Successful Endoscopic Clipping of Appendiceal Orifice Bleeding: A Technical Maneuver to Convert an Emergency to an Elective Procedure

Objective: We report a rare case of an elderly man with appendiceal bleeding successfully treated with endoscopic placement of hemoclips. Methods: We describe the patient’s clinical presentation, laboratory test results, imaging, and treatment. Results: An 89-year-old man presented with two episodes of bloody diarrhea that occurred two hours apart. Colonoscopy revealed active bleeding from the appen- diceal orifice. Hemostasis was achieved with epinephrine injections followed by placement of five hemoclips to effectively close the appendiceal orifice. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed an irregular thick- ening of the appendix wall, raising the possibility of an appendiceal mass. On hospital day 4, the patient underwent appendectomy and partial cecectomy. Pathology revealed focal ulceration of the mucosa without malig- nancy. The remainder of the patient’s hospital course was uneventful.Conclusion: The endoscopic methods used in our case proved effective in achieving hemostasis and allowed the patient to be stabilized prior to surgery. It is unclear whether longer monitoring would reveal any possible long-term complications after endoscopic closure of the appendix. It would be of interest to further investigate this approach to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of this procedure.

Acute Obstructive Suppuration of the Pancreatic Duct Causing Sepsis

Objective: We report a rare case of acute obstructive suppuration of the pancreatic duct causing sepsis, which was successfully treated with emergent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Methods: We describe the patient’s clinical presentation, laboratory test results, and imaging used for diagnosis and treatment. Results: A 33-year-old female with a history of recurrent acute pancreatitis was admitted during an episode of acute pancreatitis. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed acute pancreatitis, diffuse pancreatic atrophy and pancreatic ductal dilatation with obstruction due to a soft tissue lesion within the distal duct. Shortly after admission she developed symptoms and signs of sepsis. Urgent ERCP was performed to further assess the suspected cholangitis. “Clean” bile emanated from the common bile duct, while copious purulent fluid was detected at the dilated pancreatic duct orifice, confirming suppuration of the pancreatic duct. A plastic single pigtail stent was placed traversing the ampulla and pancreatic duct stones that were causing the obstruction, which were later removed. After endoscopic decompression, the patient rapidly improved over the following 24 hours and had no subsequent admissions for pancreatitis.Conclusion: Acute suppuration of the pancreatic duct (ASPD) is a rare and potentially fatal infectious complication of pancreatic ductal obstruction with few cases reported in the English literature. It would be of interest to further investigate the exact pathophysiology leading to development of ASPD. The endoscopic methods of urgent ERCP and pancreatic duct decompression utilized in our case proved effective in successfully treating ASPD. This unusual condition should be considered in patients with acute pancreatitis who develop early clinical decompensation.

An Unusual Case of Drug-Induced Acute Pancreatitis

We report a rare case of drug-induced pancreatitis in a patient receiving repaglinide antidiabetic therapy. A patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus presented with severe abdominal cramping, nausea, and vomiting. Three months prior to symptoms, repaglinide was added to the patient’s current regimen of metformin. The patient was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, treatment was initi- ated, and repaglinide was discontinued. There was no history of pancreatitis or other risk factors such as history of gallstones, alcohol abuse, or hypertriglyceridemia. The patient reported resolution of symptoms following discontinuation of repaglinide. Considering the temporal relationship of his symptoms to the addition of repaglinide to his existing antidiabetic regimen, this case strongly suggests a possible causal link between repaglinide and the etiology of acute pancreatitis in this patient.

Clinical impact of baseline chronic kidney disease in patients undergoing transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement

ObjectivesTo assess the treatment effect of TAVR versus SAVR on clinical outcomes to 3 years in patients stratified by chronic kidney disease (CKD) by retrospectively studying patients randomized to TAVR or SAVR.BackgroundThe impact of CKD on mid‐term outcomes of patients undergoing TAVR versus SAVR is unclear.MethodsPatients randomized to TAVR or SAVR in the CoreValve US Pivotal High Risk Trial were retrospectively stratified by eGFR: none/mild or moderate/severe CKD. To evaluate the impact of baseline CKD in TAVR patients only, all patients undergoing an attempted TAVR implant in the US Pivotal Trial and CAS were stratified by baseline eGFR into none/mild, moderate, and severe CKD. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and renal events (MACRE), a composite of all‐cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke/TIA, and new requirement of dialysis.ResultsModerate/severe CKD was present in 62.7% and 60.7% of high‐risk patients randomized to TAVR or SAVR, respectively. Baseline characteristics were similar between TAVR and SAVR patients in both CKD subgroups, except for higher rates of diabetes and higher serum creatinine in SAVR patients. Among high‐risk patients with moderate/severe CKD, TAVR provided a lower 3‐year MACRE rate compared with SAVR: 42.1% vs. 51.0, P = .04. Of 3,733 extreme‐ and high‐risk TAVR patients, 39.9% had none/mild, 53.8% moderate, and 6.4% severe CKD. Worsening baseline CKD was associated with increased 3‐year MACRE rates [none/mild 51.5%, moderate 54.5%, severe 63.1%, P = .001].ConclusionsTAVR results in lower 3‐year MACRE versus SAVR in high‐risk patients with moderate/severe CKD. In patients undergoing TAVR, worsening CKD increases mid‐term mortality and MACRE. Randomized trials of TAVR vs. SAVR in patients with moderate‐severe CKD would help elucidate the best treatment for these complex patients.Trial RegistrationCoreValve US Pivotal Trial: NCT01240902.CoreValve Continued Access Study: NCT01531374.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148361/1/ccd27928_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148361/2/ccd27928.pd

The initial U.S. experience with the Tempo active fixation temporary pacing lead in structural heart interventions

ObjectivesThis multicenter retrospective study of the initial U.S. experience evaluated the safety and efficacy of temporary cardiac pacing with the Tempo® Temporary Pacing Lead.BackgroundDespite increasing use of temporary cardiac pacing with the rapid growth of structural heart procedures, temporary pacing leads have not significantly improved. The Tempo lead is a new temporary pacing lead with a soft tip intended to minimize the risk of perforation and a novel active fixation mechanism designed to enhance lead stability.MethodsData from 269 consecutive structural heart procedures were collected. Outcomes included device safety (absence of clinically significant cardiac perforation, new pericardial effusion, or sustained ventricular arrhythmia) and efficacy (clinically acceptable pacing thresholds with successful pace capture throughout the index procedure). Postprocedure practices and sustained lead performance were also analyzed.ResultsThe Tempo lead was successfully positioned in the right ventricle and achieved pacing in 264 of 269 patients (98.1%). Two patients (0.8%) experienced loss of pace capture. Procedural mean pace capture threshold (PCT) was 0.7 ± 0.8 mA. There were no clinically significant perforations, pericardial effusions, or sustained device‐related arrhythmias. The Tempo lead was left in place postprocedure in 189 patients (71.6%) for mean duration of 43.3 ± 0.7 hr (range 2.5–221.3 hr) with final PCT of 0.84 ± 1.04 mA (n = 80). Of these patients, 84.1% mobilized out of bed with no lead dislodgment.ConclusionThe Tempo lead is safe and effective for temporary cardiac pacing for structural heart procedures, provides stable peri and postprocedural pacing and allows mobilization of patients who require temporary pacing leads.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154941/1/ccd28476.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154941/2/ccd28476_am.pd

Incidence and Outcomes of Infective Endocarditis After Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background Data comparing the frequency and outcomes of infective endocarditis (IE) after transcatheter (TAVR) to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) are scarce. The objective of this study is to compare the incidence and outcomes of IE after TAVR using a supra-annular, self-expanding platform (CoreValve and Evolut) to SAVR. Methods and Results Data of 3 randomized clinical trials comparing TAVR to SAVR and a prospective continued TAVR access study were pooled. IE was defined on the basis of the modified Duke criteria. The cumulative incidence of IE was determined by modeling the cause-specific hazard. Estimates of all-cause mortality were calculated by means of the Kaplan-Meier method. Outcomes are reported for the valve-implant cohort. During a mean follow-up time of 2.17±1.51 years, 12 (0.5%) of 2249 patients undergoing TAVR and 21 (1.1%) of 1828 patients undergoing SAVR developed IE. Patients with IE more frequently had diabetes mellitus than those without (57.6% versus 34.2%; P=0.005). The cumulative incidence of IE was 1.01% (95% CI, 0.47%-1.96%) after TAVR and 1.58% (95% CI, 0.97%-2.46%) after SAVR (P=0.047) at 5 years. Among patients with IE, the rate of all-cause mortality was 27.3% (95% CI, 1.0%-53.6%) in the TAVR and 51.8% (95% CI, 28.2%-75.3%) in the SAVR group at 1 year (log-rank P=0.15). Conclusions Pooled prospectively collected data comparing TAVR with a supra-annular, self-expanding device to SAVR showed a low cumulative risk of IE irrespective of treatment modality, although the risk was lower in the TAVR implant group. Once IE occurred, mortality was high. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifiers: NCT01240902, NCT01586910, NCT02701283