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Circulation. Cardiovascular Imaging Sep 2015Echocardiography and fluoroscopy are the main techniques for prosthetic heart valve (PHV) evaluation, but because of specific limitations they may not identify the... (Review)
Review
Echocardiography and fluoroscopy are the main techniques for prosthetic heart valve (PHV) evaluation, but because of specific limitations they may not identify the morphological substrate or the extent of PHV pathology. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have emerged as new potential imaging modalities for valve prostheses. We present an overview of the possibilities and pitfalls of CT and MRI for PHV assessment based on a systematic literature review of all experimental and patient studies. For this, a comprehensive systematic search was performed in PubMed and Embase on March 24, 2015, containing CT/MRI and PHV synonyms. Our final selection yielded 82 articles on surgical valves. CT allowed adequate assessment of most modern PHVs and complemented echocardiography in detecting the obstruction cause (pannus or thrombus), bioprosthesis calcifications, and endocarditis extent (valve dehiscence and pseudoaneurysms). No clear advantage over echocardiography was found for the detection of vegetations or periprosthetic regurgitation. Whereas MRI metal artifacts may preclude direct prosthesis analysis, MRI provided information on PHV-related flow patterns and velocities. MRI demonstrated abnormal asymmetrical flow patterns in PHV obstruction and allowed prosthetic regurgitation assessment. Hence, CT shows great clinical relevance as a complementary imaging tool for the diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected PHV obstruction and endocarditis. MRI shows potential for functional PHV assessment although more studies are required to provide diagnostic reference values to allow discrimination of normal from pathological conditions.
Topics: Echocardiography; Heart Valve Diseases; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Heart Valves; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine; Multimodal Imaging; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
PubMed: 26353926
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.115.003703 -
European Journal of Cardio-thoracic... Sep 2023To support clinical decision-making in children with aortic valve disease, by compiling the available evidence on outcome after paediatric aortic valve repair (AVr). (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVES
To support clinical decision-making in children with aortic valve disease, by compiling the available evidence on outcome after paediatric aortic valve repair (AVr).
METHODS
A systematic review of literature reporting clinical outcome after paediatric AVr (mean age at surgery <18 years) published between 1 January 1990 and 23 December 2021 was conducted. Early event risks, late event rates and time-to-event data were pooled. A microsimulation model was employed to simulate the lives of individual children, infants and neonates following AVr.
RESULTS
Forty-one publications were included, encompassing 2 623 patients with 17 217 patient-years of follow-up (median follow-up: 7.3 years; range: 1.0-14.4 years). Pooled mean age during repair for aortic stenosis in children (<18 years), infants (<1 year) or neonates (<30 days) was 5.2 ± 3.9 years, 35 ± 137 days and 11 ± 6 days, respectively. Pooled early mortality after stenosis repair in children, infants and neonates, respectively, was 3.5% (95% confidence interval: 1.9-6.5%), 7.4% (4.2-13.0%) and 10.7% (6.8-16.9%). Pooled late reintervention rate after stenosis repair in children, infants and neonates, respectively, was 3.31%/year (1.66-6.63%/year), 6.84%/year (3.95-11.83%/year) and 6.32%/year (3.04-13.15%/year); endocarditis 0.07%/year (0.03-0.21%/year), 0.23%/year (0.07-0.71%/year) and 0.49%/year (0.18-1.29%/year); and valve thrombosis 0.05%/year (0.01-0.26%/year), 0.15%/year (0.04-0.53%/year) and 0.19%/year (0.05-0.77%/year). Microsimulation-based mean life expectancy in the first 20 years for children, infants and neonates with aortic stenosis, respectively, was 18.4 years (95% credible interval: 18.1-18.7 years; relative survival compared to the matched general population: 92.2%), 16.8 years (16.5-17.0 years; relative survival: 84.2%) and 15.9 years (14.8-17.0 years; relative survival: 80.1%). Microsimulation-based 20-year risk of reintervention in children, infants and neonates, respectively, was 75.2% (72.9-77.2%), 53.8% (51.9-55.7%) and 50.8% (47.0-57.6%).
CONCLUSIONS
Long-term outcomes after paediatric AVr for stenosis are satisfactory and dependent on age at surgery. Despite a high hazard of reintervention for valve dysfunction and slightly impaired survival relative to the general population, AVr is associated with low valve-related event occurrences and should be considered in children with aortic valve disease.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Humans; Child; Infant; Adolescent; Aortic Valve; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Constriction, Pathologic; Aortic Valve Stenosis; Treatment Outcome; Retrospective Studies; Reoperation
PubMed: 37584683
DOI: 10.1093/ejcts/ezad284 -
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2021New antithrombotic drugs have been developed, new valve types have been designed and minimally invasive transcatheter techniques have emerged, making the choice of...
New antithrombotic drugs have been developed, new valve types have been designed and minimally invasive transcatheter techniques have emerged, making the choice of antithrombotic therapy after surgical or transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement increasingly complex. Moreover, due to a lack of large randomized controlled trials many recommendations for antithrombotic therapy are based on expert opinion, reflected by divergent recommendations in current guidelines. Therefore, decision-making in clinical practice regarding antithrombotic therapy for prosthetic heart valves is difficult, potentially resulting in sub-optimal patient treatment. This article compares the 2017 ESC/EACTS and 2020 ACC/AHA guidelines on the management of valvular heart disease and summarizes the available evidence. Finally, we established a convenient consensus on antithrombotic therapy after valve interventions based on over 800 annual cases of surgical and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement and a multidisciplinary team discussion between the department of cardiovascular diseases and cardiac surgery of the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
PubMed: 34422930
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.702780 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Aug 2022spp. are non-motile, facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative coccobacilli that are commonly found in the oral cavity and the gastrointestinal tract of some animals and are... (Review)
Review
spp. are non-motile, facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative coccobacilli that are commonly found in the oral cavity and the gastrointestinal tract of some animals and are known to be the cause of infections. Usually, infections by spp. in humans is more common in the context of an animal bite leading to a skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI). Infective endocarditis (IE) is rarely caused by spp.; however, it can pose diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas due to its rarity. The aim of the present study was to systematically review all cases of IE by spp. in the literature. A systematic review was performed of PubMed, Scopus and the Cochrane Library (through 20 December 2021) for studies providing data on epidemiology and clinical and microbiological characteristics as well as data on treatment and outcomes of IE by spp. A total of 28 studies containing data for 28 patients were included. Prosthetic valve was present in 21.4% of patients. The aorta was the most commonly involved intracardiac site. Fever, sepsis, septic shock and heart failure were the most common clinical presentations. Cephalosporins, aminopenicillins and penicillin were the antimicrobials used most commonly. Overall mortality was 17.9%.
PubMed: 36078964
DOI: 10.3390/jcm11175037 -
BJOG : An International Journal of... Oct 2015Historically, pregnancies among women with prosthetic heart valves have been associated with an increased incidence of adverse outcomes. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Historically, pregnancies among women with prosthetic heart valves have been associated with an increased incidence of adverse outcomes.
OBJECTIVES
Systematic review to assess risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes among women with a prosthetic heart valve(s) over the last 20 years.
SEARCH STRATEGY
Electronic literature search of Medline, The Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Embase to find recent studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Studies of pregnant women with heart valve prostheses including trials, cohort studies and unselected case series.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Primary analysis calculated absolute risks and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for pregnancy outcomes using a random effects model. The Freeman-Tukey transformation was utilised in secondary analysis due to the large number of individual study outcomes with zero events.
MAIN RESULTS
Eleven studies capturing 499 pregnancies among women with heart valve prostheses, including 256 mechanical and 59 bioprosthetic, were eligible for inclusion. Pooled estimate of maternal mortality was 1.2/100 pregnancies (95% CI 0.5-2.2), for mechanical valves subgroup 1.8/100 (95% CI 0.5-3.7) and bioprosthetic subgroup 0.7/100 (95% CI 0.1-4.5), overall pregnancy loss 20.8/100 pregnancies (95% CI 9.5-35.1), perinatal mortality 5.0/100 births (95%CI 1.8-9.8) and thromboembolism 9.3/100 pregnancies (95% CI 4.0-16.5).
CONCLUSIONS
Women with heart valve prostheses experienced higher rates of adverse outcomes than expected in a general obstetric population; however, lower than previously reported. Women with bioprostheses had significantly fewer thromboembolic events compared to women with mechanical valves. Women should be counselled pre-pregnancy about risk of maternal death and pregnancy loss. Vigilant surveillance by a multidisciplinary team throughout the perinatal period remains warranted for these women and their infants.
TWEETABLE ABSTRACT
Metaanalysis suggests improvement in #pregnancy outcomes among women with #heartvalveprostheses.
Topics: Bioprosthesis; Female; Fetal Death; Fetal Mortality; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Maternal Mortality; Perinatal Mortality; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular; Pregnancy Outcome; Thromboembolism
PubMed: 26119028
DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.13491 -
Journal of Cardiac Surgery Sep 2022Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a rare but life-threatening complication. Surgery and fibrinolytic therapy (FT) are the two main treatment options for PVT. The... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a rare but life-threatening complication. Surgery and fibrinolytic therapy (FT) are the two main treatment options for PVT. The choice between surgery and FT has always been a matter of debate. Previous studies have shown that although the mortality rate is higher in surgery, complications are less frequent than in FT. We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the results of surgery and FT in PVT.
METHODS
A systematic review of the literature was performed through Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science, encompassing all studies comparing surgery and FT in PVT. The rate of each complication and risk ratio (RR) of complications in surgery and FT were assessed using random-effects models.
RESULTS
Fifteen studies with 1235 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled risk of the mortality was not significantly different between FT and surgery in patients with PVT (pooled RR = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38-1.60, I² = 61.4%). The pooled risks of thromboembolic events (pooled RR = 4.70, 95% CI: 1.83-12.07, I² = 49.6%) and major bleeding (pooled RR = 2.45, 95% CI: 1.09-5.50, I² = 41.1%) and PVT recurrence (pooled RR = 2.06 95% CI: 1.29-3.27, I² = 0.0%) were significantly higher in patients who received FT.
CONCLUSION
Surgery may be safer and with fewer complications than FT for PVT treatment. However, randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the proper treatment for PVT.
Topics: Fibrinolytic Agents; Heart Valve Diseases; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Humans; Thrombolytic Therapy; Thrombosis
PubMed: 35701901
DOI: 10.1111/jocs.16681 -
Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis Apr 2023Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, correlation of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and COVID-19 infection has been well established. Increased... (Review)
Review
Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, correlation of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and COVID-19 infection has been well established. Increased inflammatory response in the setting of COVID-19 infection is associated with VTE and hypercoagulability. Venous and arterial thrombotic events in COVID-19 infection have been well documented; however, few cases have been reported involving cardiac valve prostheses. In this review, we present a total of eight cases involving COVID-19-related prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT), as identified in a systematic review. These eight cases describe valve position (mitral versus aortic) and prosthesis type (bioprosthetic versus mechanical), and all cases demonstrate incidents of PVT associated with simultaneous or recent COVID-19 infection. None of these eight cases display obvious non-adherence to anticoagulation; five of the cases occurred greater than three years after the most recent valve replacement. Our review offers insights into PVT in COVID-19 infected patients including an indication for increased monitoring in the peri-infectious period. We explore valve thrombosis as a mechanism for prosthetic valve failure. We describe potential differences in antithrombotic strategies that may offer added antithrombotic protection during COVID-19 infection. With the growing population of valve replacement patients and recurring COVID-19 infection surges, it is imperative to explore relationships between COVID-19 and PVT.
Topics: Humans; Fibrinolytic Agents; Venous Thromboembolism; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Heart Valve Diseases; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Thrombosis; Aortic Valve
PubMed: 36528721
DOI: 10.1007/s11239-022-02746-x -
The Journal of Thoracic and... Jan 2016Despite an increasing interest in pediatric aortic valve repair, aortic valve replacement in children may be unavoidable. The evidence on outcome after pediatric aortic... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Despite an increasing interest in pediatric aortic valve repair, aortic valve replacement in children may be unavoidable. The evidence on outcome after pediatric aortic valve replacement is limited and usually reported in small case series. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide an overview of reported outcome of pediatric patients after aortic valve replacement.
METHODS
A systematic literature search for publications reporting outcome after pediatric aortic valve replacement published between January 1990 and May 2015 was conducted. Studies written in English with a study size of more than 30 patients were included.
RESULTS
Thirty-four publications reporting on 42 cohorts were included in this review: 26 concerning the Ross procedure (n = 2409), 13 concerning mechanical prosthesis aortic valve replacement (n = 696), and 3 concerning homograft aortic valve replacement (n = 224). There were no studies on bioprostheses that met our inclusion criteria. The pooled mean patient age was 9.4 years, 12.8 years, and 8.9 years for Ross, mechanical prosthesis, and homograft recipients, respectively. Pooled mean follow-up was 6.6 years. The Ross procedure was associated with lower early (4.20%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.37-5.22 vs 7.34%; 95% CI, 5.21-10.34 vs 12.82%; 95% CI, 8.91-18.46) and late mortality (0.64%/y; 95% CI, 0.49-0.84 vs 1.23%/y; 95% CI, 0.85-1.79 vs 1.59%/y; 95% CI, 1.03-2.46) compared with mechanical prosthesis aortic valve replacement and homograft aortic valve replacement, respectively. No significantly different aortic valve reoperation rates were observed between the Ross procedure and mechanical prosthesis aortic valve replacement (1.60%/y; 95% CI, 1.27-2.02 vs 1.07%/y; 95% CI, 0.68-1.68, respectively), whereas homograft aortic valve replacement was associated with significantly higher aortic valve reoperation rates (5.44%/y; 95% CI, 4.24-6.98). The Ross procedure-associated right ventricular outflow tract reoperation rate was 1.91% per year (95% CI, 1.50-2.44).
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review illustrates that all currently available aortic valve substitutes are associated with suboptimal results in children, reflecting the urgent need for reliable and durable repair techniques and innovative replacement solutions for this challenging group of patients.
Topics: Adolescent; Age Factors; Allografts; Aortic Valve; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; Child, Preschool; Heart Valve Diseases; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; Hemodynamics; Humans; Infant; Postoperative Complications; Prosthesis Design; Reoperation; Risk Factors; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 26541831
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.09.083 -
Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine 2022Patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) remains one out of many factors to be considered during decision-making for the treatment of aortic valve pathologies. The idea of...
Patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) remains one out of many factors to be considered during decision-making for the treatment of aortic valve pathologies. The idea of adequate sizing of a prosthetic heart valve was established by Rahimtoola already in 1978. In this article, the author described the phenomenon that the orifice area of a prosthetic heart valve may be too small for the individual patient. PPM is assessed by measurement or projection of the prosthetic effective orifice area indexed to body surface area (iEOA), while it is recommended to use different cut point values for non-obese and obese patients for the categorization of moderate and severe PPM. Several factors influence the accuracy of both the projected and the measured iEOA for PPM assessment, which leads to a certain number of false assignments to the PPM or no PPM group. Despite divergent findings on the impact of PPM on clinical outcomes, there is consensus that PPM should be avoided to prevent sequelae of increased prosthetic gradients after aortic valve replacement. To prevent PPM, it is required to anticipate the iEOA of the prosthesis prior to the procedure. The use of adequate reference tables, derived from echocardiographically measured mean effective orifice area (EOA) values from preferably large numbers of patients, is most appropriate to predict the iEOA. Such tables should be used also for transcatheter heart valves in the future. During the decision-making process, all available options should be taken into account for the individual patient. If the predicted size and type of a surgical prosthesis cannot be implanted, additional surgical procedures, such as annular enlargement with the Manougian technique, or alternative procedures, such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) can prevent PPM. PPM prevention for TAVI patients is a new field of interest and includes anticipation of the iEOA, prosthesis selection, and procedural strategies.
PubMed: 35433878
DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.761917 -
Tricuspid valve repair concomitant with mitral valve surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International Journal of Surgery... Jul 2023Uncertainties persist about whether to aggressively and effectively treat tricuspid regurgitation (TR) during mitral valve (MV) surgery. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Uncertainties persist about whether to aggressively and effectively treat tricuspid regurgitation (TR) during mitral valve (MV) surgery.
REVIEW METHODS
Systematic literature searches were performed in five databases to collect all relevant studies published before May 2022 on whether the tricuspid valve was treated during MV surgery. Separate meta-analyses were performed on data from unmatched studies and randomized controlled trials (RCT)/adjusted studies.
MAIN RESULTS
A total of 44 publications were included, of which eight were RCT studies and the rest were retrospective studies. There was no difference in 30-day mortality [odds ratio (OR): 1.00, 95% CI: 0.71-1.42, OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.30-1.41)] or overall survival [hazard ratio (HR): 1.01, 95% CI: 0.85-1.19, HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.52-1.14] in unmatched studies and RCT/adjusted studies. Late mortality (OR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.21-0.64) and cardiac-related mortality (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.21-0.62) were lower in the tricuspid valve repair (TVR) group in the RCT/adjusted studies. In the unmatched studies, overall cardiac mortality (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.26-0.88) was lower in the TVR group. In the late TR progression analysis, the late TR progression was lower among patients in the concomitantly intervened tricuspid group, and patients in the untreated tricuspid group were prone to TR progression in both studies (HR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.22-0.41, HR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.23-0.58).
CONCLUSIONS
TVR concomitant with MV surgery is most effective in patients with significant TR and dilated tricuspid annulus, especially those with a significantly reduced risk of distant TR progression.
Topics: Humans; Tricuspid Valve; Mitral Valve; Mitral Valve Insufficiency; Treatment Outcome; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 37300887
DOI: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000000396