(1) Background: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is the most frequent valvulopathy in heart transplant recipients (HTX). We aimed to assess the influence of prophylactic donor heart tricuspid annuloplasty (TA) in orthotopic HTX (HTX-A), comparing the outcomes with those of HTX patients. (2) Methods: Electronic databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were searched. The endpoints were as follows: the overall rate of postprocedural TR (immediate, one week, six months, and one year after the procedure), postoperative complications (permanent pacemaker implantation rate, bleeding), redo surgery for TR, and mortality. (3) Results: This meta-analysis included seven studies. Immediate postprocedural, one-week, six-month and one-year tricuspid insufficiency rates were significantly lower in the HTX-A group. There was no difference in permanent pacemaker implantation rate between the groups. The incidence of postoperative bleeding was similar in both arms. The rate of redo surgery for severe TR was reported only by two authors. In both publications, the total number of events was higher in the HTX cohort, meanwhile pooled effect analysis showed no difference among the intervention and control groups. Mortality at one year was similar in both arms. (4) Conclusion: Our study showed that donor heart TA reduces TR incidence in the first year after orthotopic heart transplantation without increasing the surgical complexity. This is a potentially important issue, given the demand for heart transplants and the need to optimize outcomes when this resource is scarce.

Despite evidence associating the use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices with increased survival and quality of life in patients with advanced heart failure (HF), significant complications and high costs limit their clinical use. We aimed to design an innovative MCS device to address three important needs: low cost, minimally invasive implantation techniques, and low risk of infection. We used mathematical modeling to calculate the pump characteristics to deliver variable flows at different pump diameters, turbomachinery design software CFturbo (2020 R2.4 CFturbo GmbH, Dresden, Germany) to create the conceptual design of the pump, computational fluid dynamics analysis with Solidworks Flow Simulation to in silico test pump performance, Solidworks (Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, Waltham, MA, USA) to further refine the design, 3D printing with polycarbonate filament for the initial prototype, and a stereolithography printer (Form 2, Formlabs, Somerville, MA, USA) for the second variant materialization. We present the concept, design, and early prototyping of a low-cost, minimally invasive, fully implantable in a subcutaneous pocket MCS device for long-term use and partial support in patients with advanced HF which unloads the left heart into the arterial system containing a rim-driven, hubless axial-flow pump and the wireless transmission of energy. We describe a low-cost, fully implantable, low-invasive, wireless power transmission left ventricular assist device that has the potential to address patients with advanced HF with higher impact, especially in developing countries. In vitro testing will provide input for further optimization of the device before proceeding to a completely functional prototype that can be implanted in animals.

The relationship between the classical cardiac biomarker and acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients with COVID-19 is far from being elucidated. Furthermore, superoxide dismutase (SOD), a marker for oxidative stress, was associated with cardiac ischemia. Also, Galectin-3 is significant for defining the relationship between cardiac fibrosis and COVID-19. There are no studies on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and vaccination on patients with STEMI and biomarkers above-mentioned. Aim: our single-center prospective study assesses the relationship between COVID-19 infection with/without vaccination and the value of SOD and Galectin-3 in STEMI patients. Material and methods: In total, 93 patients with STEMI and SARS-CoV-2 virus infection were included in the analysis, patients were divided in two groups based on COVID-19 vaccination status. Echocardiographic and laboratory investigations for cardiac ischemia, oxidative stress, and cardiac fibrosis biomarkers were investigated. Results: In total, 93 patients were included, the majority of which were male (72.0%), 45.2% (n = 42) were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2; the mean age of vaccinated patients is 62 years, and 57% (n = 53) are smokers; blood pressure is found with a higher frequency in unvaccinated people (62.7%) compared to 28.6% in vaccinated people (p = 0.015), and 90.5% of the vaccinated people presented STEMI, compared with 96.1% of the unvaccinated ones. Revascularization with one stent was achieved in 47.6% of the vaccinated people and 72.5% for the unvaccinated people (p = 0.015). Galectin-3 was slightly more reduced in the vaccinated patients compared to the unvaccinated patients (0.73 vs. 0.99; p = 0.202), and the average level of Cu/ZnSOD was slightly more reduced in vaccinated patients compared to the unvaccinated patients (0.84 vs. 0.91; p = 0.740). Conclusions: Regarding patient’s SARS-CoV-2 infection functional status, the results from our single-center analysis did not find a statistically significant decrease in oxidative stress and cardiac fibrosis biomarkers along with cardiovascular complication following STEMI treated with percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PCI) in the case of patients with COVID-19 vaccination compared with patients who did not receive COVID-19 vaccine. Anyway, our data suggest that contemporary PCI techniques may offer an alternative revascularization strategy that enables complex CAD COVID-19 patients to be safely discharged from hospital.

Aortobronchial fistula is a rare cause of repeated hemoptysis and a potentially fatal condition if left untreated. We present the case of a 40-year-old man with repeated hemoptysis, excessive cough, and epistaxis ongoing for several days after SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia diagnosis. The patient had a history of patch aortoplasty for aortic coarctation and aortic valve replacement with a mechanical valve for aortic insufficiency due to bicuspid aortic valve at the age of 24. Computed tomography scan performed at presentation revealed a severely dilated ascending aorta, a thoracic aorta pseudoaneurysm at the site of the former coarctation, an aortobronchial fistula suggested by the thickened left lower lobe apical segmental bronchus in contact with the pseudoaneurysm and signs of alveolar hemorrhage in the respective segment. The patient was treated with thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) after prior hemi-aortic arch debranching and transposition of the left common carotid artery and subclavian artery through a closed-chest surgical approach. Our case report together with a systematic review of the literature highlight the importance of both considering an aortobronchial fistula in the differential diagnosis of hemoptysis in patients with prior history of thoracic aorta surgical intervention, regardless of associated pathology, and of taking into account endovascular and hybrid techniques as an alternative to open surgical repair, which carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality.

Background and Objectives: Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a major clinical challenge. It carries high morbidity and mortality, despite advances in diagnostic and therapeutic methods. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological profile, microbiological characteristics, complications, and predictors of adverse outcomes among patients with IE treated at a tertiary cardiovascular center in Romania over 5 years. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including 156 patients diagnosed with IE between January 2020 and December 2024. We analyzed demographic data, comorbidities, microbiological findings, treatment strategies, complications, and in-hospital outcomes. Results: The cohort was predominantly male (76.3%), with a mean age of 58.5 years. Native valve endocarditis was the most frequent form (80.1%). Streptococci were the most commonly identified pathogens, followed by enterococci and staphylococci. Complications occurred in 74.4% of patients. Heart failure (70.5%), acute kidney injury (37.2%), and embolic events (32.7%) were most frequent. Healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (HAIE) was seen in 10.3% of patients. Additional healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) occurred in 26.9% of patients and were associated with longer hospital stays (21.7 vs. 13.5 days; p < 0.001). Use of a central venous catheter independently predicted HAI development (adjusted OR, 3.89; 95% CI, 1.08–14.06; p = 0.038). The in-hospital mortality rate was 16.7%. Acute kidney injury and sepsis were the strongest factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: IE remains associated with a high burden of complications and in-hospital mortality. HAIs complicate the clinical course and are closely linked to invasive device use. Mortality is mainly driven by systemic disease severity, especially acute kidney injury and sepsis. These findings highlight the importance of infection prevention, prompt risk stratification, and coordinated multidisciplinary care to improve outcomes in patients with IE.

Introduction: Severe aortic stenosis is often associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Elevated left ventricular mass (LVM) is linked to higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Traditionally, surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) has been the standard treatment, but transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) offers an alternative for high-risk surgical patients. Understanding how these interventions affect left ventricular mass regression is crucial.