Primary cardiac tumours are a rare occurrence, of which lipomas comprise approximately 8%. Although mostly asymptomatic, cardiac lipomas can lead to lethal arrhythmias and significant left ventricular outflow obstruction. We present a case of an asymptomatic left ventricular lipoma managed by surgical resection and discuss diagnostic modalities and management options. Our case exemplifies how prompt surgical resection is a reasonable and safe approach in select patients even if they are asymptomatic.

Atrioesophageal fistula is a rare, potentially fatal complication of atrial fibrillation ablation that is often missed by clinicians. We report the case of a patient who presented with infectious symptoms 4 weeks after undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation. Our case emphasizes that prompt diagnosis and surgical intervention are crucial to reduce the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with this highly concerning complication.

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with high mortality and cerebral disability in survivors. Current models of risk prediction and survival are mainly based on resuscitation duration. We examined the prognostic value of circulating biomarkers in predicting mortality and severe cerebral disability for OHCA survivors, alongside traditional clinical risk indicators. Methods: Biomarkers including BNP, troponin I, and galectin-3 were measured at hospital admission in resuscitated OHCA patients. Prognostic significance for mortality and cerebral disability involving circulating biomarkers, resuscitation duration, demographics, and laboratory and clinical characteristics was examined via univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. The incremental prognostic value of the index covariates was examined through model diagnostics, focusing on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Harrell’s concordance statistic (c-statistic). Results: In a combinatorial analysis of 144 OHCA survivors (median follow-up 5.7 years (IQR 2.9–6.6)), BNP, galectin-3, arterial pH, and resuscitation time were significant predictors of all-cause death and severe cerebral disability, whereas troponin I levels were not. Multivariate regression, adjusting for BNP, arterial pH, and resuscitation time, identified galectin-3 as an independent predictor of long-term mortality. Multiple linear regression models also confirmed galectin-3 as the strongest predictor of cerebral disability. The incorporation of galectin-3 into models for predicting mortality and cerebral disability enhanced fit and discrimination, demonstrating the incremental value of galectin-3 beyond traditional risk predictors. Conclusions: Galectin-3 is a significant, independent long-term risk predictor of cerebral disability and mortality in OHCA survivors. Incorporating galectin-3 into current risk stratification models may enhance early prognostication and guide targeted clinical interventions.

In this report, we present a case of ventricular fibrillation (VF) arrest in an asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient with no cardiac history and normal cardiac workup. Cardiac involvement in COVID-19 has been described previously in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe VF arrest in a patient who was incidentally found to have COVID-19.

Introduction: Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) with the MitraClip device is a widely performed procedure for both primary and secondary mitral regurgitation. Several studies have assessed outcomes of TMVR in subpopulations with different comorbidities. However, there is no data on the safety and outcomes of TMVR in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is a known independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016-2019 to assess the outcomes of TMVR in patients with RA vs. without RA. Our primary outcome was in-hospital mortality following TMVR. Our secondary outcomes included the association of pre-specified comorbidities with in-hospital mortality and rates of post-procedural complications between RA vs. without RA groups. Results: A total of 4,176 patients were included in analysis (85 with RA, 4091 without RA). Our results showed no significant difference in mortality between patients with versus without RA (OR 0.798, p = 0.825). Patients with underlying diabetes had significantly increased mortality following TMVR (OR 1.843, p = 0.027). Patients with underlying CABG had significantly lower mortality following TMVR (OR 0.439, p = 0.047). Multivariate regression analysis of in-hospital complications showed no significant difference in complications between the RA vs. without RA groups. Conclusion: Our data shows no increased risk of in-hospital mortality or complications in patients with RA following TMVR.