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Undifferentiated abdominal pain in adults is a common chief complaint in acute care clinics and emergency departments worldwide, representing up to 10% of visits to emergency departments. Many patients have a non-specific presentation and an initial workup with labwork, urine analysis or X-ray might not reveal a specific diagnosis. Although bowel intussusception is a primarily pediatric disease, adult intussusception is a recognized but rare cause of bowel obstruction often requiring surgical intervention. However, recent data from advanced multi-detector computed tomography imaging shows that milder or recurring cases in adults have been underrecognized. Multi-detector computed tomography is still the imaging gold standard for detecting intussusception in adults, but new data showed that sonographers with basic training using the point-of-care ultrasound approach have a reasonable accuracy in detecting this pathology. As the point-of-care ultrasound for undifferentiated abdominal pain is an emerging core skill in the acute care setting, knowledge of sonographic signs of intestinal intussusception should be included in the skill set of physicians. Sonographic findings in adults mimic pediatric cases, but different location patterns and higher malignancy rates exist in adults. In this manuscript, we will review the current literature on adult intussusception and summarize key knowledge of intestinal intussusception in adults. We will present four adult patients diagnosed with different types of adult acute bowel intussusception using the point-of-care ultrasound and describe a focused scanning approach with typical sonographic findings.

Background: In a randomized trial, baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) improved exercise capacity, quality of life and NT-proBNP in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). In view of different mechanisms underlying HFrEF, we performed a post-hoc subgroup analysis of efficacy and safety of BAT in patients with and without coronary artery disease (CAD)., Methods and Results: Patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <35% and NYHA Class III were randomized 1:1 to guideline-directed medical and device therapy alone or plus BAT. Patients with a history of CAD, prior myocardial infarction or coronary artery bypass graft were assigned to the CAD group with all others assigned to the no-CAD group. Of 71 BAT treated patients, 52 had CAD and 19 had no CAD. In the control group, 49 of 69 patients had CAD and 20 had no CAD. The system- or procedure-related major adverse neurological or cardiovascular event rate was 3.8% in the CAD group vs. 0% in the no-CAD group (p = 1.0). In the whole cohort, NYHA Class, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure score, 6-minute hall walk distance and NTproBNP were improved in BAT treated patients compared with controls. Statistical analyses revealed no interaction between the presence of CAD and effect of BAT (all p > 0.05)., Conclusion: No major differences were found in BAT efficacy or safety between patients with and without CAD, indicating that BAT improves exercise capacity, quality of life and NTproBNP in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. CLINICALTRIALS., Gov Identifier: NCT01471860 and NCT01720160., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) is a device-based therapy for patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. In a randomized, controlled trial, the first-generation system significantly reduced blood pressure (BP) versus sham. Although an open-label validation study of the second-generation system demonstrated similar BP reductions, controlled data are not presently available. Therefore, this investigation compares results of first- and second-generation BAT systems. Two cohorts of first-generation BAT system patients were generated with propensity matching to compare against the validation group of 30 second-generation subjects. The first cohort was drawn from the first-generation randomized trial sham group and the second cohort from the active therapy group. Safety and efficacy were compared for the second-generation group relative to the first generation. At 6 months, second-generation BAT outperformed first-generation sham systolic BP reduction by 20 ± 28 mm Hg (mean ± standard deviation, P = .008), while BP reduction in first- and second-generation active groups was similar. At 12 months, efficacy was comparable between all three groups after the sham group had received 6 months of therapy; 47% of second-generation patients achieved goal systolic BP of 140 mm Hg or less after 12 months, comparable to 50% of patients at goal in the first-generation group (P > .999). Implant procedure time, system/procedural safety, and pulse generator longevity improved with the second-generation system. Propensity-matched cohort analysis of the first- and second-generation BAT systems suggests similar therapeutic benefit and superior BP reduction of the second-generation system relative to sham control. Implantation procedure duration and perioperative safety were improved with the second-generation device. These findings should be validated in a prospective randomized trial., (Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this publication is to describe the intraoperative experience along with long-term safety and efficacy of the second-generation baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) system in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction HF (HFrEF). In a randomized trial of New York Heart Association Class III HFrEF, 140 patients were assigned 1:1 to receive BAT plus medical therapy or medical therapy alone. Procedural information along with safety and efficacy data were collected and analyzed over 12 months. Within the cohort of 71 patients randomized to BAT, implant procedure time decreased with experience, from 106 ± 37 minutes on the first case to 83 ± 32 minutes on the third case. The rate of freedom from system- and procedure-related complications was 86% through 12 months, with the percentage of days alive without a complication related to system, procedure, or underlying cardiovascular condition identical to the control group. The complications that did occur were generally mild and short-lived. Overall, 12 months therapeutic benefit from BAT was consistent with previously reported efficacy through 6 months: there was a significant and sustained beneficial treatment effect on New York Heart Association functional Class, quality of life, 6-minute hall walk distance, plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and systolic blood pressure. This was true for the full trial cohort and a predefined subset not receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy. There is a rapid learning curve for the specialized procedures entailed in a BAT system implant. BAT system implantation is safe with the therapeutic benefits of BAT in patients with HFrEF being substantial and maintained for at least 1 year., (Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity contribute to heart failure (HF) symptoms and disease progression. Carotid baroreceptor stimulation (baroreflex activation therapy, BAT) results in centrally mediated reduction of sympathetic and increase in parasympathetic activity. Because patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may have less sympathetic/parasympathetic imbalance, we hypothesized that there would be differences in the response to BAT in patients with CRT vs. those without CRT., Methods and Results: New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III patients with an ejection fraction (EF) ≤35% were randomized (1 : 1) to ongoing guideline-directed medical and device therapy (GDMT, control) or ongoing GDMT plus BAT. Safety endpoint was system-/procedure-related major adverse neurological and cardiovascular events (MANCE). Efficacy endpoints were Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Quality of Life (QoL), 6-min hall walk distance (6MHWD), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and HF hospitalization rate. In this sample, 146 patients were randomized (70 control; 76 BAT) and were 140 activated (45 with CRT and 95 without CRT). MANCE-free rate at 6 months was 100% in CRT and 96% in no-CRT group. At 6 months, in the no-CRT group, QoL score, 6MHWD, LVEF, NT-proBNP and HF hospitalizations were significantly improved in BAT patients compared with controls. Changes in efficacy endpoints in the CRT group favoured BAT; however, the improvements were less than in the no-CRT group and were not statistically different from control., Conclusions: BAT is safe and significantly improved QoL, exercise capacity, NTpro-BNP, EF, and rate of HF hospitalizations in GDMT-treated NYHA Class III HF patients. These effects were most pronounced in patients not treated with CRT., (© 2015 The Authors European Journal of Heart Failure © 2015 European Society of Cardiology.)

Objectives: The objective of this clinical trial was to assess the safety and efficacy of carotid BAT in advanced HF., Background: Increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity contribute to heart failure (HF) symptoms and disease progression. Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) results in centrally mediated reduction of sympathetic outflow and increased parasympathetic activity., Methods: Patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III HF and ejection fractions ≤35% on chronic stable guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) were enrolled at 45 centers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. They were randomly assigned to receive ongoing GDMT alone (control group) or ongoing GDMT plus BAT (treatment group) for 6 months. The primary safety end point was system- and procedure-related major adverse neurological and cardiovascular events. The primary efficacy end points were changes in NYHA functional class, quality-of-life score, and 6-minute hall walk distance., Results: One hundred forty-six patients were randomized, 70 to control and 76 to treatment. The major adverse neurological and cardiovascular event-free rate was 97.2% (lower 95% confidence bound 91.4%). Patients assigned to BAT, compared with control group patients, experienced improvements in the distance walked in 6 min (59.6 ± 14 m vs. 1.5 ± 13.2 m; p = 0.004), quality-of-life score (-17.4 ± 2.8 points vs. 2.1 ± 3.1 points; p < 0.001), and NYHA functional class ranking (p = 0.002 for change in distribution). BAT significantly reduced N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (p = 0.02) and was associated with a trend toward fewer days hospitalized for HF (p = 0.08)., Conclusions: BAT is safe and improves functional status, quality of life, exercise capacity, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and possibly the burden of heart failure hospitalizations in patients with GDMT-treated NYHA functional class III HF. (Barostim Neo System in the Treatment of Heart Failure; NCT01471860; Barostim HOPE4HF [Hope for Heart Failure] Study; NCT01720160)., (Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study was to assess long-term blood pressure control in resistant hypertension patients receiving baroreflex activation therapy (BAT). Following completion of the randomized Rheos Pivotal Trial, patients participated in open-label, nonrandomized follow-up to assess safety and efficacy of BAT. Blood pressure reductions were measured relative to a pre-implant baseline as well as the results achieved at the completion of 1 year of follow-up in the randomized phase. Clinically significant responder status was assessed according to FDA-mandated criteria. Of the 322 patients implanted, 76% (n = 245) qualified as clinically significant responders, an additional 10% were indeterminate. Among long-term responders receiving BAT, the mean blood pressure drop was 35/16 mm Hg. Medication use was reduced by the end of the randomized phase and remained lower through the follow-up period. Among responders, 55% achieved goal blood pressures (<140 mm Hg or <130 mm Hg in diabetes or kidney disease). Blood pressures of all active patients remained stable from completion of the randomized phase through long-term follow-up. BAT substantially reduced arterial pressure for most patients participating in the Rheos Pivotal Trial. This blood pressure reduction or goal achievement was maintained over long-term follow-up of 22 to 53 months., (Copyright © 2012 American Society of Hypertension. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Many women discontinue their use of hormonal contraception, and even those who continue so may have difficulty using oral contraceptive pills consistently. New delivery systems, including the vaginal ring, may be easier to use, but user acceptability and satisfaction with these new methods may be affected by women's experience with their bodies., Materials and Methods: Data for this study were collected as part of a randomized clinical trial on 201 women comparing immediate start of vaginal ring use with immediate start of low-dose oral contraceptive use. We assessed user satisfaction and method continuation 3 months after ring or pill initiation., Results: At 3 months, 174 of 201 subjects (87%) had follow-up interviews. Among the 174 study participants with follow-up data, 61% of ring subjects and 34% of pill subjects were very satisfied with their methods (p=.003). For posttrial contraception, 79% of ring subjects chose to continue with the ring whereas 59% of pill subjects chose to continue with the pill (p<.001). Women who reported greater comfort in touching their genitals, greater frequency of masturbation, more comfort with intercourse and past use of vaginal contraceptives and products were not more likely than others to be satisfied with the ring or to continue using it for birth control., Conclusion: Women who were allocated to vaginal ring use, regardless of their baseline characteristics or behavior, were likely to be highly satisfied with the method and to continue its use.