Hartaj Virk

Rapid Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis: A Review

Atherosclerosis is chronic disease, the prevalence of which has increased steadily as the population ages. Vascular injury is believed to be critical initiating event in pathogenesis of spontaneous atherosclerosis. Syndrome of accelerated atherosclerosis has been classically described in patients undergoing heart transplantation, coronary artery bypass graft, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. In contrast to spontaneous atherosclerosis, denuding endothelial injury followed by thrombus formation and initial predominant smooth muscle cell proliferation is believed to be playing a significant role in accelerated atherosclerosis. There is no universal definition of rapid progression of atherosclerosis. However most studies describing the phenomenon have used the following definition: (i) > or = 10% diameter reduction of at least one preexisting stenosis > or = 50%, (ii) > or = 30% diameter reduction of a preexisting stenosis <50%, and (iii) progression of a lesion to total occlusion within few months. Recent studies have described the role of coronary vasospasm, human immunodeficiency virus, various inflammatory markers, and some genetic mutations as predictors of rapid progression of atherosclerosis. As research in the field of vascular biology continues, more factors are likely to be implicated in the pathogenesis of rapid progression of atherosclerosis.

Diagnostic Yield of Echocardiography in Syncope Patients with Normal ECG.

Aim. This study aimed to assess the role of echocardiography as a diagnostic tool in evaluating syncope patients with normal versus abnormal electrocardiogram. Methods. We conducted a retrospective study of 468 patients who were admitted with syncope in 2011 at St. Josephs Regional Medical Center, Paterson, NJ. Hospital records and patient charts, including initial emergency room history and physical, were carefully reviewed. Patients were separated into normal versus abnormal electrocardiogram groups and then further divided as normal versus abnormal echocardiogram groups. Causes of syncope were extrapolated after reviewing all test results and records of consultations. Results. Three hundred twelve of the total patients (68.6%) had normal ECG. Two-thirds of those patients had echocardiograms; 11 patients (5.7%) had abnormal echo results. Of the aforementioned patients, three patients had previous documented history of severe aortic stenosis on prior echocardiograms. The remaining eight had abnormal but nondiagnostic echocardiographic findings. Echocardiography was done in 93 of 147 patients with abnormal ECG (63.2%). Echo was abnormal in 27 patients (29%), and the findings were diagnostic in 6.5% patients. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that echocardiogram was not helpful in establishing a diagnosis of syncope in patients with normal ECG and normal physical examination.

Intracoronary adenosine-induced ventricular arrhythmias during fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement: case series and literature review

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a standardized and well-established method frequently used in clinical practice to evaluate the hemodynamic significance of epicardial coronary stenosis identified by coronary angiography. It is based on the change in the pressure gradient across the stenosis after the achievement of maximal hyperemia of the coronary circulation which is commonly induced by intravenous (IV) or intracoronary (IC) administration of adenosine. Here, we have described three cases of IC adenosine-induced ventricular arrhythmias during FFR measurement from our institution, and after literature review we found that all the cases of ventricular arrhythmias induced by adenosine during FFR measurement were observed where it was administered via IC route. Although a causal relationship between the use of IC adenosine during FFR measurement and the induction of ventricular arrhythmias is not yet established, we suggest using IV adenosine as the preferred route of administration until we better understand the incidence and mechanism underlying this phenomenon.

USE OF SUPRA RENAL RETRIEVABLE INFERIOR VENA CAVA (IVC) FILTER IN CONJUNCTION WITH EKOS FOR TREATMENT OF EXTENSIVE IVC THROMBOSIS

Inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis is an underdiagnosed condition associated with a mortality rate approaching twice that of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A 49-year-old female presented to emergency room with complaint of bilateral leg and abdominal pain. Her past medical history

Delayed spontaneous recanalization of chronic total occlusion of left anterior descending artery after attempted but failed revascularization during percutaneous coronary intervention

ABSTRACT Chronic total occlusion (CTO) of coronary artery remains the Achilles heel of the interventional cardiologist and is present in a significant proportion of referrals for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG); however, with the development and standardization of modern CTO recanalization techniques, it has been able to achieve excellent success while coping with lesions of increasing complexity. Nevertheless, failure to recanalize despite the development of new techniques still remains one of the challenges in the field of interventional cardiology. Spontaneous recanalization has been described in nonocclusive coronary artery dissections in detail; none has addressed the possibility of spontaneous recanalization after failed percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We report a case of spontaneous but delayed recanalization of CTO of left anterior descending artery 3 years after attempted but failed revascularization during PCI.

Deciphering a case of pulmonary hypertension in a young female: Partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage the culprit

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage (PAPVD) is a rare congenital cardiac defect and is associated with sinus venosus atrial septal defect. While most cases are asymptomatic, a patient can present with pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) and it can be difficult to diagnose. Here, we discuss the case of a young female with PHTN who was found to have two right-sided PAPVD. Through this case, authors try to emphasize the importance of meticulous and thorough investigation when evaluating PHTN, which allows for correct diagnosis and a timely intervention before PHTN becomes irreversible.

DYSPNEA ON EXERTION IN A YOUNG FEMALE: PARTIAL ANOMALOUS PULMONARY VENOUS RETURN AS A CAUSE FOR PULMONARY HYPERTENSION

Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return is a rare congenital cardiac defect with incidence of 0.4 to 0.7% and is associated with sinus venosus atrial septal defect (ASD). While most cases are asymptomatic, patient can present with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and it can be difficult to diagnose.

Telescoping Technique to Engage Left Main Coronary Artery in a Case of Giant Aortic Aneurysm in a Geriatric Patient

We present a case of a geriatric male with giant ascending aortic aneurysm (AAA) who underwent successful coronary angiography using telescoping technique for evaluation his coronary arteries before surgery for AAA. Since the ascending aorta and root were extremely dilated, we knew it would not have been possible to engage the coronaries using regular catheters and standard technique. Hence, telescopic technique was used. Amplatz left 3 (AL3) 7F (French) guide catheter (90 cm) was initially used, and nonselective injection of contrast was done to see the coronary ostium. After that, a 5F multipurpose catheter (110 cm) was telescoped through 7F AL3 guide catheter to engage the ostium of the left main coronary artery. Using this technique, images of coronaries were obtained, and it showed minimal luminal irregularities in major epicardial coronary arteries. The patient underwent successful surgery with aortic valve replacement and excision of aneurysm with graft placement. Although this technique has been described previously in enlarged aortas, this is the first to our knowledge use of telescoping technique in giant aortic aneurysm in a geriatric patient.

Giant right coronary aneurysm and syncope.

Rupen Parikh, M.D,Hartaj Virk, M.D,Aiman Hamdan,M.D,FACC,FayezE. Shamoon, M.D, FACC, Eric Bronstein, M.D, Mahesh BikkinaM.D, MPH, FACC, FSCAI. Division of Cardiology (Parikh, Virk, Hamdan, Shamoon, Bikkina) & Dept of Cardio Thorasic Surgery(Bronstein), St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Paterson, NJ Address for correspondence: Mahesh Bikkina, M.D, MPH Div. of Cardiology, 1st Floor St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center 703Main St Paterson, NJ 07503 Phone: 973-754-2300Fax: 973-754-2325 maheshbikkina@yahoo.com