides en 7 y cuatro aórticas, en 21 pacientes (84%) se constató una anticoagulación inadecuada. La media de tiempo entre el inicio de los síntomas y el diagnóstico fue de 8,8 diias. Hubo respuesta total al tratamiento en 23 pacientes (92%), parcial en 1 (4%) y fracasó en 1 paciente (4%). La dosis promedio de SKr utilizada fue de 4,2 millones UI, con un tiempo promedio de infusión de 44,6 horas. Dos pacientes presentaron complicaciones mayores, un embolismo cerebral y una hemorragia intracraneal, ambos pacientes fueron dados de alta con resolución de la trombosis protésica. Conclusión: La trombosis resultó segura, eficaz y con bajo nivel de complicaciones. Además no contraindica la intervención quirúrgica si no hay respuesta total al tratamiento, en la que el paciente va a la cirugía en mejores condiciones hemodinámicas y con menor riesgo quirúrgico

Background and objectives: Valvular thrombosis is a serious complication in patients with prosthetic heart valves. Traditional treatment is emergency surgery. Thrombolysis is a non surgical alternative in these patients. In this paper we evaluate the efficacy of thrombolysis in prosthetic heart valves thrombosis. Methods: We analyse data of 25 patients with diagnosed prosthetic valve thrombosis treated in the Institute of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery in Havana, Cuba, during a period of 5 years. To whom thrombolysis with Recombinant streptokinase infusion at 250, 000 IU in 30 minutes followed by 100, 000 IU/ hours during 72 hours or less if solution of the thrombosis existed. The evolution was based in clinical and ecocardiographic findings. Results: The most affected sites were mitral 14 cases, tricuspid 7 and aortic 4. In 21 (84%) of patients an inadequate anticoagulation therapy was observed. Mean time of prosthetic implantation was 7.5 years. Presentation form was generally heart failure (functional class III-IV NYHA) in 23 (92%) patients. Mean time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 8.8 days. There was total response to treatment in 23 (92%) patients, partial in 1 (4%) and failure in 1 (4%). Recombinant streptokinase overall dose was 4.2 millions IU and mean infusion time 44.6 hours. Two patients presented major complications, one stroke and one intracranial haemorrhage; both were dismissed from hospital with total resolution of prosthetic thrombosis. Conclusions: Thrombolysis is safe, efficient with low level of complications. It does not contraindicate surgical treatment if there is no total response, because patient goes to surgery in better hemodynamic conditions with lower risk

13C-octanoic acid breath test in functional and organic disease: critical review of literature.

The 13C-octanoic acid breath test is considered a useful tool to measure gastric emptying both in physiological and pathological conditions. Many studies have concerned functional dyspepsia. Recently, breath test has been used in predicting a delayed gastric emptying in subsets of dyspeptic symptoms. In detail only postprandial fullness and vomiting are resulted significantly correlated with delayed solid emptying. Besides in the patients with dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome associated, intestinal disturbances did not seem to contribute to delay gastric emptying. In diabetic patients octanoate test has confirmed the percentages of delayed emptying obtained by means of scintigraphy. In other organic states (celiac disease, cirrhosis, renal failure, neurological disease, etc) most of reports have proved a delayed emptying of solids. In GERD and ulcer disease gastric function is resulted normal, being accelerated in distal gastrectomy and in hyperemesis gravidarum. From pathophysiological point of view Helicobacter pylori, extrinsic autonomic neuropathy (apart from diabetes) and autoimmunity do not seem to relate with gastric emptying, both in functional and organic disease.