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.

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.

Resistin, which is derived from the gene of RSTN, belongs to a family of cysteine-rich secretory proteins called resistin-like molecules (RELMs). Increased serum resistin levels are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and the risk of cardiovascular death. Patients (n = 214) with an initial diagnosis of stable angina pectoris, unstable angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation and referred to catheter laboratory for coronary angiography were enrolled in the study. We aimed to investigate the relationship between increased serum resistin level and CAD. The severity of CAD was calculated by the Gensini scoring system. In conclusion, we established a significant correlation between serum resistin levels and CAD (P = .010). Also, serum resistin levels correlated with the Gensini score that represents the severity of CAD angiographically (P = .010).

Objective: The TURKMI registry is designed to provide insight into the characteristics, management from symptom onset to hospital discharge, and outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) in Turkey. We report the baseline and clinical characteristics of the TURKMI population. Methods: The TURKMI study is a nation-wide registry that was conducted in 50 centers capable of percutaneous coronary intervention selected from each EuroStat NUTS region in Turkey according to population sampling weight, prioritized by the number of hospitals in each region. All consecutive patients with acute MI admitted to coronary care units within 48 hours of symptom onset were prospectively enrolled during a predefined 2-week period between November 1, 2018 and November 16, 2018. Results: A total of 1930 consecutive patients (mean age, 62.0±13.2 years; 26.1% female) with a diagnosis of acute MI were prospectively enrolled. More than half of the patients were diagnosed with non-ST elevation MI (61.9%), and 38.1% were diagnosed with ST elevation MI. Coronary angiography was performed in 93.7% and, percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in 73.2% of the study population. Fibrinolytic therapy was administered to 13 patients (0.018%). Aspirin was prescribed in 99.3% of the patients, and 94% were on dual antiplatelet therapy at the time of discharge. Beta blockers were prescribed in 85.0%, anti-lipid drugs in 96.3%, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in 58.4%, and angiotensin receptor blockers in 7.9%. Comparison with European countries revealed that TURKMI patients experienced MI at younger ages compared with patients in France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The most prevalent risk factors in the TURKMI population were hypercholesterolemia (60.2%), hypertension (49.5%), smoking (48.8%), and diabetes (37.9%). Conclusion: The nation-wide TURKMI registry revealed that hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and smoking were the most prevalent risk factors. TURKMI patients were younger compared with patients in European Countries. The TURKMI registry also confirmed that current treatment guidelines are largely adopted into clinical cardiology practice in Turkey in terms of antiplatelet, anti-ischemic, and anti-lipid therapy.

Objective: Despite recommendations from heart failure guidelines on the use of pharmacologic and device therapy in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), important inconsistencies in guideline adherence persist in practice. The aim of this study was to assess adherence to guideline-directed medical and device therapy for the treatment of patients with chronic HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%). Methods: The Adherence to guideline-directed medical and device Therapy in outpAtients with HFrEF (ATA) study is a prospective, multicenter, observational study conducted in 24 centers from January 2019 to June 2019. Results: The study included 1462 outpatients (male: 70.1%, mean age: 67±11 years, mean LVEF: 30%±6%) with chronic HFrEF. Renin–angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), and ivabradin were used in 78.2%, 90.2%, 55.4%, and 12.1% of patients, respectively. The proportion of patients receiving target doses of medical treatments was 24.6% for RAS inhibitors, 9.9% for beta-blockers, and 10.5% for MRAs. Among patients who met the criteria for implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), only 16.9% of patients received an ICD (167 of 983) and 34% (95 of 279) of patients underwent CRT (95 of 279). Conclusion: The ATA study shows that most HFrEF outpatients receive RAS inhibitors and beta-blockers but not MRAs or ivabradin when the medical reasons for nonuse, such as drug intolerance or contraindications, are taken into account. In addition, most eligible patients with HFrEF do not receive target doses of pharmacological treatments or guideline-recommended device therapy.

Objective: Acute heart failure (AHF) is a life-threatening clinical syndrome characterized by rapid onset of heart failure (HF) symptoms and signs and requires urgent therapy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the overall clinical characteristics, management, and in-hospital outcomes of hospitalized patients with AHF in a large sample of Turkish population. Methods: The Journey HF-TR study is a cross-sectional, multicenter, non-invasive and observational trial. Patients who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of AHF in the intensive care unit (ICU)/coronary care unit and cardiology wards between September 2015 and September 2016 were included in our study. Results: A total of 1606 (male: 57.2%, mean age: 67.8±13 years) patients who were diagnosed with AHF were enrolled in the study. Seventeen percent of the patients were admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of new onset AHF. Hypertension (67%) and coronary artery disease (CAD) (59.6%) were the most frequent underlying diseases. Acute coronary syndrome accompanying HF (14.7%), infection (29.3%), arrhythmia (25.1%), renal dysfunction (23%), and non-compliance with medication (23.8%) were the precipitating factors. The median length of stay in the ICU was 3 days (interquartile range, IQR 1–72) and 7 days (IQR 1–72) for in-hospital journey. The guideline recommended medications were less likely used in our patient population (<73%) before admission and were similar to European and US registers at discharge. The in-hospital mortality rate was 7.6%. Hypertension and CAD were the most frequent underlying diseases in our population similar to other European surveys. Although our study population was younger than other registers, in-hospital mortality was high. Conclusion: Analyses of such real-world data will help to prepare a national database and distinctive diagnosis and treatment algorithms and to provide observing compliance with the current European Society of Cardiology guidelines for more effective management of HF.

We describe the case of a 60yearold woman who presented with pulmonary artery sarcoma, a very rare tumor of the cardiovascular system. Her tumor was initially misdiag nosed as chronic pulmonary thromboembolism, and she underwent pulmonary endarter ectomy.Early P ulmonary artery (PA) sarcoma, a very rare tumor of the cardiovascular system, is often misdiagnosed as acute or chronic pulmonary thromboembolism because its clinical presentation and radiologic findings resemble those of thromboembolism.1,2 The prognosis is usually poor: the tumor is invasive and often involves vital structures such as the heart, which makes radical resection challenging. 3 We describe the case of a 60-year-old woman with PA sarcoma that was initially misdiagnosed. Case ReportIn February 2013, a 60-year-old woman presented at our emergency department with progressive dyspnea and palpitation. The dyspnea had started after a long bus ride. Her New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class was II/III. On physical examination, she was positive for jugular venous distention. Auscultation revealed a grade 3/6 systolic ejection murmur in the left parasternal and 2nd intercostal areas. Her hemodynamic state was stable. Her electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm and a pattern of right ventricular (RV) strain. The patient's cardiothoracic ratio was greater than 50%, and her natriuretic pro-brain peptide level was high. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed RV dilation with impaired function and a mass (2.7 × 1.3-cm) extending from the pulmonary valve into the right and left PAs and into all sub-branches, which suggested a pulmonary embolus (Figs. 1 and 2). Systolic PA pressure (sPAP) derived by Doppler echocardiography was 122 mmHg. Laboratory investigations for hypercoagulable disorders were within normal limits. Malignancy was ruled out by positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT). Doppler studies of the lower-extremity veins were normal. A diagnosis of subacute pulmonary thromboembolism was made on the basis of the patient's clinical presentation and imaging results, and we began anticoagulation with heparin. Thrombolytic therapy was not started because of her stable hemodynamic condition.Subsequently, the patient was placed on warfarin therapy for 3 months and monitored. Her echocardiogram revealed a dilated RV with reduced systolic function and moderate tricuspid regurgitation, no decrease in the size of the mass, and normal left ventricular function. Her sPAP was 122 mmHg. Computed tomograms of her chest showed web-like filling defects in the pulmonary vasculature on the right and left lower lobes, arising from a pulmonary-valve condition that was consistent with

Ischemia-reperfusion damage related with ACC placement may be an important factor on the pathogenesis of POAF. Minimizing the oxidative stress occurring intraoperatively should be targeted for preventing mortality and morbidity due to POAF.