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Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are effective antineoplastic agents but can cause adverse effects in many organ systems. Cardiovascular toxicities include arrhythmias, myocarditis, heart failure, takotsubo syndrome, pericarditis, coronary artery disease, and vasculitis., Case Summary: A 66-year-old woman with Stage 3C2 endometrial carcinoma presented for her second cycle of pembrolizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel. She subsequently suffered cardiac arrest and was brought to the emergency department. Spontaneous circulation returned following resuscitation, but she was haemodynamically unstable. An electrocardiogram revealed complete heart block. Initial management included intubation, vasopressor support, and transcutaneous pacing before transfer to the catheterization lab. Coronary angiography revealed no coronary artery disease. Right heart catheterization confirmed severe cardiogenic shock despite inotropic support and a temporary transvenous pacemaker in place. A micro-axial flow pump (Impella CP) was implanted for deteriorating cardiogenic shock. She was treated with high-dose corticosteroids (dexamethasone 190 mg i.v.) for suspected ICI-associated myocarditis, with significant improvement in cardiac function. The Impella was weaned and removed on Day 5. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed elevated T1 and T2 signal intensities, consistent with the 2018 Lake Louise Criteria for myocarditis. The complete heart block was resolved, but a leadless pacemaker was implanted due to pre-existing conduction abnormalities., Discussion: Early recognition of ICI-associated myocarditis can be achieved with biochemical testing, electrocardiography, imaging, and expedited investigation of alternative causes for cardiac decompensation. Our case demonstrates that temporary left ventricular assist devices can support cardiac output for patients in cardiogenic shock due to ICI-associated myocarditis, allowing for recovery following high-dose corticosteroids., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

A 37-year-old woman with no past medical history presented with longstanding untreated hyperthyroidism and consequentially developed thyrotoxicosis-induced cardiomyopathy. Upon admission, she was noted with a heart rate of 172 beats per minute and an EKG consistent with supraventricular tachycardia which was unresponsive to adenosine. Shortly after the initiation of a non-cardioselective beta-blocker for the treatment of persistent tachycardia, she developed profound cardiogenic shock refractory to vasopressors and inotropes. She was diagnosed with thyroid storm, which was ultimately attributed to Graves' Disease and controlled with propylthiouracil, potassium iodide drops, and hydrocortisone. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was successfully used as a temporizing measure while her thyroid hormone level normalized and cardiac function recovered. Patients with longstanding untreated hyperthyroidism may be dependent on the induced hyperadrenergic state to compensate for low-output cardiac failure, therefore it is important to exercise caution when initiating beta-adrenergic blockade. Given the expected disease time-course in cases of acute decompensation, ECMO remains a viable option for short-term mechanical circulatory support., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation for advanced heart failure is known to improve survival, functional capacity, and quality of life. Most patients implanted with LVADs suffer from moderate to severe malnutrition and deconditioning due to their advanced disease. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and the short form of the survey (MNA-SF) are 2 well-validated clinical tools, previously used to assess patient nutrition status in numerous conditions. Earlier work has demonstrated that low nutrition scores can independently predict mortality in the LVAD population. This study explored changes in MNA scores and other clinical markers following LVAD., Methods: This retrospective study included 74 patients implanted with LVADs between 2012 and 2017. MNA or MNA-SF along with other clinical data and nutrition indices were assessed during the preoperative workup and reassessed on average 423.9 days post LVAD. Paired-samples t-tests were used to evaluate any changes., Results: Despite an average body mass index of 30.8, 28.3% of patients were classified by MNA as malnourished, and 58.5% were considered at risk prior to LVAD implantation. Post LVAD implantation, MNA scores improved from an average of 19.2-23.0 (P < 0.001), with now only 3.8% classified as malnourished and 45.3% classified as at risk. MNA-SF and prognostic nutritional index also improved significantly., Conclusions: This study indicates that LVAD implantation is associated with a long-term improvement in nutrition status when compared with the preoperative heart failure state., (© 2019 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.)