Pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (P-MAIVF) is an infrequent but potentially life-threatening condition. Both transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) can detect P-MAIVF with sensitivity rates of 43 and 90 %, respectively. The typical finding of echocardiography is a pulsatile echo-free sac that expands in systole and collapses in diastole. Our review comprises 166 patients with P-MAIVF, including eight cases in our hospital and 158 cases from the literature. P-MAIVF is often associated with infection or surgical trauma. While it is likely to maintain an asymptomatic course, symptoms of shortness of breath, heart failure, valvular disease, chest pain, endocarditis, and cerebrovascular events are common clinical presentations. The recommended treatment is surgery. However, conservative therapy is an alternative approach for high-risk patients or when surgical treatment is refused. With the increasing incidence of cardiac surgery and infective endocarditis, a likely increment in the new diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm is expected.

The polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) is uncommon arrhythmia with multiple causes and has been classified according to whether they are associated with long QT interval or normal QT. Whereas "Torsade de pointes (TdP)" is an uncommon and distinctive form of PVT occurring in a setting of prolonged QT interval, which may be congenital or acquired (congenital or acquired), "PVT with normal QT" is associated with myocardial ischemia, electrolyte abnormalities (hypokalemia), mutations of the cardiac sodium channel (Brugada syndrome), and the ryanodine receptor (catecholaminergic PVT). This distinction is crucial because of the differing etiologies and management of these arrhythmias. Moreover, the PVT in the setting of acute MI generally occurs during the hyperacute phase, is related to ischemia ("ischemic PVT") and is not associated with QT prolongation. It is triggered by ventricular extrasystoles with very short coupling interval (the "R-on-T" phenomenon) and is not pause-dependent. However, recently there has been described a new PVT during the "healing phase" of MI in patients with no evidence of ongoing ischemia and following excessive QT prolongation, the electrophysiologic abnormality being a "pause-dependent infarct-related TdP" due to a LQTS in healing MI patients. Therefore, "ischemic PVT" differs from "infarct-related TdP" in terms of pathophysiology and ECG manifestations.

Background: The time in therapeutic range values may vary between different geographical regions of Turkey in patients vitamin K antagonist therapy.Aims: To evaluate the time in therapeutic range percentages, efficacy, safety and awareness of warfarin according to the different geographical regions in patients who participated in the WARFARIN-TR study (The Awareness, Efficacy, Safety and Time in Therapeutic Range of Warfarin in the Turkish population) in Turkey.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Methods: The WARFARIN-TR study includes 4987 patients using warfarin and involved regular international normalized ratio monitoring between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014. Patients attended follow-ups for 12 months. The sample size calculations were analysed according to the density of the regional population and according to Turkish Statistical Institute data. The time in therapeutic range was calculated according to F.R. Roosendaal’s algorithm. Awareness was evaluated based on the patients’ knowledge of the effect of warfarin and food-drug interactions with simple questions developed based on a literature review. Results: The Turkey-wide time in therapeutic range was reported as 49.5%±22.9 in the WARFARIN-TR study. There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of time in therapeutic range (p<0.001). The highest rate was reported in the Marmara region (54.99%±20.91) and the lowest was in the South-eastern Anatolia region (41.95±24.15) (p<0.001). Bleeding events were most frequently seen in Eastern Anatolia (41.6%), with major bleeding in the Aegean region (5.11%) and South-eastern Anatolia (5.36%). There were statistically significant differences between the regions in terms of awareness (p<0.001).Conclusion: Statistically significant differences were observed in terms of the efficacy, safety and awareness of warfarin therapy according to different geographical regions in Turkey.

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm (LVPA) due to incomplete or late rupture after mitral valve replacement is a rare condition but can be life threatening if it develops into perdicardial tamponade. LVPA may develop de novo after the surgical procedure or may be a sequela of an earlier rupture. Clinical presentation includes shortness of breath, heart failure, chest pain, endocarditis, and pericardial tamponade. However, it can also have an asymptomatic course. The recommended treatment for LVPA is surgical repair. Conservative follow-up is an alternative for patients who refuse surgical treatment or are considered high risk for re-operation. We conducted a review of all the available literature on cases of LVPA after mitral valve replacement and present the findings here.

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle resulting from genetic defects, cardiac myocyte injury, or infiltration of the myocardium. Cardiomyopathies are traditionally defined as dilated, restrictive, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Today, the genetic basis of most diseases has been clearly defined and has influenced the approach to familial diseases such as cardiomyopathies. Traditional definitions of cardiomyopathies, such as those by the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology, do not consider the genetic basis of cardiomyopathies. In 2013, the World Heart Federation added the genetic basis of cardiomyopathies and proposed a descriptive genotype-phenotype nosology system termed "MOGE(S)." The MOGE(S) system resembles the TNM classification system for malignancy, and therefore it can be useful for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of cardiomyopathies in a similar manner to cancer management.