The The Impact of Surgical Revascularization on Cardiac Function and Mitral Regurgitation in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: An Intermediate-Term Single-Center Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of death worldwide. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most performed cardiac surgical procedure. Studies have shown that CABG can have a beneficial effect on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) without intervention on the mitral valve. This study aims to assess changes in LVEF and IMR after CABG in our population. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed charts of patients who underwent only CABG at King Faisal Cardiac Center in Jeddah between January 2016 and December 2019 (N = 298). Pre- and postoperative echocardiography data were evaluated. Changes in cardiac function and mitral regurgitation were analyzed. RESULTS: CABG was performed on 298 patients. The median age was 61 years (interquartile range (IQR)= 54-68), and 78.5% of the patients were male. The median body mass index was slightly higher in females (32.9 vs. 28.6 kg/m2, P = 0.089). Approximately 81% of patients had diabetes and hypertension, but only 24% were active smokers. The median time between pre- and postoperative echocardiography was 8 months (IQR= 3-17). The median preoperative LVEF was 51% (IQR= 44.1-57.9), and 75% of patients had normal-to-mild MR. The median postoperative EF was not different among patients who underwent echocardiography within or after 6 months (53.1% and 50.3%, respectively, P = 0.454). None of the patients progressed to severe MR after surgery, and only 2.7% had moderate-to-severe MR at follow up. Postoperative in-hospital mortality was 0.7%. CONCLUSION: Based on international guidelines and the best evidence, surgical revascularization is sufficient for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) with moderate IMR and is not associated with LVEF worsening or MR progression. Complete revascularization might have an influence on ventricular recovery that might improve or stabilize IMR. Our results are consistent with larger studies reporting very low postoperative mortality of this high-risk patient group.

Uncommon cause of complicated myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteries in a Saudi patient.

A case of a young Saudi patient with a previous diagnosis of bronchial asthma, nasal polyps, and chronic smoker, presented with atypical chest pain, elevated serum troponin and borderline ischemic electrocardiogram (ECG) changes, with no significant regional wall motion abnormalities at bedside echocardiography is reported. The patient was admitted to the coronary care unit for continuous monitoring as possible acute coronary syndrome, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). One hour after admission, the patient had ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest that required three DC shocks and amiodarone bolus before returning of spontaneous circulation, which followed the fourth shock. The resuscitation took 15 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). An immediate 12-leads ECG showed significant ST elevation in precordial leads that mandate an urgent coronary angiogram that revealed patent coronary arteries, therefore spasm of normal coronary arteries was postulated as the operative factor. The cardiac magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed a picture of transmural anterior myocardial infarction, which correlates with the follow up echocardiogram reporting hypokinetic anterior wall. A complete history was taken and no use of illicit drugs or alcohol was found. The unusual presentation in such a patient with evidence of extensive anterior STEMI and normal coronary arteries raise the thought of considering uncommon causes. In view of previous medical history and laboratory evidence of eosinophilia, Kounis syndrome was considered dominant in the differential diagnosis.