Age-related heart valve changes

BACKGROUND: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a heart valve anomaly with specific electrocardiographic findings and arrhythmia. A predominant sympathetic tone and diminished vagal activity have been reported especially in symptomatic MVP patients. OBJECTIVES: In the current study, we aim to review heart rate variability (HRV) parameters of MVP children in order to determine if there is an impaired autonomic regulation. METHODS: The data of children with MVP were retrospectively analyzed...

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous heart valve procedures have been increasingly performed over the past decade, yet real-world mortality data on valvular heart disease (VHD) in the United States remain limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: We queried the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database among patients ≥15 years old from 1999 to 2020. VHD and its subtypes were listed as the underlying cause of death...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Studies on the impact of syphilis on the cardiovascular system in large populations are limited. This study investigated the effects of syphilis on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: Medical records from 2010 to 2015 were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, linked to the Notifiable Infectious Diseases database from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. Patients with syphilis were identified, excluding those with missing information, under 20 years of age, or with a history of human immunodeficiency virus infection, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, aortic regurgitation, replacement of the aortic valve, aneurysm and/or dissection of the aorta, atrial fibrillation, ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, and venous thromboembolism...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the immediate effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on mechanical efficiency. METHODS: A total of 46 patients (25 females) with an average age of 83 ± 6.4 years underwent TAVI using the CoreValve system. During the same hospitalization, we conducted a comprehensive comparison of the patients before and after TAVI without inotropic support using echocardiography. The parameters encompassed left ventricular (LV) geometry, valvular load, global LV afterload and ventricular hemodynamics...

No medications have been reported to inhibit the progression of aortic valve stenosis (AS). The present study aimed to investigate whether evolocumab use is related to the slow progression of AS evaluated by serial echocardiography. This was a retrospective observational study from 2017 to 2022 at Yokohama City University Medical Center. Patients aged ≥ 18 with moderate AS were included. Exclusion criteria were (1) mild AS; (2) severe AS defined by maximum aortic valve (AV) velocity ≥ 4...

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis continues to be a significant concern and may be undergoing an epidemiological transition. METHODS: Were studied 1804 consecutive episodes of infective endocarditis between 1978 and 2022. The mean age was 48 ( ± 19), and 1162 (64%) patients were male. Temporal trends in demographic data, comorbidities, predisposing conditions, microorganisms, complications and in-hospital death have been studied over the decades (1978-1988, 1989-1999, 2000-2010 and 2011-2022)...

PURPOSE: Analyze the relationship between changes in the proportion of X-chromosome deletions and clinical manifestations in children with Turner syndrome (TS). METHODS: X-chromosome number abnormalities in 8,635 children with growth retardation were identified using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Meanwhile, the relationship between the proportion of X-chromosome deletions and the clinical manifestations of TS, such as face and body phenotype, cardiovascular, renal, and other comorbidities in children with TS was analyzed...

Background Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a chronic cardiovascular condition stemming from an infectious origin, posing a substantial health burden, particularly in economically disadvantaged regions. It starts with acute rheumatic fever (ARF), a complication following group A Streptococcus infection, leading to heart valve damage and, over time, structural heart abnormalities. RHD contributes to premature deaths, especially in low-middle-income countries. Although the incidence and prevalence have generally reduced globally due to antibiotics and improved healthcare, it remains a significant public health concern in Brazil, echoing its prevalence in many developing nations around the world...

BACKGROUND: Global trends in mitral valve surgery (MVSx) suggest increasing repair compared with replacement, especially in the United States and European countries. The relative use, and outcomes of, MV repair and replacement in Australia are unknown. METHODS: New South Wales residents who underwent isolated MVSx between 2001 and 2017 were identified from the Admitted-Patient-Data-Collection database. Mortality outcomes were tracked to 31 Dec 2018 and adjusted based on age, sex, urgency of operation, and comorbidity status...

BACKGROUND: The widely used Bentall procedure is the criterion standard treatment for aortic root pathology. Studies comparing the long-term outcomes of bioprosthetic and mechanical valves in patients undergoing the Bentall procedure are limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients who underwent the Bentall procedure with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve between 2001 and 2018 were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The primary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a therapeutic treatment for severe symptomatic patients with aortic stenosis. This study aimed to test a novel transcatheter aortic self-expandable bioprosthesis-the ScienCrown system (Lepu Medtech Inc., Beijing, China)-and evaluate the safety of the new device during TAVI. ScienCrown aortic valve implantation was performed on 10 patients. Clinical assessment was performed at baseline, post procedure, and after 1 year. Clinical outcomes and adverse events were assessed according to Valvular Academic Research Consortium-3 criteria...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the extended feasibility of a telerehabilitation program and its effects on physical performance in older adults who have recently undergone transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). METHODS: In this single-center feasibility study, patients underwent an eight-week telerehabilitation program, involving web-based home exercise training twice weekly, an activity tracker, access to an informative website, and one online session with a nurse, starting one-week postoperative...

BACKGROUND: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) can reliably detect left atrial (LA) and LA appendage (LAA) thrombus in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) before electrical cardioversion (ECV). However, evaluating cardiac and valve function pre-ECV can be challenging due to the increased and irregular heart rate. Additionally, post-ECV atrial stunning increases the risk of thrombosis. Therefore, post-ECV TEE may allow for useful appendage, ventricular and valve function assessment...

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of aortic valve stenosis (AS) is increasing due to an ageing population. Despite that right ventricular function has prognostic value for postoperative outcome, the right ventricle (RV) is not extensively studied and often not routinely assessed in AS. Our aim was to explore the relation between severe AS and RV function in a surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) cohort, comparing two imaging modalities for RV evaluation. METHODS: Patients with severe AS, underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) before SAVR...

BACKGROUND: Chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) is a volume overload state that causes dilatation of the left sided cardiac chambers. The presence of significant dilatation is considered an indication for mitral valve intervention, however, aging may affect left ventricular (LV) remodeling independently of valvular disease. The objective of this study was to examine age-related changes in cardiac remodeling in a broad population of patients with chronic MR. METHODS: Consecutive subjects that underwent echocardiography examinations recorded in the echocardiography database of a university-affiliated laboratory were retrieved...

BACKGROUND: Transfemoral aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is the standard treatment for elderly patients with aortic valve stenosis. Although safe and well-established, there is a risk of intraprocedural hemodynamic instability and silent cerebral embolism, which can lead to a decline in neurocognitive function and dementia. In clinical practice, comprehensive cognitive testing is difficult to perform. AI-assisted digital applications may help to optimize diagnosis and monitoring. METHODS: Neurocognitive function was assessed by validated psychometric tests using "∆elta -App", which uses artificial intelligence and computational linguistic methods for extraction and analysis...

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPSII) is a progressive lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the IDS gene, that leads to iduronate 2-sulfatase (IDS) enzyme deficiency. The enzyme catalyzes the first step of degradation of two glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), heparan sulfate (HS) and dermatan sulfate (DS). The consequences of MPSII are progressively harmful and can lead to death by cardiac failure. The aim of this study was to characterize the cardiovascular disease in MPSII mice. Thus, we evaluated the cardiovascular function of MPSII male mice at 6, 8 and 10 months of age, through functional, histological, and biochemical analyzes...

BACKGROUND: Controversy regarding the optimal pulmonary valve substitute remains, with no approved surgical valve for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR). Furthermore, unfavorable anatomy often precludes transcatheter PVR in patients with congenital heart disease. We therefore sought to evaluate the feasibility of the Edwards Inspiris pericardial aortic bioprosthesis in the pulmonary position in pediatric and adult patients requiring PVR. METHODS: Data from consecutive patients who underwent PVR from February 2019 to February 2021 at our institution were retrospectively reviewed...

Background Establishing surgical criteria for aortic valve replacement (AVR) in severe aortic regurgitation in young adults is challenging due to the lack of evidence-based recommendations. We studied indications for AVR in young adults with severe aortic regurgitation and their outcomes, as well as the relationship between presurgical echocardiographic parameters and postoperative left ventricular (LV) size, function, clinical events, and valve-related complications. Methods and Results Data were collected retrospectively on 172 consecutive adult patients who underwent AVR or repair for severe aortic regurgitation between 2005 and 2019 in a tertiary cardiac center (age at surgery 29 [22-41] years, 81% male)...

BACKGROUND: Traditional transvenous pacemakers are associated with worsening tricuspid valve function due to lead-related leaflet impingement, as well as ventricular dysfunction related to electromechanical dyssynchrony from chronic right ventricular (RV) pacing. The association of leadless pacing with ventricular and valvular function has not been well established. We aimed to assess the association of leadless pacemaker placement with changes in valvular regurgitation and ventricular function...