Between 2014 and 2016, the need for ECS remained stable around 0.7%. Left ventricular guidewire perforation and annular rupture were the most frequent causes, accounting for almost half of ECS cases. Half of the patients could be salvaged by ECS-nevertheless, 1 year of all-cause mortality was high even in those ECS patients surviving the in-hospital period.

Vascular complications are the main safety limitations of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The aim of the study was to assess the incidents, predictors, and the impact of early vascular complications on prognosis after TAVI. This was a single-center analysis of vascular complications related to TAVI. Early vascular complications were defined as incidents within 30 days after TAVI and comprised complications related to transvascular: transfemoral/transsubclavian ,and transapical bioprosthesis implantation. Evaluated risk factors were: (1) clinical characteristics, (2) TAVI route, and (3) center experience. In patients with transvascular TAVI the impact of: (1) diameters of access arteries, vascular sheathes and difference between them, (2) arterial wall calcification, and (3) ProStar devices used for access site closure were assessed. Arterial wall calcification and arteries diameters were measured by 64-slice computer tomography. Arterial wall calcification was graded according to 5° scale. Results: between 2009–2011; follow-up 1–23 months (12 ± 15.55), 83 consecutive patients, and 62–91 (81.10 ± 7.20) years, underwent TAVI: 67 (80.72 %) patients had transvascular, and 16 (19.27 %) patients had transapical bioprosthesis implantation. We noted 44 (53.01 %) early vascular complications: 17 (20.48 %) were major and 27 (32.53 %) were minor incidents. Independent predictors of early vascular complications were: history of anaemia (OR 3.497: 95 % CI [1.276–9.581]; p = 0.014), diabetes (OR 0.323: 95 % CI [0.108–0.962]; p = 0.042), percutaneous coronary intervention performed as preparation for TAVI (OR 4.809: 95 % CI [1.172–19.736]; p = 0.029), and arterial wall calcification (OR 1.945: 95 % CI [1.063–3.558]; p = 0.03). Of 6 (7.22 %) in-hospital and 10 (12.98 %) late deaths: 5 (83.33 %) patients and 8 (80 %) patients respectively had post-procedural vascular complications. Vascular complications, which occurred in 30-days after TAVI, predict late mortality (p = 0.036). Conclusions derived were: (1) TAVI patients with history of anaemia and diabetes required careful monitoring for early vascular complications. (2) If coronary intervention before TAVI is required, it should be performed in the time allowing vascular injuries to heal. (3) Calcification of access arteries is an independent predictor of post-procedural vascular complications; therefore, its estimation should be a regular element of preceding computer tomography. (4) Vascular complications seem to be predictors of late mortality after TAVI.

Cardiovascular disease is a model example of a preventable condition for which practice guidelines are particularly important. In 2016, the joint task force created by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) together with 10 other societies released the new version of the European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention. To facilitate the implementation of the ESC guidelines, a dedicated prevention implementation committee has been established within the European Association of Preventive Cardiology. The paper will first explore potential barriers to the guidelines’ implementation. It then develops a discussion that seeks to inform the future development of the committee’s work, including a new definition of the guidelines’ stakeholders (health policy-makers, healthcare professionals and health educators, patient organisations, entrepreneurs and the general public), future activities within four specific areas: strengthening awareness of the guidelines among stakeholders; supporting organisational changes to facilitate the guidelines’ implementation; motivating stakeholders to utilise the guidelines; and present ideas on new implementation strategies. Providing multifaceted cooperation between healthcare professionals, healthcare management executives and health policy-makers, the novel approach proposed in this paper should contribute to a wider use of the 2016 ESC guidelines and produce desired effects of less cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, the solutions presented within the paper may constitute a benchmark for the implementation of practice guidelines in other medical disciplines.

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Background: COVID-19 has challenged the health system organization requiring a fast reorganization of diagnostic/therapeutic pathways for patients affected by time-dependent diseases such as acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Aim: To describe ACS hospitalizations, management, and complication rate before and after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Design: Ecological retrospective study. Methods: We analyzed aggregated epidemiological data of all patients > 18 years old admitted for ACS in twenty-nine hub cardiac centers from 17 Countries across 4 continents, from December 1st, 2019 to April 15th, 2020. Data from December 2018 to April 2019 were used as historical period. Results: A significant overall trend for reduction in the weekly number of ACS hospitalizations was observed (20.2%; 95% confidence interval CI [1.6, 35.4] P = 0.04). The incidence rate reached a 54% reduction during the second week of April (incidence rate ratio: 0.46, 95% CI [0.36, 0.58]) and was also significant when compared to the same months in 2019 (March and April, respectively IRR: 0.56, 95%CI [0.48, 0.67]; IRR: 0.43, 95%CI [0.32, 0.58] p < 0.001). A significant increase in door-to-balloon, door-to-needle, and total ischemic time (p <0.04 for all) in STEMI patents were reported during pandemic period. Finally, the proportion of patients with mechanical complications was higher (1.98% vs. 0.98%; P = 0.006) whereas GRACE risk score was not different. Conclusions: Our results confirm that COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a significant decrease in ACS hospitalizations rate, an increase in total ischemic time and a higher rate of mechanical complications on a international scale.

IntroductionDual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) – aspirin and clopidogrel – is recommended after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) without an evidence base. The main aim of the study was to estimate the impact of antithrombotic therapy on early and late bleeding. Moreover, we assessed the impact of patients’ characteristics on early bleeding and the influence of bleeding on prognosis.Material and methodsBetween 2009 and 2011, 83 consecutive TAVI patients, age 81.1 ±7.2 years, were included. Bleeding complications were defined by the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC) scale. The median follow-up was 12 ±15.5 months (range: 1 to 23) and included 68 (81.9%) patients.ResultsEarly bleeding occurred in 51 (61.4%) patients. Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) pre-TAVI (p = 0.001) and VKA + clopidogrel early post-TAVI (p = 0.04) were the safest therapies; in comparison to the safest one, peri-procedural DAPT (p = 0.002; p = 0.05) or triple anticoagulant therapy (TAT) (p = 0.003, p = 0.05) increased the risk for early bleeding. Predictors for early bleeding were: clopidogrel pre-TAVI (OR: 4.43, 95% CI: 1.02–19.24, p = 0.04), preceding percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (10.08, OR: 95% CI: 1.12–90.56, p = 0.04), anemia (OR: 4.00, 95% CI: 1.32–12.15, p = 0.01), age > 85 years (OR: 5.96, 95% CI: 1.47–24.13, p = 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.74–0.99, p = 0.04). Late bleeding occurred in 35 patients (51.4%) on combined therapy, and none on VKA or clopidogrel monotherapy (p = 0.04). Bleeding complications did not worsen the survival.ConclusionsThis study seems to suggest that advanced age, BMI, and a history of anemia increased the risk for early bleeding after TAVI. Clopidogrel pre-TAVI should be avoided; therefore, time of preceding PCI should take into account discontinuation of clopidogrel in the pre-TAVI period. Vitamin K antagonists with clopidogrel seems to be the safest therapy in the early post-TAVI period, similarly as VKA/clopidogrel monotherapy in long-term prophylaxis.

Background: Although the lungs are potentially highly susceptible to post-cardiac arrest syndrome injury, the issue of acute respiratory failure after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has not been investigated. The objectives of this analysis were to determine the prevalence of acute respiratory failure after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, its association with post-cardiac arrest syndrome inflammatory response and to clarify its importance for early mortality. Methods: The Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome (PCAS) pilot study was a prospective, observational, six-centre project (Poland 2, Denmark 1, Spain 1, Italy 1, UK 1), studying patients resuscitated after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of cardiac origin. Primary outcomes were: (a) the profile of organ failure within the first 72 hours after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; (b) in-hospital and short-term mortality, up to 30 days of follow-up. Respiratory failure was defined using a modified version of the Berlin acute respiratory distress syndrome definition. Inflammatory response was defined using leukocytes (white blood cells), platelet count and C-reactive protein concentration. All parameters were assessed every 24 hours, from admission until 72 hours of stay. Results: Overall, 148 patients (age 62.9±15.27 years; 27.7% women) were included. Acute respiratory failure was noted in between 50 (33.8%) and 75 (50.7%) patients over the first 72 hours. In-hospital and short-term mortality was 68 (46.9%) and 72 (48.6%), respectively. Inflammation was significantly associated with the risk of acute respiratory failure, with the highest cumulative odds ratio of 748 at 72 hours (C-reactive protein 1.035 (1.001–1.070); 0.043, white blood cells 1.086 (1.039–1.136); 0.001, platelets 1.004 (1.001–1.007); <0.005). Early acute respiratory failure was related to in-hospital mortality (3.172, 95% confidence interval 1.496–6.725; 0.002) and to short-term mortality (3.335 (1.815–6.129); 0.0001). Conclusions: An inflammatory response is significantly associated with acute respiratory failure early after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Acute respiratory failure is associated with a worse early prognosis after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

TAVI-related bleeding occurs mainly during the procedure or in the early postprocedural period. Testing of periprocedural clopidogrel PLTR, but not aspirin PLTR, seems useful because of its predictive value for TAVI-related bleeding. PLTR testing suggests that premedication with clopidogrel, enhanced response to clopidogrel early after TAVI and significant periprocedural drop in clopidogrel PLTR might increase the risk of TAVI-related bleeding.