Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Assessment Of Left Atrial Function In Patients With Heart Failure: Correlation With Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels, Ashraf A. E. Dawood, Ghada M. Sultan, Mohamed F. Al-Noamany, Mohamed L. H. Moustafa, Naglaa F. Sebaeia

Menoufia Medical Journal

Objectives To assess left atrial function by speckle tracking in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction and HF with preserved ejection fraction and correlate it with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). Background HF is a clinical syndrome characterized by impaired structure and/or function of the heart, leading to dyspnea and fatigue at rest or with exertion. The pathophysiology of HF is complex, and there is no single etiological lesion. Patients and methods The study comprised 80 randomly selected persons presented to Cardiology Department of Menoufia University Hospitals, Egypt, from January to October 2016 to April 2018. They included …

Improved Outcomes In The Treatment Of Post-Myocardial Infarction Ventricular Septal Defect With Percutaneous Tandemheart Left Ventricular Mechanical Circulatory Support, Pranav Loyalka, Angelo Nascimbene, Sriram S. Nathan, Rajko Radovancevic, Ajay S. Raman, Manish K. Patel, Keshava Rajagopal, Biswajit Kar, Igor D. Gregoric

The VAD Journal

Background

Post-myocardial infarction (MI) ventricular septal defect (VSD) is associated with 40% - 50% of peri-procedural mortalities; however, it is amenable to catheter-based therapies. We retrospectively investigated the impact of state-of-the-art bridging percutaneous left ventricular mechanical circulatory support (MCS) using the TandemHeart® (TH) ventricular assist device (VAD) on a patient with post-MI VSD.

Results

From July 2008 to March 2014, 23 patients were referred for treatment of post-MI VSD. Initially, 18/23 patients required MCS; 12 received an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), while 6 received initial TH support. Seven of the IABP patients later required TH support. Catheter-based device VSD closure …

Perioperative Management Of Pheochromocytoma Resection In A Patient With A Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device, Arif Albulushi Md, Ronald Zolty Md Phd, Brian Lowes Md, Phd, Amy L. Duhacheck-Stapleman Md, Tal Sandler Md, James N. Sullivan Md, Douglas Stoller Md Phd

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Current generation LVADs provide continuous blood flow which has been shown to increase sympathetic tone. Pheochromocytoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor which classically presents with episodic hypertension, palpitations and headaches. Careful perioperative management with alpha blockade is required to prevent cardiovascular complications, specifically hypertensive crisis. Here we present a description of perioperative management of pheochromocytoma in a patient with a continuous flow LVAD. Traditional assessment of sympathetic tone is challenging in LVAD patients due to the presence of continuous circulatory flow. Invasive management via an arterial line was useful in perioperative management, allowing for accurate circulatory monitoring and hemodynamic control. …

Fatal Heart Failure Induced By Pazopanib In A Sarcoma Patient Previously Treated With Gemcitabine, Daniela Di Lisi, Girolamo Manno, Clarissa Filorizzo, Tommaso Guarino, Giulia Santanelli, Monica Lunetta, Giuseppe Badalamenti, Antonio Russo, Giuseppina Novo

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Gemcitabine is commonly used for various solid organ malignancies with rarely reported cardiac side effects such as cardiomyopathy. Pazopanib usually can cause arterial hypertension but cases of heart failure have recently been reported. We describe a case of fatal heart failure after treatment with gemcitabine and pazopanib in a 55-year-old female with sarcoma. Patient developed left ventricular dysfunction after gemcitabine treatment and acute heart failure after 22 days of pazopanib treatment which led to death. Physicians should be aware of the cardiotoxicity risk when managing the use of pazopanib especially in patients previously treated with other cardiotoxic drugs.

Association Of Palliative Care Consultation With Advance Directive Completion For Patients Admitted With An Acute Heart Failure Exacerbation, Michelle Crispo, Doug Sawyer, Kathleen Fairfield, Rebecca N. Hutchinson

Journal of Maine Medical Center

No abstract for research letter

Economic Benefits Of Medication Reconciliation Performed By Pharmacists In Heart Failure Clinic, Tasigan Chaemchoi, Adisak Weerasaksanti, Thanaporn Poohirunkul, Suthida Chanchencho, Yotsaya Kunlamas, Pitchapong Kositchaiwat, Sarawut Siwamogsatham, Angkawipa Trongtorsak, Sarinya Puwanant, Puwanant Sinphurmsukskul

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Lactate Dehydrogenase Rising: Bleeding Or Clotting?, Ashleigh Long, Amin Yehya, David Baran

The VAD Journal

Modern continuous-flow ventricular assist devices (VADs) have greatly improved the survival of patients with end stage heart failure. However, they are associated with adverse effects, including cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), bleeding, infection, and device thrombosis. Definitive measures to evaluate for pump thrombosis can be challenging; hence, multiple laboratory and imaging modalities have been studied to help guide decision making. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has proven to be a reliable test when used in the appropriate clinical settings to help diagnose pump thrombosis. When a patient presents with both signs of life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage and VAD thrombosis, the clinical picture can be quite …

What Is A Vad Social Worker? A National Perspective, Pamela Combs, William Cohen, Umar Siddiqi, Valluvan Jeevanandam

The VAD Journal

Ventricular Assist Device Social Workers (VAD SWs) are mandated members of VAD care teams and contribute to the psychosocial aspect of patient care within the United States. However, the contributions and methods of the VAD SW are relatively undefined. This article reports the results of two national surveys regarding VAD SWs. One survey ascertains the VAD SW’s views of their work and their role in the VAD care team. The other survey assesses the VAD SWs involvement with care, through the perspective of the VAD team. Our results indicate that SWs are not only routinely involved in VAD patient selection …

Heart Failure In The Middle East Arab Countries: Current And Future Perspectives, Abdelfatah Elasfar, Waleed Alhabeeb, Salma Elasfar

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

For many years, data about heart failure (HF) was only limited to Western countries but in the last few years, well designed heart failure registries have been conducted in many developing countries. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current status regarding the epidemiology and management of heart failure in Middle East Arab countries (MEACs) by analysis of the results of the latest HF registries performed in these countries and to anticipate future perspectives, quality initiatives and areas of research and development. Data has shown that the average age of affected individuals is at least 10 years younger …

Cardiac Amyloidosis—An Underdiagnosed Cause Of Heart Failure In The Elderly, Tahir Nazir, Mahmud Nuffati

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Amyloidosis is a rare, generally multisystem disease that can also involve the heart. Infiltration of the myocardium with amyloid proteins is an important and underappreciated cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the elderly. We present the case of an 84-year-old man with chest tightness, dyspnoea, and ascites. He had a history of dyslipidaemia and ischaemic heart disease. Initial investigations showed severe diastolic dysfunction and elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure on echocardiogram along with elevated serum natriuretic peptides. Further evaluation by a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the heart and endomyocardial biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of senile systemic …

The Use Of Antidepressants In Patients With Heart Failure, Norah Alsumih, Rahaf Alqahtani, Faisal Almutairi, Rakan Faraj, Turki Alsubeai, Ahmed Alghanim, Shmylan Alharbi, Hind Almodaimegh

Journal of the Saudi Heart Association

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease affecting patients’ quality of life (QoL) and may cause depression. Recent studies reported that the prevalence of depression in patients with HF is 21.5%. Antidepressants, mainly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are usually prescribed for HF patients diagnosed with depression. Some evidence supports antidepressant’s role in improving symptoms by enhancing the psychological aspect of their QoL. Depression screening and treatment are important in the multidisciplinary management; however, their survival benefits are inconsistent. In our study, we aim to investigate the prevalence of depression and the use of antidepressants in patients with HF as …

What Did We Learn About Vads In 2019?, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

This is our 6th annual literature review on mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices.

Our previous reports for 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 were published as open access articles and were well received by the readers. In this paper, we summarize the most interesting and important, from our standpoint, publications from 2019. As we have done for the past two years, a section on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is included and primarily addresses new developments in veno-arterial ECMO use.

Heart Rate Variability: A Possible Machine Learning Biomarker For Mechanical Circulatory Device Complications And Heart Recovery, Theodore Lin, Zain Khalpey, Shravan Aras

The VAD Journal

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one cause of death in the United States, with heart failure patients expected to increase to >8 million by 2030. Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are now better able to manage acute and chronic heart failure refractory to medical therapy, both as bridge to transplant or as bridge to destination. Despite significant advances in MCS device design and surgical implantation technique, it remains difficult to predict response to device therapy. Heart rate variability (HRV), measuring the variation in time interval between adjacent heartbeats, is an objective device diagnostic regularly recorded by various MCS …

A Case Of Heartmate 3 Outflow Graft Twisting With Extraluminal Thrombosis: Is Computed Tomography Angiography Helpful?, Karim Saleb, Marianna Zagurovskaya, Michael Sekela, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

Twists in the outflow graft of the HeartMate^TM 3 device (Abbott) have recently been described as a sporadic, late complication. We present a case with a unique combination of external compression of the HeartMate 3 outflow graft by a surgical scar compounded by thrombus formation in the space between the band relief and the outflow graft with associated twist of the outflow graft and severe flow limitation. Computed tomography angiogram (CTA) of the chest was suggestive of outflow graft thrombosis. Our case sheds additional light on the limited specificity of gated CTA in distinguishing the outflow graft twisting from …

Does The Volume Overload Exaggerate The Severity Of Mitral Regurgitation In Patients With Decompensated Heart Failure?, Göktuğ Savaş, Ömer Şahi̇n, Mustafa Yaşan, Uğur Karabiyik, Ni̇hat Kalay, Ali̇ Doğan, Ferhan Elmali, Abdurrahman Oğuzhan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Diagnosing and managing functional mitral regurgitation (MR) is often challenging and requires an integrated approach including a comprehensive echocardiographic examination. However, the effects of volume overload on the echocardiographic assessment of MR severity are uncertain. The purpose of this study was to weigh the effects of volume overload in the echocardiographic assessment of MR severity among patients with heart failure (HF). Materials and methods: Twenty-nine patients with decompensated HF, who had moderate or severe MR, were included in the present study. The volume status and the N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP) levels were recorded and the echocardiographic parameters were …