Aims The EURO-ENDO registry aimed to study the management and outcomes of patients with infective endocarditis (IE). Methods and results Prospective cohort of 3116 adult patients (2470 from Europe, 646 from non-ESC countries), admitted to 156 hospitals in 40 countries between January 2016 and March 2018 with a diagnosis of IE based on ESC 2015 diagnostic criteria. Clinical, biological, microbiological, and imaging [echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) scan, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT)] data were collected. Infective endocarditis was native (NVE) in 1764 (56.6%) patients, prosthetic (PVIE) in 939 (30.1%), and device-related (CDRIE) in 308 (9.9%). Infective endocarditis was community-acquired in 2046 (65.66%) patients. Microorganisms involved were staphylococci in 1085 (44.1%) patients, oral streptococci in 304 (12.3%), enterococci in 390 (15.8%), and Streptococcus gallolyticus in 162 (6.6%). 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography was performed in 518 (16.6%) patients and presented with cardiac uptake (major criterion) in 222 (42.9%) patients, with a better sensitivity in PVIE (66.8%) than in NVE (28.0%) and CDRIE (16.3%). Embolic events occurred in 20.6% of patients, and were significantly associated with tricuspid or pulmonary IE, presence of a vegetation and Staphylococcus aureus IE. According to ESC guidelines, cardiac surgery was indicated in 2160 (69.3%) patients, but finally performed in only 1596 (73.9%) of them. In-hospital death occurred in 532 (17.1%) patients and was more frequent in PVIE. Independent predictors of mortality were Charlson index, creatinine > 2 mg/dL, congestive heart failure, vegetation length > 10 mm, cerebral complications, abscess, and failure to undertake surgery when indicated. Conclusion Infective endocarditis is still a life-threatening disease with frequent lethal outcome despite profound changes in its clinical, microbiological, imaging, and therapeutic profiles.

SummaryBackgroundPatients with dilated cardiomyopathy whose symptoms and cardiac function have recovered often ask whether their medications can be stopped. The safety of withdrawing treatment in this situation is unknown.MethodsWe did an open-label, pilot, randomised trial to examine the effect of phased withdrawal of heart failure medications in patients with previous dilated cardiomyopathy who were now asymptomatic, whose left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) had improved from less than 40% to 50% or greater, whose left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) had normalised, and who had an N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) concentration less than 250 ng/L. Patients were recruited from a network of hospitals in the UK, assessed at one centre (Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK), and randomly assigned (1:1) to phased withdrawal or continuation of treatment. After 6 months, patients in the continued treatment group had treatment withdrawn by the same method. The primary endpoint was a relapse of dilated cardiomyopathy within 6 months, defined by a reduction in LVEF of more than 10% and to less than 50%, an increase in LVEDV by more than 10% and to higher than the normal range, a two-fold rise in NT-pro-BNP concentration and to more than 400 ng/L, or clinical evidence of heart failure, at which point treatments were re-established. The primary analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02859311.FindingsBetween April 21, 2016, and Aug 22, 2017, 51 patients were enrolled. 25 were randomly assigned to the treatment withdrawal group and 26 to continue treatment. Over the first 6 months, 11 (44%) patients randomly assigned to treatment withdrawal met the primary endpoint of relapse compared with none of those assigned to continue treatment (Kaplan-Meier estimate of event rate 45·7% [95% CI 28·5–67·2]; p=0·0001). After 6 months, 25 (96%) of 26 patients assigned initially to continue treatment attempted its withdrawal. During the following 6 months, nine patients met the primary endpoint of relapse (Kaplan-Meier estimate of event rate 36·0% [95% CI 20·6–57·8]). No deaths were reported in either group and three serious adverse events were reported in the treatment withdrawal group: hospital admissions for non-cardiac chest pain, sepsis, and an elective procedure.InterpretationMany patients deemed to have recovered from dilated cardiomyopathy will relapse following treatment withdrawal. Until robust predictors of relapse are defined, treatment should continue indefinitely.FundingBritish Heart Foundation, Alexander Jansons Foundation, Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College London, Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre, Wellcome Trust, and Rosetrees Trust.

The aim of this review is to give a comprehensive and concise overview of coronary embryology and normal coronary anatomy, describe common variants of normal and summarize typical patterns of anomalous coronary artery anatomy. Extensive iconography supports the text, with particular attention to images obtained in vivo using non-invasive imaging. We have divided this article into three groups, according to their frequency in the general population: Normal, normal variant and anomaly. Although congenital coronary artery anomalies are relatively uncommon, they are the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death among young athletes and therefore warrant detailed review. Based on the functional relevance of each abnormality, coronary artery anomalies can be classified as anomalies with obligatory ischemia, without ischemia or with exceptional ischemia. The clinical symptoms may include chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, syncope, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Moreover, it is important to also identify variants and anomalies without clinical relevance in their own right as complications during surgery or angioplasty can occur.

Background-Permanent pacemaker (PPM) requirement is a recognized complication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation. We assessed the UK incidence of permanent pacing within 30 days of CoreValve implantation and formulated an anatomic and electrophysiological model. Methods and Results-Data from 270 patients at 10 centers in the United Kingdom were examined. Twenty-five patients (8%) had preexisting PPMs; 2 patients had incomplete data. The remaining 243 were 81.3Ϯ6.7 years of age; 50.6% were male. QRS duration increased from 105Ϯ23 to 135Ϯ29 milliseconds (PϽ0.01). Left bundle-branch block incidence was 13% at baseline and 61% after the procedure (PϽ0.001). Eighty-one patients (33.3%) required a PPM within 30 days.Rates of pacing according to preexisting ECG abnormalities were as follows: right bundle-branch block, 65.2%; left bundle-branch block, 43.75%; normal QRS, 27.6%. Among patients who required PPM implantation, the median time to insertion was 4.0 days (interquartile range, 2.0 to 7.75 days). Multivariable analysis revealed that periprocedural atrioventricular block (odds ratio, 6.29; 95% confidence interval, 3.55 to 11.15), balloon predilatation (odds ratio, 2.68; 95% confidence interval, 2.00 to 3.47), use of the larger (29 mm) CoreValve prosthesis (odds ratio, 2.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.22 to 5.11), interventricular septum diameter (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.10 to 3.06), and prolonged QRS duration (odds ratio, 3.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.61 to 7.40) were independently associated with the need for PPM. Conclusion-One third of patients undergoing a CoreValve transcatheter aortic valve implantation procedure require a PPM within 30 days. Periprocedural atrioventricular block, balloon predilatation, use of the larger CoreValve prosthesis, increased interventricular septum diameter and prolonged QRS duration were associated with the need for PPM. (Circulation. 2011;123:951-960.)Key Words: aortic stenosis Ⅲ electrocardiography Ⅲ pacemakers Ⅲ transcatheter aortic valve Ⅲ transcatheter aortic valve implantation A ortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular disease in Europe, 1,2 and age is a significant factor in its natural history. 2 Severe AS occurs in 2% to 4% of adults Ͼ65 years of age. 3,4 Current guidelines recommend aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery for these patients when they become symptomatic or develop impaired left ventricular systolic function with an ejection fraction Ͻ50%. 5,6 However, the aging population generates greater numbers of patients with severe AS and significant comorbidities, 3 prohibitively raising their perioperative risks for surgical AVR. Since the first successful implant in 2002,7 transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an increasingly common technology in this cohort. The initial surveillance has been encouraging with respect to procedural success, improvement in quality of life, and short-term and medium-term mortality. 8 -10 Clinical Perspective on p 960Aortic valvular disease is itself associated with cond...

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT01358513, NCT02132026, NCT00338676, NCT00647088, NCT01679431.

BACKGROUND: Prospective, single-center trials have shown that the implementation of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) recommendations in high-risk patients significantly reduced the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) after surgery. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a bundle of supportive measures based on the KDIGO guideline in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a multicenter setting in preparation for a large definitive trial. METHODS: In this multicenter, multinational, randomized controlled trial, we examined the adherence to the KDIGO bundle consisting of optimization of volume status and hemodynamics, functional hemodynamic monitoring, avoidance of nephrotoxic drugs, and prevention of hyperglycemia in high-risk patients identified by the urinary biomarkers tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 [TIMP-2] and insulin growth factor-binding protein 7 [IGFBP7] after cardiac surgery. The primary end point was the adherence to the bundle protocol and was evaluated by the percentage of compliant patients with a 95% confidence interval (CI) according to Clopper-Pearson. Secondary end points included the development and severity of AKI. RESULTS: In total, 278 patients were included in the final analysis. In the intervention group, 65.4% of patients received the complete bundle as compared to 4.2% in the control group (absolute risk reduction [ARR] 61.2 [95% CI, 52.6-69.9]; P < .001). AKI rates were statistically not different in both groups (46.3% intervention versus 41.5% control group; ARR −4.8% [95% CI, −16.4 to 6.9]; P = .423). However, the occurrence of moderate and severe AKI was significantly lower in the intervention group as compared to the control group (14.0% vs 23.9%; ARR 10.0% [95% CI, 0.9-19.1]; P = .034). There were no significant effects on other specified secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a KDIGO-derived treatment bundle is feasible in a multinational setting. Furthermore, moderate to severe AKI was significantly reduced in the intervention group. (Anesth Analg XXX;XXX:00-00) KEY POINTS• Question: Is it feasible to implement a bundle of supportive measures in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a multinational setting? • Findings: In this multicenter randomized clinical trial, we found that the implementation of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) bundle is feasible in a multinational setting and that these supportive measures significantly reduced the occurrence of moderate and severe acute kidney injury (AKI). • Meaning: The findings underpin the need for a definitive trial to evaluate whether the KDIGO bundle reduces the occurrence of AKI in high-risk patients after cardiac surgery.

Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a rare condition but one with high associated morbidity and mortality. With an ageing population and increasing use of implantable cardiac devices and heart valves, the epidemiology of IE has changed. Early clinical suspicion and a rapid diagnosis are essential to enable the correct treatment pathways to be accessed and to reduce complication and mortality rates. In the current review, we detail the latest guidelines for the evaluation and management of patients with endocarditis and its prevention.

Changes in the structure and electrical behaviour of the left atrium are known to occur with conditions that predispose to atrial fibrillation (AF) and in response to prolonged periods of AF. We review the evidence that changes in myocardial thickness in the left atrium are an important part of this pathological remodelling process. Autopsy studies have demonstrated changes in the thickness of the atrial wall between patients with different clinical histories. Comparison of the reported tissue dimensions from pathological studies provides an indication of normal ranges for atrial wall thickness. Imaging studies, most commonly done using cardiac computed tomography, have demonstrated that these changes may be identified non-invasively. Experimental evidence using isolated tissue preparations, animal models of AF, and computer simulations proves that the three-dimensional tissue structure will be an important determinant of the electrical behaviour of atrial tissue. Accurately identifying the thickness of the atrial may have an important role in the non-invasive assessment of atrial structure. In combination with atrial tissue characterization, a comprehensive assessment of the atrial dimensions may allow prediction of atrial electrophysiological behaviour and in the future, guide radiofrequency delivery in regions based on their tissue thickness.