Cardiac tamponade in COVID-19 patients: Management and outcomes.

IMPORTANCE: Cardiac tamponade requiring emergent intervention is a possible complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Favorable clinical outcomes are possible if timely management and drainage are performed unless ventricular failure develops. OBSERVATION: Cardiac tamponade in COVID-19, based on the limited reported cases, seems to be more common among middle-aged men with observed complications in black and ethnic minorities. Prognosis is worse amongst patients with concomitant ventricular failure. DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a case series of three COVID-19 patients complicated by cardiac tamponade, requiring surgical intervention at a single institution in New York. INTERVENTION: Pericardial window, Pericardiocentesis. OUTCOME: One patient had recurrence of cardiac tamponade with hemorrhagic component but fully recovered and was discharged home. Two patients developed cardiac tamponade with concomitant biventricular failure, resulting in death. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Cardiac tamponade with possible concomitant biventricular failure can develop in COVID-19 patients; incidence seems to be highest at the point of marked inflammatory response. Concomitant ventricular failure seems to be a predictor of poor prognosis.

Is intra-procedure three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiogram an alternative to preprocedure multidetector computed tomography for the measurement of the aortic annulus in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement?

BACKGROUND: The role of three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) vs multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in aortic annular sizing has been poorly defined in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR). We set to determine the correlation between 3DTEE and MDCT in measuring the aortic annulus prior to TAVR. METHODS: In an observational, retrospective study, we compared aortic annular areas measured by MDCT and 3DTEE in TAVR patients. The aortic annular area was measured by planimetry of images obtained by MDCT pre-TAVR and by intra-TAVR TEE using 3D rendering of the aortic annulus followed by planimetry. Our primary outcome was degree of correlation between mean aortic annulus area by 3DTEE and MDCT. RESULTS: Of the 111 consecutive patients undergoing TAVR who had measurements from both modalities available for comparison between February 2012 and April 2015, 87 met inclusion criteria. The mean aortic annular area by MDCT was 4.44±0.88 cm2 and by 3DTEE was 4.33±0.78 cm2 . There was a strong positive linear correlation between aortic annular area measurements obtained from these two modalities with mild relative underestimation by 3DTEE (ρ=.833). This relationship can be estimated using the predictive formula: [Formula: see text] CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography measurements have a high degree of correlation with MDCT measurements and thus can assist in proper valve prosthesis selection for TAVR. Our study thus supports use of 3DTEE as a reasonable alternative imaging modality in patients undergoing TAVR.

Alterations in ventricular K(ATP) channel properties during aging.

Coronary heart disease remains the principle cause of mortality in the United States. During aging, the efficiency of the cardiovascular system is decreased and the aged heart is less tolerant to ischemic injury. ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channels protect the myocardium against ischemic damage. We investigated how aging affects cardiac K(ATP) channels in the Fischer 344 rat model. Expression of K(ATP) channel subunit mRNA and protein levels was unchanged in hearts from 26-month-old vs. 4-month-old rats. Interestingly, the mRNA expression of several other ion channels (> 80) was also largely unchanged, suggesting that posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms occur during aging. The whole-cell K(ATP) channel current density was strongly diminished in ventricular myocytes from aged male rat hearts (also observed in aged C57BL/6 mouse myocytes). Experiments with isolated patches (inside-out configuration) demonstrated that the K(ATP) channel unitary conductance was unchanged, but that the inhibitory effect of cytosolic ATP on channel activity was enhanced in the aged heart. The mean patch current was diminished, consistent with the whole-cell data. We incorporated these findings into an empirical model of the K(ATP) channel and numerically simulated the effects of decreased cytosolic ATP levels on the human action potential. This analysis predicts lesser activation of K(ATP) channels by metabolic impairment in the aged heart and a diminished action potential shortening. This study provides insights into the changes in K(ATP) channels during aging and suggests that the protective role of these channels during ischemia is significantly compromised in the aged individual.