Revista española de cardiología (English ed.)
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Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) · Feb 2016
ReviewUpdate on Myocarditis and Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy: Reemergence of Endomyocardial Biopsy.
Myocarditis is defined as an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle and is an important cause of acute heart failure, sudden death, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Viruses account for most cases of myocarditis or inflammatory cardiomyopathy, which could induce an immune response causing inflammation even when the pathogen has been cleared. Other etiologic agents responsible for myocarditis include drugs, toxic substances, or autoimmune conditions. ⋯ Furthermore, after the generalization of immunohistochemical and viral genome detection techniques, endomyocardial biopsy provides a definitive etiological diagnosis that can lead to specific treatments such as antiviral or immunosuppressive therapy. Endomyocardial biopsy is not commonly performed for the diagnosis of myocarditis due to safety reasons, but both right- and left endomyocardial biopsies have very low complication rates when performed by experienced operators. This document provides a state-of-the-art review of myocarditis and inflammatory cardiomyopathy, with special focus on the role of endomyocardial biopsy to establish specific treatments.
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Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) · Feb 2016
Comparative StudyConduction Abnormalities and Pacemaker Implantations After SAPIEN 3 Vs SAPIEN XT Prosthesis Aortic Valve Implantation.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is increasingly used in patients with aortic stenosis. Post-procedural intraventricular conduction abnormalities and permanent pacemaker implantations remain a serious concern. Recently, the Edwards SAPIEN 3 prosthesis has replaced the SAPIEN XT. We sought to determine the incidences of new-onset intraventricular conduction abnormalities and permanent pacemaker implantations by comparing the 2 devices. ⋯ We found a trend toward a higher rate of new-onset intraventricular conduction abnormalities with SAPIEN 3 compared with SAPIEN XT, although this did not result in a higher permanent pacemaker implantation rate.
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Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) · Dec 2015
Safety and Efficacy of New Sirolimus-eluting Stent Models in a Preclinical Study.
Initial preclinical studies are required during the process of improving polymers, platforms, and drug-eluting systems for new coronary stent designs. Our objective was to analyze the efficacy and safety of new drug-eluting stent models compared with a conventional stent and commercialized drug-eluting stents in an experimental model with healthy porcine coronary arteries. ⋯ The new drug-eluting stent platforms studied are associated with less restenosis than conventional stents and showed no significant differences in safety or efficacy vs commercialized drug-eluting stents.
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Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) · Dec 2015
Comparative StudyMultimarker Strategy for Heart Failure Prognostication. Value of Neurohormonal Biomarkers: Neprilysin vs NT-proBNP.
Neprilysin breaks down numerous vasoactive peptides. The soluble form of neprilysin, which was recently identified in heart failure, is associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Within a multibiomarker strategy, we directly compared soluble neprilysin and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide as risk stratifiers in a real-life cohort of heart failure patients. ⋯ When added to a multimarker strategy, soluble neprilysin remained an independent prognosticator, while N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide lost significance as a risk stratifier in ambulatory patients with heart failure. Both biomarkers performed similarly in head-to-head analyses.