International journal of cardiology
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Patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) have an increased risk of bleeding and thrombotic complications. Prolonged conventional coagulation screening parameters, such as activated partial thromboplastin time or prothrombin time, are reported in less than 20% of CCHD patients. ⋯ In conclusion, our results provide new insights into the data on hypocoagulation with impaired clot lysis in adult CCHD patients as determined by ROTEM. Our findings may assist in determining the optimal management of patients with CCHD undergoing surgery.
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Meta Analysis
Repeated or intermittent levosimendan treatment in advanced heart failure: An updated meta-analysis.
Advanced heart failure is a malignant disease characterized by a debilitating late course, with increasingly frequent hospitalisations and high rate of mortality. Levosimendan, an inodilator developed for the treatment of acutely decompensated chronic heart failure, has been recently proposed also as a repetitive treatment of advanced heart failure. Several studies on the use of levosimendan in this settings report mortality data. Independent meta-analyses on the effect on mortality of repetitive or intermittent levosimendan administration in advanced heart failure has been published but were criticized in regard to the selection of the studies. Meanwhile new data became available. We therefore updated the selection of studies and re-analyzed all the available data. ⋯ The updated results suggest that repetitive or intermittent levosimendan administration in advanced heart failure is associated with a significant reduction in mortality at the longest follow-up available. There is therefore a strong rationale for a randomized clinical trial with adequate power on mortality.
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The incidence of isolated tricuspid valve infective endocarditis is increasing. Medical management is the mainstay of treatment but surgical intervention is required in a subset of patients. Surgical treatment options include valve excision and replacement or valve reconstruction. ⋯ Surgical management of tricuspid valve endocarditis can be achieved with satisfactory outcomes. However, the optimal indication and timing of surgery remain unclear, and the frequent association with intravenous drug use complicates management. Repair techniques are preferable though there is no clear evidence supporting one method over another.
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence carries significant mortality and morbidity. Accurate risk assessment and effective treatment for patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is important for VTE recurrence prevention. We examined the association of VTE recurrence with risk stratification and PE treatment. ⋯ The recurrence was negatively associated with longer (≥6 months) anticoagulation (HR 0.473, 95% CI 0.285-0.787, P=0.004), especially in patients with higher risk (HR 0.394, 95% CI 0.211-0.736, P=0.003) and unprovoked PE (HR 0.248, 95% CI 0.122-0.504, P<0.001). ESC high-risk and intermediate-risk PE, unprovoked PE and varicose veins increase recurrence risk. Longer anticoagulation treatment reduces recurrence, especially in higher risk and unprovoked PE patients.
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Statins are commonly prescribed for cardiovascular diseases which have been reported to share many contributory underlying mechanisms with erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the correlation between statin use and incident ED is uncertain. ⋯ Statin use was associated with a reduced risk of incident ED in the middle-aged men in Taiwan. The potency and the cumulative exposure of statin utilized played critical roles.