Anna Olasińska-Wiśniewska

Cardiovascular safety of antihistamines.

Histamine is a mediator, which increases the permeability of capillaries during the early phase of allergic reaction, causes smooth muscle contraction of bronchi and stimulates mucous glands in the nasal cavity. Antihistamines are the basis of symptomatic treatment in the majority of allergic diseases, especially allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, urticaria and anaphylaxis. The cardiotoxic effects of the two withdrawn drugs, terfenadine and astemizole, were manifested by prolonged QT intervals and triggering torsades de pointes (TdP) caused by blockade of the ‘rapid’ IKr potassium channels. These phenomena, however, are not a class effect. This review deals with a new generation of antihistamine drugs in the context of QT interval prolongation risk.

Percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion of the coronary artery with the implantation of bioresorbable everolimus-eluting scaffolds. Poznan CTO-Absorb Pilot Registry.

AIMS Data concerning the use of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesions are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the early and midterm clinical outcomes of CTO stenting with BVS. METHODS AND RESULTS Forty consecutive patients (male 78%, mean age 59.9±8.3 years, diabetics 30%) with CTO treated with BVS were enrolled. Patients with a reference vessel diameter >4 mm, metallic stents, excessive calcium and tortuosity were excluded. Mean J-CTO score was 1.6. A total of 63 BVS were implanted with an average number of 1.6 per patient, and an average scaffold length of 42.4±21.5 mm. Procedural success was achieved in all patients with no device-related complications. At follow-up (median time 556 days), there were no deaths, one patient experienced subacute and late scaffold thrombosis (ST), and another one developed symptomatic in-scaffold focal restenosis treated with repeat PCI. At control angiography, performed at a median time of 329 days in 27 patients (68%), no more restenosis or vessel reocclusion was found. CONCLUSIONS CTO stenting with BVS is feasible with good acute performance, and good early and midterm clinical outcomes.

The Management of Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND Atrial remodelling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) may lead to higher incidence of supraventricular arrhythmias (SVA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and safety of various methods for treatment of SVA in this group. METHODS This was a single centre study. Forty-eight patients (33 women and 15 men) aged 19-77 years (median 49 years) were enrolled. There were 30 patients with idiopathic PAH, 10 had PAH associated with connective tissue disease, and eight with congenital heart disease. A retrospective analysis was performed to estimate the prevalence and type of supraventricular arrhythmias, as well as efficiency and safety of treatment methods. Mean follow-up period was 28.8±17.7 months. RESULTS Supraventricular arrhythmias occurred in 17 patients (35%) and appeared to be atrial fibrillation, flutter or tachycardia. Supraventricular arrhythmias coexisted with elevated mean right atrial pressure in 75%. Four patients had more than one type of SVA. A flutter-like macro-reentrant form of atrial tachycardia dependent on cavo-tricuspid isthmus was found in four cases. The treatment of SVA included typical methods: antiarrhythmic drugs, direct current cardioversion (DCC), and radiofrequency (RF) ablation. All of the therapeutic methods were effective in managing acute arrhythmia. Three patients required re-ablation. Overall mortality: 14 patients (29%) in the whole study group, including six in SVA group (35%) and eight without SVA (26%). CONCLUSIONS In patients with PAH DCC, pharmacological cardioversion and RF ablation can be applied safely and effectively. Flutter-like macro-reentrant atrial tachycardia dependent on cavo-tricuspid isthmus is observed in this group. It is more challenging, but possible, to successfully treat this arrhythmia with RF ablation.

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty--ups and downs--are we facing a procedure comeback?

BACKGROUND Recently, there has been renewed interest in balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV). AIM To analyse the indications and short-term outcome of BAV since transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was launched in our institution. METHODS Between September 2010 and September 2014, 25 consecutive patients (19 female, 6 male) underwent BAV. The mean age was 72 ± 11.4 years, mean EuroScore II was 10.4 ± 11.7%, mean logistic EuroScore 23.5 ± 23.6%, mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality risk score was 21.8 ± 13.6%. The indications for BAV were: advanced haemodynamically unstable heart failure (HF) including cardiogenic shock or pulmonary oedema (n = 7), co-morbidities requiring urgent non-cardiac surgery (n = 8), palliative treatment (n = 6), and an intention to bridge to TAVI or aortic valve replacement in patients with severe HF (n = 4). RESULTS In-hospital mortality was 20% (n = 5) and occurred in patients who underwent BAV in the setting of haemodynamically unstable HF. Other major complications included pacemaker implantation (n = 2), major vascular complications (n = 4), and cardiac tamponade (n = 1). There were no patients who required conversion to cardiac surgery. The mean peak aortic transvalvular gradient decreased from 96.9 ± 29.5 to 60.3 ± 15.5 mm Hg (p = 0.0001) after BAV. We did not observe significant aortic regurgitation. CONCLUSIONS Treatment of advanced and haemodynamically unstable aortic stenosis, bridge to non-cardiac surgery and palliative therapy are the main reasons for BAV in recent years. BAV as a bridge to TAVI or aortic valve replacement may be an option for some patients. Short-term results are good with relatively low mortality and morbidity related to the procedure. Mortality in haemodynamically unstable patients presenting with cardiogenic shock or pulmonary oedema treated with BAV is very high.

Relations of diabetes mellitus, microvascular reperfusion and left ventricular remodelling in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with primary coronary intervention

BACKGROUND AND AIM The aim of our study was to determine the influence of diabetes mellitus (DM) on myocardial reperfusion and left ventricular (LV) remodelling in patients with an acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS The study population consisted of 218 patients with first anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) successfully treated with primary coronary angioplasty. We evaluated microvascular reperfusion using angiographic (Myocardial Blush Grade [MBG]) as well as electrocardiographic methods (ST-segment resolution > 70%). LV remodelling was defined asan increase in end-diastolic volume ≥ 20%, based on repeated measurements in individual patients. The study population was divided into two groups according to the presence, n = 43 (20%), or absence, n = 175 (80%), of DM. RESULTS Patients with DM showed a significantly higher rate of MBG ≤2 (45.7% vs. 62.8%, p = 0.04) and lower incidence of ST-segment resolution > 70% (48% vs. 18.6%, p = 0.0003) compared to non-diabetics. Despite a similar incidence of LV remodelling in DM and non-DM groups (30.2% vs. 22.4%, p = 0.27), echocardiographic features of diastolic impairment and overt symptoms of heart failure were significantly more frequent in diabetic patients (55.2% vs. 27.1%, p = 0.006 and 36.1% vs. 18.3%, p = 0.02, respectively) at six-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Despite worse microvascular reperfusion in STEMI patients with diabetes, the incidence of LV remodelling was similar compared to non-DM patients. DM was associated with the development of diastolic heart failure.

The Watchman FLX – a new device for left atrial appendage occlusion – design, potential benefits and first clinical experience

Although convincing data showed that left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion could be used as an alternative to oral anticoagulants, LAA occlusion has emerged as a common procedure for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation and absolute or relative contraindications for oral anticoagulation in many European centers, based on current recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology. The efficacy and safety of the current generation Watchman LAA Closure System was established in two large randomized clinical trials (PROTECT AF, PREVAIL [1, 2]) and several prospective registries (CAP, ASAP, EWOLUTION [3–5]).

Complete percutaneous approach versus surgical access in transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation: results from a multicentre registry

BACKGROUND Although the femoral approach is the most common route utilised in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), it still carries a substantial risk of severe bleeding and vascular complications. AIM The aim of our study was to compare the safety and efficacy of the complete percutaneous (CPC) approach with surgical cut-down and closure (SCC) in TAVI patients. METHODS The study population comprised 683 patients with severe aortic stenosis, who underwent transfemoral TAVI. Bleeding and vascular complications were defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC-2) criteria. Propensity-matched cohorts were created to reduce the potential bias of non-random assignment to the type of vascular access technique (SSC, n = 203 vs. CPC, n = 203). RESULTS The rate of minor vascular complications was higher in the CPC cohort (18.2% vs. 9.9%, p = 0.02). There were no differences in major vascular complications or in any type of bleedings between the two groups. Age (odds ratio [OR] 1.044; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.003-1.09, p = 0.046), preprocedural haemoglobin (OR 0.849; 95% CI 0.760-0.944, p = 0.03), and baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min (OR 3.216; 95% CI 1.176-8.741, p = 0.021) were independent predictors of life-threatening/disabling and major bleedings. Diabetes remained the only independent predictor of major vascular complications (OR 1.695; 95% CI 1.014-3.156, p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS In this retrospective analysis both vascular access and closure techniques were associated with a similar risk of severe bleeding and major vascular events. However, these findings should be further confirmed in a multicentre, randomised study.

Concomitant coronary artery disease and its management in patients referred to transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and degenerative aortic stenosis often coexist. However, the impact of CAD and its management on the prognosis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains uncertain. We sought to evaluate the impact of obstructive CAD, SYNTAX score (Ss), and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) prior to TAVI on short‐term outcome.

Transapical aortic valve implantation using a Symetis Acurate self-expandable bioprosthesis: initial outcomes of 10 patients

Introduction Transapical aortic valve implantation (TA-AVI) has been widely introduced for treatment of patients with severe aortic stenosis in the last decade. Here we report our first clinical experience with 10 patients using the second-generation transapical Symetis Acurate TA aortic valve designed for transapical implantation. Aim To evaluate the results of transapical access in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) among patients with unsuitable vascular access. Material and methods All patients had been assessed by a local heart team and were disqualified from surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) and the transfemoral TAVI approach. Mean age was 75.4 ±3.9 years (range: 68–80), with 20% being female. Logistic EuroSCORE (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation) and STS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons) were 15.4 ±8.9% and 20.5 ±4.5%, respectively. Results All implantations were performed successfully in the intra-annular and subcoronary position. There were no conversions to surgical AVR. All patients survived 30-day follow-up. No strokes or transient ischemic attacks were reported. There was no need for pacemaker implantation and none of the patients demonstrated moderate or significant paravalvular leakage. The mean aortic gradients improved significantly from a baseline of 57.0 ±19.2 mm Hg to a 30-day value of 14.2 ±4.1 mm Hg. Conclusions Our initial clinical results indicate satisfactory functionality in patients after trans-apical implantation of the Symetis Acurate aortic valve. The procedure of implantation seems to be straightforward and may be considered in patients in whom a transfemoral approach is not a good option.

Should we implant a permanent pacemaker in patients with left bundle branch block and PQ prolongation following transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Corresponding author: Prof. Krzysztof Błaszyk MD, PhD, Department of Cardiology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 1/2 Długa St, 61-848 Poznan, Poland, phone: +48 602 222 143, fax: +48 61 854 90 94, e-mail: kblaszyk5@gmail.com Received: 23.09.2016, accepted: 10.11.2016. Should we implant a permanent pacemaker in patients with left bundle branch block and PQ prolongation following transcatheter aortic valve implantation?