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Aims: In patients with a low AF burden and long periods of sinus rhythm, 'pill-in-the-pocket' oral anticoagulation (OAC) may, taken as needed in response to AF episodes, offer the same thromboembolic protection as continuous, life-long OAC, while reducing bleeding complications at the same time. The purpose of this study is to systematically summarise available evidence pertaining to the feasibility, safety and efficacy of pill-in-the-pocket OAC. Methods: Medline and Embase were searched from inception to July 2022 for studies adopting a pill-in-the-pocket OAC strategy in AF patients guided by daily rhythm monitoring (PROSPERO/CRD42020209564). Outcomes of interest were extracted and event rates per patient-years of follow-up were calculated. A random effects model was used for pooled estimates. Results: Eight studies were included (711 patients). Daily rhythm monitoring was continuous in six studies and intermittent in two (pulse checks or smartphone single-lead electrocardiograms were used). Anticoagulation criteria varied across studies, reflecting the uncertainty regarding the AF burden that warrants anticoagulation. The mean time from AF meeting OAC criteria to its initiation was not reported. Adopting pill-in-the-pocket OAC led to 390 (54.7%) patients stopping OAC, 85 (12.0%) patients taking pill-in-the-pocket OAC and 237 (33.3%) patients remaining on or returning to continuous OAC. Overall, annualised ischaemic stroke and major bleeding rates per patient-year of follow-up were low at 0.005 (95% CI [0.002-0.012]) and 0.024 (95% CI [0.013-0.043]), respectively. Conclusion: Current evidence, although encouraging, is insufficient to inform practice. Additional studies are required to improve our understanding of the relationships between AF burden and thromboembolic risk to help define anticoagulation criteria and appropriate monitoring strategies.
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BACKGROUND: Blood culture negative infective endocarditis (BCNIE) is often a diagnostic challenge in adult congenital heart disease patients leading to misdiagnosis, treatment delay and associated high mortality. Studies of BCNIE in adult congenital heart disease patients repaired with prosthetic cardiovascular grafts are limited. CASE SUMMARY: We report two cases of BCNIE where serology testing, multiple polymerase chain reaction testing of explanted valve material and multi-modality imaging including 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) were utilized not only to confirm the diagnosis but also to guide management strategy and inform prognosis. Both patients were treated successfully with cardiac surgery and prolonged anti-microbial therapy. DISCUSSION: Clinical presentation of BCNIE in repaired CHD patients is highly variable. The symptoms are often non-specific with subacute or chronic presentation. This may mislead initial diagnosis and subsequent management. Multi-modality imaging including PET/CT should be considered to support the diagnosis, define the extent of infection, decide the management strategy and inform prognosis in patients. A thorough history of animal exposure, and consideration of serology and multiple molecular testing to identify the causative organism, is critical in the management of BCNIE.
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BACKGROUND: The gold standard for coronary artery bypass grafting to the left anterior descending artery is use of the left internal mammary artery. Better long-term survival has been reported using bilateral internal mammary arteries compared to left internal mammary artery only, but many surgeons are reluctant to employ bilateral internal mammary arteries in coronary artery bypass grafting. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of bilateral internal mammary artery use. METHODS: From 2014 to 2017, 1703 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting in our institute. Of these, 772 met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to receive bilateral (n = 387) or left (n = 385) internal mammary artery grafts. The mean age was 67.1 ± 6.0 years (range 48-85 years) and 474 (61.4%) were male. The mean number of diseased vessels was 3.1 ± 0.9, and mean EuroSCORE II was 3.4% ± 1.1%. RESULTS: Hospital mortality was 1.2% in the left internal mammary artery group vs. 1.8% in the bilateral internal mammary artery group (p = 0.55). There was no difference in procedure-related complications between groups. Mean follow-up was 65.9 months. Survival in the bilateral internal mammary artery group at 1, 3, and 5 years was 98.7%, 98.7%, and 94.8% vs. 98.1%, 98.1%, and 90.9%, respectively, in the left internal mammary artery group (p = 0.63). CONCLUSION: Application of bilateral internal mammary arteries in coronary artery bypass grafting is safe and effective, with comparable midterm results to those with the left internal mammary artery only.
