Recent studies have shown a relation between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) / albumin (RAR) levels and worse outcomes in cases of pulmonary embolism (PE). Simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI) has been developed from more complex PESI score, predicting the risk of death in patients with acute PE (APE). This study aims to investigate whether RDW-Standard Deviation/Albumin (RDW-SD/Alb) can serve as a useful prognostic marker for APE and enhance the predictive capability of the sPESI. This research is a single-center, retrospective analysis involving patients over 18 years. We enrolled 235 consecutive hospitalized patients with confirmed APE diagnoses. To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of RDW-SD/Alb, sPESI, and the combined sPESI plus RDW-SD/Alb in predicting 6-month all-cause death, we used Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. Additionally, we conducted Kaplan–Meier analysis to assess the impact of elevated RDW-SD/Alb levels (> 13.6) on patient survival time. We utilized multivariate Cox regression analysis to identify independent prognostic factors affecting patients survival. The mortality rate for RDW-SD/Alb > 13.6 group was significantly higher than that for the RDW-SD/Alb ≤ 13.6 group. Area under ROC (AUROC) of sPESI plus RDW-SD/Alb was statistically larger than AUROC of sPESI (p = 0.025). In the fully adjusted model, increased RDW-SD/Alb levels were consistently linked to all-cause mortality within six months of admission. The predictive value of the sPESI for 6-month all-cause death improved when the RDW-SD/Alb > 13.6 parameter was included. RDW-SD/Alb, a novel inflammatory marker, was an independent prognostic factor for predicting 6-month all-cause mortality in patients with APE.

Introduction: Currently, there are no data regarding outcomes of the catheter ablation for structural ventricular tachycardia (VT) in Türkiye. In this observational study, we aim to investigate cardiac outcomes of patients undergoing catheter VT ablation at a tertiary center in Türkiye.Methods: This was a retrospective observational study performed at a single university center. Patients with a confirmed ischemic or non‐ischemic cardiomyopathy, undergoing structural VT ablation were included. Procedural and mid‐term outcomes were analyzed.Results: A total of 124 patients were enrolled in the study. 54(43.5%) patients presented with an electrical storm. During the mean follow‐up of 351 ± 232 days 10(8.1%) patients experienced a recurrence. There was only one peri‐procedural death and cardiac tamponade occurred in two patients.14(11.3%) patients died during the follow‐up, most commonly due to a cardiovascular death. In the multivariate analysis only age >70 was found to be correlated with death during follow‐up, with p =.008, HR = 4.923.Conclusion: A good acute success with low complications was observed in patients undergoing VT ablation for structural heart disease in a tertiary center in Türkiye. Mid‐term outcomes are comparable with international studies with no difference in VT recurrence in ischemic and non‐ischemic patients. Similar to international studies, significant mid‐term mortality was observed.

Objective: Right ventricular (RV) overload findings affect the risk classification and treatment approach in acute pulmonary embolism (APE). Recently, it was reported that a new electrocardiography (ECG) parameter, terminal D1S + D3R (T-D1S + D3R) pattern, supported the diagnosis of APE. We aim to search the relationship between T-D1S + D3R pattern and right ventricular dilatation (RVD) in APE. Methods: This single-centre, retrospective study was designed with patients aged > 18 years. We screened 267 patients who underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) because of confirmed APE in our emergency department. This study included 72 patients with RVD and 139 patients without RVD [male 41.7%, median age 73,0 (20.8) years; 49.6% male, median age 64,0 (24.0) years]. We compared T-D1S + D3R between RVD (+) and RVD (-) groups. Results: We determined that RVD (+) group had more patients with the T-D1S + D3R parameter than RVD (-) group [51 (70.8%) vs. 25 (18.0%), p < 0.001]. In the univariate logistic regression analyses S1Q3T3, (in)complete right bundle branch block (RBBB), T-D1S + D3R, D3-V1 T wave inversion (TWI), V1-3/4 TWI, V1-3/4 ST-segment elevation, and frontal QRS-T [f(QRS-T)] angle predicted RVD, while T-D1S + D3R, V1-3/4 ST-segment elevation, and f(QRS-T) angle remained independent predictors of RVD in patients with APE. Conclusions: T-D1S + D3R, a new ECG parameter, was an independent predictor of RVD in patients with APE.

Background: Acute myocarditis is characterized by heterogeneous inflammatory myocardial involvement, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is an important marker of myocardial injury. However, the relationship between systemic inflammatory burden and quantitative CMR-defined myocardial involvement remains insufficiently characterized. We aimed to evaluate the association between inflammatory indices, particularly the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and the presence and extent of LGE in patients with acute myocarditis. Methods: This retrospective single-center observational cohort study included clinically suspected acute myocarditis patients who underwent CMR within 4 weeks of symptom onset. Patients were classified according to the presence or absence of LGE on CMR. Inflammatory indices, including the SIRI, systemic immune–inflammation index (SII), multi-inflammatory indices (MII-I and MII-II), and stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR), were calculated from admission laboratory parameters. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, logistic regression, linear regression, and hurdle Poisson regression analyses were performed. Results: LGE was present in 62 patients (36.5%). Patients with LGE demonstrated significantly higher inflammatory markers and inflammatory index values. Among all evaluated biomarkers, the SIRI demonstrated the highest discriminatory performance for LGE detection (AUC: 0.944, 95% CI: 0.897–0.973; cut-off > 1.33; sensitivity 93.5%; specificity 85.2%; p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the SIRI remained independently associated with LGE presence (OR: 4.538, 95% CI: 2.570–8.011; p < 0.001). The SIRI was also independently associated with both log-transformed LGE percentage and the number of involved myocardial segments. Conclusions: Higher SIRI levels were associated with both the presence and extent of CMR-defined myocardial involvement in patients with acute myocarditis and may reflect the burden of early inflammatory myocardial injury. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the retrospective single-center design and require confirmation in larger prospective multicenter studies before potential clinical application.

Background: The modified Duke criteria and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) are often insufficient to diagnose infective endocarditis in patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). F-18-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) is a promising method for detecting lead endocarditis. Aims: The study aimed to compare diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT and TEE in detecting lead endocarditis (LE). Methods: We included 40 patients admitted to the hospital for CIED infection. Patients were classified as "LE-positive" and "LE-negative" according to TEE and 18F-FDG PET/CT findings. After three months of follow-up, the patients' lead cultures, tissue and blood cultures, and clinical responses after antibiotic treatment were reviewed using the Duke criteria. The final exact diagnosis was compared with 18F-FDG PET/CT and TEE findings. Results: No involvement was observed on 18F-FDG PET/CT in 12 patients (30%). The remaining 25% of patients had device pocket involvement, and two patients had systemic involvement. In the follow-up of 23 patients diagnosed with LE by TEE, 14 were consistent with LE. Seventeen of 18 patients with suspicion of LE were diagnosed with definite LE by 18F-FDG PET/CT. Six of the 22 patients with negative 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were false negative and diagnosed as definite infective endocarditis. 18F-FDG PET/CT had sensitivity of 73.9% and specificity of 94.1%. It was observed that there was a statistically significant difference between TEE and PET (P = 0.006). Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT is superior to TEE in diagnosing IE in patients with CIED.