On 8 January 2016, the field of cardiothoracic surgery had to say goodbye to one of the greatest cardiac surgeons, innovators, and educators of our time, Lawrence H. Cohn. In his more than 50 years of experience as a cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Cohn revolutionized the use of minimally invasive procedures to repair and replace heart valves, contributing immensely to the field. Dr. Cohn's impact on the field is difficult to summarize. He performed more than 11,000 operations and was profiled in 2015 in the Journal of Thoracic Disease,1
Dr. Arnold “Arnie” M. Katz was born in Chicago in 1932. His father, Dr. Louis N. Katz, was a renowned cardiologist who had received a Lasker award and served as President of the American Heart Association and the American Physiological Society. Dr. Arnold Katz graduated from the University of Chicago College in 1952 with a bachelor of arts and honors in Natural Science. As a college student, he spent a summer at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, working on the physicochemical properties of muscle. He attended medical school at
Ray C. Fish (1902–1962) was a leading figure in Houston's natural gas industry and a philanthropist. He believed in the American dream of “opportunity for success.” The Ray C. Fish Foundation was established so that others might be encouraged to broaden man's self-knowledge and to keep the American dream alive. After its founder's death from heart disease, the Fish Foundation granted $5 million to make the Texas Heart Institute a reality. For this reason, the Institute's highest professional award is given in honor of this extraordinary man. The award recognizes those whose innovations have made significant contributions to cardiovascular medicine
The narrative on pages 112–113 of this issue1 offers a compelling blend of elements—some purely of human interest, others exemplars of medical significance. In this editorial, I focus on 3 of the particularly intriguing medical elements. To have one intra-abdominal cancer is bad enough. But to have 2 of them simultaneously, both festering silently, is almost unheard of. And that's just the beginning. The clinical silence ended with rapidly progressive abdominal pain, followed by collapse, hypotension, and computed tomographic evidence of large-volume hemoperitoneum and a small, rounded lesionElement #1: Two Simultaneous Killers
Element #2: A Characteristic Presentation
“. . . for the secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient.” — FWP Valentine's Day 2014 also happened to be my 44th wedding anniversary. My wife, Mary Ann, and I had planned to attend a local Little Theater production after an early supper. However, because of my rather vague abdominal pain of 24 hours' duration, I encouraged her to attend alone. That evening, my abdominal pain worsened. I settled in my recliner to read. I later stood up, promptly passed out, and awoke lying on the floor. I managed to crawl to the
Because there are so few data on the long-term effects on left ventricular systolic function and functional status in patients who electively undergo Bentall procedures, we established a retrospective study group of 90 consecutive patients. This group consisted of 71 male and 19 female patients (mean age, 54 ± 10 yr) who had undergone the Bentall procedure to correct aortic valve disease and aneurysm of the ascending aorta, from 1997 through 2003 in a single tertiary-care center. We monitored these patients for a mean period of 117 ± 41 months for death, left ventricular ejection fraction and volume indices, and functional capacity as determined by New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. There were no operative deaths. The survival rate was 73.3% during follow-up. There were 10 cardiac and 13 noncardiac deaths, and 1 death of unknown cause. Echocardiography was performed before the index procedure and again after 117 ± 41 months. In surviving patients, statistically significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction, in comparison with preoperative values (0.49 ± 0.11 vs 0.41 ± 0.11; P <0.0001), was noted at follow-up. Similarly, we observed statistically significant reductions in left ventricular end-systolic (39.24 ± 28.7 vs 48.77 ± 28.62 mL/m2) and end-diastolic volumes (54.63 ± 6.97 vs 59.17 ± 8.92 mL/m2; both P <0.0001). Most patients (53/66 [80.3%]) progressed from a higher to a lower NYHA class during the follow-up period. The Bentall procedure significantly improved long-term left ventricular systolic function and functional status in surviving patients who underwent operation on a nonemergency basis.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and death. Little information is available regarding the relationship between the severity of OSA and myocardial performance in OSA patients who have normal ejection fractions. We prospectively investigated this relationship, using the tissue-Doppler myocardial performance index (TD-MPI). We conducted overnight, full-laboratory polysomnographic examinations of 116 patients, and calculated the left and right ventricular TD-MPIs. Patients were classified into 3 groups in accordance with their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) levels: AHImild (≥5 to <15), AHImoderate (≥15 to <30), and AHIsevere (≥30). Left and right ventricular TD-MPI values were higher in the AHIsevere group than in the AHImild and AHImoderate groups (all P <0.05). In addition, right ventricular TD-MPI values in the AHImoderate group were higher than those in the AHImild group (P <0.05). Right ventricular TD-MPI was significantly associated with AHI (β=0.468, P <0.001), left ventricular TD-MPI, and right ventricular early-to-late filling velocities (E/A ratio) in multiple linear regression analysis. On the other hand, left ventricular TD-MPI was significantly associated with right ventricular TD-MPI and left ventricular E/A ratio (both P <0.05). Our results show that OSA severity, determined by means of AHI, is independently associated with impaired right and left ventricular function as indicated by TD-MPI in patients who have OSA and normal ejection fractions.
We compared outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention patients who received biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stents with those who received durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stents. At Tehran Heart Center, we performed a retrospective analysis of the data from January 2007 through December 2011 on 3,270 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with the biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stent or the durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent. We excluded patients with histories of coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous coronary intervention, acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, or the implantation of 2 different stent types. Patients were monitored for 12 months. The primary endpoint was a major adverse cardiac event, defined as a composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and target-vessel and target-lesion revascularization. Durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stents were implanted in 2,648 (81%) and biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stents in 622 (19%) of the study population. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups (2.7% vs 2.7%; P=0.984) in the incidence of major adverse cardiac events. The cumulative adjusted probability of major adverse cardiac events in the biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stent group did not differ from that of such events in the durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent group (hazard ratio=0.768; 95% confidence interval, 0.421–1.44; P=0.388). We conclude that in our patients the biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stent was as effective and safe, during the 12-month follow-up period, as was the durable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent.
Vascular markers such as pulse-wave velocity and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) might improve the prediction of incident cardiovascular disease beyond traditional risk factors. These vascular markers have not been well characterized in minority populations and might be more useful than inflammatory biomarkers. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal cohort study among hypertensive patients in an urban safety-net hospital. We evaluated inflammatory biomarkers, arterial pulse-wave velocity, and carotid intima-media thickness at baseline, 1 year, and 2 years. The primary outcome variable was CIMT. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate associations between CIMT and predictive variables accounting for the correlation of multiple measurements within subjects over time. For our secondary outcome, we used administrative and National Death Index data to determine all-cause death, and univariate relationships were evaluated. Among 175 subjects, 117 were Latino (67%) and 117 were female (67%). Pulse-wave velocity and CIMT regressed over time (both P <0.001) and were highly correlated (P <0.001). Only pulse-wave velocity (P=0.002) and total cholesterol (P=0.03) were associated with CIMT in time-varying covariate analysis. At a median follow-up period of 80 months, 17 of 175 subjects had died (10%). Higher baseline CIMT and pulse-wave velocity were associated with increased mortality rates (both P <0.01). No serum inflammatory marker was significantly correlated with longitudinal changes in CIMT or death. In conclusion, both arterial stiffness and preclinical carotid atherosclerosis were associated with increased mortality rates and might be useful risk-stratification markers among this minority population.
The presence of a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis has been considered a contraindication to retrograde percutaneous closure of mitral paravalvular leaks, because passing a catheter through the mechanical aortic valve can affect the function of a mechanical valve and thereby lead to severe hemodynamic deterioration. We report what we believe are the first 2 cases of retrograde transcatheter closure of mitral paravalvular leaks through a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis without transseptal or transapical puncture. Our experience shows that retrograde transcatheter closure of mitral paravalvular leaks in this manner can be an optional approach for transcatheter closure of such leaks, especially when a transapical or transseptal puncture approach is not feasible. This technique might also be applied to other transcatheter procedures in which there is a need to pass a catheter through a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis.
Postoperative mitral paravalvular leaks (MPVLs) occur in approximately 5% of patients undergoing mitral valve replacement and are associated with substantial morbidity. Although surgical repair is the gold standard, it carries a significant risk of morbidity and death, which makes percutaneous closure guided by transesophageal echocardiography a viable and attractive approach in high-risk patients.1 Most case reports discuss an antegrade or transapical approach via an arteriovenous wire loop that serves as a monorail, in order to advance and deploy a closure device. A few case reports1–3 have described a retrograde approach in patients with normal aortic valves,
The accompanying case report by Patel and colleagues1 concerns recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) in the context of hyperthyroidism's onset. The authors deserve compliments on their interesting article and their correct phenotypic diagnosis of both TC and hyperthyroidism. Their report prompts me to comment about the importance of prospectively establishing the cause and nature of TC. The medical literature's focus on clinical conditions associated with TC seems intended to clarify causative or predisposing factors in the genesis of TC. Indeed, a simple association of hyperthyroidism with TC might suggest that the former causes the latter; however, to
Direct cannulation of both venae cavae (bicaval venous cannulation) is the gold standard for right atrial isolation in intracavitary surgery, but there has been no consensus about an alternative site. Therefore, we studied an alternative method for bicaval venous drainage in which the left brachiocephalic vein (LBCV) is cannulated instead of the superior vena cava. From 2012 through 2014, we performed routine LBCV cannulation in 150 consecutive patients as part of bicaval venous drainage before right atrial isolation. We prospectively collected demographic information, operative data, total pump and LBCV cannula flows with their respective calculated and indexed rates, central venous pressures, and perioperative complications. All patients survived surgery. There were no adverse technical outcomes or functional deficits associated with the technique. The mean indexed LBCV cannula flow was 1,520 ± 216 mL/min/m2, representing an LBCV cannula-to-calculated pump-flow ratio of 64%. The mean central venous pressure during right atrial isolation was 3.7 ± 1.9 mmHg. Cannulation of the LBCV is intrinsically a safe and reproducible procedure with proven hemodynamic adequacy. Its versatility can be an asset to surgical techniques and perfusion methods. Furthermore, the hemodynamic results in our series promise alternative intrathoracic and extracardiac cannulation sites for mini-extracorporeal circulation, on-pump beating-heart procedures, and short-term circulatory assist device implementation.
In general, treatment for symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiac papillary fibroelastoma is surgical resection—particularly of left-sided lesions, because of the risk of systemic embolization. However, few institutions have enough experience with these tumors to validate this approach. We present our institutional experience with papillary fibroelastoma and discuss our current approach. We searched our institution's cardiac tumor database, identified all patients diagnosed with cardiac papillary fibroelastoma from 1992 through 2014, and recorded the clinical and pathologic characteristics of each case. We found 14 patients (mean age, 60.5 ± 12.3 yr) who had 18 lesions. Eleven patients (79%) were symptomatic; however, we could not always definitively associate their symptoms with a cardiac tumor. Most lesions were solitary and ≤1.5 cm in diameter; half involved the left side of the heart. All 18 lesions were surgically excised. There were no operative or 30-day deaths, and no patient needed valve replacement postoperatively. There was one late death; at one year, another 3 patients were lost to follow-up, and the others were alive without tumor recurrence. Because of the embolic risk inherent to intracardiac masses and our relatively good postoperative outcomes, we recommend the surgical resection of all left-sided papillary fibroelastomas in surgical candidates, and we discuss with patients the advisability of resecting right-sided lesions.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome, is characterized by acute left ventricular dysfunction caused by transient wall-motion abnormalities of the left ventricular apex and mid ventricle in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. Recurrent episodes are rare but have been reported, and several cases of takotsubo cardiomyopathy have been described in the presence of hyperthyroidism. We report the case of a 55-year-old woman who had recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy, documented by repeat coronary angiography and evaluations of left ventricular function, in the presence of recurrent hyperthyroidism related to Graves disease. After both episodes, the patient's left ventricular function returned to normal when her thyroid function normalized. These findings suggest a possible role of thyroid-hormone excess in the pathophysiology of some patients who have takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is a rare cardiac abnormality. Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms in pregnancy are of course rarer still. We present a case in which an aneurysm ruptured into the right ventricular outflow tract during pregnancy. In 2012, a 26-year-old Chinese woman, in the 18th week of pregnancy and with no apparent evidence of cardiac problems, was diagnosed with atrioventricular septal defects and a sinus of Valsalva aneurysm that had ruptured into her right ventricular outflow tract. After an uncomplicated full-term pregnancy, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy by cesarean section. Fifty days postpartum, the patient underwent surgical repair of the ruptured aneurysm and other cardiac defects. Her surgical outcome was good. As of May 2013, the patient and her baby were healthy. Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm in pregnancy can be asymptomatic, and women with such a rupture can have a normal full-term pregnancy and give birth to healthy babies. Cesarean section is preferable for pregnant women with ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm because the hemodynamic changes associated with labor can aggravate the aneurysm. Surgical repair should be performed as soon as the patient's condition allows.
Lactobacillus acidophilus rarely causes bacterial endocarditis, because it usually resides in the mucosa of the vagina, gastrointestinal tract, and oropharynx. Moreover, sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are rare cardiac anomalies, either acquired or congenital. We present the case of a middle-aged man whose bacterial endocarditis, caused by Lactobacillus acidophilus, led to an aneurysmal rupture of the sinus of Valsalva into the right ventricular outflow tract. The patient underwent successful surgical repair, despite numerous complications and sequelae.
Enterococci are common organisms associated with endocarditis, but infection by Enterococcus durans is very rare. To our knowledge, only 3 cases have been reported in the medical literature, and all 3 have involved native valves. Here we publish the first reported case (to our knowledge) of E. durans endocarditis in association with a bioprosthetic aortic valve. After the organism and its antibiotic susceptibility were identified, the 74-year-old male patient was treated successfully with teicoplanin and gentamicin, over a course of 6 weeks.
A 69-year-old man presented with a progressively enlarging pulsatile mass in the left side of his chest. Because of a history of an ischemic cardiomyopathy, he had been randomized in 2003 to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting with a Dor procedure, as part of the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial. Our patient's imaging studies, including a thoracic computed tomogram and transthoracic echocardiogram, were now of concern for left ventricular pseudoaneurysm. He was taken immediately for surgical exploration. Purulent material, with empyema, extended from the anterior chest wall through the chest cavity into the mediastinum, with communication into the pericardial space. Notably, there was no compromise of the left ventricular cavity, and there was no pseudoaneurysm. The chest was copiously irrigated before closure. The epicardial patch placed 10 years earlier in the STICH trial was not thought to be the nidus of the abscess and was therefore not removed. Three months later, the patient presented again, this time with hemorrhagic shock and bleeding from his left anterior thoracotomy site, which we then re-entered. He was found to have a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm with disruption of the ventricular apex. The epicardial felt-and-Dacron patch, placed 10 years previously during his Dor procedure, was found to be infected with Clostridium difficile and was removed. The left ventricular apex was repaired. Whereas C. difficile bacteremia is rare, the seeding of prosthetic cardiac material with delayed presentation, as in this case, is extraordinarily uncommon.
Patent foramen ovale is a common clinical finding that generally becomes a concern in the presence of transient ischemic attack or stroke. Rarely, patent foramen ovale is associated with hypoxemia in the presence of substantial right-to-left atrial shunting. We present the case of an 86-year-old woman with a pacemaker, who was initially asymptomatic notwithstanding a patent foramen ovale. Over 1.5 years, her symptoms progressed in a stepwise fashion, in the setting of progressive pacemaker-associated tricuspid regurgitation. Ultimately, the patient's symptoms and her hypoxemia resolved after percutaneous closure of her patent foramen ovale with use of a 25-mm “Cribriform” occluder device. This case highlights the fact that clinically significant right-to-left shunting requires an anatomic lesion, such as patent foramen ovale, together with elevated right atrial pressure, which in this case was contributed by severe tricuspid regurgitation.
Malignant cardiac tumors typically have a grave prognosis; their resection with negative margins is optimal. We present the case of a 21-year-old woman in whom we surgically resected a primary cardiac sarcoma and reconstructed the right atrium with use of a porcine urinary bladder membrane—the MatriStem® Surgical Matrix PSMX. The patient recovered uneventfully. Six months postoperatively, the right atrial wall had retained its integrity. In addition to our patient's case, we discuss the benefits of using the MatriStem membrane in cardiac reconstruction.
Fulminant myocarditis is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness caused by 5-fluorouracil cardiotoxicity. Data supporting the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the treatment of fulminant myocarditis are limited. A 49-year-old, previously healthy white man, recently diagnosed with anal squamous cell carcinoma, developed severe chest pain hours after completing his first 96-hour intravenous 5-fluorouracil treatment. Over a period of 3 days from onset of symptoms, the patient developed cardiogenic shock secondary to fulminant myocarditis induced by 5-fluorouracil cardiotoxicity. This required emergency initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The patient's systolic function recovered by day 5, and on the 17th day he was discharged in hemodynamically stable condition, without symptoms of heart failure. This case shows the importance of prompt recognition of cardiogenic shock secondary to 5-fluorouracil–induced myocarditis and how the immediate initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can restore adequate tissue perfusion, leading to myocardial recovery and ultimately the survival of the patient.
The use of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators is a novel option for preventing arrhythmia-mediated cardiac death in patients who are at risk of endovascular-device infection or in whom venous access is difficult. However, the potential for electromagnetic interference between subcutaneous defibrillators and left ventricular assist devices is largely unknown. We report the case of a 24-year-old man in whom we observed no electromagnetic interference between a subcutaneous implanted cardioverter-defibrillator and a HeartMate II Left Ventricular Assist System, at 3 different pump speeds. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such findings in this circumstance.
Aortic valve replacement with concomitant mitral valve surgery in the presence of severe aortic root calcification is technically difficult, with long cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times. We performed sutureless aortic valve replacement and mitral valve annuloplasty in a 68-year-old man who had severe aortic stenosis and moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation. Intraoperatively, we found severe calcification of the aortic root. We approached the aortic valve through a transverse aortotomy, performed in a higher position than usual, and we replaced the valve with a Sorin Perceval S sutureless prosthesis. In addition, we performed mitral annuloplasty with use of an open rigid ring. The aortic cross-clamp time was 63 minutes, and the cardiopulmonary bypass time was 83 minutes. No paravalvular leakage of the aortic prosthesis was detected 30 days postoperatively. Our case shows that the Perceval S sutureless bioprosthesis can be safely implanted in patients with aortic root calcification, even when mitral valve disease needs surgical correction.
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in association with strenuous exercise and weightlifting is rather sparsely described in the medical literature. Diagnosis and treatment of this rare condition is a challenge, but prompt recognition and appropriate early choice of angioplasty or surgery can lead to a good outcome. We report the case of a postmenopausal 54-year-old woman who presented with anterior myocardial infarction caused by spontaneous dissection of the left anterior descending coronary artery after she had lifted a heavy weight while gardening. The patient was treated successfully by means of angioplasty and the implantation of 3 drug-eluting stents. In addition to presenting the patient's case, we review the topical medical literature.
A 62-year-old man with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, a history of Boston Scientific biventricular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator placement (in 2011), ventricular tachycardia after radiofrequency ablation (April and November 2014), paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and severe mitral regurgitation presented with acute exacerbation of heart failure. A resting electrocardiogram (ECG) showed normal sequential atrioventricular (AV) pacing at a heart rate of 63 beats/min. Baseline device settings were DDD with a lower rate of 60 beats/min, an upper rate of 115 beats/min, a minimum sensed AV delay of 135 ms, and a minimum paced AV delay of 180 ms. The patient underwent mitral valve replacement. Three days
A 58-year-old man was referred to our hospital with unstable angina and a history of essential hypertension. A chest radiograph showed a right-sided cardiac apex and a gastric air bubble (Fig. 1). His electrocardiogram showed a negative P wave, a QRS complex and T wave in lead I, and low voltage in leads V3 through V6 (Fig. 2). Echocardiograms showed a left-sided liver and dextrocardia, with normal left ventricular systolic function.
A 40-year-old woman with no noteworthy medical history presented with palpitations, atypical chest tightness, and near-syncope. Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiograms showed a small left atrium (Fig. 1); external compression from a mass was suspected. Cardiac magnetic resonance images revealed no masses (Fig. 2). However, there was a loss of normal thoracic kyphosis (Fig. 3), and the left atrium was abnormally small and elongated because of external compression from the thoracic spine. The diagnosis was straight back syndrome.
A 56-year-old woman presented at our outpatient clinic with exertional dyspnea. She reported a more-than-20-year history of undiagnosed episodes of nocturnal coughing, and for 5 years she had been in treatment for hypertension and asthma. In spite of adequate medical treatment for asthma, her symptoms had not improved during that period. Physical examination revealed a grade 2/6 systolic murmur in the 2nd right intercostal space. Her arterial blood pressure was 130/66 mmHg; her heart rate, 118 beats/min; and her pulse oximetry value, 96% on room air. An electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia without ST-T–segment changes. A transthoracic echocardiogram displayed normal cardiac
Tom Hutton, MD. 247 pages. Texas Tech University Press; 2015. Box 1037, Lubbock, TX 79409-1037. Hardcover: US $27.95; ISBN: 978-0-89672-954-4. Available from www.ttupress.org, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble. Field of Medicine: Mainly neurology, but applicable to most of the medical disciplines Format: Hardcover book. Trim size: 6 × 9 inches Recommended Readership: All members of the healthcare team and lay readers interested in the tales of a doctor who practiced medicine the old-fashioned way—listening to patients diligently, examining them carefully, and putting their welfare first, always Purpose: Part memoir and part homage
To the Editor: In the “Focus on ECGs” section of the February 2016 issue, Gahremanpour and colleagues described an interesting case of pacing on the T wave.1 We completely agree that it was not a sensing issue with the pacemaker and that answer “C” was appropriate. However, in the answer section, the authors described the premature ventricular contraction (PVC) as falling in the post-ventricular atrial blanking period (PVAB). The PVAB is the interval after a sensed or paced ventricular event, during which any atrial activity is not seen by the pacemaker.2,3 In the authors'
