Cardiology Commons^™

Kounis Syndrome, Charles Doerner, Mark Sawh, Tamer A. Amer, Konstantinos Marmagkiolis

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2020

Kounis syndrome, also known as allergic vasospastic angina, is a type of acute coronary syndrome caused by an allergic reaction or immune response to a substance.[1] It is essentially an “allergic angina” which is believed to be caused by mast cell activation and release of cytokines and histamine causing spasm of the artery leading to acute coronary syndrome and acute myocardial infarction. Stress cardiomyopathy (Takotsubo syndrome), which predominantly affects post-menopausal women, may also occur in anaphylaxis where transient ventricular dysfunction associated with regional ventricular wall abnormalities extending beyond the regions of coronary blood supply ensues.[2] The suspected prevalence of Kounis …

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome: De Novo Variants And Evidence For Mutational Burden In Genes Associated With Atrial Fibrillation, Zeynep H Coban-Akdemir, Wu-Lin Charng, Mahshid Azamian, Ingrid S Paine, Jaya Punetha, Christopher M Grochowski, Tomasz Gambin, Santiago O Valdes, Bryan Cannon, Gladys Zapata, Patricia P Hernandez, Shalini Jhangiani, Harsha Doddapaneni, Jianhong Hu, Fatima Boricha, Donna M Muzny, Eric Boerwinkle, Yaping Yang, Richard A Gibbs, Jennifer E Posey, Xander H T Wehrens, John W Belmont, Jeffrey J Kim, Christina Y Miyake, James R Lupski, Seema R Lalani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is a relatively common arrhythmia affecting ~1-3/1,000 individuals. Mutations in PRKAG2 have been described in rare patients in association with cardiomyopathy. However, the genetic basis of WPW in individuals with a structurally normal heart remains poorly understood. Sudden death due to atrial fibrillation (AF) can also occur in these individuals. Several studies have indicated that despite ablation of an accessory pathway, the risk of AF remains high in patients compared to general population.

METHODS: We applied exome sequencing in 305 subjects, including 65 trios, 80 singletons, and 6 multiple affected families. We used de novo analysis, …

Axillary Artery Pseudoaneurysm Following Percutaneous Transaxillary Access For Impella Device Placement During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Anas A. Alharbi, Fahad S. Alqahtani, Peter Farjo, Jason A. Moreland

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Percutaneous transaxillary access is currently considered an acceptable alternative to transfemoral approach for large-bore access, especially in the setting of hostile iliofemoral arteries. Few published reports exist concerning complications of upper extremity access. We describe development of an axillary artery pseudoaneurysm and its management following transaxillary access. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.)

Brain Abscess And The Nonfenestrated Fontan Circulation, Bethany Runkel, William B. Drake, Geetha Raghuveer

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Brain abscess is a rare but life-threatening condition. Intracardiac or extracardiac right-to-left shunting in patients with unrepaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, pulmonary arteriovenous malformations, or venovenous collaterals allows microbes unfiltered access to the brain. Brain abscess must be considered when cyanotic patients present with headache.

Impact Of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation On Survival In Cancer Patients: Do Not Resuscitate Before Or After Cpr?, Dana E Giza, Jordan Graham, Teodora Donisan, Dinu V Balanescu, John Crommet, Gregory Botz, Cristina Gutierrez, Mariberta Vidal, Rodrigo Mejia, Cezar Iliescu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Surgical Endoepicardial Linear Ablation For Ventricular Tachycardia With Postinfarction Left Ventricular Aneurysm, Changcheng Liu, Zhaoping Su, Liangshan Wang, Bo Li, Jin Wang, Yang Yu, Chengxiong Gu

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

This retrospective study evaluated the feasibility of surgical endoepicardial linear ablation for ventricular tachycardia in patients with postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm. Sixty-four patients with multivessel coronary artery disease and left ventricular aneurysm but no mural thrombosis of the aneurysm or valve disease were treated at our institution from March 2012 through July 2015. All underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and left ventricular aneurysm repair by linear plication. Twenty-three patients (35.9%) had ventricular tachycardia and underwent surgical endoepicardial linear ablation on the beating heart guided by epicardial substrate mapping with the Carto 3 system. The remaining 41 patients (64.1%) composed …

Cardiac Involvement By Burkitt Lymphoma In A 49-Year-Old Man, Kainat Khalid, Nadeen Faza, Nasser M Lakkis, Rashed Tabbaa

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Malignant metastases are among the most common cardiac masses. We report a rare case of cardiac involvement by Burkitt lymphoma in a 49-year-old man who presented with a 2-month history of dyspnea and palpitations. A transthoracic echocardiogram revealed 2 intracardiac masses in the right atrium (one of which partially encased the tricuspid valve), myocardial infiltration, and pericardial disease. Results of pleural fluid cytology and flow cytometry confirmed involvement by Burkitt lymphoma. Subsequent chemotherapy markedly reduced the intracardiac tumor burden and resolved the patient's presenting symptoms. Our case highlights the importance of cardiac imaging in diagnosing systemic illness, initiating early and …

Optimizing P2 Neochordal Length And Stability In Mitral Valve Repair With Use Of A Polypropylene Loop, Anil Ozen, Ertekin Utku Unal, Hamdi Mehmet Ozbek, Gorkem Yigit, Hakki Zafer Iscan

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Determining the optimal length of artificial chordae tendineae and then effectively securing them is a major challenge in mitral valve repair. Our technique for measuring and stabilizing neochordae involves tying a polypropylene suture loop onto the annuloplasty ring. We used this method in 4 patients who had moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation from degenerative posterior leaflet (P2) prolapse and flail chordae. Results of intraoperative saline tests and postoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed only mild insufficiency. One month postoperatively, echocardiograms showed trivial regurgitation in all 4 patients. We think that this simple, precise method for adjusting and stabilizing artificial chordae will be advantageous in …

Incidental Cannulation Of Left Ventricular Thebesian Vein, Kalyan Chakravarthy Potu, Jay N Patel, Majd Ibrahim, Sujitha Sree Ketineni, Sudhir Mungee

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Inferior Vena Cava Injuries - A Clinical Review, Zia Ur Rehman

Department of Surgery Docs

Inferior vena caval (IVC) injuries are uncommon and challenging to treat. Less than 5% of patients with penetrating abdominal trauma and less than 0.5% of patients with blunt abdominal trauma have this injury. Patient can present with intraperitoneal haemorrhage or with a contained retroperitoneal haematoma. Mostly it is associated with other abdominal structures injuries. Most commonly injured segment is infrarenal IVC. Operative strategy is different for each segment of injured vein. Infrahepatic injuries are exposed by medial visceral rotation. Retrohepatic and suprahepatic injuries need infrequent exposures. Mortality remains high and range between 31-51% for the patient brought alive to the …

Our Duty Of Care In Pandemic Times, Perryn Ng

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Altered Mental Status And Hyponatremia After 20 Hours Of Amiodarone Therapy, Andrea Qi, John C Moscona, Justin Reed, Thierry H Le Jemtel

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

A 66-year-old woman with no relevant medical history presented at the emergency department with new-onset atrial fibrillation. We initiated intravenous amiodarone therapy. At 20 hours, the patient experienced severe neurologic symptoms, hyponatremia, and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone. We discontinued amiodarone, infused saline solution, and restricted the patient's fluid intake. She recovered in 3 days. This case illustrates that amiodarone-induced syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone with hyponatremia can occur far earlier than expected during acute amiodarone therapy.

As The Covid-19 Pandemic Drags On, Where Have All The Stemis Gone?, Waqas Ullah, Yasar Sattar, Rehan Saeed, Asrar Ahmad, Margot I. Boigon, Donald C. Haas, M. Chadi Alraies

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

In the midst of current pandemic individuals with all sorts of medical ailments are afraid to venture into health-care settings and risk contracting Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Irrespective of the inherent thromboembolic risks associated with COVID-19, this puts patients at high risk of cardiac complications

Multivessel Coronary Artery Fistula Presenting As Coronary Steal Syndrome Leading To Cardiac Arrest, Muhammad F Ahmed, Anaam Mubin, Rumman Syed, Abdullah K Mahmood, Sonu Sahni

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

The coronary steal phenomenon refers to myocardial ischemia caused by the diversion of blood away from normal myocardial circulation. A coronary artery fistula (CAF) is an abnormality of the coronary anatomy characterized by the aberrant termination of a coronary artery or its branches into cardiac chambers or great vessels. Although CAFs are often thought to be asymptomatic, fistulas that diverge a significant amount of blood flow and decrease the normal perfusion of myocardial tissue can cause ischemia and can present with acute coronary syndrome. We describe a unique case of a 70-year-old woman with no coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing …

Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation And Anticoagulation, J. Vojnika, Md, P. Varano, Md, S. Melnick, Do, Matthew Metzinger, Mba, Cphq, K. Patel, Rn, Msn, Mba, Cphq

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aims for Improvement

Overall aim: Improve recognition of need for anticoagulation in post-operative atrial fibrillation.

• Increase recognition that thromboembolic risk in post-op atrial fibrillation is similar to that of non-valvular atrial fibrillation
• Increase the rate of appropriate anticoagulation initiation in patients with post-op atrial fibrillation

Identifying Women With Coronary Artery Disease Using Non-Cardiac Ct Imaging, Rachel Redfield, Md, Rani Rajaram, Md, Kathryn Anderson, Ba, Sarah Kamel, Md, Matthew Metzinger, Mba, Lydia Liao, Md, Katherine Sherif, Md, Yair Lev, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aims

• Identify the percentage of female patients with prior CT scans done for noncardiac reasons who should have the diagnosis of CAD.
• Collaborate with primary care, cardiology and breast imaging to determine how best to integrate this incidental finding into clinical practice.
• Determine current barriers that may prevent providers from taking action on patients with new CAD.

Detection Of Coronary Artery Disease On Ct Chest Imaging, K. Mirzozoda, Md, Mba, J. Vojnika, Md, R. Mohammed, Md, H. Landon, Md, C. Murphy, Y. Lev, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aims for Improvement

Overall aim: Improve diagnosis and management of CAD based on CT chest imaging.

• Improve diagnosis of silent CAD based on CT chest imaging: more patients who have findings of CAC on CT chest imaging will be diagnosed with CAD.
• Increase the number of appropriate statin prescriptions based on CAD findings on CT chest imaging.

A Novel 3d Model To Learn Coronary Angiography, N. Haroian, S. Chandragiri, M. Ho, M. Fields, D. Fischman, M. Savage, N. Ruggiero, A. Vishnevsky

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

The limitations of 2D imaging creates challenges for cardiology fellows learning the basics of coronary angiography.

Using a 3D model to simulate a coronary angiogram outside the cath lab could shorten the learning cure and improve understanding of this essential procedure.

Time To Defibrillation After Onset Of Ventricular Fibrillation And Ventricular Tachycardia Cardiac Arrest At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital And Jefferson Hospital For Neurosciences., Sairamya Bodempudi, Md, Yair Lev, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aims for Improvement

• Improve average time to defibrillation after VFib/pVTach cardiac arrest to < 2 minutes within an 8 month interval at TJUH and JHN.
• Improve the percent of VFib/pVTach cardiac arrests that are defibrillated within the recommended 2 minute interval by 30% at TJUH/JHN within an 8 month interval

Sglt2 Inhibitors In Patients With Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease, Cristina Calogero, Md, Jillian Cooper, Md, Mathew Francis, Md, Joseph Grogg, Md, Shuwen Lin, Md, Patrick Prior, Md, Bo Hyung Yoon, Md, Yair Lev, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Problem Definition: Multiple studies (e.g. EMPA-REG, CANVAS) demonstrate that SGLT2 Inhibitors (Inh) improve cardiac outcomes in patients with Type II Diabetes (DM2) with comorbid Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) including Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease. SGLT2 Inhibitors are considered standard of care for patients with DM2 and CVD. Based on literature published in European Journal of Preventative Cardiology and JACC HF, our prediction is that physicians at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Ambulatory Practices (TJUH) under-utilize SGLT2 Inh for patients with co-morbid CVD and DM2.

Aims for Improvement: Within the Jefferson Healthcare System, we sought to determine: Future Interventions

1. The percentage of …

Use Of Epic Emr For Early Identification And Management Of Patients At Risk Of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device (Cied) Infection, Priya Rajagopalan, Md, Yair Lev, Md, Arnold J. Greenspon, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Objectives

• Aim of our project was early identification of 100% of patients with a CIED IMPLANT presenting with bacteremia
• Process involves use of EPIC EMR to automatically identify patients with positive blood cultures
• Traditionally, cardiologists are alerted by the care team using the CONSULT system for management of these patients
• EPIC EMR as an adjunct to the CONSULT system

Improving Evaluation And Follow-Up Of Patients Diagnosed With Left Bundle Branch Block, Naman Upadhyay, Md, Alvin George, Md, John Schanz, Ms, Behzad Pavri, Md, Yair Lev, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is a pathologic finding on electrocardiogram (ECG).

• Most commonly present in patients with antecedent hypertension, cardiac enlargement, coronary artery disease or a combination of these
• Class 1B recommendation: Those with findings of LBBB on ECG should undergo transthoracic echocardiography for evaluation of underlying heart disease
• LBBB is prevalent (33%) in patients with heart failure
• Cardiac resynchronization therapy can improve left ventricular mechanical function in patients with LBBB (QRS >150 msec)

This study aims to understand how effectively we are evaluating and following up these patients at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

The Echo Of An Unanswered Ring: Improving The Rate Of Reporting Abnormal Findings On Echocardiography At Tjuh, Tanuka Datta, Md, Bharaniabirami Rajaram, Md, Alvin George, Md, Madeleine Norris, Yair Lev, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aim: To improve the rate of reporting abnormal echo findings verbally to primary patient care teams.

Goal: Increase the rate of attending reported abnormal echo findings to a patient's primary team by 75% in 6 months.

Does Discharge Pharmacy Affect Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?, Patrick Prior, Md, Lisa Moss, Abhinav Nair, Md, Preya Simlote, Md, David Fischman, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Aims for Improvement

To reduce the rate of this institution’s readmission rate in patients discharged after PCI, by identifying the current trends in readmission in relation to prescription and medication delivery practices over the past 1 year.

Detection Of Coronary Artery Disease On Ct Chest Imaging, K. Mirzozoda, Md, Mba, J. Vojnika, Md, R. Mohammed, Md, H. Landon, Md, C. Murphy, Md, Y. Lev, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Overall aim: Improve diagnosis and management of CAD based on CT chest imaging.

• Improve diagnosis of silent CAD based on CT chest imaging: more patients who have findings of CAC on CT chest imaging will be diagnosed with CAD.
• Increase the number of appropriate statin prescriptions based on CAD findings on CT chest imaging.

A Rare Case Report And Literature Review Of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (Aas)-Induced Acute Myocardial Infarction, Qian Zhang, Khine S. Shan, Ahmad Raza, Neelima Manda, Travis Nace

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic drugs manufactured to mimic the male sex hormone testosterone [1]. They are usually prescribed for medical conditions including but not limited to impotence in males, endometriosis, hypogonadism, and aplastic anemia [2]. It has also been used historically by athletes and bodybuilders to enhance performance as it can stimulate protein synthesis leading to an increase in muscle size and strength [3]. However, the use of AAS has become a serious global public health dilemma as it has been used widely by the general population to improve physical strength and appearance [1]. In …

Outcomes Of Open Mitral Valve Replacement Versus Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair; Insight From The National Inpatient Sample Database., Waqas Ullah, Yasar Sattar, Maryam Mukhtar, Hafez M. Abdullah, Vincent M. Figueredo, Donald C. Haas, David L. Fischman, M. Chadi Alraies

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

Background: Transcatheter mitral valve repair and replacement (TMVR) is a minimally invasive alternative to conventional open-heart mitral valve replacement (OMVR). The present study aims to compare the burden, demographics, cost, and complications of TMVR and OMVR.

Methods: The United States National Inpatient Sample (US-NIS) for the year 2017 was queried to identify all cases of TMVR and OMVR. Categorical and continuous data were analyzed using Pearson chi-square and independent t-test analysis, respectively. An adjusted odds ratio (aOR) based on the ordinal logistic regression (OLR) model was calculated to determine the association between outcome variables.

Results: Of 19,580 patients, 18,460 …

Effectiveness And Safety Of Oral Anticoagulants Among Nvaf Patients With Obesity: Insights From The Aristophanes Study, Steve Deitelzweig, Allison Keshishian, Amiee Kang, Amol Dhamane, Xuemei Luo, Xiaoyan Li, Neeraja Balachander, Lisa Rosenblatt, Jack Mardekian, Xianying Pan, Manuela Di Fusco, Alessandra B. Garcia Reeves, Huseyin Yuce, Gregory Y. H. Lip

Publications and Research

This ARISTOPHANES analysis examined stroke/systemic embolism (SE) and major bleeding (MB) among a subgroup of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients with obesity prescribed warfarin or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in order to inform clinical decision making. A retrospective observational study was conducted among NVAF patients who were obese and initiated apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or warfarin from 1 January 2013–30 September 2015, with data pooled from CMS Medicare and four US commercial claims databases. Propensity score matching was completed between NOACs and against warfarin in each database, and the results were pooled. Cox models were used to evaluate the …

Paraneoplastic Pemphigus: An Indication For Treatment In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Ifeanyichukwu Onukogu, Preethi Ramachandran, Joshua Narh, Sonu Sahni, Gardith Joseph

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

Paraneoplastic disorders are rare multiorgan diseases associated with hematological malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Some of these paraneoplasms manifest as cutaneous lesions, appearing as a simple rash, ulcers or skin thickening. The pathogenesis for this process has been described as development of certain autoimmune reactions against cell wall antigens and proteins. An example is paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) which manifests as cutaneous bullae. Bullae may occur anytime during the course of the malignancy i.e. acute phase or remission. Diagnosis involves evaluation of clinical findings, serology and presence of characteristic histological findings. Its pathogenesis is described as development of auto-antibodies …

Longitudinal Evaluation Of The Effects Of Illness Perceptions And Beliefs About Cardiac Rehabilitation On Quality Of Life Of Patients With Coronary Artery Disease And Their Caregivers, Patricia Thomson, Neil J. Angus, Federico Andreis, Gordon F. Rushworth, Andrea R. Mohan, Misook L. Chung, Stephen J. Leslie

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background

Patients’ negative illness perceptions and beliefs about cardiac rehabilitation (CR) can influence uptake and adherence to CR. Little is known about the interpartner influence of these antecedent variables on quality of life of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and their family caregivers. The aims of the study were: 1) to assess differences in illness perceptions, beliefs about CR and quality of life between patients with CAD and their family caregivers upon entry to a CR programme and at 6 months follow-up; and 2) to examine whether patients’ and caregivers’ perceptions of the patient’s illness and beliefs about CR …