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Background : Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a pathological deposition of calcium in the intimal and medial layer of the arterial wall. A plethora of therapeutic calcium debulking techniques is available for the treatment of CAC, including orbital or rotational atherectomy, excimer lasers, cutting, and scoring balloons, which are associated with a soaring rate of complication and low efficacy. To this end, in 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posited that shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (S-IVL) technique can be employed with minimal complication. Methods : A retrospective review of cases received lithotripsy for calcified coronary artery disease was performed by using online data from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The available search results were downloaded into an Endnote library and analyzed into two phases. Results : Out of 24 participants from case reports and series, Majority were found to be Male. There was no significant difference found in the mortality of patients undergoing IVL for the stenosis of the left main stem, left anterior descending, left circumflex artery, or diagonal branch. The mortality was found to be high among 6 patients with prior comorbidities and underwent more than 3 cycles of IVL (OR 37,95% Cl 1.54-886.04, P 0.02). Out of 24 patients, 2 (8.33%) patients developed complications such as vessel dissection (OR 3.4, 95% Cl 17.87-64.68, P 0.4). Conclusion : Shockwave intravascular lithotripsy (S-IVL) may be used in cases of the calcified disease to gain vessel lumen in order to deploy drug-eluting stents with PCI. The success of the DES implantation of IVL can be 100% with a minimal complication rate., Competing Interests: we have no financial or any kind of conflict of interest. The images used in this review are only for the purpose of education., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of Greater Baltimore Medical Center.)

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the biggest global health threat in the 21st century. We describe a case of a patient with suspected COVID-19 who needed urgent coronary artery interrogation, in which we utilized robotic assistance to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and reduced personal protective equipment needed by the procedural team., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Abstract: The efficacy of renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) in the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) remains uncertain. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of RSD for resistant HTN. PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Directory of Open Access Journals, CINAHL, and Google Scholar were searched from January 01, 2001, through July 30, 2020. Randomized controlled trials comparing RSD with the sham procedure for uncontrolled HTN were selected. The primary efficacy outcome was the reduction in ambulatory systolic blood pressure. We used random-effects models. Nine prospective clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. The ReSet and Symplicity HTN-3 Trial showed no significant changes because of discrepancies in complete circumferential ablation during RSD. The Relief study, The Radiance HTN solo, and the SPYRAL HTN OFF medical trials showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in the group that had undergone the intervention compared with the sham group attributed to rigorous trial design. In conclusion, our systematic review suggests that efficacy of RSD seems to be superior to sham-controlled interventions provided circumferential denervation is performed. However, difference in efficacy is marginal., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Considerable controversy remains on the relationship between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease risk. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the association between egg consumption and overall cardiovascular disease events., Methods: We systematically searched Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception in 1966 through January 2020 for observational studies that reported the association between egg consumption and cardiovascular disease events. Two investigators independently reviewed data. Conflicts were resolved through consensus. Random-effects meta-analyses were used. Sources of heterogeneity were analyzed., Results: We identified 23 prospective studies with a median follow-up of 12.28 years. A total of 1,415,839 individuals with a total of 123,660 cases and 157,324 cardiovascular disease events were included. Compared with the consumption of no or 1 egg/day, higher egg consumption (more than 1 egg/day) was not associated with significantly increased risk of overall cardiovascular disease events (pooled hazard ratios, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.93-1.06; P < .001; I² = 72.1%). Higher egg consumption (more than 1 egg/day) was associated with a significantly decreased risk of coronary artery disease (pooled hazard ratios, 0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-0.93; P < .001; I² = 0%), compared with consumption of no or 1 egg/day., Conclusions: Our analysis suggests that higher consumption of eggs (more than 1 egg/day) was not associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but was associated with a significant reduction in risk of coronary artery disease., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is an unprecedented increase in public avoidance of hospitals predominantly driven by fear of contracting the virus. Recent publications highlight a re-emergence of rare post-myocardial infarction complications. While mechanical complications are infrequent in the era of primary percutaneous coronary intervention, they are associated with high mortality rates. The concurrent occurrence of mechanical complications such as left ventricular aneurysm and ventricular septal rupture is an extremely rare entity. We hereby delineate a unique case of a 53-year-old Caucasian male who underwent successful concomitant closure of a ventricular septal rupture, left ventricular aneurysmectomy, and 3-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting. Due to a delayed initial presentation owing to the patient's fear of contracting COVID-19, the surgery was carried out 3 months after the myocardial infarction. His postoperative evaluation confirmed normal contractility of the left ventricle and complete closure of the ventricular septal rupture. Six months postoperatively, the patient continues to do well. We also present a literature review of the mechanical complications following delayed presentation of myocardial infarction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This article illustrates that clinicians should remain cognizant of these extremely rare but potentially lethal collateral effects during the ongoing global public-health challenge. Furthermore, it highlights a significant concern regarding the delay in first medical contact due to the reluctance of patients to visit the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To develop and validate a hybrid algorithm to approach complex superficial femoral artery (SFA) chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in a step-wise fashion., Background: SFA-CTO represents one of the most challenging subsets of lower-extremity peripheral arterial disease. Depending on lesion characteristics, successful percutaneous crossing of the occluded segment may prove to be very difficult., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive patients with SFA-CTO at our institution. The included patients had baseline Rutherford category (2-4) symptoms and were graded using the femoral artery chronic total occlusion revascularization (FACTOR) score. Multiple modalities (wire-based strategies, CTO devices, re-entry devices) were used to cross the occlusions based on the proposed FACTOR algorithm. Primary endpoint was technical success, defined as successful CTO crossing., Results: A total of 150 patients (mean age, 71 years) with SFA-CTO were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the feasibility and utility of the FACTOR score and algorithm in a single center across multiple experienced operators. Following the FACTOR algorithm, overall procedural success was achieved in 143 out of 150 patients (95%). Successful antegrade CTO crossing occurred in 59%; success rates increased to 85% when additional retrograde popliteal, tibiopedal, and direct SFA accesses were used. In multivariate analysis, retrograde wire crossing, stent placement, and atherectomy were independent predictors of successful revascularization., Conclusions: The results of our study show that utilization of the FACTOR score and algorithm can result in high rates of successful SFA-CTO revascularization.

Several machine learning (ML) algorithms have been increasingly utilized for cardiovascular disease prediction. We aim to assess and summarize the overall predictive ability of ML algorithms in cardiovascular diseases. A comprehensive search strategy was designed and executed within the MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases from database inception through March 15, 2019. The primary outcome was a composite of the predictive ability of ML algorithms of coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and cardiac arrhythmias. Of 344 total studies identified, 103 cohorts, with a total of 3,377,318 individuals, met our inclusion criteria. For the prediction of coronary artery disease, boosting algorithms had a pooled area under the curve (AUC) of 0.88 (95% CI 0.84-0.91), and custom-built algorithms had a pooled AUC of 0.93 (95% CI 0.85-0.97). For the prediction of stroke, support vector machine (SVM) algorithms had a pooled AUC of 0.92 (95% CI 0.81-0.97), boosting algorithms had a pooled AUC of 0.91 (95% CI 0.81-0.96), and convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithms had a pooled AUC of 0.90 (95% CI 0.83-0.95). Although inadequate studies for each algorithm for meta-analytic methodology for both heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias because the confidence intervals overlap between different methods, showing no difference, SVM may outperform other algorithms in these areas. The predictive ability of ML algorithms in cardiovascular diseases is promising, particularly SVM and boosting algorithms. However, there is heterogeneity among ML algorithms in terms of multiple parameters. This information may assist clinicians in how to interpret data and implement optimal algorithms for their dataset.

The influence of age on outcomes of patients selected for transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) remains largely unknown in the United States. This study sought to assess the outcomes of TMVR in highly aged patients (≥80 years). We queried the National Readmission Database from January 2014 to December 2016 for elective TMVR hospitalizations. Propensity-score matching was used to compare in-hospital and 30-day outcomes between highly aged patients and those less than 80 years. Of 6,025 (weighted national estimate) hospitalizations for TMVR, total of 3,368 included highly aged patients (mean age 85.3) and 2,657 included patients less than 80 years (mean age 69). In the Propensity-score matched cohort (age≥ 80, n = 2,185; age <80, n = 2,197), highly aged patients had similar rates of in-hospital mortality (2.2% vs 1.6%; p = 0.22), ischemic stroke (0.5% vs 0.5%; p = 0.83), cardiac tamponade (0.2% vs 0.4%; p = 0.58), cardiogenic shock (1.2% vs 1.7%; p = 0.25), and acute myocardial infarction (0.6% vs 0.4%; p = 0.30), but higher rates of discharge to skilled nursing facility(9.7% vs 4.5%; p <0.001), all-cause 30-day readmissions (14.2% vs 10.5%; p <0.001), and heart failure-related 30-day readmissions (4.7% vs 3.0%; p = 0.006), compared with those less than 80 years. TMVR therapy is safe and is associated with low rates of in-hospital adverse events but higher rate of 30-day readmissions in highly aged patients compared with patients less than 80 years. Evidence-based interventions proven to be effective in reducing the burden of heart failure readmissions should be utilized in these patients to further improve outcomes., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly progressing global pandemic that may present with a variety of cardiac manifestations including, but not limited to, myocardial injury, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, shock, thromboembolism, and cardiac arrest. These cardiovascular effects are worse in patients who have pre-existing cardiac conditions such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coagulation abnormalities. Other predisposing risk factors include advanced age, immunocompromised state, and underlying systemic inflammatory conditions. Here we review the cellular pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and treatment modalities of the cardiac manifestations seen in patients with COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

We present a 26-year-old woman who came to the emergency department with chest pain of 1 hour duration that started while she was exercising on the treadmill. At presentation, ECG showed sinus bradycardia. Initial troponin level was 0.05 ng/mL and her chest pain resolved within 3 hours of onset. Troponins were trended serially, which continued to rise and peaked at 28.77 ng/mL and so heparin drip was started. On the second day of admission, a coronary angiogram was performed along with intravascular ultrasound, which revealed type 3 spontaneous coronary artery dissection. No obstructive atherosclerotic disease was noted in any of the coronary vessels. No coronary intervention was performed. Patient was started on aspirin and clopidogrel. Patient was discharged home in stable condition and was followed outpatient, where she remained in excellent health condition at her first clinic visit., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life threatening disease requiring lengthy hospitalizations, complex multidisciplinary management and high health care costs. In this study, we analyzed the National Readmissions' Database (NRD) to identify infective endocarditis cases and the causative organisms, clinical determinants, length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and 30-day hospital readmission rates. The study cohort was derived from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's National Readmission Database between 2010-15. We queried the National Readmissions' Database using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnostic code for infective endocarditis (421.0) and identified a total of 187,438 index admissions. SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was utilized for statistical analyses. A total of 187,438 patients with a primary diagnosis of IE were identified over 6 years (2010-2015). Twenty-four percent (44,151 patients) were readmitted within 30 days. Most common etiologies for readmission included sepsis (14%), acute heart failure (8%), acute kidney injury (6%), intracardiac device infection (5.6%) and recurrence of IE (2.7%). Predictors of increased readmissions included female sex, staphylococcus aureus infection, diabetes, chronic lung disease, chronic liver disease, acute kidney injury, acute heart failure and anemia. In-hospital mortality for the readmission of IE was 13%, and average length of stay during the re-admission was 12 days. IE is associated with high rates of index admission mortality and for 30-day readmissions of which are associated with a substantial risk of death., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare for any of the authors., (© 2020 Agrawal et al. Published by IMR press.)

Background: Recurrent spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is believed to be infrequent. Predictors of recurrent SCAD are poorly characterized., Methods: We evaluated the incidence, clinical characteristics, and predictors of recurrent SCAD using data from the Nationwide Readmissions Database from January 1, 2010, to December 30, 2016., Results: Among 1836 SCAD patients admitted with the primary diagnosis of SCAD (61.9% female, mean age 56.1 ± 14.5, 72.9% <65 years of age), 495 patients (26.9%) had recurrent SCAD within 1 year (74.0% female, 74% <65 years of age). Multivariable analysis showed that female sex (OR 2.09; 95% CI 1.49-2.95; p < 0.001) was an independent predictor of recurrent SCAD within 1 year., Conclusions: Recurrent SCAD is frequent and should be considered in younger females with a history of SCAD. Further research is needed to investigate the mechanistic links between female sex and recurrent SCAD., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The development of aortic valve stenosis is strongly associated with older adults. Patients who undergo transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe aortic stenosis frequently have heart failure (HF). We investigated the predictors of mortality after TAVI according to the presence of HF, and specifically HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) versus HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Patients were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample registry from January 2011 to September 2015 using the ICD-9 codes. Patients with HF who underwent TAVI were classified according to whether they were diagnosed with HFrEF or HFpEF. The principal outcome of interest was in-hospital mortality. Multivariable analysis was used to adjust for potential baseline confounders. Among 11,609 patients undergoing TAVI, 6,368 (54.9%) had baseline HF, including 4,290 (67.4%) with HFpEF and 2,078 (32.6%) with HFrEF. In TAVI patients with HF, in-hospital mortality was also not significantly different in those with HFrEF compared with HFpEF (3.66% vs 3.17%, respectively; adjusted odds ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval 0.84 to 1.53; p = 0.38). Polyvalvular heart disease was an additional independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in HFrEF, whereas age, liver disease, and the absence of depression and anemia were additional independent predictors of mortality in HFpEF. In conclusion, baseline HF in patients undergoing TAVI is prevalent and is more commonly due to HFpEF than HFrEF. Mortality is similar in those with HFrEF and HFpEF. Knowledge of the specific predictors of mortality after TAVI in HF patients may be useful for patient selection and prognostic guidance., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Patients having transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) routinely undergo coronary angiography before the procedure to define the coronary anatomy and to evaluate the extend of coronary artery disease (CAD). Whether percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) prior/concomitant with TAVI confers any additional clinical benefit in patients with CAD remains unclear. Literature search was performed using Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and Scopus from inception of these databases till April 2019. Included outcomes were 30-day all-cause mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), acute kidney injury, and 1-year mortality. The main summary estimate was random effects odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Eleven cohort studies enrolling 5,580 patients (mean age 82.4 years and 52.6% females) were included. Our study found no difference in effect estimates for 30-day all-cause mortality (OR 1.30 [0.85 to 1.98], p = 0.22, I 2  = 37.5%), stroke (OR 0.7 (0.36 to 1.45), p = 0.36, I 2  = 32.8%), MI (OR 2.71 [0.55 to 12.23], p = 0.22, I 2  = 41.3%), acute kidney injury (OR 0.7 [0.46 to 1.06], p = 0.08, I 2  = 14.4%) and 1-year all-cause mortality (OR 1.19 [0.92 to 1.52], p = 0.18, I 2  = 0.0%) in patients who underwent TAVI with and without PCI. In conclusion, our analysis indicates that PCI with TAVI in patients with severe aortic stenosis and concomitant CAD grants no additional clinical advantage in terms of patient important clinical outcomes. Further randomized studies are needed to better delineate the clinical practice for myocardial revascularization in patients receiving transcatheter therapy for aortic valve disease., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a frequently missed diagnosis in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Our aim was to evaluate the causes, trends, and predictors of 90-day hospital readmission in patients presenting with SCAD. The Nationwide Readmissions Database (2013 to 2014) was utilized to identify patients with primary discharge diagnosis of SCAD using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, diagnostic code 414.12. The primary outcome was 90-day readmission. Among 11,228 patients admitted with the primary diagnosis of SCAD, 2,424 patients (21.6%) were readmitted within 90 days (68% women, 82% <65 years of age). Common causes for 90-day readmission were ACS (25%), acute heart failure (11%), acute respiratory failure (7%), and arrhythmias (5%). Multivariate predictors of 90-day readmissions were hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral arterial disease, discharge to facility and increased length of stay (LOS) during index admission. Multivariate predictors of increased healthcare-related costs were older age, female gender, discharge to facility, and increased LOS. Over half of the readmissions (52%) occurred in first 30 days after discharge. In conclusion, we found a high rate of rehospitalization among SCAD patients, particularly within the first 30 days of index hospitalization. ACS, heart failure, and acute respiratory failure were the most common reasons for readmission. Hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral arterial disease, and increased LOS were independent predictors of readmission. Further studies are warranted to confirm these predictors of readmission in this high-risk population., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diabetes causes cardiomyopathy and increases the risk of heart failure independent of hypertension and coronary heart disease. This condition called "Diabetic Cardiomyopathy" (DCM) is becoming a well- known clinical entity. Recently, there has been substantial research exploring its molecular mechanisms, structural and functional changes, and possible development of therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of DCM. This review summarizes the recent advancements to better understand fundamental molecular abnormalities that promote this cardiomyopathy and novel therapies for future research. Additionally, different diagnostic modalities, up to date screening tests to guide clinicians with early diagnosis and available current treatment options has been outlined., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The objective of this study is to review acupuncture-related cardiac complications, such as infective endocarditis (IE), cardiac tamponade (CT), pericarditis, and cardiac rupture, as there is no known reported literature to determine the burden of cardiac adverse events due to acupuncture., Methods: Structured computerized databases were searched using the special Medical Subject Heading (MeSH). Manual search using the references of relevant articles was also performed., Results: A total of 133 articles were initially retrieved, but careful reading resulted in only 30 cases of relevant cardiac adverse events. There were 8 articles of infective complications (mostly IE), while 22 articles of CT have been reported to date. The diagnoses were made with echocardiography and patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics. The source of the infection was mostly localized to acupuncture needle prick sites, such as earlobes and legs. Mortality rate for post-acupuncture CT was not significantly higher than infective cardiac complication (Pearson's Chi-square = 0.559; likelihood ratio = 0.553). However, the weighted percentage of death was about 80% in CT vs only 20% mortality for infective cardiac complications. On the other hand, CT was the most common presentation when the needle pricks were close to the heart, and had a clinical presentation of hypotension and venous distention., Conclusions: Although the universally reported complications of acupuncture are low, and the procedure itself has been deemed low risk in acupuncture-related literature, these cardiac complications are alarming. To avoid these potentially catastrophic consequences, more education needs to be done for adopting safer techniques.

Background: Recent guidelines have suggested avoiding beta-blockers in the setting of cocaine-associated acute coronary syndrome. However, the available evidence is both scarce and conflicted. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the evidence pertaining to the use of beta-blockers in the setting of acute cocaine-related chest pain and its implication on clinical outcomes., Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify literature relevant to patients with cocaine-associated chest pain who were treated with or without beta-blockers. We examined the end-points of in-hospital all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction. Pooled risk ratios (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for all outcomes using a random-effects model., Results: Five studies with a total of 1447 patients were included. Our analyses found no differences between patients treated with or without beta-blockers for either myocardial infarction (RR 1.08; 95% CI, 0.61-1.91) or all-cause mortality (RR 0.75; 95% CI, 0.46-1.24). Heterogeneity among included studies was low to moderate., Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that beta-blocker use is not associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients presenting with acute chest pain related to cocaine use., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is defined by focal narrowing of small and medium-sized arteries due to an idiopathic, noninflammatory, nonatherosclerotic vascular disease. The population-based prevalence of FMD remains unknown. Using the National Inpatient Sample database, we evaluated the prevalence, clinical presentation, mortality, and associated conditions of FMD from January 1, 2004, to September 30, 2015. Among 2,420 patients who presented with FMD, 2,086 (86.20%) of patients were female. The mean age was 55.18 ± 18.99 years in men and 63.37 ± 17.10 years in women. FMD patients most commonly presented with hypertension (67.3%), transient ischemic attack (3.7%), headache (2.1%), dizziness (1.1%), abdominal pain (0.6%), or hematuria (0.3%). In-hospital mortality of FMD patients was 0.74%. In conclusion, FMD is a rare condition with low in-hospital mortality that may be considered among female patients presenting with hypertension., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose of Review: Coronary artery bypass grafting is a preferred strategy for complete coronary revascularization in patients who have multi-vessel coronary artery disease, left ventricular dysfunction, and/or diabetes. Both arterial (internal thoracic artery/radial artery) and venous grafts are utilized to bypass the obstruction in native vessels. Despite having radial arterial grafts as a preferred second conduit for bypass, venous grafts are more commonly used., Recent Findings: We review the existing literature and report the preferred conduit based on a recently published meta-analysis of 6 randomized controlled trials. The analysis concluded that radial artery grafts are associated with fewer adverse cardiac events and better graft patency at 5 years of follow-up. Although saphenous vein grafting is the most commonly used conduit in addition to ITA, current data suggests that total arterial bypass (using RA conduit in addition to ITA) may be the better strategy. Both the US and European consensus guidelines advocate for the use of arterial over SV grafting for most patients.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: The optimal timing of revascularization in unstable angina (UA) or non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) remains uncertain. We compared routine early revascularization (REV) versus selective late revascularization (SLR) strategies and divergence in the approach of cardiologists in the United States and Europe., Methods: Seventeen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (15,812 patients) were extracted from PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Science databases. The data were pooled using the Der Simonian and Laird random-effect models and expressed as pooled risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs)., Results: Overall, there was no difference in all-cause mortality (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.95 - 1.08, P = 0.7), myocardial infarction (MI) (RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.79 - 1.22, P = 0.85) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (RR: 1.33, 95% CI: 0.92 - 1.91, P = 0.12) between REV and SLR strategy. There were trends of decreased incidence of MI in REV, 13.3% (1,029/7,704) vs. 15.1% (1,108/7,314) in SLR (P = 0.007), and rate of CABG was higher in REV, 4.9% (140/2,831) vs. 3.7% (105/2,819) in SLR (P = 0.031). There were trends of lower all-cause mortality in the combined US/international trials in both REV 8.4% (390/4,624) vs. 22.8% (908/3,975) (P < 0.001) and SLR 8% (359/4,421) vs. 24% (910/3,808) (P < 0.001) compared to the European trials. There were also trends of lower rates of MI in the European trials in the REV group 20% (623/3,080) vs. 25% (712/2,893) in SLR (P = 0.001) and higher rates of CABG in REV 8.3% (96/1,144) vs. 5.7% (67/1,165) in SLR (P = 0.02); however, there were no significant effects in the pooled RR ratios even after subgroup analysis between US/international trials and European trials., Conclusions: Despite having contemporary differences in the management approach towards UA/NSTEMI patients, no significant differences in trends were observed with REV strategy in US/international trials vs. European trials., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest.

Though infrequent, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), particularly in young healthy women. However, the population-based incidence of SCAD is unknown. We evaluated the incidence, patient characteristics, clinical characteristics, and mortality of SCAD-related hospitalizations using data from a national population-based cohort study from January 1, 2004, to September 30, 2015. In 13,573,200 patients who presented with an acute coronary syndrome, 66,360 (0.49%) of patients were diagnosed with SCAD. The mean age was 63.1 ± 13.2 years and 44.2% were women. In-hospital mortality of SCAD patients was 4.2%: 5.03% in females and 3.55% in males (p < 0.001). In conclusion, SCAD is an uncommon diagnosis that should be considered in males and older patients in addition to females presenting with ACS. Most SCAD patients today are managed medically. In-hospital mortality is comparable to that of other patients who present with ACS., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background End-stage renal disease frequently leads to increased cardiovascular mortality. Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) may be predictive of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in patients with end-stage renal disease. Methods A total of 70 patients with end-stage renal disease were included in the study. The assessment of cardiac dysautonomia was based on the four standardized tests performed at the baseline and, again, at the end of the study. The criteria for CAN included at least two abnormal test results. Results Fifty of 70 patients completed the study and were followed-up after one year. Out of the 50 patients, 44 (88%) had CAN at baseline. Twelve (24%) patients died at the one-year follow-up. Sudden cardiac death was reported in seven out of 12 (58%) patients. All seven patients who died had high dysautonomia scores (three abnormal tests) at the baseline. There was a significantly higher percentage of patients with all four abnormal tests amongst patients who died of any cause (56% vs. 17%; RR 6.07, 95% CI 1.29-28.49; p-value 0.02) or due to sudden cardiac death (43% vs. 10.5%; RR 6.37, 95% CI 1.03-39.36; p-value 0.04). All five patients who did not have CAN at the baseline developed this abnormality on repeat testing after one year. Conclusion The prevalence of CAN in patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis was significantly higher. CAN was an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, which highlights it as a risk stratification tool in patients with end-stage renal disease., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm is a rare but life-threatening disorder that is frequently reported secondary to myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery. In this article, we chronicle the case of a patient with no prior risk factors who presented with a 2-week history of nonexertional atypical left chest pain. Apical 2-chamber transthoracic echocardiography revealed an unexpected outpouching of basal inferoseptal wall of the left ventricle, which had a narrow neck and relatively wide apex. The patient was diagnosed with left ventricular pseudoaneurysm and medical therapy was initiated. He refused to undergo the surgical intervention and subsequently, he was discharged from the hospital in stable condition. This article illustrates that physicians should be vigilant for atypical presentations of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm, and a high index of suspicion should be maintained for this stealth killer while performing appropriate diagnostic imaging. Additionally, we review the currently available approaches to diagnosis and management in these patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Percutaneous ventricular assist devices (pVADs) are indicated to provide hemodynamic support in high-risk percutaneous interventions and cardiogenic shock. However, there is a paucity of published data regarding the etiologies and predictors of 90-day readmissions following pVAD use. We studied the data from the US Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) for the years 2013 and 2014. Patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of pVAD use were collected by searching the database for International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedural code 37.68 (Impella and TandemHeart devices). Amongst this group, we examined 90-day readmission rates. Comorbidities as identified by "CM&#95;" variables provided by the NRD were also extracted. The Charlson Comorbidity Index was calculated using appropriate ICD-9-CM codes, as a secondary diagnosis. A 2-level hierarchical logistic regression model was then used to identify predictors of 90-day readmission following pVAD use. Records from 7074 patients requiring pVAD support during hospitalization showed that 1562 (22%) patients were readmitted within 90 days. Acute decompensated heart failure (22.6%) and acute coronary syndromes (11.2%) were the most common etiologies and heart failure (odds ratio [OR]: 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.67), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.07-1.49), peripheral vascular disease (OR: 1.305, 95% CI: 1.09-1.56), and discharge into short- or long-term facility (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.08-1.51) were independently associated with an increased risk of 90-day readmission following pVAD use. This study identifies important etiologies and predictors of short-term readmission in this high-risk patient group that can be used for risk stratification, optimizing discharge, and healthcare transition decisions., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is an increasingly recognized nonatherosclerotic cause of acute coronary syndrome. Reports regarding the prognosis and natural history of this disease are limited. In addition to the diagnostic difficulty, this condition poses a significant therapeutic challenge due to the lack of specific management guidelines. We present here a case series of 9 patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Additionally, this article reviews the incidence, clinical characteristics, risk factors, diagnostic modalities, therapeutic approaches, and patterns of recurrence in patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Purpose of Review: In-stent restenosis (ISR) is a complex disease process that became apparent shortly after the introduction of stents into clinical practice. This review seeks to define in-stent restenosis (ISR) as well as to summarize the major treatment options that have been developed and studied over the past two decades., Recent Findings: Recent developments in drug-coated balloons and bioresorbable vascular scaffolds have added new potential treatments for ISR. Two recent network meta-analyses performed a head-to-head comparison of all the various treatment modalities in order to identify the best approach to management of ISR. Current data suggests that repeat stenting with second-generation drug-eluting stents is most likely to lead to the best angiographic and clinical outcomes. In situations where repeat stenting is not preferable, drug-coated balloon therapy seems to be a reasonably effective alternative.

Acute pulmonary embolism presents a clinical challenge for optimal risk stratification. Although associated with significant morbidity and mortality at the population level, the spectrum of presentation in an individual patient varies from mild symptoms to cardiac arrest. Treatment options include anticoagulation, systemic thrombolysis, catheter-based interventions, and surgical embolectomy. In this article, an attempt is made to optimally identify patients who, based on available evidence, may benefit from systemic thrombolytic therapy. The clinical efficacy of systemic thrombolysis must be balanced against increased risks of major bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a relatively recently recognised clinical entity. It frequently mimics acute coronary syndrome and is accompanied by reversible left ventricular apical ballooning in the absence of angiographically significant coronary artery stenosis. TCM is a reversible condition, and the prognosis is usually well. However, in rare instances, it can be associated with life-threatening arrhythmic complications. Herein, we report the case of a patient with TCM who developed complete atrioventricular block followed by QT prolongation and torsades de pointes. Furthermore, we undertook a literature review of this rare complication of TCM and discussed the formidable therapeutic challenge encountered in such patients., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an important cause of the heart failure. Timely diagnosis and optimal management decrease morbidity and mortality in heart failure patients. Although transthoracic echocardiography is used as the diagnostic test of choice in these patients, new modalities like speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) have promising results in diagnosing these patients in the earlier course of the disease. Advancements in cardiac imaging are expected as more clinical studies on the role of STE in different cardiac diseases that emerge. In this review article, we will discuss the basics of STE and its role in diagnosing DCM., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Early diagnostic markers are gaining popularity for better patient care disease outcomes. There is an increasing interest in noninvasive cardiac imaging biomarkers to diagnose subclinical cardiac disease. Feature tracking cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is a novel post-processing technique that is increasingly being employed to assess global and regional myocardial function. This technique has numerous applications in structural and functional diagnostics. It has been validated in multiple studies, although there is still a long way to go for it to become routine standard of care., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest associated with any of the senior author or other coauthors contributed their efforts in this manuscript.