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A 54-year-old man with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) presented with chest pain and was found to have non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Left heart catheterization with coronary angiography demonstrated 100% occlusion of the right internal mammary artery (IMA) to the right coronary artery graft in its midsegment and a patent left IMA to the left anterior descending graft. An unusually large extensive fistulous collateral formation was observed between the right IMA and the left IMA to the pulmonary arterial system, causing left to right shunting. His angina was attributed to substantial coronary steal caused by the shunt. The patient refused any further intervention or surgery and opted for medical treatment. As a complication of CABG, IMA to pulmonary artery (PA) fistulas are rare. Thus far, more than 20 cases have been reported; most have been unilateral. This is the second reported case to date of bilateral IMA-PA fistula formation after CABG. An IMA-PA fistula should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with chest pain after CABG and can be diagnosed by selective angiography of IMA grafts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tissue edema and inflammation, which occur at the device landing zone during valve deployment, may contribute to the pathophysiology of conduction abnormalities after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We hypothesized that exposure to glucocorticoids prior to TAVR will reduce the incidence of conduction abnormalities requiring PPM implantation after TAVR., Methods: We included 167 consecutive patients treated with TAVR at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and University of Minnesota. Exposure to glucocorticoids was assessed by linking electronic medical and pharmacy records. The primary outcome was a new PPM within 30 days of the index TAVR procedure., Results: Of the 167 patients included, 16 (9.5%) were exposed to glucocorticoids prior to TAVR. No differences in age, STS score, pre-existing right bundle branch block, implantation depth or valve type were seen among patients exposed to glucocorticoids versus those who were unexposed. Patients exposed to glucocorticoids were more likely to have moderate/severe COPD (43% versus 18%, p < 0.01). The cumulative incidence of PPM implantation at 30-days after TAVR was 18%. None of the patients exposed to glucocorticoids required a PPM while 30 (19%) of the unexposed patients did (p = 0.04)., Conclusions: Exposure to glucocorticoids prior to TAVR may be associated with reduced incidence of PPM requirement though larger studies are needed to support these findings. Tissue edema and inflammation may be significant contributors to the pathophysiology of conduction abnormalities after TAVR and could represent a therapeutic target., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives. To evaluate whether collaboration between existing and new transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) programs could help reduce the number of cases needed to achieve optimal efficiency. Background. There is a well-documented learning curve for achieving procedural efficiency and safety in TAVR procedures. Methods. A multidisciplinary collaboration was established between the Minneapolis VA Medical Center (new program) and the University of Minnesota (established program since 2012, n = 219) 1 year prior to launching the new program. Results. 269 patients treated with TAVR (50 treated in the first year at the new program). Mean age was 76 (±18) years and STS score was 6.8 (±6). Access included transfemoral ( n = 35, 70%), transapical ( n = 8, 16%), transaortic ( n = 2, 4%), and subclavian ( n = 5, 10%) types. Procedural efficiency (procedural time 158 ± 59 versus 148 ± 62, p = 0.27), device success (96% versus 87%, p = 0.08), length of stay (5 ± 3 versus 6 ± 7 days, p = 0.10), and safety (in hospital mortality 4% versus 6%, p = 0.75) were similar between programs. We found no difference in outcome measures between the first and last 25 patients treated during the first year of the new program. Conclusions. Establishing a partnership with an established program can help mitigate the learning curve associated with these complex procedures., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Synchronous peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) is common. Standardized questionnaires such as the Rose/WHO questionnaire and later the Edinburgh modification of this questionnaire were developed to screen for PAD. Little data are available on the sensitivity of these questionnaires in hospitalized patients with CAD. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of these questionnaires and the prevalence of classic intermittent claudication in hospitalized patients with CAD. Medically stable patients with CAD were invited to participate before hospital discharge. The patients answered both the Rose/WHO and Edinburgh modification claudication questionnaires and had an ankle-brachial index (ABI) measured. An ABI less than or equal to 0.9 was considered to be indicative of significant PAD. Patients who had undergone previous lower extremity revascularization for PAD and had a corrected ABI greater than 0.9 were excluded. Ninety-five patients (66 men) were recruited. By measuring the ABI, 35 patients (25 men) were found to have significant PAD. An additional 3 patients who had an ABI corrected by lower extremity revascularization were excluded from the analysis. The Rose/WHO questionnaire had a sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy (95% CI) of 14.3% (2.7-25.9%), 96.7% (92.1-100%), and 66.3% (56.8-75.8%), respectively. The Edinburgh modification of the Rose/WHO questionnaire had a sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy (95% CI) of 28.6% (13.6-43.5%), 90.0% (82.4-97.6%), 67.4% (57.9-76.8%), respectively. Despite the high incidence of synchronous PAD in hospitalized patients with CAD, traditional claudication questionnaires are insensitive to PAD detection. Classic claudication is an uncommon manifestation of PAD in hospitalized patients with CAD.