Large Unilateral Pleural Effusion with Pacemaker-associated Post-cardiac Injury Syndrome.

Post-cardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) as a delayed complication of permanent pacemaker implantation has rarely been reported in the literature. A 67-year-old man who recently underwent a dual chamber permanent pacemaker implantation came to the hospital for increasing dyspnea and chest discomfort. A diagnosis of pericarditis was made, and the patient was discharged on ibuprofen therapy. He presented to our facility a month later with worsening dyspnea and chest discomfort despite recommended therapy. A computerized tomography (CT) scan of the chest revealed a large right-sided pleural effusion, requiring chest tube placement and drainage. A pleural fluid analysis revealed exudative effusion with elevated pH. The pleural fluid analysis was negative for infectious etiology. A perforation of the atrial wall was considered given the proximity of the atrial pacer lead and overlying pericardial effusion. However, no conclusive evidence of cardiac chamber perforation was found on echocardiogram or CT scan. A pacemaker interrogation was normal. A repeat CT scan showed the resolution of pleural effusion, and the chest tube was discontinued. A possible explanation for the absence of predominant pericardial findings may be the previous use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory therapy.

Morbidity and Mortality of Congestive Heart Failure in Trauma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in heart failure (HF) patients comprise a major health and economic burden, especially when readmission rate and length of stay (LOS) are considered. With increasing average life expectancy, HF prevalence continues to rise. Diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and ischemic heart disease continue to be the leading causes of HF. Current data suggest that HF is the most common cause for hospital admission in patients older than 65 years. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we sought out to compare the 30-day readmission rate in trauma patients who have a preexisting history of HF to those who do not have a history of HF. Additionally, we emphasized the effect of different cardiac variables in the HF group such as the pathophysiology of HF (HF with preserved ejection fraction [HFpEF] versus HF with reduced ejection fraction [HFrEF]) and the etiology of HFrEF (ischemic versus nonischemic). METHODS: A retrospective chart analysis of 8,137 patients who were admitted to our hospital between 2005 and 2013 secondary to trauma with an Injury Severity Score <30. Data were extracted using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Neurotrauma patients were excluded. RESULTS: Of 8,137 trauma patients, 334 had preexisting HF, of which 169 had HFpEF while 165 had HFrEF). Of the 165 HFrEF cases, 121 were ischemic in etiology versus 44 nonischemic. Of 334 HF patients, 81 patients (24%) were readmitted within 30 days versus 1,068 (14%) of the non-HF patients (95% CI: 1.52-2.25, relative risk: 1.85, P < 0.0001). Of the 81 readmitted HF patients, 64 had HFpEF while 35 had HFrEF. There was no statistical significance observed in any of the endpoints in the HFpEF versus HFrEF groups. Mortality, 30-day readmission and LOS were all significantly higher in the ischemic versus nonischemic HFrEF group. CONCLUSIONS: In our trauma population, HF patients had a significantly higher 30-day readmission rate when compared to non-HF patients. The pathophysiology of HF (HFpEF versus HFrEF) did not seem to play a role. However, after subgroup analysis of the HFrEF group based on etiology, all endpoints including mortality, readmission and LOS were significantly higher in the ischemic HFrEF subgroup rendering this entity higher importance when treating trauma patients with preexisting HF.

A perspective on sympathetic renal denervation in chronic congestive heart failure.

Medical therapy has indisputably been the mainstay of management for chronic congestive heart failure. However, a significant percentage of patients continue to experience worsening heart failure (HF) symptoms despite treatment with multiple therapeutic agents. Recently, catheter-based interventional strategies that interrupt the renal sympathetic nervous system have shown promising results in providing better symptom control in patients with HF. In this article, we will review the pathophysiology of HF for better understanding of the interplay between the cardiovascular system and the kidney. Subsequently, we will briefly discuss pivotal renal denervation (RDN) therapy trials in patients with resistant hypertension and then present the available evidence on the role of RDN in HF therapy.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Might Complement Two-Dimensional Echocardiography in the Detection of a Reversible Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy.

We report a case of reversible nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy in a male in his 60s who presented with an acute heart failure syndrome. Both conventional two-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) demonstrated severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction; however, both modalities were devoid of significant valvular heart disease as well as the presence of fibrosis, infiltration, inflammation, and scar. After six months of aggressive neurohumoral modulation, there was complete reverse remodeling and normalization of left ventricular function, which highlights the role of cMRI as an adjunct to two-dimensional echocardiography in the detection of a potentially reversible nonischemic cardiomyopathy.