Research Spotlight

Mahajan, P., Dass, B., Radhakrishnan, N. and McCullough, P.A. (2020). “COVID-19-Associated Systemic Thromboembolism: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.” Cardiorenal Med Oct 22;1-8. [Epub ahead of print]. 1-8.

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INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic that has affected >188 countries, involved >24 million people, and caused >840,000 deaths. COVID-19, in its severe form, presents as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and multiorgan failure. Thrombotic microangiopathy of the lungs and kidneys has been observed in these patients. Elevated D-dimer levels have been observed in people with serious COVID-19 illness, and this could be helpful in guiding treatment with anticoagulation in these patients. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the role of anticoagulation as a treatment modality for COVID-19. METHODS: We present the unique case of a COVID-19 patient who developed sepsis, ARDS, acute kidney injury, and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), who was deteriorating clinically. She was treated with anticoagulation. RESULTS: There was rapid recovery after treatment with systemic anticoagulation. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic anticoagulation could prove to be essential in the treatment of CO-VID-19. Further studies are required to assess its role in improving long-term morbidity and mortality in these patients.

Aldujeli, A., Hamadeh, A., Briedis, K., Tecson, K.M., Rutland, J., Krivickas, Z., Stiklioraitis, S., Briede, K., Aldujeili, M., Unikas, R., Zaliaduonyte, D., Zaliunas, R., Vallabhan, R.C. and McCullough, P.A. (2020). “Delays in Presentation in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Cardiol Res 11(6): 386-391.

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BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, has had a major impact on the behavior of patients, as well as on the delivery of healthcare services. With older and more medically vulnerable people tending to stay at home to avoid contracting the virus, it is unclear how the behavior of people with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has changed. The aim of this study was to determine if delays in presentation and healthcare service delivery for AMI exist during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the same period a year prior. METHODS: In this single-center, retrospective study, we evaluated patients admitted with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 11, 2020 to April 20, 2020) compared to patients admitted with same diagnosis during the same period a year prior. RESULTS: There were 30 and 62 patients who presented with NSTEMI in the pandemic and pre-pandemic eras, respectively. The median pain-to-door time was significantly larger during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic era (1,885 (880, 5,732) vs. 606 (388, 944) min, P < 0.0001). There was a significant delay in door-to-reperfusion time during the pandemic with a median time of 332 (182, 581) vs. 194 (92, 329) min (P = 0.0371). There were 24 (80%) and 25 (42%) patients who presented after 12 h of pain onset in pandemic and pre-pandemic eras, respectively (P = 0.0006). There were 47 and 60 patients who presented with STEMI during the pandemic timeframe of study and pre-pandemic timeframe, respectively. The median pain-to-door time during the pandemic was significantly larger than that of the pre-pandemic (620 (255, 1,500) vs. 349 (146, 659) min, P = 0.0141). There were 22 (47%) and 14 (24%) patients who presented after 12 h of pain onset in the pandemic and pre-pandemic eras, respectively (P = 0.0127). There was not a significant delay in door-to-reperfusion time (P = 0.9833). There were no differences in in-hospital death, stroke, or length of hospitalization between early and late presenters, as well as between pandemic and pre-pandemic eras. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study found that patients waited significantly longer during the pandemic to seek medical treatment for AMI compared to before the pandemic, and that pandemic-specific protocols may delay revascularization for NSTEMI patients. These findings resulted in more than a threefold increase from the onset of symptoms to revascularization increasing the risks for future complications such as left ventricular dysfunction and cardiovascular death. Efforts should be made to increase patients' awareness regarding consequences of delayed presentation, and to find a balance between hospital evaluation strategies and goals of minimizing total ischemic time.

Hatem, M., Nimmons, S.J., Khoury, A.N. and Martin, H.D. (2020). “Spinopelvic Parameters Do Not Predict the Sagittal Orientation of the Acetabulum.” Orthop J Sports Med 8(10): 2325967120957420.

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BACKGROUND: The orientation of the acetabulum has a fundamental role in impingement and instability of the hip, and the spinopelvic parameters are thought to predict the sagittal orientation of the acetabulum (SOA). However, similar to the acetabular version (axial orientation) and inclination (coronal orientation), the cephalic or caudal orientation of the acetabulum in the sagittal plane, or SOA, may primarily be an intrinsic feature of the acetabulum itself. PURPOSE: To determine whether the spinopelvic parameters predict the sagittal orientation of the acetabulum in individuals without lumbar deformity. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in 89 patients (94 hips; 62 female, 27 male; mean ± SD age, 45.9 ± 15.4 years) without lumbosacral deformity who underwent magnetic resonance arthrogram (MRA) for assessment of hip pain. The SOA was determined in the sagittal cut MRA. A line was drawn at the distal limit of the anterior and posterior acetabular horns longitudinally to the transverse ligament, and the angle between this line and the axial plane represented the SOA. The sacral slope, pelvic incidence, and spinopelvic tilt were determined using a 3-dimensional cursor and the axial, sagittal, and coronal cuts. All MRA studies were performed with the patient in the supine position. RESULTS: The SOA had a mean ± SD cephalic orientation of 18° ± 6.6°. No significant correlation was observed between the SOA and the sacral slope (r = -0.03; P = .77). A weak correlation was observed between the SOA and the pelvic incidence (r = 0.22; P = .03) and between the SOA and the spinopelvic tilt (r = 0.41; P < .01). CONCLUSION: The SOA cannot be presumed based on the spinopelvic parameter. Similar to the well-known parameters to assess the axial and coronal orientation of the acetabulum, the assessment of the SOA demands acetabular-specific parameters. Additional studies are necessary to assess the SOA in asymptomatic hips, including disparities between genders. Clinically significant values for abnormal SOA of the acetabulum remain to be defined.

Whisenant, B., Kapadia, S.R., Eleid, M.F., Kodali, S.K., McCabe, J.M., Krishnaswamy, A., Morse, M., Smalling, R.W., Reisman, M., Mack, M., O’Neill, W.W., Bapat, V.N., Leon, M.B., Rihal, C.S., Makkar, R.R. and Guerrero, M. (2020). “One-Year Outcomes of Mitral Valve-in-Valve Using the SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve.” JAMA Cardiol 5(11): 1245-1252.

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IMPORTANCE: Bioprosthetic mitral valves are implanted with increasing frequency but inevitably degenerate, leading to heart failure. Reoperation is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve (MViV) using balloon-expandable transcatheter valves has emerged as an alternative for high-surgical risk patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess contemporary outcomes of SAPIEN 3 (Edwards Lifesciences) MViV replacement. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this registry-based prospective cohort study of SAPIEN 3 MViV, patients entered in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry from June 2015 to July 2019 were analyzed. US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid linkage ensured comprehensive collection of death and stroke data. EXPOSURES: Mitral valve-in-valve for degenerated bioprosthetic mitral valves. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary efficacy end point was 1-year mortality. The primary safety end point was procedural technical success as defined by the Mitral Valve Academic Research Consortium criteria. Secondary end points included 30-day mortality, New York Heart Association-defined heart failure, and mitral valve performance. RESULTS: A total of 1529 patients (mean [SD] age, 73.3 [11.84] years; 904 women [59.1%]) underwent transseptal or transapical MViV implant at 295 hospitals between June 2015 and July 2019. The mean (SD) Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality was 11.1% (8.7%). Procedural technical success was achieved for 1480 of 1529 patients (96.8%). All-cause mortality was 5.4% at 30 days and 16.7% at 1 year. Transseptal access was associated with lower 1-year all-cause mortality than transapical access (15.8% vs 21.7%; P = .03). Transcatheter MViV led to early, sustained, and clinically meaningful improvements in heart failure (class III/IV New York Heart Association heart failure of 87.1% at baseline vs 9.7% at 1 year). The mean (SD) mitral valve gradient at 1 year was 7 (2.89) mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Transcatheter MViV using the SAPIEN 3 transcatheter heart valve is associated with high technical success, low 30-day and 1-year mortality, significant improvement of heart failure symptoms, and sustained valve performance. Transseptal MViV should be considered an option for most patients with failed surgical bioprosthetic valves and favorable anatomy.

Giustino, G., Lindenfeld, J., Abraham, W.T., Kar, S., Lim, D.S., Grayburn, P.A., Kapadia, S.R., Cohen, D.J., Kotinkaduwa, L.N., Weissman, N.J., Mack, M.J. and Stone, G.W. (2020). “NYHA Functional Classification and Outcomes After Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair in Heart Failure: The COAPT Trial.” JACC Cardiovasc Interv 13(20): 2317-2328.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of MitraClip implantation versus guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in patients with secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR) according to baseline functional status as assessed by the widely used New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification. BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure (HF) and impaired functional status at baseline have poor prognosis. Whether the effects of transcatheter repair of secondary SMR in patients with HF are influenced by baseline functional status is unknown. METHODS: In the COAPT (Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation) trial, patients with HF with moderate to severe or severe SMR who remained symptomatic despite maximally tolerated GDMT were randomized to MitraClip implantation versus GDMT alone. Outcomes were evaluated according to baseline functional status as assessed using the NYHA functional classification. The primary endpoint of interest was the rate of death or HF-related hospitalization (HFH) at 2 years in time-to-first-event analyses. RESULTS: Among 613 randomized patients, 240 were in NYHA functional class II (39.2%), 322 were in NYHA functional class III (52.5%), and 51 were in ambulatory NYHA functional class IV (8.3%). Rates of death or HFH were progressively higher with increasing NYHA functional class. Compared with GDMT alone, MitraClip implantation resulted in lower 2-year rates of death or HFH consistently in patients in NYHA functional class II (39.7% vs. 63.7%; hazard ratio [HR]: 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37 to 0.77), NYHA functional class III (46.6% vs. 65.5%; HR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.82), and NYHA functional class IV (66.7% vs. 85.2%; HR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.28 to 1.10; p(interaction) = 0.86). Greater improvements in quality of life at 2 years were observed in patients treated with the MitraClip compared with GDMT irrespective of baseline functional status. CONCLUSIONS: The NYHA functional classification provides prognostic utility in patients with HF and moderate to severe or severe SMR. In the COAPT trial, the benefits of MitraClip implantation were consistent in patients with better or worse functional status as assessed by NYHA functional class. (Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients With Functional Mitral Regurgitation [The COAPT Trial] [COAPT]; NCT01626079).