Insonation versus Auscultation in Valvular Disorders: Is Aortic Stenosis the Exception? A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Handheld echocardiography is being proposed as the fifth pillar of bedside physical cardiovascular examination (PE) and is referred to as insonation. Although there is emerging consensus that insonation is superior to PE for diagnosis of various cardiac conditions, superiority has not been consistently demonstrated for various valvular heart disease (VHD) lesions. The objective of this review is to systematically review the accuracy of insonation and auscultation in published literature for detection of common VHD. METHODS: An extensive literature search across three commonly used public databases allowed comparison of diagnostic characteristics of insonation and auscultation for common VHD including aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of insonation and auscultation for the detection of these VHD lesions were extracted for further analysis. The quality of evidence was assessed according to Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. RESULTS: Eight hundred eighty studies were screened, and seven observational studies were selected for full analysis. Due to heterogeneity of data, this study was not amenable to meta-analysis. Insonation was superior to auscultation for the detection of all regurgitant lesions, but there was no significant difference in diagnostic ability of the two strategies for detection of aortic stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to auscultation, insonation, in its currently available form, is a superior diagnostic tool for regurgitant lesions. However, insonation fails to improve upon auscultation for recognition of aortic stenosis. This limitation is likely due to absence of spectral Doppler and inability of HE to assess transvalvular velocity and gradient.

Door-to-Targeted Temperature Management Initiation Time and Outcomes in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Insights From the Continuous Chest Compressions Trial.

Background Targeted temperature management ( TTM ) is a recommended treatment modality to improve neurological outcomes in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The impact of the duration from hospital admission to TTM initiation (door-to- TTM ; DTT ) on clinical outcomes has not been well elucidated. We hypothesized that shorter DTT initiation intervals would be associated with improved survival with favorable neurological outcome. Methods and Results We performed a post hoc analysis of nontraumatic paramedic-treated out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. The primary outcome was favorable neurological status at hospital discharge, with a secondary outcome of survival to discharge. We fit a logistic regression analysis to determine the association of early compared with delayed DTT , dichotomized by the median DTT duration, and outcomes. Of 3805 patients enrolled in the CCC (Continuous Chest Compressions) Trial in British Columbia, 570 were included in this analysis. There was substantial variation in DTT among patients receiving TTM . The median DTT duration was 122 minutes (interquartile range 35-218). Favorable neurological outcomes in the early and delayed DTT groups were 48% and 38%, respectively. Compared with delayed DTT (interquartile range 167-319 minutes), early DTT (interquartile range 20-81 minutes) was associated with survival (adjusted odds ratio 1.56, 95% CI 1.02-2.38) but not with favorable neurological outcomes (adjusted odds ratio 1.45, 95% CI , 0.94-2.22) at hospital discharge. Conclusions There was wide variability in the initiation of TTM among comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors. Initiation of TTM within 122 minutes of hospital admission was associated with improved survival. These results support in-hospital efforts to achieve early DTT among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients admitted to the hospital.

Is there a role for fractional flow reserve in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) planning?

The concept of significant lesions has substantially evolved over the last decade. With growing evidence for use of fractional flow reserve (FFR) as a determinant of lesion-specific ischemia and its superiority to angiography-guided revascularization and medical therapy, the field of percutaneous revascularization has shifted to rely exclusively on FFR instead of luminal stenosis alone in guiding revascularization. This transition to physiological assessment has not yet made it to the realm of surgical revascularization. FFR-guided therapy has been shown to be superior to angiography-guided therapy mainly by safe deferral of about 1/3rd of lesions, leading to less periprocedural events and better outcomes. Is it possible that utilization of FFR-guided CABG would lead to less complicated procedures, shorter operating times, more frequent off pump CABG procedures and more hybrid procedures? Can FFR-guided CABG improve the cardiovascular outcomes as compared to current standard of practice? In the following paragraphs we review the concept of FFR, the evidence behind FFR-guided therapy, the emerging data regarding use FFR-guided CABG and discuss where the revascularization field is headed.

Editor's Choice-Effects of targeted temperature management on mortality and neurological outcome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review, and where applicable meta-analyses, examining the evidence underpinning the use of targeted temperature management following resuscitation from cardiac arrest. METHODS AND RESULTS: Multiple databases were searched for publications between January 2000-February 2016. Nine Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome questions were developed and meta-analyses were performed when appropriate. Reviewers extracted study data and performed quality assessments using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology, the Cochrane Risk Bias Tool, and the National Institute of Health Study Quality Assessment Tool. The primary outcomes for each Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome question were mortality and poor neurological outcome. Overall, low quality evidence demonstrated that targeted temperature management at 32-36°C, compared to no targeted temperature management, decreased mortality (risk ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.61-0.92) and poor neurological outcome (risk ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.60-0.88) amongst adult survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial shockable rhythm. Targeted temperature management use did not benefit survivors of in-hospital cardiac arrest nor out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors with a non-shockable rhythm. Moderate quality evidence demonstrated no benefit of pre-hospital targeted temperature management initiation. Low quality evidence showed no difference between endovascular versus surface cooling targeted temperature management systems, nor any benefit of adding feedback control to targeted temperature management systems. Low quality evidence suggested that targeted temperature management be maintained for 18-24 h. CONCLUSIONS: Low quality evidence supports the in-hospital initiation and maintenance of targeted temperature management at 32-36°C amongst adult survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with an initial shockable rhythm for 18-24 h. The effects of targeted temperature management on other populations, the optimal rate and method of cooling and rewarming, and effects of fever require further study.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding following transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in the postprocedural period following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). BACKGROUND: As TAVR moves into intermediate- and low-risk patients, it has become increasingly important to understand its extracardiac complications. The patient population undergoing TAVR have clinical and demographic characteristics that place them at significant risk of UGIB. Practical aspects of TAVR, including use of antithrombotic therapy, further increase risk of UGIB. METHODS: A retrospective single-center evaluation of 841 patients who underwent TAVR between January 2005 and August 2014 was performed in conjunction with analysis of referral patterns to the gastroenterology service for UGIB at the same site. RESULTS: The overall risk of UGIB following TAVR was found to be 2.0% (n = 17/841). Additionally, the risk of UGIB in patients receiving triple antithrombotic therapy was found to be 10-fold greater than patients not receiving triple antithrombotic therapy (11.8% vs 1.0%). Endoscopy findings demonstrated five high-risk esophageal lesions including erosive esophageal ulcers, visible vessels at the GE junction, erosions at distal esophagus, and an actively bleeding esophageal ring that had been intubated through by the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe. CONCLUSIONS: This large cohort study demonstrates that TAVR is associated with a moderate risk of severe UGIB. The results of this study suggest that patients on triple antithrombotic therapy are at highest risk for severe UGIB. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Repeat Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration in Patients with Suspected Pancreatic Cancer: Diagnostic Yield and Associated Change in Access to Appropriate Care.

Background. There is a high incidence of inconclusive cytopathology at initial EUS-FNA (endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration) for suspected malignant pancreatic lesions. To obtain appropriate preoperative or palliative chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, definitive cytopathology is often required. The utility of repeat EUS-FNA is not well established. Methods. A retrospective cohort study was conducted evaluating the yield of repeat EUS-FNA in determining a cytological diagnosis in patients who had undergone a prior EUS-FNA for diagnosis of suspected malignant pancreatic lesions with inconclusive cytopathology. The wait times to the second procedure and to decisions regarding therapy were calculated. Results. Overall, 45 repeat EUS-FNA procedures were performed over seven years for suspected malignant pancreatic lesions. Cytopathological class (I to IV) changed between first and second EUS-FNA in 32 patients (71%). Of 34 patients with an initially nonconclusive diagnosis, 20 had a conclusive diagnosis (59%) on repeat EUS-FNA. The cumulative yield after repeat EUS-FNA for definite pancreatic adenocarcinoma was 7 (16%). The median time interval between first and second EUS-FNA was 31 (7-175) days. Conclusions. A substantial number of patients had a definitive diagnosis of adenocarcinoma on repeat FNA and were, therefore, subsequently able to access appropriate care.