Yong-Giun Kim

Aortopathy and bicuspid aortic valve: haemodynamic burden is main contributor to aortic dilatation

Objective To evaluate factors associated with aortic enlargement in patients with a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and the impact of isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR). Design and setting A retrospective analysis of clinical data in a tertiary referral hospital. Patients and main outcome measures We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 595 patients with BAV to assess variables determining maximal ascending aortic dimension. To measure annual dilatation rates, baseline and follow-up echocardiograms were analysed in 70 patients with BAV (BAV-AVR group) and 48 with a tricuspid aortic valve (TVA-AVR group) who underwent isolated AVR, and compared with 65 patients with BAV who did not undergo AVR (BAV-NAVR group). Results Aortic regurgitation (AR) severity was associated with aortic sinus diameter (p<0.001), whereas aortic stenosis severity with the tubular diameter (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age was an independent factor for both sinus and tubular diameter with AR severity being for aortic sinus diameter and moderate to severe aortic stenosis or AR being for aortic tubular diameter. Despite younger age and lower prevalence of moderate to severe valvular dysfunction at baseline, the annual dilatation rates at sinus and tubular part were significantly higher in the BAV-NAVR than in the BAV-AVR and TAV-AVR groups (p<0.05 each), which did not differ in the BAV-AVR and TAV-AVR groups (p=0.402 for sinus and p=0.394 for tubular part). Conclusions Age-dependent aortic enlargement associated with significant valvular dysfunction and the protective effects of isolated AVR in patients with BAV indicate that valvular dysfunction is a major determinant to the development of aortopathy.

Influence of Diabetes Mellitus on Long-Term (Five-Year) Outcomes of Drug-Eluting Stents and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Multivessel Coronary Revascularization

Diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and for diffuse and progressive atherosclerosis. We evaluated the outcomes of drug-eluting stent (DES) placement and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in 891 diabetic patients (489 for DES implantation and 402 for CABG) and 2,151 nondiabetic patients (1,058 for DES implantation and 1,093 for CABG) with multivessel CAD treated from January 2003 through December 2005 and followed up for a median 5.6 years. Outcomes of interest included death; the composite outcome of death, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke; and repeat revascularization. In diabetic patients, after adjusting for baseline covariates, 5-year risk of death (hazard ratio 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.77 to 1.33, p = 0.96) and the composite of death, MI, or stroke (hazard ratio 1.03, 95% confidence interval 0.80 to 1.31, p = 0.91) were similar in patients undergoing DES or CABG. However, rate of repeat revascularization was significantly higher in the DES group (hazard ratio 3.69, 95% confidence interval 2.64 to 5.17, p <0.001). These trends were consistent in nondiabetic patients (hazard ratio 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.55 to 1.16, p = 0.23 for death; hazard ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval 0.56 to 1.05, p = 0.10 for composite of death, MI, or stroke; hazard ratio 2.77, 95% CI 1.95 to 3.91, p <0.001 for repeat revascularization). There was no significant interaction between diabetic status and treatment strategy on clinical outcomes (p for interaction = 0.36 for death; 0.20 for the composite of death, MI, or stroke; and 0.40 for repeat revascularization). In conclusion, there was no significant prognostic influence of diabetes on long-term treatment with DES or CABG in patients with multivessel CAD.

Second coupling interval of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia to distinguish malignant from benign outflow tract ventricular tachycardias

BACKGROUND Idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (VT) originating from the outflow tract (OT) usually is considered a benign condition. In rare cases, patients with OT-VT suffer from syncope or even sudden cardiac death. OT-VT is frequently preceded by nonsustained VT (NSVT). OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to clarify if the ECG parameters of NSVTs could differentiate malignant from benign OT-VT. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated patients without structural heart disease who had documented OT-NSVT on ECG. ECG parameters were compared between patients with syncope, aborted sudden cardiac death, or ventricular fibrillation (malignant group, n = 36) and patients without syncope (benign group, n = 40). RESULTS There were no differences with regard to age and gender between the malignant and benign groups. On analysis of NSVT, the first coupling interval (CI) of NSVT was comparable between the 2 groups (458 ± 87 ms vs 485 ± 95 ms, P = .212). However, the second CI of NSVT beats was significantly shorter in the malignant group (313 ± 58 ms vs 385 ± 83 ms, P < .0001). During 48-month follow-up, the benign group had a significantly lower recurrence of clinical VT than the malignant group (P = .046). The malignant group frequently had more than 1 focus of VT, whereas the benign group showed only a single focus (1.82 vs 1.09, P = .023). CONCLUSION The second CI of NSVT in the malignant group was significantly shorter than that of the benign OT-VT group. Careful measurement of the second CI of NSVT may help identify the malignant form of OT-VT, enabling early treatment to prevent future cardiac events.

Long‐term luminal change after drug‐eluting stent implantation: Serial angiographic follow‐up study of the ZEST randomized trial

To evaluate long‐term patterns of luminal changes after implantation of different types of drug‐eluting stents (DES), we analyzed the serial angiographic outcomes of patients implanted with zotarolimus‐eluting stents (ZES), sirolimus‐eluting stents (SES), or paclitaxel‐eluting stents (PES).

Family history of diabetes and the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis.

AIM This study investigated the influence of a family history of diabetes on the risk of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis according to coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in asymptomatic individuals. METHODS A total of 6434 consecutive asymptomatic individuals with no prior history of coronary artery disease voluntarily underwent CCTA evaluation as part of a general health examination. Coronary atherosclerotic plaque and significant coronary artery stenosis (degree of stenosis ≥50%) on CCTA were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between a family history of diabetes and atherosclerotic plaque or significant coronary artery stenosis according to the degree of diabetes (normal, prediabetic and diabetic). RESULTS Mean age of study participants was 53.7±7.6 years, and 4694 (73.0%) were male. A total of 1593 (24.8%) participants had a family history of diabetes in a first-degree relative. Among the study participants, 1115 (17.3%), 3122 (48.5%) and 2197 (34.1%) were categorized as diabetic, prediabetic and normal, respectively. In diabetic participants, after stepwise adjustments for clinical and laboratory variables, a family history of diabetes was significantly associated with non-calcified plaque (P<0.05 for all), but did not appear to be associated with either calcified or mixed plaques or with significant coronary artery stenosis (P>0.05 for all). In prediabetic and normal participants, a family history of diabetes was not associated with either atherosclerotic plaque or significant coronary artery stenosis (P>0.05 for all). CONCLUSION In asymptomatic diabetic individuals, a family history of diabetes is consistently associated with non-calcified coronary plaque after adjusting for risk factors.

A Case of Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defect Associated with Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm Mimicking Membranous Septal Aneurysm

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are rare. Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are frequently associated with ventricular septal defect (VSD) and aortic regurgitation. They often remain asymptomatic until abruptly presenting with acute chest pain and heart failure secondary to rupture. Here, we describe a case of 20-year-old man who presented with chest pain with a history of VSD. Initial work-up concluded that the patient had VSD associated membranous septal aneurysm. Four years later, the patient presented with symptoms of heart failure. Work-up showed that the ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm was the cause of symptoms. Due to its close proximity to the aortic annulus, sinus of Valsalva aneurysm should be differentiated from membranous septal aneurysm.

Adult Dual Kidney Transplantations Obtained From Marginal Donors: Two Case Reports

Organ shortage has led us to use grafts from expanded criteria donors (ECD). Dual kidney transplantation (DKT) using organs from an ECD, which are not acceptable for single kidney transplantation (KT), may overcome the insufficient functioning nephron mass. We performed DKTs in two recipients, the first DKT to be reported from Korea. In case 1, the donor was a 36-year-old man with hypertension. The cause of his brain death was intracranial hemorrhage. He had no known underlying renal disease; his serum creatinine level was 4.2 mg/dL. Despite the relatively young age of the donor, a biopsy revealed mild interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy with moderate arteriolar narrowing. The recipients postoperative course was uneventful over the 69-month follow-up; her last serum creatinine was 1.3 mg/dL. In case 2, the 80-year-old male donor with a history of hypertension had a normal creatinine. The donor biopsy revealed mild glomerular sclerosis, tubular atrophy, and interstitial fibrosis with moderate arteriolar narrowing. The recipient had undergone a previous KT 14 years previously on the right side of the abdomen, but had resumed dialysis 2 years previously due to chronic allograft nephropathy. There was no delayed graft function. At month 4 posttransplantation, lymphoceles were treated by fenestration. At 6-month follow-up, her creatinine was 1.0 mg/dL. In our experience with these two cases, DKT with ECD kidney grafts seemed to be a successful strategy to avoid poor graft outcomes and overcome the donor organ shortage. Further studies including histological criteria for DKT, should be performed to determine the safest means to utilize ECD grafts.

Recurrent postoperative effusive-constrictive pericarditis associated with steroid discontinuation.

Transient effusive-constrictive pericarditis is a rare complication of open-heart surgery, but is increasingly recognized. For patients with both pericardial effusion and constrictive physiology soon after uneventful open-heart surgery, proper treatment remains to be established. We experienced a case of transient effusive-constrictive pericarditis in a 50-year-old woman who underwent aortic valve replacement due to infective endocarditis. Initially, she was treated with both prednisolone and ibuprofen, which resulted in dramatic relief of symptom. However, she suffered from a relapse of pericaridis after rapid steroid discontinuation and was stabilized by re-treatment with steroid.

Trends, Characteristics, and Clinical Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Korea between 2011 and 2015

Background and Objectives We sought to evaluate nationwide trends, characteristics, and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Korea. Methods From National Health Insurance claims data in Korea, 81,115 patients, who underwent PCI for the first episode of coronary artery disease between 2011 and 2015, were enrolled. Patients were categorized into angina (n=49,288) or acute myocardial infarction (AMI, n=31,887) groups and analyzed. Results The mean age of patients was 64.4±12.2 years and 56,576 (69.7%) were men. Diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension were observed in 27,086 (33.4%), 30,675 (37.8%), and 45,389 (56.0%) patients, respectively. There was a 10% increase in the number of patients undergoing PCI for angina between 2011–2012 and 2014–2015 (11,105 vs. 13,261; p=0.021). However, the number of patients undergoing PCI for AMI marginally decreased between 2011–2012 and 2014–2015 (8,068 vs. 7,823; p=0.052). In procedures, drug-eluting stent was the most frequently used device (93.2%), followed by balloon angioplasty (5.5%) and bare metal stents (1.3%). The mean number of stents per patient was 1.39±0.64. At discharge, dual-anti platelet therapy, statin, beta-blockers, and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker were provided to 76,292 (94.1%), 71,411 (88.0%), 57,429 (70.8%), and 54,418 (67.1%) patients, respectively. The mean in-hospital and 1-year total medical costs were 8,628,768±4,832,075 and 13,128,158±9,758,753 Korean Won, respectively. In-hospital mortality occurred in 2,094 patients (2.6%). Conclusions Appropriate healthcare strategies reflecting trends, characteristics, and clinical outcomes of PCI are needed in Korea.

Prediabetes is not a risk factor for subclinical coronary atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND There are limited data regarding the influence of glycemic status on the risk of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis on coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) in asymptomatic individuals. METHODS We analyzed 6434 asymptomatic individuals who underwent CCTA. The degree and extent of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis were assessed by CCTA, and ≥50% diameter stenosis was defined as significant. Of study participants, 2197 (34.1%), 3122 (48.5%), and 1115 (17.3%) were categorized as normal, prediabetic and diabetic individuals, respectively. RESULTS Compared with normal individuals, there were no statistically differences in the adjusted odds ratios of prediabetic individuals for significant coronary artery stenosis (0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.80-1.22, p=0.888), any plaque (0.96, 95% CI 0.86-1.07, p=0.483), calcified plaque (0.90, 95% CI 0.79-1.01, p=0.080), non-calcified plaque (1.02, 95% CI 0.88-1.17, p=0.803), and mixed plaque (1.00, 95% CI 0.82-1.22, p=0.983). However, adjusted odds ratios for significant coronary artery stenosis (1.71, 95% CI 1.34-2.19, p<0.001), any plaque (1.45, 95% CI 1.26-1.68, p<0.001), calcified plaque (1.35, 95% CI 1.15-1.57, p<0.001), non-calcified plaque (1.33, 95% CI 1.11-1.59, p=0.002), and mixed plaque (1.64, 95% CI 1.30-2.07, p<0.001) of diabetic individuals were significantly higher than those of the normal individuals. CONCLUSION In asymptomatic individuals, diabetic individuals had a higher risk for subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, but prediabetic individuals were not associated with an increased risk of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.