Cardiovascular Procedures Research Articles

Bacteria and the growing threat of multidrug resistance for invasive cardiac interventions.

Invasive cardiovascular procedures which include heart transplantations, congenital heart surgery, coronary artery bypass grafts, cardiac valve repair and replacement, and interventional cardiac electrophysiology procedures represent common mechanisms to treat a variety of cardiovascular diseases across the globe. The majority of these invasive approaches employ antibiotics as a regular and obligatory feature of the invasive procedure. Although the growing incidence of bacterial resistance to currently used antibiotics threatens to curtail the use of all interventional surgical techniques, it remains an underappreciated threat within the arsenal of cardiovascular therapies. It is reasonable to expect that the continued overuse of antibiotics and the frequent management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected patients with high doses of antibiotics will inevitably accentuate the rise of multidrug resistance. The purpose of this article is to heighten awareness of the role of bacterial infections in cardiovascular disease, the use of antibiotics in today's cardiovascular surgical theaters, the threat facing cardiovascular surgery should multidrug resistance continue to rise unabated, and the development of new antibiotic platforms to solve this problem.

Nuclear Cardiac Imaging in the Interventional Suite.

This review presents the current state of imaging approaches that enable real-time molecular imaging in the interventional suite and discusses the potential future use of integrated nuclear imaging and fluoroscopy for intraprocedural guidance in the evaluation and treatment of both cardiovascular and oncological diseases. Although there are no commercially available real-time hybrid nuclear imaging devices that are approved for use in the interventional suite, prototype open gantry hybrid nuclear imaging and x-ray c-arm imaging systems and theranostic catheter for location radiotracer detection are currently undergoing development and testing by multiple groups. The integration of physiological and molecular targeted nuclear imaging for real-time delivery of targeted theranostics in the interventional laboratory may enable more personalized care for a wide variety of cardiovascular procedures and improve patient outcomes.

Effects of cardiac surgical support on long-term outcomes of emergent or complex percutaneous coronary intervention cases: a sub-analysis of the SHINANO 5-year registry

Significant improvements in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) technology have enabled cardiovascular procedures to be performed without onsite cardiac surgery facilities. However, little is known about the association between onsite cardiac surgical support and long-term outcomes of PCI, particularly among emergent and complex cases. We investigated whether the presence or absence of cardiovascular surgery affects the long-term prognosis after PCI, emergent and complex elective cases. The SHINANO 5-year registry, a prospective, observational, and multicenter cohort study registry in Nagano, Japan, consecutively included 1665 patients who underwent PCI between August 2012 and July 2013. The procedures were performed at 11 hospitals with onsite cardiac surgery facilities [onsite surgery (+) group; n = 1257] and 8 hospitals without onsite cardiac surgery facilities [onsite surgery (−) group; n = 408]. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality and the secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events [MACCE: all-cause death, Q-wave myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and target lesion revascularization]. The onsite surgery group (+) had a lower rate of emergent PCI and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (40.8% vs. 51.7%, p < 0.01 and 24.9% vs. 39.2%, p < 0.01, respectively), and a higher prevalence of hemodialysis and history of peripheral artery disease (7.6% vs. 2.45%, p < 0.01 and 12.1% vs. 6.9%, p < 0.01, respectively). However, the Kaplan–Meier analysis showed no difference in the 5-year mortality rate (16.4% vs. 15.2%, p = 0.421) and MACCE incidence (31.6% vs. 28.9%, p = 0.354) between the groups. Also, there were no differences in the mortality rate and incidence of MACCE among emergent cases of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and complex elective cases who underwent PCI. Long-term outcomes of PCI appear to be comparable between institutions with and without onsite cardiac surgical facilities.

COVID-19 Pandemisi Sırasında Erişkin Kardiyovasküler Cerrahi: Retrospektif Tek Merkezli Deneyim

Objective: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus, has become a worldwide pandemic. In order to control the global spread of this contagious disease, elective surgeries including cardiac and vascular procedures were postponed. In this article we present our experience during the initial phase of the pandemic in view of safety protocols. Material and Methods: The study included all elective, urgent, and emergent procedures that were performed from March 11, 2020 to June 30, 2021 at the department of cardiovascular surgery. Patients' demographics, preoperative COVID-19 (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test results, surgical procedures, complications and outcomes were prospectively collected. We also developed our own protocol to proceed with our surgical activity without delay. Results: A total of 86 cardiac and vascular procedures were performed during the study period. The median age was 64 years (range 23-79), 59 (69%) were males. There were 42 (48%) elective procedures, and 13 (15%) patients had emergency procedures. 57 (66%) patients underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery. 10 (12%) patients underwent valvular procedures. Peripheral vascular surgeries were performed in 18 (21%) patients. The median length of stay in the hospital was 9 days (range 1-60). A positive COVID-19 test was identified in 4 patients, two of them were detected in the immediate postoperative period and died. In-hospital mortality was 9%. Conclusion: Cardiovascular procedures could be performed safely with a relatively low risk during the outbreak, particularly for elective patients with proper management and strict infection control and isolation protocols.

Strategies for Renal Protection in Cardiovascular Interventions.

Coronary artery disease is highly prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is a risk factor for contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI), a complication of cardiovascular procedures that require contrast administration (e.g., coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI]). CA-AKI has a major impact on morbidity, mortality, and healthcare resource utilization. The incidence of CA-AKI is particularly high in patients with pre-existing CKD, advanced age and comorbidities that increase the likelihood of CKD. The focus of the present review is to provide a brief overview on the assessment of the risk for and prevention of CA-AKI in patients undergoing angiography and PCI, including recognition of the important patient- and procedure-related factors that may contribute to CA-AKI. Preventive and treatment strategies, the mainstay of which is volume repletion by normal saline, are briefly discussed. The main focus of the review is placed on technical details of contrast minimization techniques, including ultra-low contrast angiography and zero-contrast PCI. Operator competence in such techniques is important to ensure that procedural challenges in patients with CKD, like vessel calcification, multivessel disease and complex anatomical subsets, are effectively addressed by PCI while minimizing the risk of CA-AKI.

Evaluation of a Novel System for RFID Intraoperative Cardiovascular Analytics.

Objective: To evaluate a novel technology for real time tracking of RF-Identified (RFID) surgical tools (Biotic System), providing intraoperative data analytics during simulated cardiovascular procedures. Ineffective asset management in the Operating Room (OR) leads to inefficient utilization of resources and contributes to prolonged operative times and increased costs. Analysis of captured data can assist in quantifying instrument utilization, procedure flow, performance and prevention of retained instruments. Methods & Results: Five surgeons performed thirteen simulated surgical cases on three human cadavers. Procedures included (i) two abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repairs, (ii) three carotid endarterectomies (CE), (iii) two femoropopliteal (fem-pop) bypasses, (iv) thoracic aortic aneurysm repair, (v) coronary artery bypass graft, (vi) aortic valve replacement, (vii) ascending aortic aneurysm repair, (viii) heart transplants, and (ix) mitral valve replacement. For each case an average of 139 surgical instruments were RFID-tagged and tracked intraoperatively. Data was captured and analyzed retrospectively. Of the 139 instruments tracked across each of the 13 cases, 55 instruments (39.5%) were actually used, demonstrating a high level of redundancy. For repeat cases (i.e. CE/AAA/fem-pop): (i) average instrument usage was 41 ± 3.6 (8.8% variation) for CE (n=3); (ii) average instrument usage was 69 ± 4.0 (5.8% variation) for AAA (n=2); and (iii) average instrument usage was 48 ± 2.5 (5.3% variation) for fem- pop (n=2). Results also showed a reduction in end-of-procedure instrument counting times of 58-87%. Conclusions: We report on a method for collecting intraoperative data analytics regarding instrument usage via RFID technology. This system will help refine instrument selection, quantitate instrument utilization and prevent inadvertent retention in a patient. This should help increase efficiency in packaging and sterilization and let surgeons make objective decisions in the composition of surgical trays. Clinical and Translational Impact Statement—Intraoperative analytics of surgical tools and associated equipment may ultimately lead to safer more efficient surgeries that increase patient outcomes while decreasing the cost of care.

Clinical Utility of a Biomarker to Detect Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury during Percutaneous Cardiovascular Procedures

Introduction: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a major clinical complication of percutaneous cardiovascular procedures requiring iodinated contrast. Despite its relative frequency, practicing physicians are unlikely to identify or treat this condition. Methods: In a 2-round clinical trial of simulated patients, we examined the clinical utility of a urine-based assay that measures liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), a novel marker of CI-AKI. We sought to determine if interventional cardiologists’ ability to diagnose and treat potential CI-AKI improved using the biomarker assay for 3 different patient types: pre-procedure, peri-procedure, and post-procedure patients. Results: 154 participating cardiologists were randomly divided into either control or intervention. At baseline, we found no difference in the demographics or how they identified and treated potential complications of AKI, with both groups providing less than half the necessary care to their patients (46.4% for control vs. 47.6% for intervention, p = 0.250). The introduction of L-FABP into patient care resulted in a statistically significant improvement of 4.6% (p = 0.001). Compared to controls, physicians receiving L-FABP results were 2.9 times more likely to correctly identify their patients’ risk for AKI (95% CI 2.1–4.0) and were more than twice as likely to treat for AKI by providing volume expansion and withholding nephrotoxic medications. We found the greatest clinical utility in the pre-procedure and peri-procedure settings but limited value in the post-procedure setting. Conclusion: This study suggests L-FABP as a clinical marker for assessing the risk of potential CI-AKI, has clinical utility, and can lead to more accurate diagnosis and treatment.

DAMPs Released From Injured Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells Activate Innate Immune Signals in Healthy Renal Tubular Epithelial Cells.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) predictably causes acute kidney injury after shock and major cardiovascular procedures in all kidneys procured for transplantation. The earliest events of IRI are triggered by molecules released from injured cells, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), that bind pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) constitutively expressed on many cells within the kidney. Activation of PRR signaling leads to production of proinflammatory molecules, which incite a cascade of inflammatory events leading to acute kidney injury. Renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) are particularly susceptible to ischemic injury, and proximal RTEC injury is pathognomonic of renal IRI. To better understand how injured RTECs contribute to the cycle of deleterious inflammation in the setting of renal IRI, this study asked whether DAMPs released from injured RTECs induced PRR signals in healthy RTECs. Human RTECs were necrosed ex vivo to release intracellular DAMPs and resulting necrotic supernatant used to stimulate healthy RTECs, T lymphocytes, and monocytes. DAMPs released from necrosed RTECs upregulated PRRs known to be associated with renal IRI and activated mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Proinflammatory cytokines were upregulated in response to necrotic supernatant, and this upregulation was abrogated by MEK-1 inhibition. The RTEC-derived DAMPs were also potent inducers of T-cell activation/proliferation and monocyte migration. This is the first study to our knowledge to show that endogenous DAMPs released from injured RTECs directly activate PRR signaling in healthy RTECs. These findings provide new insights directed to therapeutics for renal IRI.

Impact of COVID-19 on Cardiovascular Disease Presentation, Emergency Department Triage and Inpatient Cardiology Services in a Low- to Middle-Income Country - Perspective from a Tertiary Care Hospital of Pakistan.

Aims:To identify the changes in cardiovascular disease presentation, emergency room triage and inpatient diagnostic and therapeutic pathways.Methods:We conducted a retrospective cohort study at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. We collected data for patients presenting to the emergency department with cardiovascular symptoms between March–July 2019 (pre-COVID period) and March–July 2020 (COVID period). The comparison was made to quantify the differences in demographics, clinical characteristics, admission, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and in-hospital mortality between the two periods.Results:Of 2976 patients presenting with cardiac complaints to the emergency department (ED), 2041(69%) patients presented during the pre-COVID period, and 935 (31%) patients presented during the COVID period. There was significant reduction in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (8% [95% CI 4–11], p < 0.001) and heart failure (↓6% [95% CI 3–8], p < 0.001). A striking surge was noted in Type II Myocardial injury (↑18% [95% CI 20–15], p < 0.001) during the pandemic. There was reduction in cardiovascular admissions (coronary care unit p < 0.01, coronary step-down unit p = 0.03), cardiovascular imaging (p < 0.001), and procedures (percutaneous coronary intervention p = 0.04 and coronary angiography p = 0.02). No significant difference was noted in mortality (4.7% vs. 3.7%). The percentage of patients presenting from rural areas declined significantly during the COVID period (18% vs. 14%, p = 0.01). In the subgroup analysis of sex, we noticed a falling trend of intervention performed in females during the COVID period (8.2% male vs. 3.3 % female).Conclusions:This study shows a significant decline in patients presenting with Type I myocardial infarction (MI) and a decrease in cardiovascular imaging and procedures during the COVID period. There was a significant increase noted in Type II MI.

Added predictive value of right ventricular ejection fraction compared with conventional echocardiographic measurements in patients who underwent diverse cardiovascular procedures

Abstract Background and aim Right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction (EF) assessed by 3D echocardiography is a powerful measure to detect RV dysfunction. However, its prognostic value in routine clinical practice has been scarcely explored. Accordingly, we aimed at investigating whether RVEF is associated with 2-year all-cause mortality in patients who underwent diverse cardiovascular procedures and to test whether RVEF can overcome conventional echocardiographic parameters in terms of outcome prediction. Patients and methods One hundred and seventy-four patients were retrospectively identified who underwent clinically indicated transthoracic echocardiography comprising 3D acquisitions. The patient population consisted of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients (44%), heart transplanted patients (16%), and severe valvular heart disease patients (39%). Beyond conventional echocardiographic measurements, RVEF was quantified by 3D echocardiography. The primary endpoint of our study was all-cause mortality at two years. Results Twenty-four patients (14%) met the primary endpoint. Patients with adverse outcomes had significantly lower RVEF (alive vs. dead; 48 ± 9 vs. 42 ± 9%, P &lt; 0.01). However, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (21 ± 7 vs. 18 ± 4 mm), and RV systolic pressure (36 ± 15 vs. 39 ± 15 mmHg) were similar. By Cox analysis, RVEF was found to be associated with adverse outcomes (HR [95% CI]: 0.945 [0.908–0.984], P &lt; 0.01). By receiver-operator characteristic analysis, RVEF exhibited the highest AUC value compared with the other RV functional measures (0.679; 95% CI: 0.566–0.791). Conclusions Conventional echocardiographic measurements may be inadequate to support a granular risk stratification in patients who underwent different cardiac procedures. RVEF may be a robust clinical parameter, which is significantly associated with adverse outcomes.

Shared Decision Making in Cardiac Electrophysiology Procedures and Arrhythmia Management.

Shared decision making (SDM) has been advocated to improve patient care, patient decision acceptance, patient-provider communication, patient motivation, adherence, and patient reported outcomes. Documentation of SDM is endorsed in several society guidelines and is a condition of reimbursement for selected cardiovascular and cardiac arrhythmia procedures. However, many clinicians argue that SDM already occurs with clinical encounter discussions or the process of obtaining informed consent and note the additional imposed workload of using and documenting decision aids without validated tools or evidence that they improve clinical outcomes. In reality, SDM is a process and can be done without decision tools, although the process may be variable. Also, SDM advocates counter that the low-risk process of SDM need not be held to the high bar of demonstrating clinical benefit and that increasing the quality of decision making should be sufficient. Our review leverages a multidisciplinary group of experts in cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, epidemiology, and SDM, as well as a patient advocate. Our goal is to examine and assess SDM methodology, tools, and available evidence on outcomes in patients with heart rhythm disorders to help determine the value of SDM, assess its possible impact on electrophysiological procedures and cardiac arrhythmia management, better inform regulatory requirements, and identify gaps in knowledge and future needs.

OL90 - Correlation between operator eye lens doses and transcatheter cardiovascular procedure characteristic: multi-parametric linear regression model

OL90 - Correlation between operator eye lens doses and transcatheter cardiovascular procedure characteristic: multi-parametric linear regression model

P204 - Evaluation of effectiveness of surgical drapes in interventional cardiovascular procedures

P204 - Evaluation of effectiveness of surgical drapes in interventional cardiovascular procedures

Abstract 12650: Clinical Outcomes of Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) versus Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio (IFR) versus Coronary Angiography (CAG) Guided Cardiovascular Procedures, Including PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) and CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Recent evidence from two systematic reviews and meta-analysis advocates the superiority of fractional flow reserve (FFR) and instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) guided PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) and CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) in improving the clinical outcomes of CAD (coronary artery disease) patients. We aimed to expand this evidence and comparatively analyze the efficacy/safety of FFR-guided, iFR-oriented, and CAG (coronary angiography)-guided PCI/CABG. Methods: We utilized PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework and extracted randomized controlled trials/ observational (retrospective/prospective studies) concerning FFR/iFR/CAG-guided PCI/CABG on 05/27/2021. We explored JSTOR, PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Google Scholar, CINAHL, and Scopus to identify and track the articles of interest published from January 2005 until December 2020. We constructed forest plots and funnel plots to investigate several clinical endpoints related to FFR/iFR/CAG-oriented cardiovascular interventions. Results: The meta-analysis results indicated higher potential of FFR-guided PCI/CABG to minimize all-cause mortality (OR: 0.73, 95% CI 0.56, 0.94) (p=0.01), cardiovascular death (OR: 0.73, 95% CI 0.43, 1.24) (p=0.25), hospitalization (for heart failure, unstable angina, or chest pain) (OR: 0.73, 95% CI 0.42, 1.27), MACE (OR: 0.65, 95% CI 0.51, 0.82) (p=0.0005), bleeding (OR: 0.72, 95% CI 0.24, 2.09), MI (OR: 0.85, 95% CI 0.73, 0.99), and unplanned revascularization (OR: 0.61, 95% CI 0.40, 0.94) (p=0.03) compared to CAG-guided cardiovascular procedures. The results also proved non-inferiority of iFR-guided PCI/CABG to FFR-guided PCI/CABG (OR: 0.66, 95% CI 0.40, 1.11) (OR: 1.03, 95% CI 0.84, 1.27) (OR: 0.42, 95% CI 0.11, 1.62) (OR: 0.55, 95% CI 0.15, 2.05). Conclusion: The findings of this systematic review/meta-analysis increase the scope of replacing CAG-guided PCI/CABG with FFR/iFR-guided procedures to improve patient outcomes. Future studies should strengthen current evidence concerning FFR/iFR-guided cardiovascular interventions to enhance their utilization across wider subsets of patients with coronary artery disease.

Abstract 14448: National Adherence to Guideline-Directed Medical Management of Aortic Disease

Introduction: Guidelines for the medical management of aortic (AD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) recommend treatment for hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia (HLD), and tobacco use (TU) (Class 1). Hypothesis: Adherence to guidelines for the management of AD is low, and inferior to CAD. Methods: Adults in the Clinformatics Data Mart database diagnosed with AD or CAD and concomitant HTN, HLD, and/or TU between 2004 and 2019 were included. Those with less than six months of continuous enrollment or prior cardiovascular procedures were excluded. Adherence was calculated as the proportion of patients with a given comorbidity (or combination thereof) who received a prescription for the appropriate intervention. Any beta-blocker, ACEi, or ARB for HTN. Any statin for HLD. Bupropion, varenicline, or referral to counseling for TU. Composite adherence for patients with AD and CAD was compared using a Z-test. Temporal trends were analyzed using a Chi-square test for trend. Results: There were 354,851 patients with AD and 907,997 with CAD who met the inclusion criteria. Composite adherence was 50% for those with AD compared to 59% for CAD (p&lt;0.01). No clinically-significant changes in composite adherence overtime occurred for either group (Figure 1A). Among those with AD, adherence was highest among those with HTN alone (73%), followed by combined HTN/HLD (58%) and HLD alone (45%). Diagnosis of TU was associated with lower adherence across all risk factor combinations. There has been a significant improvement in adherence for TU overtime (p&lt;0.01) (Figure 1B). Conclusions: Adherence to guidelines for medical management of AD is low, and significantly lower than for CAD.

Abstract 10970: Added Predictive Value of Right Ventricular Ejection Fraction Compared with Conventional Echocardiographic Measurements in Patients Who Underwent Diverse Cardiovascular Procedures

Introduction: Right ventricular (RV) ejection fraction (EF) assessed by 3D echocardiography is a powerful measure to detect RV dysfunction. However, its prognostic value in routine clinical practice has been scarcely explored. Accordingly, we aimed at investigating whether RVEF is associated with 2-year all-cause mortality in patients who underwent diverse cardiovascular procedures and to test whether RVEF can overcome conventional echocardiographic parameters in terms of outcome prediction. Methods: One hundred and seventy-four patients were retrospectively identified who underwent clinically indicated transthoracic echocardiography comprising 3D acquisitions. The patient population consisted of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients (44%), heart transplanted patients (16%), and severe valvular heart disease patients (39%). Beyond conventional echocardiographic measurements, RVEF was quantified by 3D echocardiography. The primary endpoint of our study was all-cause mortality at two years. Results: Twenty-four patients (14%) met the primary endpoint. Patients with adverse outcomes had significantly lower RVEF (alive vs. dead; 48±9 vs. 42±9%, p&lt;0.01). However, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (21±7 vs. 18±4mm), and RV systolic pressure (36±15 vs. 39±15mmHg) were similar. By Cox analysis, RVEF was found to be associated with adverse outcomes (HR [95% CI]: 0.945 [0.908 - 0.984], p&lt;0.01). By receiver-operator characteristic analysis, RVEF exhibited the highest AUC value compared with the other RV functional measures (0.679; 95% CI: 0.566 - 0.791). Conclusions: Conventional echocardiographic measurements may be inadequate to support a granular risk stratification in patients who underwent different cardiac procedures. RVEF may be a robust clinical parameter, which is significantly associated with adverse outcomes.

The impact of COVID-19 on surgical procedures in Japan: analysis of data from the National Clinical Database

Background and purposeThe spread of COVID-19 has restricted the delivery of standard medical care to surgical patients dramatically. Surgical triage is performed by considering the type of disease, its severity, the urgency for surgery, and the condition of the patient, in addition to the scale of infectious outbreaks in the region. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of surgical procedures performed and whether the effects were more prominent during certain periods of widespread infection and in the affected regions.MethodsWe selected 20 of the most common procedures from each surgical field and compared the weekly numbers of each operation performed in 2020 with the respective numbers in 2018 and 2019, as recorded in the National Clinical Database (NCD). The surgical status during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the relationship between surgical volume and the degree of regional infection were analyzed extensively.ResultsThe rate of decline in surgery was at most 10–15%. Although the numbers of most oncological and cardiovascular procedures decreased in 2020, there was no significant change in the numbers of pancreaticoduodenectomy and aortic replacement procedures performed in the same period.ConclusionThe numbers of most surgical procedures decreased in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the precise impact of surgical triage on decrease in detection of disease warrants further investigation.

Transradial artery access for percutaneous cardiovascular procedures: state of the art and future directions.

The transradial access (TRA) for cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been widely adopted in the last decades since its first description in the late 40s. The transradial approach has been associated with favorable outcomes as compared with transfemoral access (TFA) in several registries and randomized clinical trials, mainly due to the lower incidence of access-site bleedings, vascular complications and improved patient comfort. This review aimed to summarize the body of evidence supporting the use of TRA, to discuss clinical implications, possible technical limitations and future directions, such as the implementation of TRA as the primary access for complex procedures and structural interventions.

Post cardiac injury syndromes: diagnosis and management.

Post cardiac injury syndromes (PCIS) are becoming increasingly common, due to the growing number of cardiovascular procedures (cardiac surgery, percutaneous interventions) and the high burden of cardiovascular diseases such as acute coronary syndromes. This review aims to provide an overview of the main clinical characteristics of PCIS, along with their management in clinical practice.

Establishing ionising radiation safety culture during interventional cardiovascular procedures.

The safety culture of an interventional laboratory was investigated in terms of the application of the three cardinal principles of radiation protection, namely distance, time and shielding. The application of these principles was observed and recorded with a radiation safety-culture checklist that was compiled by consulting international recommendations. The checklist evaluated the optimal compliance, especially with reference to monitoring of staff exposure, distance from the X-ray source, fluoroscopy techniques pertaining to frame rate, protective devices and personal shielding. The effective radiation dose was measured to the eyes, thyroid, hands and feet of the cardiologist, nurse, floor nurse and radiographer by means of finger dosimeters that were readily available from the local radiation-protection dosimetry service. The results, after observing 11 procedures, indicated the absence of table and ceiling-suspended shields, and the distance of the cardiologist's and scrub nurse's feet from the X-ray tube were between 16 and 68 cm, with a mean distance of 59.7 and 58.5 cm, respectively. Most staff (91%) wore the dosimeter inside the lead apron at the collar level without eye protection. The highest dosimeter values recorded were 0.73 mSv to the hand of the cardiologist, 0.45 mSv to the eye of the cardiologist, 0.65 mSv to the hand of the scrub nurse, 0.54 mSv to the eye of the scrub nurse and 0.52 mSv to the foot of the scrub nurse. The dosimeter value to the radiographer's thyroid was 0.42 mSv. The dosimeter readings confirmed the highest doses were to the scrub nurse and hand of the interventionalist. The safety culture was non-compliant in terms of staff distance being too close to the X-ray tube, the absence of ceiling and table screens, the theatre door not always being completely closed, and for staff without lead eye glasses, wearing dosimeters outside the lead apron at the collar level.