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We describe the role of three‐dimensional echocardiography in the assessment of the aortic valve and the aorta. The manuscript is heavily illustrated with figures and movie clips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Development of atrial fibrillation after certain cardiac procedures is a common medical problem. The inflammatory process plays an important role in the pathogenesis of post-cardiac procedure atrial fibrillation (PCP-AF). Colchicine, a potent anti-inflammatory agent, has been used in several studies to reduce the risk of PCP-AF. This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to assess the efficacy of colchicine in prevention of PC-PAF. Methods We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library database and Google Scholar for RCTs, using terms “Atrial fibrillation, atrial, or fibrillation and colchicine”. The primary end-point was the occurrence of AF post cardiac procedure, which includes cardiac surgery or pulmonary vein isolation. The safety end point was the occurrence of any side effects. Estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were evaluated. Results A total of six RCTs were included in this meta-analysis, enrolling a total of 1257 patients. Colchicine significantly reduced the odds of PCP-AF (OR 0.52; 95% CI, 0.40–0.68, P < 0.001, I 2 = 0%). However, occurrence of side effects was significantly higher with colchicine when compared to placebo (OR 2.10; 95% CI, 1.34–3.30, P < 0.001, I 2 = 0%). The number needed to treat is 7 and the number needed to harm is 11.2. The proportion of patients discontinuing treatment was 16%. Conclusion This meta-analysis shows that colchicine is an effective drug for prevention of PCP-AF. Colchicine could be considered as a prophylaxis to reduce PCP-AF, with some risk of treatment discontinuation due to the poor gastrointestinal tolerance (diarrhea). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we present both the oral (OA) and poster abstracts (PA) of the eighth LCS Congress as submitted by the authors. The eighth Annual Scientific Meeting of the Libyan Cardiac Society Congress was held between July 1st and 3rd, 2022, in Rixos Convention Center in Tripoli, Libya. The eighth Annual Scientific Meeting of the Libyan Cardiac Society, known as the eighth LCS Congress, was held between July 1 SP st sp to 3 SP rd sp , 2022, in Rixos Convention Center in Tripoli, Libya. [Extracted from the article]

Saphenous vein graft (SVG) pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. A review of literature indicates that almost one third of patients are asymptomatic at detection and a history of operative complications and need for re-exploration after the initial surgery may serve as useful predictors for the development of this rare complication. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12469 (J Card Surg 2015;30:70-73) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical hand ischemia is an extremely rare and serious complication of transradial coronary angiography. It is almost always associated with radial artery occlusion. Early recognition and involvement of vascular surgery is imperative for optimal management. Up to our knowledge, there have been only 5 cases reported in the medical literature. Herein, we describe a case of an 81-year-old male who had undergone transradial coronary intervention complicated by critical hand ischemia requiring amputation of the right 4th finger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SOVA) is a rare clinical entity. Clinical manifestations can vary from an incidental finding on an imaging study to a life-threatening emergency. We report a case of a 51-year-old female with a large symptomatic left SOVA. Echocardiogram and computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the chest revealed marked dilatation of the left sinus of Valsalva, measuring 7.5 cm. This resulted in superior displacement of the left main coronary artery. Surgical repair of the aneurysm with reimplantation of the right and left coronary arteries was performed in addition to aortic valve replacement (Bentall procedure). The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and remains asymptomatic at the three-month follow-up visit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 38-year-old woman presented with dyspnea and fatigue, and was diagnosed with scimitar syndrome.

Background: While aortic valve replacement (AVR) is indicated for symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS), the appropriate management of asymptomatic severe AS remains unclear. We conducted an updated meta-analysis to compare the outcomes of surgical AVR (SAVR) versus conservative treatment in patients with asymptomatic severe AS.Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar for studies comparing outcomes of SAVR versus conservative treatment in asymptomatic severe AS. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for each individual study. Outcomes included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality, 30-day operative mortality, sudden cardiac death (SCD), heart failure hospitalization (HFH), myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke.Results: A total of 8 studies with 2685 patients were included. The mean age was above 60 years, and the median follow-up duration was 4 years. Compared to conservative treatment, SAVR was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality (RR 0.39; 95% CI 0.23-0.64) and HFH rates (RR 0.18; 95% CI 0.05-0.71). There were no significant differences in cardiovascular mortality (RR 0.24; 95% CI 0.03-1.67), non-cardiovascular mortality (RR 0.49; 95% CI 0.23-1.03), 30-day operative mortality (RR 0.48; 95% CI 0.10-2.32), SCD (RR 0.37; 95% CI 0.05-2.89), MI (RR 0.48; 95% CI 0.04-5.52), and stroke rates (RR 1.20; 95% CI 0.35-4.11) between the two strategies.Conclusions: In patients with asymptomatic severe AS, SAVR is associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality and HFH compared to conservative treatment. While SAVR is a promising option for asymptomatic severe AS, most studies were observational and nonrandomized; randomized trials are needed to establish a clear benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acquired thrombocytopenia (aTP) is associated with a high frequency of bleeding and ischemic complications in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Herein, we report a meta-analysis evaluating the adverse effects of aTP on cardiovascular outcomes and mortality post-PCI.Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and, clinicaltrials.gov from the inception of these databases through October 2019. Patients were divided into two groups: 1) No Thrombocytopenia (nTP) and 2) Acquired Thrombocytopenia (aTP) after PCI. Primary endpoints were in-hospital, 30-day and all-cause mortality rates at the longest follow-up. The main summary estimate was random effects Risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: Seven studies involving 57,247 participants were included. There was significantly increased in-hospital all-cause mortality (HR 10.73 [6.82-16.88]), MACE (HR 2.96 [2.24-3.94]), major bleeding (HR 4.78 [3.54-6.47]), and target vessel revascularization (TVR) (HR 7.53 [2.8-20.2]), in the aTP group compared to the nTP group. Similarly, aTP group had a statistically significant increased incidence of 30-day all-cause mortality (HR 6.08), MACE (HR 2.77), post-PCI MI (HR 1.98), TVR (HR 5.2), and major bleeding (HR 12.73). Outcomes at longest follow-up showed increased incidence of all-cause mortality (HR 3.98 [1.53-10.33]) and MACE (HR 1.24 [0.99-1.54]) in aTP group, while there was no significant difference for post-PCI MI (HR 0.94 [0.37-2.39]) and TVR (HR 0.96 [0.69-1.32]) between both groups.Conclusions: Acquired Thrombocytopenia after PCI is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, adverse bleeding events and the need for in-hospital and 30-day TVR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although the standard treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) is antimicrobial therapy, surgical intervention is required in some cases. However, the optimal timing of surgery remains unclear. Hence, we conducted a population-based analysis using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to assess the outcomes of early versus late surgery in patients with native valve IE.Methods: We queried the NIS database for all hospitalized patients between 2006 and 2016 with a primary diagnosis of IE who had cardiac surgery. We stratified surgery as early ≤7 or late >7 days of admission. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess in-hospital mortality and postoperative complications. Length of stay (LOS) and total hospital cost (HC) were evaluated using multivariable log-normal regression models.Results: A total of 13 056 patients (57.6% in the early group and 42.4% in the late group) were included. The in-hospital mortality rate in the early group was 5.0% compared to 5.4% in the late intervention group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79-1.81). Overall median LOS was reduced in the early group by 48.2% (95% CI, 46.5%-49.9%, 12.4 days in the early group and 25.9 days in late group), as well as HC which was reduced in the early group by 28.3% (95% CI, 26.0%-30.6%).Conclusion: Among patients with native valve IE who needed cardiac surgery, the time of surgical intervention did not affect the in-hospital mortality. However, early surgery was associated with significantly shorter LOS and lower HC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sudden cardiac arrest has been reported to occur in patients with congenital anomalous coronary artery disease. About 80% of the anomalies are benign and incidental findings at the time of catheterization. We present a case of sudden cardiac arrest caused by anomalous left anterior descending artery. 61-year-old African American female was brought to the emergency department after sudden cardiac arrest. Initial EKG showed sinus rhythm with RBBB and LAFB with nonspecific ST-T wave changes. Coronary angiogram revealed no atherosclerotic disease. The left coronary artery was found to originate from the right coronary cusp. Cardiac CAT scan revealed similar findings with interarterial and intramural course. Patient received one-vessel arterial bypass graft to her anomalous coronary vessel along with a defibrillator for secondary prevention. Sudden cardiac arrest secondary to congenital anomalous coronary artery disease is characterized by insufficient coronary flow by the anomalous left coronary artery to meet elevated left ventricular (LV) myocardial demand. High risk defects include those involved with the proximal coronary artery or coursing of the anomalous artery between the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Per guidelines, our patient received one vessel bypass graft to her anomalous vessel. It is important for clinicians to recognize such presentations of anomalous coronary artery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amiodarone is reported to cause a wide continuum of serious clinical effects. It is often challenging to detect Amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (AIPT). Typically, the diagnosis is made based on the clinical settings and may be supported by histopathology results, if available. We describe a 57-year-old patient who developed severe rapidly progressive respiratory failure secondary to AIPT with acute bilateral infiltrates and nodular opacities on chest imaging. Interestingly, Amiodarone was discontinued 3 weeks prior to his presentation. He had normal cardiac filling pressures confirmed by echocardiography. To our knowledge, this is the first case of isolated acute lung injury induced by Amiodarone, three weeks after therapy cessation, with adequate clinical improvement after supportive management and high dose steroid therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: SGLT2i (S) and GLP-1 RA (G) are both known to have well established cardio protective effects in patients with T2DM. However, the comparative CV efficacy of these drugs is not well known. Methods: We used a national hospital-based database (Explorys Inc, IBM) to compare the CV outcomes (CVO) among patients receiving S or G. T2DM patients were divided in 3 groups- combination therapy (G+S), only G and only S. First, CVO were compared among G+S and the other two. Subsequently G and S were compared amongst themselves. OR and 95% CI were calculated for these CVO [(combination of acute MI (AMI), acute stroke (CVA), and acute HF (AHF)]. Results: G+S therapy (N= 59410) resulted in lower CVO when compared to isolated therapy with G (N = 143690) [3.4 % vs. 6.2%, OR 0.54 (0.51-0.56)] or S (N= 212560) [3.4 % vs. 6.7%, OR 0.50 (0.47-0.52)] (Table 1). Additionally, G had a slightly better outcome profile than S ([6.2 % vs. 6.7%, OR 0.92 (0.90-0.95)]. Conclusion: Combination therapy of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA confers the highest CV risk mitigation when compared to isolated therapy (50% reduction in relative risk). Furthermore, isolated therapy with GLP-1 fared better than SGLT-2i. The latter was driven by a reduction in AMI and CVA. Heart failure outcomes were similar among the two. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings. Disclosure: O. A. Alaber: None. A. K. Chandar: None. A. Singh: None. A. Smer: None. N. Manivannan: None. S. A. Pitts: None. A. Rajpal: None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]