Mitral and Aortic Valve Endocarditis Due to Staphylococcus lugdunensis

Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a recently described coagulase negative staphylococcal species involved in human infections. Endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus lugdunensis has been reported rarely: fewer than 50 cases have been described so far. The infection is frequently complicated by embolic events and carries a high mortality rate. We report a case of endocarditis due to Staphylococcus lugdunensis in which the native mitral and aortic valves were infected. The bacterium was isolated on cultures from the aortic and mitral vegetations. Appropriate medical and surgical treatment led to a good outcome of the infection. At 6-year follow-up, there was no evidence of recurrence, and the patient showed good functional recovery. He was in New York Heart Association functional class I

Dissecting the correlates of N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide in acute infective endocarditis

Purpose: To explore the prognostic value and the correlates of NT-proBNP in patients with acute infective endocarditis, a life-threatening disease, with an often unpredictable outcome given by the lack of reliable prognostic parameters. Methods: We retrospectively studied 337 patients admitted to our centre between January 1, 2006 and September 30, 2020 with available NT-proBNP level at admission. Our analyses were performed considering NT-proBNP as both a categorical variable, using the median value as the cut-off level, and numerical variable. Study end points were in-hospital mortality, cardiac surgery and 1 year survival. Results: NT-proBNP was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (OR 14.9 [95%C.I. 2.46-90.9]; P = .003). Levels below 2926 pg/mL were highly predictive of a favorable in-hospital outcome (negative predictive value 96.6%). Patients with higher NT-proBNP levels showed a significantly lower survival rate at 1 year follow-up (log-rank P = .005). NT-proBNP was strongly associated with chronic kidney disease (P < .001) and significantly higher in patients with prior chronic heart failure (P = .001). NT-proBNP was tightly related to staphylococcal IE (P = .001) as well as with higher CRP and hs-troponin I (P = 0.023, P < .001, respectively). Conclusion: Our results confirm the remarkable prognostic role of NT-proBNP in patients with IE and provide novel evidences of its multifaceted correlates in this unique clinical setting. Our data strongly support the incorporation of NT-proBNP into the current diagnostic work-up of IE

The ascending aorta with bicuspid aortic valve: A phenotypic classification with potential prognostic significance

Objectives: Different methods to classify the anatomical configurations of the aorta with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) have been proposed. We aimed to test them in terms of descriptive power (i.e. capability to identify different clusters of patients with unique associations of anatomo-clinical features) and possible prognostic significance. Methods: A consecutive echocardiographic series of 696 BAV patients (mean age 48 ± 16 years, male:female ratio 3:1) was analysed. Three possible schemes for classification of the patterns of aortic dimensions were compared. One defined the aortic shape as 'N' (ascending sinotubular junction (STJ)), 'A' (ascending > sinuses > STJ) or 'E' (sinotubular ≥ sinuses), the second as 'non-dilated', 'ascending phenotype' (dilated, with ascending > sinuses) or 'root phenotype' (dilated, with sinuses > ascending) and the third as normal, 'type I' (dilated only at the ascending tract), 'type II' (dilated at both ascending and sinus levels) or 'type III' (dilated only at the sinuses). We evaluated the correlation with valve morphotypes (right-left fusion, right-non-coronary fusion) and patient characteristics. In a smaller longitudinal study (n = 150), the occurrence of fast growth of the aorta (fifth quintile: ≤1 mm/year) during follow-up (5 ± 3 years) in the various phenotypes was assessed. Results: The three classification methods proved meaningful in terms of association with valve morphotypes: significant associations were found between right-left-coronary BAV and the root phenotype (P 1 mm/year) of the ascending diameter (50% root phenotype patients; P = 0.005). The association with the N type was weaker (P = 0.055); no association was found with types from the other classification scheme (P = 0.42). Conclusions: When tested on a large population, three previously suggested phenotypic classifications of the BAV aorta proved to categorize patients into significantly different clusters, but only the classification system distinguishing between ascending phenotype and root phenotype showed a potential prognostic value. Phenotypic class of the aorta could be a factor to integrate in future comprehensive models for risk stratification of BAV aortopathy. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved

Clinical significance of hyperhomocysteinemia in infective endocarditis A case-control study

Blood coagulation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis (IE). Conditions associated with thrombophilia could enhance IE vegetation formation and promote embolic complications. In this study, we assessed prevalence, correlates, and clinical consequences of hyper-homocysteinemia (h-Hcy) in IE. Homocysteine (Hcy) plasma levels were studied in 246 IE patients and 258 valvular heart disease (VHD) patients, as well as in 106 healthy controls. IE patients showed Hcy levels comparable to VHD patients (14.9 [3-81] vs 16 [5-50] mmol/L, respectively; P=0.08). H-Hcy was observed in 48.8% of IE patients and 55.8% of VHD (P=0.13). Vegetation size and major embolic complications were not related to Hcy levels. IE patients with h-Hcy had a higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease and a higher 1-year mortality (19.6% vs 9.9% in those without h-Hcy; OR 2.21 [1.00-4.89], P=0.05). However, at logistic regression analysis, h-Hcy was not an independent predictor of 1-year mortality (OR 1.87 [95% CI 0.8-4.2]; P=0.13). Our data suggest h-Hcy in IE is common, is related to a worse renal function, and may be a marker of cardiac dysfunction rather than infection. H-Hcy does not appear to favor IE vegetation formation or its symptomatic embolic complications

SICI-GISE commuNity CAmpania survey doNna TAVI (INCANTA): Outcome perioperatorio e a breve termine della procedura di impianto transcatetere di valvola aortica nelle donne

Background. Nowadays the prognostic role of gender as a relevant factor after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is still unfair, since available data in the literature are few and uneven. The aim of this survey was to collect acute and 30-day safety and efficacy clinical data in high-and intermediate-risk women, who underwent TAVI with new-generation devices, in the Campania Region.Methods. All medium and high-volume TAVI centers in Campania have been invited to fulfill an online, ad-hoc questionnaire, collecting pre-, peri-and post-procedural data concerning female patients, treated between January and December 2016.Results. 331 women (representing the 61% of the overall population treated; mean age 83 +/- 7 years) underwent TAVI in the participating Campania centers. Age >80 years (72%), high surgical risk score (63%) and frailty (55%) were found to be the top three reasons for the TAVI choice. Overall, 95% of the procedures were performed by transfemoral approach with local anesthesia; the remaining 5% (16 cases) were conducted via transapical (14, 4%) and transaortic (2, 1%) accesses, under general anesthesia. Edwards Sapien 3 (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) and Medtronic Evolut R (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) were the most frequently implanted valves (146, 44% and 132, 43%, respectively). The questioned Centers reported a mean length of hospital stay of 5.5 +/- 1.1 days, 1.6 +/- 0.37 of which in a cardiac care unit. The most prevalent in-hospital complication was pacemaker implantation (15%), followed by life-threatening vascular complications (3%). The 30-day VARC-2 composite endpoint occurred in 7% of cases, all-cause death in 4%, and stroke in 1%.Conclusions. This survey, the first representative of women undergoing TAVI in Campania, appears to confirm the good safety and efficacy profile of this procedure, also in the high-and intermediate-risk settings, probably favored by a prevalent use of new-generation devices and a low rate prevalence of significant patient comorbidities.Background. Nowadays the prognostic role of gender as a relevant factor after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is still unfair, since available data in the literature are few and uneven. The aim of this survey was to collect acute and 30-day safety and efficacy clinical data in high- and intermediate-risk women, who underwent TAVI with new-generation devices, in the Campania Region. Methods. All medium and high-volume TAVI centers in Campania have been invited to fulfill an online, ad-hoc questionnaire, collecting pre-, peri- and post-procedural data concerning female patients, treated between January and December 2016. Results. 331 women (representing the 61[%] of the overall population treated; mean age 83 ± 7 years) underwent TAVI in the participating Campania centers. Age >80 years (72[%]), high surgical risk score (63[%]) and frailty (55[%]) were found to be the top three reasons for the TAVI choice. Overall, 95[%] of the procedures were performed by transfemoral approach with local anesthesia; the remaining 5[%] (16 cases) were conducted via transapical (14, 4[%]) and transaortic (2, 1[%]) accesses, under general anesthesia. Edwards Sapien 3 (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) and Medtronic Evolut R (Medtronic Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA) were the most frequently implanted valves (146, 44[%] and 132, 43[%], respectively). The questioned Centers reported a mean length of hospital stay of 5.5 ± 1.1 days, 1.6 ± 0.37 of which in a cardiac care unit. The most prevalent in-hospital complication was pacemaker implantation (15[%]), followed by life-threatening vascular complications (3[%]). The 30-day VARC-2 composite endpoint occurred in 7[%] of cases, all-cause death in 4[%], and stroke in 1[%]. Conclusions. This survey, the first representative of women undergoing TAVI in Campania, appears to confirm the good safety and efficacy profile of this procedure, also in the high- and intermediate-risk settings, probably favored by a prevalent use of new-generation devices and a low rate prevalence of significant patient comorbidities