Aortic stenosis (AS) has increased markedly in developed countries and AS, caused by valve calcification in the elderly, will continue to increase as the aging of society accelerates.1 With a growing need for treatment of elderly patients with severe AS, Cribier et al from France succeeded in percutaneously implanting a stent-mounted aortic valve in 2001 (Figure 1).2 In 2003, the European Heart...

Activated Clotting Time During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Test for All Seasons or a Mind Tranquilizer? Gjin Ndrepepa, MD; Adnan Kastrati, MD · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · e002576 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Failure: Déjà vu ou Jamais vu? Darren Mylotte, MB BCh, MD; Nicolo Piazza, MD, PhD · · · · · · ...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this work was to study the feasibility, safety, efficacy, and durability of percutaneous heart valve (PHV) implantation in the aortic position. BACKGROUND We developed a PHV (equine pericardium valve in a balloon-expandable, stainless-steel stent) to treat patients with inoperable aortic stenosis (AS). METHODS Thirty-six patients (aortic valve area < or =0.7 cm2, New Y...

AIMS Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) may require patient sedation, eventually leading to respiratory depression, a risky condition in severe cardiac disease. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has been applied during diagnostic manoeuvres, but its use during TEE has not been reported. We describe NIV-aided continuous TEE monitoring under sedation in the supine position in three consecutive ...

BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve replacement provides results comparable to those of surgery in patients at high surgical risk, but complications can impact long-term outcomes. The Lotus valve, designed to improve upon earlier devices, is fully repositionable and retrievable, with a unique seal to minimize paravalvular regurgitation (PVR). OBJECTIVES The prospective, single-arm, multicen...

A 73-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for a scheduled percutaneous transcatheter balloon valvuloplasty of a stenotic tricuspid bioprosthesis. The patient had a history consistent with exertional dyspnea, abdominal distension, and edema of the lower extremities resistant to diuretic treatment over the previous few months. Forty-three years prior, she underwent aortic valve replacement...

BACKGROUND In patients with percutaneous device implantation for closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO), a 10% incidence of new or worsened aortic regurgitation within 12 months has been reported with echocardiography. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is a powerful noninvasive tool to quantify volume and fraction of valve insufficiencies. We studied the acute and long-term impact of percutaneo...

BACKGROUND Misplacement during percutaneous aortic valve implantation can be associated with severe complications. The direct flow medical (DFM) valve is repositionable and retrievable; however, the nonmetallic inflatable and conformable design of the valve results in less radial force, which may have an impact on stability and valve function over time. We, therefore, analyzed the midterm stabi...

from may 1994 to december 1996 thirty patients received viable fresh aortic homografts. mean age was 55 years (13 to 70), male to female ratio was 2/1, 24 operations were elective whereas 6 were semiurgent. predominant lesions were aortic stenosis or regurgitation in lb patients, aortic valve endocarditis in 10, prosthetic valve dysfunction in 3, and aortic root pathology in one patient. from t...