The American journal of cardiology
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Comparative Study
Quantitative Evaluation of Mitral Regurgitation Secondary to Mitral Valve Prolapse by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Echocardiography.
The present prospective study was designed to evaluate the accuracy of quantitative assessment of mitral regurgitant fraction (MRF) by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) in the modern era using as reference method the blinded multiparametric integrative assessment of mitral regurgitation (MR) severity. 2-Dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) MRF by echocardiography (2D echo MRF and 3D echo MRF) were obtained by measuring the difference in left ventricular (LV) total stroke volume (obtained from either 2D or 3D acquisition) and aortic forward stroke volume normalized to LV total stroke volume. MRF was calculated by cMRI using either (1) (LV stroke volume - systolic aortic outflow volume by phase contrast)/LV stroke volume (cMRI MRF [volumetric]) or (2) (mitral inflow volume - systolic aortic outflow volume)/mitral inflow volume (cMRI MRF [phase contrast]). Six patients had 1 + MR, 6 patients had 2 + MR, 12 patients had 3 + MR, and 10 had 4 + MR. ⋯ The accuracy of MRF for the diagnosis of MR ≥3+ or 4+ was the highest with cMRI MRF (volumetric) (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.98), followed by 3D echo MRF (AUC = 0.96), 2D echo MRF (AUC = 0.90), and cMRI MRF (phase contrast; AUC = 0.83). In conclusion, MRF by cMRI (volumetric method) and 3D echo MRF had the highest diagnostic value to detect significant MR, whereas the diagnostic value of 2D echo MRF and cMRI MRF (phase contrast) was lower. Hence, the present study suggests that both cMRI (volumetric method) and 3D echo represent best approaches for calculating MRF.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Associations Between Day of Admission and Day of Surgery on Outcome and Resource Utilization in Infants With Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Who Underwent Stage I Palliation (from the Single Ventricle Reconstruction Trial).
Newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and other single right ventricular variants require substantial health care resources. Weekend acute care has been associated with worse outcomes and increased resource use in other populations but has not been studied in patients with single ventricle. Subjects of the Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial were classified by whether they had a weekend admission and by day of the week of Norwood procedure. ⋯ Prenatally diagnosed infants born on the weekend had lower mean birth weight, younger gestational age, and were more likely to be intubated but did not have a difference in measured outcomes. In conclusion, in this cohort of patients with single right ventricle, neither weekend admission nor end-of-the-week Norwood procedure was associated with increased use of hospital resources or poorer outcomes. We speculate that the complex postoperative course following the Norwood procedure outweighs any impact that day of admission or operation may have on these outcomes.
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Observational Study
Effectiveness and Safety of Anakinra for Management of Refractory Pericarditis.
Recurrent pericarditis is a debilitating condition that can be recalcitrant to conventional therapy with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, colchicine, and glucocorticoids. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic role of the recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist anakinra in a series of adult patients with recurrent pericarditis refractory to conventional therapy. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 13 consecutive patients with treatment-refractory recurrent pericarditis who received anakinra for management of their disease. ⋯ In conclusion, anakinra may be an effective alternative agent for the management of glucocorticoid-dependent recurrent pericarditis. Side effects were minor. A formal clinical trial to evaluate the usefulness of this agent should be considered.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Outpatient Use of Focused Cardiac Ultrasound to Assess the Inferior Vena Cava in Patients With Heart Failure.
Accurate assessment of volume status is critical in the management of patients with heart failure (HF). We studied the utility of a pocket-sized ultrasound device in an outpatient cardiology clinic as a tool to guide volume assessment. Inferior vena cava (IVC) size and collapsibility were assessed in 95 patients by residents briefly trained in focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU). ⋯ By comparison, when grouped in a binary manner, there was no significant difference in event rates for patients who were deemed to be clinically volume overloaded. Assessment of volume status in an outpatient cardiology clinic using FCU imaging of the IVC is feasible in a high percentage of patients. A group of patients were identified with volume status discordant between FCU IVC and routine clinic assessment, suggesting that IVC parameters may provide a valuable supplement to the in-office physical examination.
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We hypothesized that the availability of a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) program in hospitals impacts the overall management of patients with aortic valve disease and hence may also improve postprocedural outcomes of conventional surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The aim of the present study was to compare the inhospital outcomes of SAVR in centers with versus without availability of a TAVI program in an unrestricted large nationwide patient population >50 years of age. SAVRs performed on patients aged >50 years were identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for the years 2011 and 2012 using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification procedure codes. ⋯ The mean length of hospital stay was similar in the 2 groups the cost of hospitalization was higher in the SAVR-TAVI group ($43,894 ± 483 vs $41,032 ± 473, p <0.0001). Having a TAVI program was a significant predictor of reduced mortality and complications rate after SAVR in multivariate analysis. In conclusion, this largest direct comparative analysis demonstrates that SAVRs performed in centers with a TAVI program are associated with significantly lower mortality and complications rates compared to those performed in centers without a TAVI program.