Right Atrial Mass Secondary to Breast Cancer Metastasis.

We present the case of a 42-year-old female with a history of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) receptor-positive breast cancer status post bilateral mastectomy with metastasis to the spine and to the brain, who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) after outpatient transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was suggestive of right atrial thrombus in transit. TEE revealed an atrial mass with a pedunculated stalk attached to the inferior right atrium near the inferior vena cava with a necrotic center. These findings were suggestive of an endocardial metastatic mass secondary to her primary breast cancer. The pericardium is the most common site of cardiac metastasis; meanwhile, endocardial involvement is infrequent, occurring in less than 5% of all cardiac metastases. Right atrial masses may cause evidence of right heart failure and thromboembolism of the pulmonary arteries. Treatment focuses on targeted chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and interventions as indicated. In this case, following the diagnosis of a right atrial mass, the patient was discharged the same day to begin outpatient chemotherapy.

Spin within systematic review abstracts on antiplatelet therapies after acute coronary syndrome: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Spin is a reporting practice in which study results are misrepresented by overestimating efficacy or underestimating harm. Prevalence of spin varies between clinical specialties, and estimates are based almost entirely on clinical trials. Little is known about spin in systematic reviews. DESIGN: We performed a cross-sectional analysis searching MEDLINE and Embase for systematic reviews and meta-analyses pertaining to antiplatelet therapies following acute coronary syndrome on 2 June 2020. Data were extracted evaluating the presence of spin and study characteristics, including methodological quality as rated by A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2). All data extraction was conducted in a masked, duplicate manner from 2 June 2020 to 26 June 2020. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Not applicable. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: We assessed abstracts of systematic reviews on antiplatelet therapy following acute coronary syndrome and evaluated the prevalence of the nine most severe types of spin. We additionally explored associations between spin and certain study characteristics, including quality. RESULTS: Our searches returned 15 263 articles, and 185 systematic reviews met inclusion criteria. Of these 185 reviews, 31.9% (59/185) contained some form of spin in the abstract. Seven forms of spin (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9) among the nine most severe were identified. No instances of types 6 or 8 were found. There were no statistically significant relationships between spin and the evaluated study characteristics or AMSTAR-2 appraisals. CONCLUSIONS: Spin was present in abstracts for systematic reviews and meta-analyses; subsequent studies are needed to identify correlations between spin and specific study characteristics. There were no statistically significant associations between spin and study characteristics or AMSTAR-2 ratings; however, implementing changes will ensure that spin is reduced in the field of cardiology as well as other fields of medicine.

Quality of reporting among systematic reviews underpinning the ESC/ACC guidelines on ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.

OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to assess the methodological and reporting quality of the systematic reviews (SRs) supporting the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) recommendations for the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). As a secondary objective, we sought to determine: (1) the proportion of Cochrane SRs were cited; and (2) whether Cochrane SRs scored higher on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) appraisals. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We searched for CPGs published by the ESC and the ACC from 2010 to 2020. We selected the CPGs for ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of SCD. The reference sections were searched for SRs. Two independent investigators evaluated eligible SR using the PRISMA checklist and the AMSTAR-2 assessment tool. RESULTS: Two CPGs for ventricular arrhythmia and SCD were included in this study. Fifty-five SRs were included in our analysis. Across all SRs, the mean PRISMA score was 0.70. The lowest scoring PRISMA item related to the presence of a pre-published protocol (item 5, score 0.17). Overall, 40% of included SRs were found to have 'critically low' AMSTAR-2 ratings. One of the lowest scoring items for AMSTAR-2 was reporting of sources of funding (item 10). The 4 Cochrane SRs that were included scored higher on both assessment tools than non-Cochrane studies, specifically in PRISMA overall completion (88.7% vs 69.7%). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests the methodological and reporting quality of SRs used within ESC and ACC CPGs is insufficient, as demonstrated by the lack of adherence to both AMSTAR-2 and PRISMA checklists. Given the importance of CPGs on clinical decision making, and ultimately patient care, the methodological rigour and quality reporting within SRs used in CPGs should be held to the highest standard within the field of cardiology.

Late Spontaneous Rupture of a Saphenous Vein Graft.

Aortocoronary graft ruptures are a complication of coronary artery bypass grafting. The majority of graft ruptures are iatrogenic and occur after interventional procedures or surgery, whereas graft ruptures are significantly less common. Our case report highlights a clinical presentation of a late spontaneous saphenous vein graft rupture that developed approximately 16 years after initial bypass surgery and captures some of the ensuing complications. Several different imaging modalities were used to diagnose and characterize the lesion, and it was ultimately treated with percutaneous coronary intervention and minimally invasive surgery.