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As the medical treatment and survivability of coronary artery disease improve, patients requiring catheter-based coronary intervention present with increasingly challenging coronary anatomy. Navigating complicated coronary anatomy requires a diverse armamentarium of techniques to reach distal target lesions. Here, we discuss a case in which we used GuideLiner Balloon Assisted Tracking, a technique formerly used to achieve difficult radial access, to facilitate delivery of a drug-eluting stent to a challenging coronary target.

Cardiogenic shock due to hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HoCM) crisis presents a clinical challenge as pharmacologic vasopressor and/or inotropic support can compromise hemodynamics and acute afterload reduction worsens left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. Hypertensive hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HHoCM) is an entity mostly affecting elderly hypertensive women and could present with a clinical phenotype similar to HoCM crisis. We present a case of an 81-year-old female patient with HHoCM complicated by severe mitral regurgitation, in cardiogenic shock, in whom hemodynamic stability was restored with transvenous pacing guided by bedside echocardiography to optimize rate, left ventricle (LV) filling time, and cardiac output.

Coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is the most significant cause of morbidity and mortality in heart transplant recipients. Inflammation and endothelial dysfunction caused by graft rejection and viral infections leads to a combination of circumferential intimal fibromuscular hyperplasia, atherosclerosis, and inflammation affecting all layers of the vessel wall. Though obstructive CAV is often asymptomatic, posing a diagnostic challenge in post-transplant patients, early diagnosis and treatment aid faster recovery and improved outcomes. The role of percutaneous coronary intervention in the treatment of CAV is unknown and not well studied in the pediatric population. We present a first-in-human case of ostial left main coronary artery disease managed with flaring of the ostial coronary stent using a Flash ostial balloon in a pediatric patient with history of an orthotopic heart transplant.

Coronary artery pseudoaneurysms are extremely rare and most often occur after trauma or endovascular procedures [Aoki 2008; Kar 2017]. Delay in diagnosis or treatment may lead to coronary thrombosis with resultant ischemia or hemorrhage subsequent tamponade. Here, we present the case of a 66-year-old female who developed a coronary artery pseudoaneurysm of a non-grafted vessel three weeks after coronary artery bypass grafting. To avoid re-sternotomy, the pseudoaneurysm was successfully managed with a covered coronary stent and mini-left anterior thoracotomy to evacuate the hemopericardium and relieve tamponade.

Coronary air embolism is a rare iatrogenic complication during invasive coronary angiography or angioplasty that can cause acute chest pain, hypotension, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and even death. We present a case of left anterior descending coronary artery air embolization in a 58-year-old heart transplant patient that occurred during cardiac allograft vasculopathy surveillance angiography. The patient was managed successfully with rapid coronary injections of heparinized saline, catheter disengagement to increase coronary blood flow, and supplementation of 100% oxygen to dissolve the coronary air embolus. This case highlights this rare complication of coronary angiography, importance of prompt recognition of the pathology and subsequent management.

The Carney complex (CNC) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic complex that is characterised by multiple neoplasms consisting of neuroendocrine and cardiac tumours, with only 750 cases reported worldwide as of 2017. Cardiac tumours, in the context of the CNC, are of unique importance since the leading causes of death in patients with CNC are cardiac. To prevent sudden cardiac death and embolic events, a difficult diagnosis must be made and postdiagnostic screenings must be regular. We present a case of a 52-year-old man, with a medical history of pituitary microadenoma and facial lentiginosis, who presented with dyspnoea 2 months after suffering a cerebrovascular accident.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) with high cardiac output is an uncommon, yet attributable result of non-hemodialysis arteriovenous malformations. While the prevalence of high output heart failure has yet to be determined, it is observably low - specifically when looking at cases of high output heart failure as a result of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) with fistula formation, an entity that carries a reported incidence of

Coronary interventions are one of the most commonly performed procedures in interventional medicine. They have provided a life-prolonging and -saving solution, but are not without their own complications. These, although rare, do occur and are important to recognize in order to promptly and efficiently provide a solution to prevent catastrophic consequences to the patient. We present a 70-year-old male with a past medical history significant for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and myasthenia gravis; who presented to the hospital with substernal, pressure-like chest pain with associated nausea and diaphoresis. He was found to have ST segment elevations in anterolateral leads, prompting catherization lab activation revealing left anterior descending (LAD) artery stenosis. Percutaneous intervention via balloon dilation and stent placement was performed with periprocedural mid-intervention hemodynamic collapse occurring. Subsequent left ventricular (LV) angiography was performed revealing preserved LV function without perforation - however a rim of contrast was noted surrounding the LV. Thus, hemodynamic collapse was recognized as result of cardiac tamponade with pericardial drain emergently inserted resulting in hemodynamic recovery. Our case aims to present a case of vascular perforation with the uniqueness in our diagnostic approach via fluoroscopic imaging.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: The initial assessment of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) reflects cardiac damage and is an important prognostic factor in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). N-Terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is released following cardiomyocytes injury. However, the relationship between NT-proBNP levels, myocardial damage and clinical outcomes after STEMI has not been well defined. METHODS: Plasma levels of NT-proBNP, troponin I and creatinine kinase (CK) were assessed in 75 patients with STEMI. Echocardiography and CMR were performed prior to hospital discharge. Cardiac damage was quantified using peak biomarker levels and LGE. Patients were followed for a median of 975 days (IQR 823–1098 days) for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (all-cause mortality, recurrent myocardial infraction, unplanned recurrent revascularization and recurrent hospitalization for heart failure). RESULTS: Plasma levels of NT-proBNP increased following STEMI to peak at 24 hours. The dynamic changes in plasma NT-proBNP were similar to those noted with troponin I and its delayed peak but not those observed with plasma CK levels. Peak NT-proBNP levels correlated positively with indices of myocardial damage such as peak troponin I (R(2) =0.38, P

Familial hypercholesterolaemia is a genetic disorder secondary to mutation of one or more of the genes critical for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) metabolism; these mutation(s) cause highly elevated serum LDL-C, significantly increasing the risk of early cardiovascular events and mortality. Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is rare and often leads to accelerated coronary atherosclerosis presenting within the first two decades of life. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy who presented after surviving a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest. His highly elevated LDL-C level prompted further workup and led to a diagnosis of HoFH. The treatment included medical therapy and coronary artery bypass grafting. The patient also required referral for lipid apheresis to meet goal LDL-C level, and an automated implantable cardioverter defibrillator for secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death. HoFH, if left untreated, can have devastating consequences Therefore, timely diagnosis initiating appropriate therapy is important.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal disorder caused by defects in the gene that encodes for the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor, resulting in reduced clearance of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and an elevation in serum LDL-C. A 14-year-old boy was brought to the hospital after

Congestive heart failure (CHF) with high cardiac output is an uncommon, yet potentially hemodynamically significant result of arteriovenous malformations. 64-year-old male presented in acute renal and liver failure, with suspected cardiogenic shock. Cardiac catheterization identified an elevated

High output heart failure is an infrequently encountered entity characterized by normal cardiac function with low systemic vascular resistance. It's defined as cardiac output more that 8L/min of cardiac index more than 4.0/min/m2. It is due to an underlying disease process leading to increased

Anatomical SYNTAX score (SS1) and SYNTAX score II (SS2) are often utilized to determine the optimal revascularization strategy. Although US veterans have unique characteristics that may affect outcomes after revascularization, the prognostic values of SS1 and SS2 in veterans have not yet been validated. We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive veteran patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main and/or 3-vessel disease from 2009 to 2014. SS1 and SS2 were calculated for each patient. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. The prognostic values of SS1 and SS2 were compared by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The predicted 4-year mortality derived from SS2 was compared with the observed 4-year mortality estimated from Kaplan-Meier analysis. After exclusion, 286 patients (99% male) were included. Among 286 patients, 79 patients (27.6%) had left main disease, 151 (52.8%) underwent PCI, and 135 (47.2%) underwent CABG. Overall mortality was 27.6% at a median follow-up of 5.0 years. SS2 had better discriminative ability for all-cause mortality than SS1 (c-index 0.79 vs 0.52, p 0.001). Observed and predicted 4-year mortality correlated well in patients with low and intermediate SS2 in both PCI and CABG cohorts, but observed mortality was higher than predicted in the PCI cohort with high SS2 (observed 54.7% vs predicted 40.5%). In conclusion, observed and predicted 4-year mortality derived from SS2 correlated well in patients with low and intermediate SS2, but SS2 underestimated mortality in the PCI cohort with high SS2.

Background Accurate left ventricular (LV) mass calculation yields important prognostic information relating to structural heart disease. Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography-based calculation is based on LV geometric assumptions of symmetry while three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography could overcome these limitations. The study aims to compare the performance of 2D compared to 3D LV mass calculation. Methods Prospective review of echocardiography at University of Louisville, Kentucky. Normal ejection fraction (EF) was defined as >=52% in males and >=54% in females. The following calculations were made: Relative wall thickness (RWT) = 2x posterior wall thickness/LV internal diastolic dimension (LVIDd) and 2D LV mass = 0.8{1.04([LVIDd + IVSd +PWd]3 - LVIDd3)} + 0.6. Concentric hypertrophy was RWT > 0.42 and LV mass >95kg/m2 in females or >115kg/m2 in males. Same cutoffs were used for 2D and 3D echocardiography. Results Total 154 patients in the study. There was a weak positive correlation between 2D and 3D LV mass index (R= 0.534, r2= 0.286, p= 0.001) (figure 1). Seventy patients had 3D EF >=45% with clinical heart failure (HFpEF). Among HFpEF patients, LV hypertrophy (LVH) was present in 74% patients by 2D and 30% by 3D echocardiography (McNemar test p= 0.001). Using 3D echocardiography as the reference, 68% of the normal patients were misdiagnosed as LV hypertrophy by 2D (table 1). Two-third of the concentric remodeling patients by 3D were misclassified as concentric hypertrophy by 2D echocardiography (p=0.001). Conclusion Using necropsy proven LV mass index cutoffs, 2D over-diagnosed LV hypertrophy through overestimation of the mass, compared to 3D echocardiography. The majority of HFpEF patients show no structural hypertrophy of LV by 3D. This suggest that the majority of HFpEF patients may be more amenable to pharmacological prevention of progressing to LV remodeling or LVH.

In postmenopausal women the mechanisms responsible for hypertension have not been completely elucidated, and there are no gender-specific guidelines for women despite studies showing that blood pressure is not as well controlled to goal in women as in men. In the present study we tested the hypotheses that the sympathetic nervous system and the renal sympathetic nerves contribute to hypertension in aging female rats, that sympathetic activation may be mediated by the melanocortin 3/4 receptor (MC3/4R), and that MC3/4R activation may be due to increases in leptin. α-1, β-1,2-Adrenergic blockade reduced blood pressure in both young (3–4 mo) and old (18–19 mo) female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Renal denervation attenuated the hypertension more in old females than young females. MC3/4R antagonism with SHU-9119 given intracerebroventricularly had no effect on blood pressure in either young or old females but significantly reduced blood pressure in old males. Plasma leptin levels were similar in old male and female SHR and in old versus young females. These data suggest that the hypertension in old female SHR is in part due to activation of the sympathetic nervous system, that the renal nerves contribute to the hypertension, and that the mechanism responsible for sympathetic activation in old females is independent of the MC3/4R.

The SYNTAX score (SS1) can help clinicians decide on the optimal revascularization strategy. The SYNTAX II score (SS2) includes more clinical variables and is predictive of mortality after coronary intervention (PCI) or surgery (CABG). US veterans have unique characteristics that may affect outcomes

Background: Acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) initiates multiple signaling mechanisms between the injured myocardium and bone marrow culminating in stem cell (BMSC) mobilization. These signaling pathways and their clinical significance are poorly understood. We have recently

Hypertension in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is thought to be mediated in part by enhanced immune function. Tacrolimus (FK-506) and Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF); potent immunosuppressive agents are widely used for the prevention of graft rejection in organ transplantation. Tacrolimus inhibits proliferation of T cells, whereas MMF inhibits proliferation of T cells, B cells and monocytes. However, the impact of the drug on the cardiovascular system of different sexes is unknown. The present study tested the hypothesis that there are sex differences in response to FK-506 and/or MMF in SHR. Young male (YM, age 3 mos; n= 6) and young female (YF, aged 3 mos; n= 6) SHR received tacrolimus (0.25 mg/kg/day i.p. for 14 d) and (YM, age 3 mos; n= 6) and young female (YF, aged 3 mos; n= 6) SHR received MMF (20 mg/kg/day i.p.) for 14 d. Rats were implanted with radiotelemeters and mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured chronically. Tacrolimus increased MAP in males (Control: 143 ±3 mmHg vs. Tacrolimus-treated: 163 ±4 mmHg, p=S, p