Outcomes of Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration in Right-Sided Infective Endocarditis: A Multicenter Registry.

Background: Catheter-based percutaneous mechanical aspiration (PMA) is an emerging acute intervention for debulking infective vegetations in right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE); however, its outcomes and safety remain undefined.

Objectives: The authors sought to assess early clinical outcomes and safety of PMA in patients with RSIE.

Methods: The CLEAR-IE (Cardiac Lesion Extraction and Aspiration Registry for Infective Endocarditis) is a large multicenter retrospective registry of consecutive patients with RSIE who have undergone PMA.

Mitral Annular Disruptions.

Background: Mitral annular disruption is increasingly recognized in our clinical practice and is most commonly due to infective endocarditis or transcatheter or hybrid balloon-expandable mitral valve deployment in the setting of mitral annular calcification.

Case Summary: A case series is presented of 4 patients with mitral annular disruption in 4 distinct clinical scenarios, each requiring multimodality imaging for diagnosis.

Discussion: These defects are often difficult to detect on transthoracic imaging and challenging to interpret on transesophageal echocardiography given the unique flow pattern and a general unfamiliarity among echocardiographers with such a defect.

Electronic Provider Notification to Facilitate the Recognition and Management of Severe Aortic Stenosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS) remains undertreated with high resultant mortality despite increased growth and availability of aortic valve replacement (AVR) since the advent of transcatheter therapies. We evaluate the impact of electronic provider notifications (EPNs) on rates of AVR at 1 year.

Methods: In a pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial conducted within a multicenter academic health system from March 2022 through November 2023, 285 providers who had ordered a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) with findings potentially indicative of severe AS with an aortic valve area ≤1.

Evaluation of the 2023 Duke-International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Criteria in a Multicenter Cohort of Patients With Intravenous Drug Use: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Intravenous drug use (IVDU) significantly increases the risk of infective endocarditis (IE). This study evaluates the 2023 Duke-International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) criteria for diagnosing IE in patients with a history of IVDU.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study evaluates these criteria in a cohort of 205 patients with intravenous drug use (IVDU) history, comparing outcomes with the 2000 modified Duke criteria.

Severe Mitral Regurgitation in Paradoxical Low-Flow, Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Background: Patients with paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient severe aortic stenosis exhibit low transvalvular flow rate (Q), while maintaining preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Severe mitral regurgitation (MR) also causes a low-flow state, adding complexity to diagnosis and management. This study aimed to examine the impact of severe MR on outcomes in paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient severe aortic stenosis.

Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration for Infective Endocarditis: Proceedings From an Inaugural Multidisciplinary Summit and Comprehensive Review.

The clinical presentation and epidemiology of infective endocarditis (IE) have evolved over time. While the cornerstones of IE treatment remain antimicrobial therapy and surgery, percutaneous mechanical aspiration (PMA) has emerged as an option for carefully selected patients as a complementary modality, based on retrospective data, case series, and expert experience. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the proceedings from an inaugural summit dedicated to the discussion of PMA in the global management of IE, consisting of experts across multiple disciplines from diverse geographic regions and care environments.

Multimodality Imaging Evaluation of Diseases of the Pulmonic Valve and Right Ventricular Outflow Tract for the Adult Cardiologist.

Disorders of the pulmonic valve (PV) receive considerably less attention than other forms of valvular heart disease. Due to the dramatically improved survival of children with congenital heart disease over the last 5 decades, there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of adults with congenital heart disease, which necessitates that clinicians become familiar with the anatomy and the evaluation of right ventricular outflow tract and PV anomalies. A multimodality imaging approach using echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging is essential for a comprehensive evaluation of the anatomy and function of the right ventricular outflow tract, PV, and supravalvular region.

Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration in Infective Endocarditis: Applications, Technical Considerations, and Future Directions.

In recent years, there has been a shift in the epidemiology of patients with infective endocarditis (IE). This has been characterized by an alarming increase in IE in patients who inject drugs, cardiac implantable electronic device-related IE, and those with comorbid conditions and high surgical risk. This unmet need has mandated a reevaluation of complex management strategies in these patients and introduction of unconventional approaches in treatment.

Cardiac implantable electronic device-induced tricuspid regurgitation: Implications and management.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) secondary to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) has been well documented and is associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes. A variety of mechanisms have been proposed including lead-induced mechanical disruption of the tricuspid valvular or subvalvular apparatus and pacing-induced electrical dyssynchrony. Patient characteristics such as age, sex, baseline atrial fibrillation, and pre-existing TR have not been consistent predictors of CIED-induced TR.

Valvular Heart Disease in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Valvular heart disease pathologies are commonly encountered in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Clinical presentations may range from an acute pathology of the aortic or mitral valve necessitating emergency intervention to a more subtle decompensation of longstanding valvular disease. With growing numbers of transcatheter valvular interventions, CICU providers must recognize and manage common complications after transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid interventions.

Sex Differences in Extensive Mitral Annular Calcification With Associated Mitral Valve Dysfunction.

Mitral annular calcification (MAC)-related mitral valve (MV) dysfunction is an increasingly recognized entity, which confers a high burden of morbidity and mortality. Although more common among women, there is a paucity of data regarding how the phenotype of MAC and the associated adverse clinical implications may differ between women and men. A total of 3,524 patients with extensive MAC and significant MAC-related MV dysfunction (i.

Transesophageal Echocardiography Guidance for Percutaneous Closure of Ascending Aortic Pseudoaneurysm.

• Percutaneous closure of ascending aortic pseudoaneurysms is feasible in selected patients. • Procedural planning with multimodality imaging and multidisciplinary discussion is key. • TEE can be instrumental for intraprocedural guidance.

Mitral Valve Dysfunction in Patients With Annular Calcification: JACC Review Topic of the Week.

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a common clinical finding and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, but the clinical impact of MAC-related mitral valve (MV) dysfunction remains underappreciated. Patients with MAC frequently have stenotic, regurgitant, or mixed valvular disease, and this valvular dysfunction is increasingly recognized to be independently associated with worse prognosis. MAC-related MV dysfunction is a distinct pathophysiologic entity, and importantly much of the diagnostic and therapeutic paradigm from published rheumatic MV disease research cannot be applied in this context, leaving important gaps in our knowledge.

Patient- and Process-Related Contributors to the Underuse of Aortic Valve Replacement and Subsequent Mortality in Ambulatory Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Background Many patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and an indication for aortic valve replacement (AVR) do not undergo treatment. The reasons for this have not been well studied in the transcatheter AVR era. We sought to determine how patient- and process-specific factors affected AVR use in patients with severe AS.

Diagnosis and Management of Infective Endocarditis in People Who Inject Drugs: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

The incidence of injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis has been increasing rapidly over the last decade. Patients with drug use-associated infective endocarditis present an increasingly common clinical challenge with poor long-term outcomes and high reinfection and readmission rates. Their care raises issues unique to this population, including antibiotic selection and administration, indications for and ethical issues surrounding surgical intervention, and importantly management of the underlying substance use disorder to minimize the risk of reinfection.

Impact of Pulmonary Hypertension on Outcomes in Patients With Mitral Annular Calcium and Associated Mitral Valve Dysfunction.

The prevalence of mitral annular calcium (MAC) is increasing in our aging population. However, data regarding prognostication in MAC-related mitral valve (MV) disease remain limited. This retrospective observational study aims to explore the prognostic impact of systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) in MAC-related MV dysfunction and define its determinants.

Development and validation of an echocardiographic algorithm to predict long-term mitral and tricuspid regurgitation progression.

Aims: Prediction of mitral (MR) and tricuspid (TR) regurgitation progression on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is needed to personalize valvular surveillance intervals and prognostication.

Methods And Results: Structured TTE report data at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 26 January 2000-31 December 2017, were used to determine time to progression (≥1+ increase in severity). TTE predictors of progression were used to create a progression score, externally validated at Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 January 2002-31 December 2019.

Exercise Ventricular Reserve Among Women With a History of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is associated with highly variable clinical outcomes. Small series suggest postpartum variation in exercise capacity and ventricular reserve. We describe limitations in exercise capacity and/or ventricular reserve in asymptomatic women who had recovered from PPCM and underwent a detailed physiologic assessment by cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Prognostic importance of the transmitral pressure gradient in mitral annular calcification with associated mitral valve dysfunction.

Aims: The aim of this study was to define the natural history of patients with mitral annular calcification (MAC)-related mitral valve dysfunction and to assess the prognostic importance of mean transmitral pressure gradient (MG) and impact of concomitant mitral regurgitation (MR).

Methods And Results: The institutional echocardiography database was examined from 2001 to 2019 for all patients with MAC and MG ≥3 mmHg. A total of 5754 patients were stratified by MG in low (3-5 mmHg, n = 3927), mid (5-10 mmHg, n = 1476), and high (≥10 mmHg, n = 351) gradient.