Postinfarction Ventricular Septal Rupture: Identification of the Failure Mechanism of a Percutaneous Closure Procedure.

Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a rare but highly lethal (∼60%) mechanical complication of myocardial infarction (MI). Although surgical repair has been the gold standard to correct the structural anomaly, percutaneous closure of the defect may represent a valuable therapeutic alternative, with the advantage of immediate shunt reduction to prevent further hemodynamic deterioration in patients with prohibitive surgical risk. Nonetheless, catheter-based VSR closure has faced certain drawbacks that have hampered its application. We describe a clinical case of postinfarction VSR treated with a percutaneous closure device and discuss the procedure's failure mechanism. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Multiple Coronary Fistulas After Several Penetrating Chest Wounds: A Rare Case of Refractory Heart Failure.

Coronary artery fistulas are rare coronary abnormalities. Most of these fistulas have a congenital origin, and only a few are acquired. We report the case of a patient with late-acquired multiple coronary fistulas secondary to a stab wound, diagnosed in the setting of ischemic heart failure secondary to coronary steal syndrome. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Coronary Ostia Localization by 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography in a Patient With Quadricuspid Aortic Valve.

Quadricuspid aortic valve is rare and requires surgery when symptomatic severe regurgitation/stenosis is present. Associated anomalous coronary ostia location demands accurate diagnosis to avoid intraoperative complications, and several imaging techniques have been used, with drawbacks of low sensitivity, radiation and contrast exposure. We report a pre-operative assessment using 3-dimensional echocardiography. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiac disease. The disease is characterized by marked variability in morphological expression and natural history, ranging from asymptomatic to heart failure or sudden cardiac death. Left ventricular hypertrophy and abnormal ventricular configuration result in dynamic left ventricular outflow obstruction in most patients. The goal of pharmacological therapy in HCM is to alleviate the symptoms, and it includes pharmacotherapies and septal reduction therapies. In this review, we summarize the relevant clinical issues and treatment options of HCM.