Right ventricular thrombus successfully dissolved with novel oral anticoagulant therapy

Pacjentka w wieku 71 lat bez objawów podmiotowych została przyjęta na Oddział Kardiologii z powodu zmiany w obrębie koniuszka prawej komory, przypadkowo stwierdzonej w tomografii komputerowej jamy brzusznej. W przezklatkowym badaniu echokardiograficznym zaobserwowano hipoechogeniczną, przyścienną strukturę o morfologii skrzepliny w świetle prawej komory (o wymiarach 32 mm × 16 mm) z obecnością hipokinezy przyległych segmentów ściany serca. W trakcie hospitalizacji wykluczono obecność choroby wieńcowej, zatorowości płucnej i systemową chorobę tkanki łącznej. Za pomocą rezonansu magnetycznego serca uwidoczniono hipointensywną skrzeplinę w koniuszku prawej komory, a kontrolna tomografia komputerowa serca potwierdziła stabilne wymiary i charakter zmiany. Na podstawie powyższego obrazu klinicznego wdrożono przewlekłe leczenie przeciwkrzepliwie nowymi doustnymi antykoagulantami (NOAC). Kontrolne badanie echokardiograficzne wykonane po 3 miesiącach od wypisania ze szpitala wykazało całkowitą regresję skrzepliny i normalizację odcinkowych zaburzeń kurczliwości prawej komory. Niniejszy opis przypadku dokumentuje możliwość zastosowania NOAC w celu leczenia incydentalnej, przyściennej skrzepliny w prawej komorze.A 71-year-old asymptomatic female was admitted to the department of cardiology on account of incidental finding of a tumour- like mass located in the apex of right ventricle, which was revealed during contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdominal cavity. Transthoracic echocardiography showed hypoechogenic right ventricular mass (32 mm × 16 mm), suggestive of thrombus with hypokinesia of the surrounding right ventricular wall. Coronary artery disease, connective tissue disease and pulmonary embolism were excluded. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging indicated the presence of hypo-intense mural thrombus, while repeated computed tomography confirmed stable size and character of the lesion. The anticoagulation therapy with novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) was instituted. Following three months of treatment, the echocardiographic assessment confirmed complete disappearance of thrombus and resolution of regional wall motion abnormalities. The present case indicates that NOAC can be utilised as effective agents in case of incidental right ventricular mural thrombus, unrelated to pulmonary embolism

Small vessel coronary artery disease: How small can we go with myocardial revascularization?

The issue of small coronary artery atherosclerosis represents an intriguing aspect of coronary artery disease, which is related with higher rates of peri- and post-procedural complications and impaired long-term outcome. This problem is further complicated by the unclear definition of small coronary vessel. Recent randomized controlled trials have provided new data on possible novel interventional treatment of small coronary vessels with drug-coated balloons instead of traditional new-generation drug-eluting stent implantation. Also, the conservative management represents a therapeutic option in light of the results of the recent ISCHEMIA trial. The current article provides an overview of the most appropriate definition, interventional management, and prognosis of small coronary artery atherosclerosis

Clinical Study Complex Assessment of the Incidence and Risk Factors of Delirium in a Large Cohort of Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Single-Center 6-Year Experience

Background. Previous reports provided inconsistent data on the occurrence of postoperative delirium and emphasized its considerable impact on outcome. This study sought to evaluate the incidence and predictors of delirium, together with its relation to cerebral ischemia in a large cohort of cardiac surgery patients in a tertiary high-volume center. Methods and Results. Consecutive patients (n = 8792) were prospectively enrolled from 2003 to 2008. Exclusion criteria were history of psychiatric disorders, use of psychoactive drugs, alcohol abuse, and data incompleteness. Finally, 5781 patients were analyzed in terms of 100 perioperative patient-specific and treatment variables. The incidence of postoperative delirium (DSM IV criteria) was 4.1% and it coexisted with cerebral ischemia in 1.1% of patients. In bivariate analysis, 49 variables were significantly linked to postoperative delirium. Multivariate analysis confirmed that delirium was independently associated with postoperative stroke (logistic odds ratio (logOR) = 2.862, P = 0.004), any blood transfusions (logOR = 4.178, < 0.0001), age > 65 years (logOR = 2.417, P = 0.002), carotid artery stenosis (logOR = 2.15, P = 0.01), urgent/emergent surgery (logOR = 1.982, P = 0.02), fasting glucose level, intraoperative oxygen partial pressure fluctuations, and hematocrit. Area under ROC curve for the model was 0.8933. Conclusions. Early identification of nonpsychiatric perioperative determinants of delirium facilitates its diagnosis and might help develop preventive strategies to improve long-term outcome after cardiac surgery procedures

Renalase is associated with adverse left atrial remodelling and disease burden in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing pulmonary vein isolation

Background: Renalase is a catecholamine-metabolising enzyme, but its possible association with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unknown. Aim: We sought to evaluate plasma renalase concentration in patients with AF undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with respect to AF clinical characteristics, left atrial (LA) remodelling, and PVI efficacy. Methods: This case-control study included 69 patients (median age 58 years) with either paroxysmal (89%) or persistent (11%) AF, referred for PVI, and a control group consisting of 15 patients without AF, matched for age, sex, and comorbidi­ties. An evaluation of transthoracic echocardiography with LA speckle tracking and plasma renalase concentration using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed. AF recurrence was defined as any AF episode on seven-day electro­cardiographic monitoring at six-month follow-up. Results: Renalase level was higher in the study group than in the control group (mean 27.99 vs. 21.48 μg/mL, p = 0.004), but it was lower in patients with persistent AF (19.05 vs. 28.77 μg/mL; p = 0.023) and among patients with AF episodes di­rectly preceding PVI (24.50 vs. 29.66 μg/mL; p = 0.04). Renalase concentration within the first quartile was associated with higher mean heart rate (70 vs. 61 bpm, p = 0.029), greater AF burden (36.9% vs. 9.3%, p = 0.027), greater LA diameter (41.1 vs. 37.9 mm, p = 0.011), and a trend towards less negative global LA strain (–9.4 vs. –13.5, p = 0.082). Logistic regres­sion revealed that global four-chamber LA strain was the only independent predictor of renalase variability (p = 0.0045). Renalase concentration did not predict AF recurrence at six-month follow-up (area under curve [AUC] = 0.614, p = 0.216). Conclusions: Low renalase level may be associated with impaired rate control, higher AF burden, and advanced LA remodel­ling in AF patients undergoing PVI, but it does not predict sinus rhythm maintenance