Andrew M. Goldsweig

Association Between Hospital Volume and 30-Day Readmissions Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Importance With the approval of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis at intermediate surgical risk, TAVR volume is projected to increase exponentially in the United States. The 30-day readmission rate for TAVR was recently reported at 17.9%. The association between institutional TAVR volume and the 30-day readmission metric has not been examined. Objective To assess the association between hospital TAVR volume and 30-day readmission. Design, Setting, and Participants In this observational study, we used the 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database to identify hospitals with established TAVR programs (performing at least 5 TAVRs in the first quarter of 2014). Based on annual TAVR volume, hospitals were classified as low (<50), medium (≥50 to <100), and high (≥100) volume. Rates, causes, and costs of 30-day readmissions were compared between low-, medium-, and high-volume hospitals. Data were analyzed from November to December 2016. Exposure Transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Main Outcomes and Measures Thirty-day readmissions. Results Of 129 hospitals included in this study, 20 (15.5%) were categorized as low volume, 47 (36.4%) as medium volume, and 62 (48.1%) as high volume. Of 16 252 index TAVR procedures, 663 (4.1%), 3067 (18.9%), and 12 522 (77.0%) were performed at low-, medium-, and high-volume hospitals, respectively. Thirty-day readmission rates were significantly lower in high-volume compared with medium-volume (adjusted odds ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.68-0.85; P < .001) and low-volume (adjusted odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.60-0.92; P = .007) hospitals. Noncardiac readmissions were more common in low-volume hospitals (65.6% vs 60.6% in high-volume hospitals), whereas cardiac readmissions were more common in high-volume hospitals (39.4% vs 34.4% in low-volume hospitals). There were no significant differences in length of stay and costs per readmission among the 3 groups (mean [SD], 5.5 [5.0] days vs 5.9 [7.5] days vs 6.0 [5.8] days; P = .74, and

Vascular complications associated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement

13 886 [18 333] vs

A balloon-expandable sheath facilitates transfemoral TAVR in patients with peripheral vascular disease and tortuosity

14 135 [17 939] vs

OUTCOMES FOLLOWING URGENT/EMERGENT TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT: INSIGHTS FROM THE STS/ACC TVT REGISTRY

13 432 [15 725]; P = .63, respectively). Conclusions and Relevance We report for the first time, to our knowledge, an inverse association between hospital TAVR volume and 30-day readmissions. Lower readmission at higher-volume hospitals was associated with significantly lower cost to the health care system.

Acute Myocardial Infarction from Coronary Vasospasm Precipitated by Pseudoephedrine and Metoprolol Use

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is now an accepted pathway for aortic valve replacement for patients who are at prohibitive, severe and intermediate risk for traditional aortic valve surgery. However, with this rising uptrend and adaptation of this new technology, vascular complications and their management remain an Achilles heel for percutaneous aortic valve replacement. The vascular complications are an independent predictor of mortality for patients undergoing TAVR. Early recognition of these complications and appropriate management is paramount. In this article, we review the most commonly encountered vascular complications associated with currently approved TAVR devices and their optimal percutaneous management techniques.

Tools of the Trade: Adjunctive Tools for Lesion Crossing in Critical Limb Ischemia

Objectives: We sought to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) via the transfemoral approach in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), small caliber ileofemoral vessels and vascular tortuosity. Background: For patients with increased surgical risk, TAVR is associated with a higher 1-year survival rate than surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Transfemoral vascular access for TAVR results in superior outcomes versus procedures performed via other routes in terms of mortality, morbidity and healthcare economics. In many patients, the ability to safely perform the procedure via the transfemoral approach is limited by narrow, diseased and tortuous ileofemoral vasculature. Methods: We employed the SoloPath Balloon Expandable TransFemoral Access System (Terumo Med. Corp., Tokyo, Japan) to perform transfemoral TAVR in five patients with PAD, small caliber ileofemoral vessels and vascular tortuosity. Results: We report our experience using this balloon-expandable sheath during 5 cases of transfemoral TAVR in patients with inhospitable ileofemoral vasculature of mean diameter ⩽5.8 mm. The unexpanded sheath’s malleable structure and hydrophilic coating permitted deployment despite severe stenoses and tortuosity. Subsequent inflation to 18 Fr facilitated successful TAVR. Postprocedural angiography demonstrated no significant vascular access complications. In one case, the entire procedure was performed percutaneously, without common femoral artery surgical cutdown. Conclusions: The SoloPath sheath system permits transfemoral TAVR in patients with PAD small caliber ileofemoral vessels and vascular tortuosity. The transfemoral balloon-expandable sheath allowed these patients to avoid the increased morbidity and mortality risks associated with direct aortic or transapical access.

Predictors of patient radiation exposure during transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Data on urgent/emergent transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) as a rescue therapy for decompensated severe aortic stenosis (AS) are limited. The STS/ACC TVT Registry linked with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims was used to identify patients who underwent urgent/emergent vs

Ventricular septal rupture complicating acute myocardial infarction: Incidence, treatment, and outcomes among medicare beneficiaries 1999-2014

Pseudoephedrine is a sympathomimetic α- and β-adrenergic receptor agonist that causes vasoconstriction and reduction in edema throughout the nasal passages. Coronary vasospasm associated with pseudoephedrine has been reported in the literature. We discuss the case of a patient with new-onset atrial fibrillation receiving metoprolol for rate control on a background of pseudoephedrine use for allergic rhinitis leading to acute myocardial infarction from multivessel coronary vasospasm. This case illustrates the importance of understanding the pharmacology of potential drug-drug interactions when managing patients with acute cardiovascular syndromes.

Comparison of Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Early Infective Endocarditis after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in the United States

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) due to obstructive atherosclerosis causes pain and tissue damage and may result in amputation and death. Revascularization saves the limbs and lives of patients with CLI. This review addresses adjunctive tools for lesion crossing, including mechanical atherectomy, laser atherectomy, crossing devices, and luminal reentry devices. Mechanical atherectomy devices are designed to excise atheroma, often heavily calcified, thereby preparing a channel for further intervention. Mechanisms (and devices) include directional (SilverHawk™, TurboHawk™, RockHawk™), rotational (Jetstream™, Pheonix™), and orbital (Diamondback 360°™, Predator 360°™, Stealth 360°™) atherectomy. A laser atherectomy device (Turbo Elite™) vaporizes atheroma by heating tissues with ultraviolet light. Crossing devices specifically designed for chronic total occlusions either navigate a vessel’s true lumen or guide a controlled subintimal course with reentry into the distal true lumen. Crossing devices include Crosser® Catheter, Wildcat™, Ocelot™, Kittycat™, TruePath™, Viance™, Frontrunner™, TOTAL across™, and PowerWire™. When a guidewire or crossing device traverses a lesion via a subintimal course, a luminal reentry device may facilitate deployment of the guidewire in the distal vessel lumen. Reentry devices include Outback LTD™, Offroad™, Pioneer Plus™, and Enteer™.

INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS AFTER TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT: INSIGHTS FROM THE NATIONWIDE READMISSIONS DATABASE

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) exposes patients to radiation.