Faculty Bibliography

Esophageal perforation is the most feared complication of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), although the overall risk is extremely low. We report a case of esophageal perforation in a 77-year-old woman who had no apparent contraindications to TEE. Chronic steroid therapy for symptoms of asthma as well as osteophytic changes of the cervical vertebrae contributed to her increased risk of perforation. Unlike in prior reports, the perforation in this case was fortuitously recognized rapidly due to ingestion of a carbonated beverage for evaluation of a hiatal hernia suspected during a subsequent transthoracic echocardiogram performed because of inadequate TEE images after a difficult intubation. The incidence of esophageal perforation in our series (1 in 5,000 TEEs, 0.02%) is similar to that reported in the literature. Early recognition and prompt surgical repair of the esophageal perforation led to favorable outcome in our patient

It is commonly postulated that neurologic complications of atrial myxomas are due to either direct tumor embolization or mycotic aneurysm of cerebral vasculature or rupture of mycotic aneurysms of cerebral arteries. However, the authors report the case of 63-year-old woman with a large left atrial myxoma whose progressive left-sided weakness was due to a different neurologic mechanism, namely, multiple bleeding cavernous malformations, which were visualized by magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Cerebral cavernous malformations coexist with mesenchymal anomalies of other organs, including the liver, kidneys, and retinas. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is only the second reported case of coexistent cerebral cavernous malformations and atrial myxoma

Anteriorly displaced right coronary artery (RCA) and anomalous origin RCAs occur in approximately 1% and 0.1% of adult patients, respectively, and are the leading cause of incomplete coronary angiography and prolonged procedure times. We present a case in which anteriorly displaced RCA occlusion resulted in an acute inferior-posterior-right ventricular myocardial infarction complicated by complete atrioventricular block and hypotension. Failure to image the RCA resulted in considerable delay in reperfusion time with fibrinolysis. The authors discuss the most frequent anatomic locations of ectopic RCAs and suggest an algorithm to be employed when an ectopic RCA cannot be imaged with conventional diagnostic catheters. Contrary to popular belief, the search for an ectopic RCA has <90 degrees boundaries limited to the anterior third of the right sinus and anterior half of the left sinus.

BACKGROUND: There are currently no standardized three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) views of the interatrial septum and atrial septal defects (ASDs). Without a standardized approach, it is difficult to ascertain the important anatomic relationships (such as the location of the aortic rim of an ASD), to perform relevant measurements (such as the size of an ASD or the size of its rims), or to guide the deployment of catheters and devices during atrial septal closure. METHODS: Using a 3D TEE matrix-array transducer, 706 TEE studies were performed over a 14-month period. The purpose of the study was to develop a standardized protocol for anatomically correct orientation of 3D TEE images of the interatrial septum and ASDs. RESULTS: Among 706 TEE studies, there were 23 patients with ASDs, representing 3.3% of the study population. Eighteen patients had secundum ASDs, two had primum ASDs, and three had sinus venosus ASDs of the superior vena cava type. A protocol for properly orienting 3D TEE images of the interatrial septum and ASDs was developed. When the images are acquired at an angle of 0 degrees , the septum is properly oriented by the tilt-up-then-left maneuver. The initial 3D TEE image in first tilted up to reveal the right atrial side of the septum. Then the image is tilted 180 degrees around its vertical axis to reveal the left atrial side of the septum; the aortic rim is on the left, the superior vena cava on the top, and the right-sided pulmonary vein ostia on the right side of the screen. For acquisitions at a higher angle, the rotate-left-in-z-axis maneuver is used. The image is first tilted up to reveal the right atrial side of the septum, as in the tilt-up-then-left maneuver. The image is then rotated counterclockwise in the z axis until the superior vena cave is at 12 o'clock. Finally, the image is tilted 180 degrees around its vertical axis to reveal the left atrial side of the septum. CONCLUSIONS: The use of standardized tilt-up-then-left and rotate-left-in-z-axis maneuvers enhances the diagnosis of ASDs, ascertains the important anatomic relationships of ASDs to surrounding structures, and facilitates communication between echocardiographers obtaining 3D TEE images and interventional cardiologists or cardiac surgeons performing ASD closures

BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography are standard methods to assess the severity of pulmonic insufficiency (PI). However, methods to define severity of

AIM: To assess the effects of shortened door-to-intervention (DTI) time on appropriate clinical decisions regarding the four most critical and costly decisions during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI): cath-lab activation (CLA), use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPI), use of PCI, and deployment of drug-eluting stent (DES). BACKGROUND: STEMI PCI patients are frequently subject to decision making based on abbreviated medical encounter and limited medical information. METHODS: Clinical data were prospectively collected in a STEMI registry over 19 months. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted to determine the level of appropriateness of the above-mentioned decisions. RESULTS: Between June 2006 and December 2007, 200 EKGs with suspected STEMI were transmitted; 88 (44%) resulted in CLA. Compared to prior year, DTI times decreased from 145.7 to 69.9 min (P=.00001). DTI was longer during nights and weekends (87.5 vs. 51.8 min, P=.001) and the initial 6 months of the registry (86.8 vs. 66.8 min, P=.07). Nineteen (21.6%) of the patients undergoing angiography did not require revascularization, 56 (63.6%) received GPIs, and 65 patients (73.8%) underwent at least one vessel PCI, and at least one DES was used in 39 patients (60% of PCI cohort). When assessed for appropriateness, CLA was appropriate in 81.8% of the time and rendered borderline or inappropriate in 5.7% and 12.5%, respectively. GPI use was appropriate in 66% of the patients but seemed borderline or inappropriate in 28.5% and 5.4%, respectively. PCI was appropriate in 90% of the lesions treated, and borderline or inappropriate in 7.1% and 2.9%, respectively. DES use was viewed appropriate in 38.4%, and borderline or inappropriate in 51% and 10.2% of the DES deployments, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: (1) In view of expedited care, certain information required for decision-making process is either not available or ignored during primary PCI. (2) Appropriate use of resources in primary PCI needs to be better defined. (3) Measures of extracting patients' previous medical records and imaging studies along with in-lab immediate blood work and echocardiography and establishing new 'time-out' protocols for STEMI patients may improve resource utilization and patient care and outcome