Background: The rapid worldwide spread of COVID-19 has posed a serious threat to patients treated with kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Moreover, the impact of the disease on hemodialysis centers, the patients, and the health care workers is still not completely understood. Objective: We present the analysis of a COVID-19 outbreak in a hemodialysis center in Belgium and report the incidence, clinical course, and outcome of the disease. Design: A retrospective cross-sectional cohort study. Setting: A hemodialysis center during the COVID-19 outbreak. Patients: A total of 62 patients on maintenance hemodialysis at a tertiary care center in Belgium attended by 26 health care workers. Measurements: Baseline patients’ characteristics were retrieved. The incidence, clinical course, and outcome were reported. The differences between COVID-19 survivors and nonsurvivors were assessed along with the differences between COVID-19-hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients. The incidence of the disease and outcome of health care workers were also reported. Methods: Proportions for categorical variables were compared using the Fisher exact test and χ2. The Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used to compare continuous variables. Univariate analysis and a binomial logistic regression were used to explore variables as predictors of death. Results: Between March 6 and April 14, 2020, 40 of 62 (65%) patients tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome beta coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) along with 18 of 26 (69%) health care professionals. Twenty-five (63%) of the infected patients were hospitalized with a median time for hospitalization-to-discharge of 8 (interquartile range [IQR] = 4-12) days. Eleven (28%) COVID-19-related deaths were recorded with a median time for onset of symptoms-to-death of 9 (IQR = 5-14) days. Lymphocytopenia was prevalent among the cohort and was found in 9 of 11 (82%) reported deaths ( P = .4). There was no influence of the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers on COVID-19-related deaths ( P = .3). Advanced age, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were all found to be significantly related to death. Of the 18 infected health care professionals, 13 (72%) were symptomatic and 2 (11%) were hospitalized. There was no reported death among the health care workers. Limitations: Limited follow-up time compared with the course of the disease along with a small sample size. Conclusions: Patients treated with KRT show a high mortality rate secondary to COVID-19. CVD and age are shown to impact survival. Proactive measures must be taken to prevent the spread of the virus in such facilities. Trial Registration: Not applicable as this is a retrospective study.

Evaluation of acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) results and long-term follow-up remains challenging with ongoing stent designs. Several imaging tools have been developed to assess native vessel atherosclerosis and stent expansion, improving overall PCI results and reducing adverse cardiac events. Quantitative coronary analysis has played a crucial role in quantifying the extent of coronary artery disease and stent results. Digital stent enhancement methods have been well validated and improved stent strut visualization. Intravascular imaging remains the gold standard in PCI guidance but adds costs and time to the procedure. With a recent shift towards non-invasive imaging assessment and coronary computed tomography angiography imaging have shown promising results. We hereby review novel stent visualization techniques used to guide PCI and assess stent patency in the modern PCI era.

Hemodynamical evaluation of a coronary artery lesion is an important diagnostic step to assess its functional impact. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) received a class IA recommendation from the European Society of Cardiology for the assessment of angiographically moderate stenosis. FFR evaluation of coronary artery disease offers improvement of the therapeutic strategy, deferring unnecessary procedures for lesions with a FFR > 0.8, improving patients' management and clinical outcome. Post intervention, an optimal FFR > 0.9 post stenting should be reached and > 0.8 post drug eluting balloons. Non-hyperemic pressure ratio measurements have been validated in previous studies with a common threshold of 0.89. They might overestimate the hemodynamic significance of some lesions but remain useful whenever hyperemic agents are contraindicated. FFR remains the gold standard reference for invasive assessment of ischemia. We illustrate this review with two cases introducing the possibility to estimate also non-invasively FFR from reconstructed 3-D angiograms by quantitative flow ratio. We conclude introducing a hybrid approach to intermediate lesions (DFR 0.85-0.95) potentially maximizing clinical decision from all measurements.

BACKGROUND Sarcoidosis is a rare multisystem disease characterized histologically by non-caseating granuloma formation in the affected organ. While cardiac sarcoidosis is found on autopsy in up to 25% of sarcoidosis cases, it is still underdiagnosed and is associated with a poor prognosis. Although the etiology of sarcoidosis remains unclear, an antigen triggered exaggerated immune response has been hypothesized. Early detection and prompt management of cardiac sarcoidosis remains pivotal. CASE SUMMARY A 60-year-old female, with pulmonary sarcoidosis in remission, presented to the cardiology outpatient clinic for evaluation of weeks-long dyspnea on moderate exertion (New York Heart Association class II) that was relieved by rest. Submaximal exercise stress test showed multifocal ventricular extrasystoles, followed by a self-limiting torsades de pointes. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed nondilated and normotrophic left ventricle with basoseptal and mid-septal dyskinesis. The magnetic resonance imaging-derived left ventricular ejection fraction was 45%. Delayed enhancement showed patchy transmural fibrosis of the septum and hyperenhancement of the papillary muscles, all in favor of extensive cardiac involvement of sarcoidosis. A double-chamber implantable cardiac defibrillator was implanted, and methylprednisolone (12 mg/d) and methotrexate (12.5 mg/wk) treatment was initiated. Follow-up and implantable cardiac defibrillator interrogation showed episodes of asymptomatic nonsustained ventricular tachycardia and an asymptomatic episode of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia ending by the first antitachycardia pacing run. CONCLUSION Along an extensive review of the literature, this unusual case report highlights the importance of early detection of cardiac involvement of sarcoidosis, in order to avoid potential complications and increase survival.

(1) Background: Stent underexpansion is the main cause of stent thrombosis and restenosis. Coronary angiography has limitations in the assessment of stent expansion. Enhanced stent imaging (ESI) methods allow a detailed visualization of stent deployment. We qualitatively compare image results from two ESI system vendors (StentBoost™ (SB) and CAAS StentEnhancer™ (SE)) and report quantitative results of deployed stents diameters by quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and by SE. (2) Methods: The ESI systems from SB and SE were compared and graded by two blinded observers for different characteristics: 1 visualization of the proximal and distal edges of the stents; 2 visualization of the stent struts; 3 presence of underexpansion and 4 calcifications. Stent diameters were quantitatively measured using dedicated QCA and SE software and compared to chart diameters according to the pressure of implantation. (3) Results: A total of 249 ESI sequences were qualitatively compared. Inter-observer variability was noted for strut visibility and total scores. Inter-observer agreement was found for the assessment of proximal stent edge and stent underexpansion. The predicted chart diameters were 0.31 ± 0.30 mm larger than SE diameters (p < 0.05). Stent diameters by SE after post-dilatation were 0.47 ± 0.31 mm smaller than the post-dilation balloon diameter (p < 0.05). SE-derived diameters significantly differed from QCA; by Bland–Altman analysis the bias was −0.37 ± 0.42 mm (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: SE provides an enhanced visualization and allows precise quantitative assessment of stent expansion without the limitations of QCA when overlapping coronary side branches are present.