Gokhan Kahveci

Thrombolytic Therapy for the Treatment of Prosthetic Heart Valve Thrombosis in Pregnancy With Low-Dose, Slow Infusion of Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator

Background— Prosthetic valve thrombosis during pregnancy is life-threatening for mother and fetus, and the treatment of this complication is unclear. Cardiac surgery in pregnancy is associated with very high maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. Thrombolytic therapy has rarely been used in these patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose (25 mg), slow infusion (6 hours) of tissue-type plasminogen activator for the treatment of prosthetic valve thrombosis in pregnant women. Methods and Results— Between 2004 and 2012, tissue-type plasminogen activator was administered to 24 consecutive women in 25 pregnancies with 28 prosthetic valve thrombosis episodes (obstructive, n=15; nonobstructive, n=13). Mean age of the patients was 29±6 years. Thrombolytic therapy sessions were performed under transesophageal echocardiography guidance. The mean dose of tissue-type plasminogen activator used was 48.7±29.5 mg (range, 25–100mg). All episodes resulted in complete thrombus lysis after thrombolytic therapy. One patient had placental hemorrhage with preterm live birth at the 30th week, and 1 patient had minor bleeding. Conclusions— Low-dose, slow infusion of tissue-type plasminogen activator with repeated doses as needed is an effective therapy with an excellent thrombolytic success rate for the treatment of prosthetic valve thrombosis in pregnant women. This protocol also seems to be safer than cardiac surgery or any alternative medical strategies published to date. Thrombolytic therapy should be considered first-line therapy in pregnant patients with prosthetic valve thrombosis.

Thrombolytic Therapy for the Treatment of Prosthetic Heart Valve Thrombosis in Pregnancy with Low Dose, Slow Infusion of t-PA

Background— Prosthetic valve thrombosis during pregnancy is life-threatening for mother and fetus, and the treatment of this complication is unclear. Cardiac surgery in pregnancy is associated with very high maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. Thrombolytic therapy has rarely been used in these patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of low-dose (25 mg), slow infusion (6 hours) of tissue-type plasminogen activator for the treatment of prosthetic valve thrombosis in pregnant women. Methods and Results— Between 2004 and 2012, tissue-type plasminogen activator was administered to 24 consecutive women in 25 pregnancies with 28 prosthetic valve thrombosis episodes (obstructive, n=15; nonobstructive, n=13). Mean age of the patients was 29±6 years. Thrombolytic therapy sessions were performed under transesophageal echocardiography guidance. The mean dose of tissue-type plasminogen activator used was 48.7±29.5 mg (range, 25–100mg). All episodes resulted in complete thrombus lysis after thrombolytic therapy. One patient had placental hemorrhage with preterm live birth at the 30th week, and 1 patient had minor bleeding. Conclusions— Low-dose, slow infusion of tissue-type plasminogen activator with repeated doses as needed is an effective therapy with an excellent thrombolytic success rate for the treatment of prosthetic valve thrombosis in pregnant women. This protocol also seems to be safer than cardiac surgery or any alternative medical strategies published to date. Thrombolytic therapy should be considered first-line therapy in pregnant patients with prosthetic valve thrombosis.

Tissue Doppler imaging to predict clinical course of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

AIMS Diastolic tissue Doppler (TD) parameters allow prediction of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) at risk of sudden death, ventricular tachycardia, or cardiac arrest. The aim of this study was to assess the value of TD imaging in predicting the clinical course of patients with HC. METHODS AND RESULTS Eighty-six HC patients were prospectively included in the study and followed-up for clinical endpoints (cardiovascular death or hospitalization due to worsening of heart failure symptoms). Patients with clinical endpoints (n = 25) had larger left atrium diameters, thicker left ventricle (LV) walls, more often LV outflow obstruction and lower TD velocities of LV. LV outflow tract obstruction (r=0.54, R(2)=0.29, P<0.03) and LV lateral mitral annular systolic tissue Doppler velocity (LMSa) (r=0.50, R(2)=0.25, P<0.0001) were found to be independent predictors for clinical endpoints in forward stepwise regression. The best value of LMSa with the highest sensitivity (75%) and specificity (88%) was 4 cm/s for predicting clinical endpoints. Patients with LMSa velocities > 4 cm/s were significantly free of clinical endpoints. CONCLUSION In conclusion, LMSa seems to be a reliable parameter that can be used in predicting the HC patients at risk for clinical deterioration or death at long-term follow-up.

Ventricular pre-excitation and cardiac hypertrophy mimicking hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a Turkish family with a novel PRKAG2 mutation

Mutations in PRKAG2, the gene for the γ2 regulatory subunit of AMP‐activated protein kinase, cause cardiac hypertrophy and electrophysiological abnormalities. We identified a novel mutation in PRKAG2 causing familial ventricular pre‐excitation and severe cardiac hypertrophy.

Clinical Significance of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Left-Sided Infective Endocarditis

Decreased serum levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol have been shown to be of prognostic significance in patients with severe infectious diseases. Serum HDL cholesterol levels were therefore investigated as a possible parameter for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis (IE). Fifty-four patients with IE with available admission serum HDL cholesterol levels were included in the study. A clinical outcome was defined as a complicated course during hospitalization. Forty-two patients had complicated courses during their in-hospital stays. The median serum HDL cholesterol level was significantly lower in patients with IE (n = 54) than healthy controls (n = 26) (26 vs 47 mg/dl, p <0.0001). In the 42 patients with complicated courses, the median serum HDL cholesterol level was lower compared with that in 12 patients with uneventful courses (24 vs 36 mg/dl, p = 0.011). A cut point of serum HDL cholesterol level of 25 mg/dl had sensitivity of 62%, specificity of 75%, and a positive predictive value of 90% for predicting clinical outcomes. In conclusion, serum HDL cholesterol levels measured at admission were markedly reduced in patients with left-sided IE. Furthermore, low serum HDL cholesterol levels predicted complicated clinical courses in these patients.

The variations of BOP gene in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVE The observation that Bop null allele mice show underdeveloped right ventricle and excessive development of left ventricle, suggests the possible relationship between human BOP gene and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCMP). In our study, we investigated this possible relationship between BOP gene variations and QT dispersion, a noninvasive arrhythmic risk marker for HCMP. METHODS This cross-sectional study consisted of 50 patients clinically diagnosed with HCMP and 60 healthy subjects. Exonic regions of BOP gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and amplified exonic regions were analyzed by Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphisms (SSCP). The samples with different migration patterns were sequenced through an automated sequencing system. Continuous variables were compared by unpaired t-test for independent samples or Mann-Whitney U test. Genotype-disease relationship was tested by Chi-square test. RESULTS The nucleotide substitutions G275<or=A and C965<or=A in exon 2 and 7 were determined only in HCMP group. The G707<or=C, C710<or=T, T761<or=C, T1217<or=C SNPs in exon 6 and 9 are also found in the control group. Significant differences were found between two groups (p=0.002 and p=0.001). It was found that SNPs in exon 6 constitute a haplotype and that QT dispersion and corrected QT dispersion in the rare homozygote (707C/710T/761C) type carriers of HCMP patients for this haplotype were significantly lower than other genotypes (p=0.032 and p=0.030, respectively). CONCLUSION The human BOP gene was analyzed for the first time in HCMP to investigate possible association. The result that homozygosity of 707C/710T/761C haplotype is associated with lower QT dispersion and corrected QT dispersion supports the modifier role of BOP gene in HCMP.

Concomitant Gerbode-Like Defect and Anterior Mitral Leaflet Perforation after Aortic Valve Replacement for Endocarditis

We present a case of concomitant left ventricle (LV) to right atrial shunt (Gerbode‐like defect) and anterior mitral leaflet perforation in a 32‐year‐old male after aortic valve replacement for infective endocarditis of bicuspid aortic valve. This case emphasises that intra‐operative transesophageal echocardiography is a sine qua non for valvular surgical procedures.

PE with ST-segment elevation in leads V1-3 and AVR treated successfully by catheter directed high-dose bolus thrombolytic therapy during CPR

A 55-year-old man presented with the emergency department after having a short syncopal episode and angina during the exertion for 1 month. His initial electrocardiogram showed minimal ST-segment changes on precordial leads. While waiting for the laboratory tests, abruptly, the patient went into cardiopulmonary arrest. After a short resuscitation, a new electrocardiogram revealed ST-segment elevations in leads V1-3 and AVR, mimicking an anteroseptal myocardial infarction. Although, the angiography showed severe coronary artery disease, coronary flow was normal and main branches of pulmonary artery were almost fully occluded by large pulmonary emboli. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator bolus (25 mg) was given 2 times at 5-minute intervals immediately into pulmonary artery by pig-tail catheter under the cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The patient had an excellent response to high-dose bolus thrombolytic therapy. We conclude that in the case of massive pulmonary embolism with small chance of resuscitation, the catheter-directed high-dose bolus injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator could enrich the therapeutical possibilities.

Determinants of high sensitivity troponin T concentration in chronic stable patients with heart failure: Ischemic heart failure versus non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND Cardiac troponin T is a marker of myocardial injury, especially when measured by means of the high-sensitivity assay (hs-cTnT). The echocardiographic and clinical predictors of hs-cTnT may be different in ischemic heart failure (IHF) and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS Sixty consecutive patients (19 female, 41 male; mean age 56.3 ± 13.9 years) with stable congestive heart failure (33 patient with IHF and 27 patients with DCM), with New York Heart Association functional class I-II symptoms, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% were included. RESULTS In patients with IHF peak early mitral inflow velocity (E), E/peak early diastolic mitral annular tissue Doppler velocity (Em) lateral, peak systolic mitral annular tissue Doppler velocity (Sm) lateral and logBNP were univariate predictors of hs-cTnT above median. But only E/Em lateral was an independent predictor of hs-cTnT above median (p = 0.04, HR: 1.2,CI: 1-1.4). In patients with DCM; left atrial volume index, male sex, Sm lateral and global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) were included in multivariate model and LV-GLS was detected to be an independent predictor for hs-cTnT above median (p < 0.05, HR: 0.7, CI: 0.4-1.0). CONCLUSIONS While LV-GLS is an independent predictor of hs-cTnT concentrations in patients with DCM, E/Em lateral predicted hs-TnT concentrations in patients with IHF.

Two adult cases of anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital anomaly that presents as left-sided heart failure and mitral valve insufficiency during the first months of life. However, some cases may benefit from sufficient collateral blood supply from the right coronary artery, resulting in increased survival even to advanced ages. Herein, we report on two adult cases of ALCAPA, namely, a 52-year-old male patient that presented with angina and a 70-year-old female patient presenting with stroke, dyspnea, and pretibial edema. In both cases, ALCAPA was demonstrated by coronary angiography and multislice computed tomography angiography. The younger patient refused surgery and remained asymptomatic and event-free during a two-year follow-up with anti-ischemic medications, while the older with high surgical risk was considered for intracardiac defibrillator implantation along with medical therapy.