Introduction Miliary TBC represents a complex disease, quite rare at our latitudes. We present a case with severe pericardial involvement. Case report a 25-year-old Pakistani male, recently come in Italy, presented for fever and orthopnea. Anamnesis was difficult because of linguistic barrier. Echocardiogram revealed a large pericardial effusion with signs of tamponade, so a pericardiocentesis was promptly performed and exudative fluid was drained out and sent to laboratory. Blood tests showed anemia, mild hyponatremia, VES elevation and several vitamin deficiencies. Few days after the procedure the patient developed fever with chills, so blood samples for cultural tests were taken, but resulted negative. To better understand the etiology of pericardial effusion and fever a thoraco-abdominal CT was performed and bared multiple micronodular lesions disseminated to lungs, spleen and lever and pleural and peritoneal effusion. At the same time, the DNA search for Koch's bacillus in the pericardial fluid resulted positive for Mycobacterium TBC complex. So, a diagnosis of miliary TBC with pericardial involvement was done and corticosteroid therapy together with antitubercular drugs were started. Encephalic MRI excluded neurological involvement. Patient was isolated and moved to the infectious disease ward, where therapy was continued until recovery. Discussion Miliary TBC is a disseminated form due to the hematogenous spread of tubercle bacilli resulting in the formation of multiple tuberculous foci. This manifestation is more frequent in countries where TBC is still endemic (Pakistan, India, Philippines). The disease can progress slowly with few symptoms or acutely (typical of younger) and the identification may be challenging due to its rarity in developed countries and the lack of uniform criteria. Diagnosis is mainly based on the isolation mycobacterial from a specimen or molecular methods such as PCR. Treatment is based on standard antitubercular drugs regimen. The role of corticosteroids is still controversial. Conclusions Miliary TBC is a rare disease in developed countries with not well-defined diagnosis criteria and different clinical presentations. However, because of the increase of migration flows, is important to recognize this manifestation, especially when it develops acutely and with life-treating conditions such as pericardial tamponade.

Introduction Perioperative Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (pTC) represents a rare and still not well characterized disease. Biventricular involvement is an uncommon manifestation of TC and is associated with a more severe clinical presentation. Case report A 72-year-old male, hospitalized for a laparoscopic left hemicolectomy, was transferred to ICU after having developed severe bradycardia, treated with Adrenalin, and cardiogenic shock during induction of general anesthesia. EKG showed complete atrio-ventricular block, so a temporary PMK was placed. Troponin was raised. Echocardiogram showed severe biventricular disfunction (LVEF 25%, TAPSE 12 mm) with akinesia of medio-apical segments, suggesting a biventricular pTC. Also, there was a reduction of 3D LV longitudinal strain (- 5,8%), particularly of the medio-apical portion, and RV free wall longitudinal strain (- 11%). Coronary angiography resulted negative. Patient's hemodynamic was supported with Noradrenalin and a cycle of Levosimendan, allowing to reach stability. Further echocardiogram showed improvement of biventricular function and longitudinal strain values. Due to the persistency of atrio-ventricular block, a definitive PMK was placed. Patient was discharged after therapy optimization. Discussion pTC is a little-known disease, as incidence and etiology are not well definite. Literature suggests a relation between pTC and physical or emotional stress due to surgery to promote an increase of catecholamine release. Other potential factors may be inadequate depth of anesthesia or tracheal manipulation during intubation and catecholaminergic drugs administration. On the other hand, the use of anesthetic volatile agents seems to have a cardioprotective effect. PTC is more common during general anesthesia and when occurs intraoperatively has a worse clinical presentation. Biventricular involvement, which is a rare and severe manifestation of TC, has been reported frequently among pTC patients. To date, due to the lack of a systematic review, there is little knowledge about potential risk factors, prevention strategies and management of pTC. Conclusions Despite multiple cases of pTC have been reported, several characteristics of this entity are not fully understood. However, it must be considered as a part of differential diagnosis in patients with anaesthesia-related decompensation. Biventricular involvement represents an infrequent presentation and its commonly associated with life-threating hemodynamic impairment.

Introduction Left atrial appendage (LAA) is a finger-like muscular extension of the left atrium (LA). It acts as blood reservoir, modulates LA pressure and elicits adaptive responses to stress. Several LAA shapes and variants have been described. We report a case of congenital absence of LAA diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and confirmed by computed tomography (CT). Case report A 55-year-old male patient with history of hypertension was admitted to our hospital for an episode of atrial fibrillation (AF). TEE was performed and showed normal LA volume, absence of thrombi and spontaneous echo contrast in the LA, but, despite acquiring three-dimensional (3D) en-face views, we were unable to identify LAA. Congenital absence of LAA was suspected and multidetector cardiac CT confirmed the abnormality. Discussion Congenital absence of LAA is an extremely rare condition: only eighteen cases were described on a review of the literature published in 2020. Associations with other congenital abnormalities or with atrial fibrillation have been reported, but a causal relationship cannot be established. Multiple imaging modalities can be used to define the anatomy and function of LAA, to detect or rule out in situ thrombosis and to guide catheter-based therapies, but the most widely used technique is TEE. Among intracardiac thrombi in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, more than 90% are identified in the LAA, meaning that the remaining 10% may develop in other sites of the LA. The congenital absence of LAA could be considered similar to LAA percutaneous occlusion or surgical exclusion; because of the few published randomized controlled trials, the current ESC guidelines on atrial fibrillation are unclear about the true thrombotic risk in these cases. Since LAA percutaneous occlusion is actually indicated only in cases of contraindications for long-term anticoagulant treatment, in our opinion in patients with non-valvular AF, LAA congenital absence, high stroke risk and low bleeding risk, anticoagulant therapy should be considered. Conclusion Congenital absence of LAA is an extremely rare condition and its pathophysiological role, especially with regard to antithrombotic therapy in patients with AF, is still not well defined.

Introduction Right-sided infective endocarditis (IE) accounts for 5-10% of IE cases; it is most frequently associated with intravenous drug abuse but can also be observed in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices, central venous catheters or congenital heart diseases. Case report A 34-year-old female, with unrepaired perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) and right ventricle and tricuspid valve (TV) IE with lung septic embolism treated conservatively with antibiotic therapy 16 years ago, was admitted to our hospital for persistent fever and cough unsuccessfully treated with empiric antibiotic therapy. She denied intravenous drug abuse and recent surgical or dental procedures. Blood cultures resulted positive for multi sensitive Staphylococcus lugdunensis, so antibiotic therapy with Oxacillin and Gentamicin was started. Suspecting IE, transesophageal echo (TEE) was performed and showed, inside VSD, a small fluctuating vegetation and, along the right side of the interventricular septum, next to the VSD, a voluminous hypomobile vegetation; septal and anterolateral TV leaflets appeared thickened and infiltrated by vegetations floating into the right atrium; at color-Doppler moderate TV regurgitation. A whole-body computed tomography showed right lung abscess and right kidney septic infarct. Endocarditis Team, considering hemodynamic stability and inflammatory biomarkers and surveillance blood cultures negativization, decided for medical therapy with echocardiographic follow-up. TEE performed at the end of antibiotic therapy demonstrated complete disappearance of the above described vegetations and surgical VSD closure was scheduled. Discussion Patients with unoperated small VSDs and without volume overload signs usually remain asymptomatic and do not require surgery; nevertheless, a small percentage of them develops problems later in life and IE represents one of the main concerns. Even if unrepaired VSD is associated with increased risk of IE compared with the general population, antibiotic prophylaxis is still recommended only for high-risk patients undergoing at-risk dental procedures, while non-specific oral and cutaneous hygiene measures should always be applied. Latest ESC Guidelines for the management of adult congenital heart disease state that in patients with no significant left to right shunt, but a history of repeated episodes of IE, VSD closure should be considered (IIa, C); it's still matter of debate whether closure should be performed after the first episode of IE. Conclusion IE should always be suspected in patients with VSD and persistent fever. Optimal oral and skin hygiene are effective prevention measures, while prophylactic antibiotic therapy is indicated only in selected cases. Surgery should be considered after repeated episodes of IE.

Background Right ventricular (RV) systolic function is an important predictor of prognosis in heart failure (HF). Several RV echocardiographic functional parameters have been described as sensitive prognostic markers. Aim To compare the predictive value of different RV systolic echocardiographic parameters in patients with HF. Methods One hundred and sixty patients with stable HF and left ventricular ejection fraction (LV EF) <45% were assessed for the following: (1) tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), (2) RV fractional area (RVFA), (3) tissue Doppler-derived RV peak systolic velocity (PSVtdi), (4) RV free wall longitudinal 2D-strain (RVFWS); and (5) 3D-RVEF. The primary endpoint was death and/or HF-hospitalization. Results During a mean follow-up of 16.9±10 months, 35 patients reached the primary endpoint. Each of the RV echocardiographic parameters was significantly associated with outcome at univariable analysis. After adjusting for age, eGFR, logNTproBNP, LVEF, restrictive filling pattern, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and RV end-diastolic volume, by Lasso Cox multivariable analysis, RVFWS (HR 1.09, 95%CI: 1.02-1.18, P=0.0093) and 3D-RVEF (HR 0.95, 95%CI: 0.91-0.99, P=0.0076) remained the only parameters independently associated with outcome with a cut-off of -18.6% and 43.6% respectively, without any difference in C-statistic between the two models (0.826 versus 0.812, p=0.3255). Conclusions RVFWS and 3D-RVEF are strong independent predictors of outcome in HF and appear to be superior to other standard RV systolic echocardiographic parameters.