Inez Rodrigus - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Inez Rodrigus

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, Jan 20, 2015

The aim of this study was to validate recently proposed risk scores for the prediction of mortali... more The aim of this study was to validate recently proposed risk scores for the prediction of mortality up to 1 year after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), using a self-expandable valve (CoreValve). In this single-centre study, 225 consecutive patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, who underwent TAVI between December 2007 and January 2015, were included. Conventional surgical risk scores (logistic EuroSCORE, EuroSCORE II and STS score) were calculated as well as newly proposed TAVI risk scores (TAVI2-SCORe, STT Score and OBSERVANT score). Medium-term survival of the patients was assessed up to 1 year after TAVI. The median age was 82 (77-86) years and 45.3% were male. Patients were categorized into 'non-high risk' or 'high risk' according to logistic EuroSCORE >20%, EuroSCORE II >8%, STS score >10%, TAVI2-SCORe >2, STT score >12% and OBSERVANT score >6. Thirty-day and 1-year survival rates were significantly different bet...

The Journal of Heart Valve Disease, Mar 1, 2010

... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, J... more ... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, Jeroen; Ieven, Margaretha; Rodrigus, Inez - A case of endocarditis due to Aerococcus urinae - In: Journal of heart valve disease, 19:2(2010), p. 264-266. ...

Radiographics, Jan 15, 2015

Aortic valve stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease in the Western world. When sympto... more Aortic valve stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease in the Western world. When symptomatic, aortic valve stenosis is a debilitating disease with a dismal short-term prognosis, invariably leading to heart failure and death. Elective surgical valve replacement has traditionally been considered the standard of care for symptomatic aortic valve stenosis. However, several studies have identified various subgroups of patients with a significantly elevated risk for surgery-related complications and death. Thus, not every patient is a suitable candidate for surgery. Recent developments in transcatheter-based therapies have provided an alternative therapeutic strategy for the nonsurgical patient population known as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) (also called transcatheter aortic valve implantation or percutaneous aortic valve replacement). In TAVR, the native aortic valve is replaced with a bioprosthetic valve via a nonsurgical endovascular, transaortic, or transapical pathway. Nevertheless, several anatomic and technical criteria must be met to safeguard patient eligibility and procedural success. Therefore, noninvasive imaging plays a crucial role in both patient selection and subsequent matching to a specific transcatheter valve size in an effort to ensure accurate prosthesis deployment and minimize peri- and postprocedural complications. The authors review the relevant anatomy of the aortic root, emphasizing the implications of anatomic pitfalls for correct reporting of imaging-derived measurements and important differences between findings obtained with different imaging modalities. They also discuss the evolving role of computed tomography and the role of the radiologist in patient triage in light of current viewpoints regarding patient selection, device size selection, and the preprocedural evaluation of possible access routes. Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2015

With the expanding use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), we have encountered inc... more With the expanding use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), we have encountered increasing numbers of patients without ideal femoral access. Although many alternatives have been described, vascular access and access-related complications remain a point of concern. We report our series of 20 patients undergoing TAVI via brachiocephalic artery access. Between September 2011 and May 2014, we performed 107 consecutive CoreValve bioprosthesis implantations, of which 20 were by the brachiocephalic approach due to unfavourable iliac or femoral anatomy. No vascular or access-related complications were seen. Procedural feasibility, device success and early safety, as defined by the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria, were good, at 100, 95 and 95%, respectively. No stroke, transient ischaemic attack, acute kidney injury, major vascular or major bleeding complications were observed. At a mean follow-up of 497 days, the 1-year survival rate is 75.0%. Echocardiography at...

The Lancet

Loss of mechanical strength in expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vascular prostheses SIR,-Most vas... more Loss of mechanical strength in expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vascular prostheses SIR,-Most vascular surgeons prefer expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts for above-knee femoropopliteal bypass procedures. At this site the patency rate is comparable with that for autologous saphenous vein.l Since these grafts are rigid, the thin wall type is preferred for ease of handling and anastomosis.

Acta chirurgica Belgica

The Abiomed BVS 5000 ventricular assist device (VAD) has been approved in Belgium for emergency c... more The Abiomed BVS 5000 ventricular assist device (VAD) has been approved in Belgium for emergency cardiac support in patients with postcardiotomy failure with the aim of native heart function recovery. Other indications have emerged from world wide experience, but the indication and usefulness of emergency implantation of assist devices is often debated. To decide which patients benefit most from emergency ventricular assist device implantation, we retrospectively reviewed our results of mechanical circulatory support with Abiomed in 20 patients over a 4-year period. Fifteen patients with mean age 58 +/- 6 years experienced postcardiotomy failure and underwent biventricular assist device (BVAD) implantation (group A), after elective (n = 9) or after emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (n = 6). Five patients (group B), with mean age 35 +/- 19 years, had an implantation for other underlying conditions: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n = 3), myocarditis (n = 1) and primary cardiac allograft failure (n = 1). Of these two groups, eight and two patients respectively needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before VAD implantation. The mean duration of support in both groups was 5.8 (range 12 h-13 days) and 4.4 days (range 2 h-9 days) respectively. Six and two patients could be weaned from the device and nine and one patients respectively, died on the device. Two patients in group B underwent successful heart transplantation and four patients in group A died after weaning. Two patients in the postcardiotomy group and four patients in group B survived (13% and 80%) with an overall survival and discharge rate of 30%. Although sample sizes are small, better survival rates with emergency Abiomed BVS 5000 implantation were obtained in the non postcardiotomy group (group B). For patients in the postcardiotomy group, outcome was negatively influenced by cardiac arrest and resuscitation before urgent CABG. Since death is the only alternative for these patients in cardiogenic shock and organ recovery cannot be predicted, we continue to consider emergency VAD implantation in this patient population.

Objective: Cardiac surgery may lead to severe oxidative stress due to formation of oxidation prod... more Objective: Cardiac surgery may lead to severe oxidative stress due to formation of oxidation products generated during ischemia and reperfusion. We investigated to which extent oxidative stress influences a number of endogenous antioxidants and markers of cellular activation. Methods: At six time points blood was withdrawn from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, using the on-pump procedure. Results: Both glutathione

Acta cardiologica

ABSTRACT

Since the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) 12 years ago, the treatm... more Since the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) 12 years ago, the treatment options for severe, symptomatic aortic valve stenosis in high-risk patients have significantly increased. Because of the growing implementation of TAVI in clinical practice, knowledge of the outstanding clinical outcome of TAVI and TAVI-related limitations is expanding. In this review, potential complications, including stroke, vascular complications, paravalvular regurgitation, and conduction disturbances, are discussed. To reduce the incidence of these limitations, new valves are being designed and clinically evaluated. The ultimate goal is to reduce potential complications and expand the use of TAVI to lower-risk patient cohorts.

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, 1999

ABSTRACT

European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Jan 26, 2015

The aim of this study was to determine if red cell distribution width (RDW) could improve the pre... more The aim of this study was to determine if red cell distribution width (RDW) could improve the prediction of prognosis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In this single-centre study, 197 consecutive patients underwent TAVI (median age 82 (77-86), 46.2% men). Normal RDW at baseline was defined as ≤15.5%, elevated RDW at baseline was defined as >15.5%. Ouctomes according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 and survival up to one year were compared between these groups. Compared with the patients with RDW ≤15.5% (n = 168), those with RDW >15.5% (n = 29) had a higher Society of Thoracic Surgeon (STS) score (7.2 vs 5.0%, P = 0.041), higher systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (50 vs 41 mmHg, P = 0.021) and lower haemoglobin (11.5 vs 12.4 mg/dl, P = 0.003). Patients with RDW >15.5% developed significantly more adverse events after TAVI (major vascular complications: 10.3 vs 1.8%, P = 0.042; aortic regurgitation grade II-IV: 50.0 vs 18.0%, P = 0.001) and ...

International Journal of Cardiology, 2015

ABSTRACT Aortic regurgitation (AR) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains a... more ABSTRACT Aortic regurgitation (AR) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains a relatively frequent and life-limiting complication. However, the most prognostically discriminative (and therefore preferred) technique of AR evaluation after TAVI is not yet clearly defined. The aim of this study was to compare angiographic, echocardiographic and hemodynamic assessment of AR after TAVI in relation to one year outcome. In this single center prospective cohort study, angiography (AR grading), echocardiography (AR quantification using color Doppler flow mapping) and invasive hemodynamics (AR index) were assessed before and after TAVI. All patients were followed up to at least one year. A total of 111 consecutive (very) high-risk patients with severe, symptomatic aortic valve stenosis underwent TAVI. No concordant relation could be demonstrated between angiographic, echocardiographic and invasive assessment of AR after TAVI. AR index <25 post TAVI was significantly influenced by left ventricular posterior wall thickness (odds ratio: 1.276, p=0.030) and AR index pre TAVI (odds ratio: 0.948, p=0.019). Neither angiographic nor hemodynamic AR assessments were able to discriminate between good or significantly decreased one year survival. In contrast, color Doppler flow mapping of AR after TAVI was highly reproducible, and able to differentiate between good or significantly decreased one year survival (AR grades 0-I: one year survival 87% vs. AR grades II-III-IV: one year survival 68%, p=0.035). Echocardiography using color Doppler flow mapping is the preferred technique to assess prognostically relevant AR after TAVI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry, Jan 17, 2015

Peripheral blood (PB) admixture should be minimized during numerical and functional, as well as c... more Peripheral blood (PB) admixture should be minimized during numerical and functional, as well as cytokinetic analysis of bone marrow (BM) aspirates for research purposes. Therefore, purity assessment of the BM aspirate should be performed in advance. We investigated whether bone matrix vesicle (BMV)-bound bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) could serve as a marker for the purity of BM aspirates. Total ALP activity was significantly higher in BM serum (97 (176-124) U/L, median (range)) compared to PB serum (63 (52-73) U/L, p<0.001). Agarose gel electrophoresis showed a unique bone ALP fraction in BM, which was absent in PB. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the high molecular weight of this fraction, corresponding with membrane-bound ALP from bone matrix vesicles (BMV), as evidenced by electron microscopy. A serial PB admixture experiment of bone cylinder supernatant samples, rich in BMV-bound ALP, confirmed the sensitivity of this proposed quality assessment method. F...

Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Jan 7, 2015

Aneurysms affecting the aorta are a common condition associated with high mortality as a result o... more Aneurysms affecting the aorta are a common condition associated with high mortality as a result of aortic dissection or rupture. Investigations of the pathogenic mechanisms involved in syndromic types of thoracic aortic aneurysms, such as Marfan and Loeys-Dietz syndromes, have revealed an important contribution of disturbed transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling. This study sought to discover a novel gene causing syndromic aortic aneurysms in order to unravel the underlying pathogenesis. We combined genome-wide linkage analysis, exome sequencing, and candidate gene Sanger sequencing in a total of 470 index cases with thoracic aortic aneurysms. Extensive cardiological examination, including physical examination, electrocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography was performed. In adults, imaging of the entire aorta using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging was done. Here, we report on 43 patients from 11 families with syndromic presentations of aortic aneurys...

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2013

The left ventricular apical core biopsy performed during implantation of a left ventricular assis... more The left ventricular apical core biopsy performed during implantation of a left ventricular assist device (VAD) is a well-known diagnostic procedure in confirming cardiomyopathies leading to end-stage heart failure. We describe a patient in whom disseminated malignancy was revealed by means of the apical core biopsy after extracorporeal life support and left ventricular assist device implantation as a bridge to transplantation. This case emphasizes the importance of thorough oncological screening before VAD implantation and the possible consequences of circulating tumour cells in this device-assisted circulation.

The Journal of heart valve disease, 2010

... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, J... more ... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, Jeroen; Ieven, Margaretha; Rodrigus, Inez - A case of endocarditis due to Aerococcus urinae - In: Journal of heart valve disease, 19:2(2010), p. 264-266. ...

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2006

Cardiopulmonary bypass triggers systemic inflammation and systemic oxidative stress. Recent repor... more Cardiopulmonary bypass triggers systemic inflammation and systemic oxidative stress. Recent reports suggest that continuous ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can affect the outcome of patients after cardiac surgery. We investigated the influence of lung ventilation on inflammatory and oxidative stress markers during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) with CPB in 13 patients with (Group 2) or without (Group 1) ventilation of the lungs with small tidal volume (4 ml/kg). IL-10 and elastase in blood were elevated in both groups with a peak at the end of CPB (P<0.05) and returned to the baseline at 24 h after surgery. A significant increase in Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) was observed in both groups (P<0.05). Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was significantly elevated 24 h after surgery only in Group 1 (P<0.05). There was a significant decrease in alpha-tocopherol 24 h after surgery in both groups (P<0.05). The inflammatory response observed during...

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, Jan 20, 2015

The aim of this study was to validate recently proposed risk scores for the prediction of mortali... more The aim of this study was to validate recently proposed risk scores for the prediction of mortality up to 1 year after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), using a self-expandable valve (CoreValve). In this single-centre study, 225 consecutive patients with severe symptomatic aortic valve stenosis, who underwent TAVI between December 2007 and January 2015, were included. Conventional surgical risk scores (logistic EuroSCORE, EuroSCORE II and STS score) were calculated as well as newly proposed TAVI risk scores (TAVI2-SCORe, STT Score and OBSERVANT score). Medium-term survival of the patients was assessed up to 1 year after TAVI. The median age was 82 (77-86) years and 45.3% were male. Patients were categorized into 'non-high risk' or 'high risk' according to logistic EuroSCORE >20%, EuroSCORE II >8%, STS score >10%, TAVI2-SCORe >2, STT score >12% and OBSERVANT score >6. Thirty-day and 1-year survival rates were significantly different bet...

The Journal of Heart Valve Disease, Mar 1, 2010

... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, J... more ... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, Jeroen; Ieven, Margaretha; Rodrigus, Inez - A case of endocarditis due to Aerococcus urinae - In: Journal of heart valve disease, 19:2(2010), p. 264-266. ...

Radiographics, Jan 15, 2015

Aortic valve stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease in the Western world. When sympto... more Aortic valve stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease in the Western world. When symptomatic, aortic valve stenosis is a debilitating disease with a dismal short-term prognosis, invariably leading to heart failure and death. Elective surgical valve replacement has traditionally been considered the standard of care for symptomatic aortic valve stenosis. However, several studies have identified various subgroups of patients with a significantly elevated risk for surgery-related complications and death. Thus, not every patient is a suitable candidate for surgery. Recent developments in transcatheter-based therapies have provided an alternative therapeutic strategy for the nonsurgical patient population known as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) (also called transcatheter aortic valve implantation or percutaneous aortic valve replacement). In TAVR, the native aortic valve is replaced with a bioprosthetic valve via a nonsurgical endovascular, transaortic, or transapical pathway. Nevertheless, several anatomic and technical criteria must be met to safeguard patient eligibility and procedural success. Therefore, noninvasive imaging plays a crucial role in both patient selection and subsequent matching to a specific transcatheter valve size in an effort to ensure accurate prosthesis deployment and minimize peri- and postprocedural complications. The authors review the relevant anatomy of the aortic root, emphasizing the implications of anatomic pitfalls for correct reporting of imaging-derived measurements and important differences between findings obtained with different imaging modalities. They also discuss the evolving role of computed tomography and the role of the radiologist in patient triage in light of current viewpoints regarding patient selection, device size selection, and the preprocedural evaluation of possible access routes. Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2015

With the expanding use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), we have encountered inc... more With the expanding use of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), we have encountered increasing numbers of patients without ideal femoral access. Although many alternatives have been described, vascular access and access-related complications remain a point of concern. We report our series of 20 patients undergoing TAVI via brachiocephalic artery access. Between September 2011 and May 2014, we performed 107 consecutive CoreValve bioprosthesis implantations, of which 20 were by the brachiocephalic approach due to unfavourable iliac or femoral anatomy. No vascular or access-related complications were seen. Procedural feasibility, device success and early safety, as defined by the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 criteria, were good, at 100, 95 and 95%, respectively. No stroke, transient ischaemic attack, acute kidney injury, major vascular or major bleeding complications were observed. At a mean follow-up of 497 days, the 1-year survival rate is 75.0%. Echocardiography at...

The Lancet

Loss of mechanical strength in expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vascular prostheses SIR,-Most vas... more Loss of mechanical strength in expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vascular prostheses SIR,-Most vascular surgeons prefer expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts for above-knee femoropopliteal bypass procedures. At this site the patency rate is comparable with that for autologous saphenous vein.l Since these grafts are rigid, the thin wall type is preferred for ease of handling and anastomosis.

Acta chirurgica Belgica

The Abiomed BVS 5000 ventricular assist device (VAD) has been approved in Belgium for emergency c... more The Abiomed BVS 5000 ventricular assist device (VAD) has been approved in Belgium for emergency cardiac support in patients with postcardiotomy failure with the aim of native heart function recovery. Other indications have emerged from world wide experience, but the indication and usefulness of emergency implantation of assist devices is often debated. To decide which patients benefit most from emergency ventricular assist device implantation, we retrospectively reviewed our results of mechanical circulatory support with Abiomed in 20 patients over a 4-year period. Fifteen patients with mean age 58 +/- 6 years experienced postcardiotomy failure and underwent biventricular assist device (BVAD) implantation (group A), after elective (n = 9) or after emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (n = 6). Five patients (group B), with mean age 35 +/- 19 years, had an implantation for other underlying conditions: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n = 3), myocarditis (n = 1) and primary cardiac allograft failure (n = 1). Of these two groups, eight and two patients respectively needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation before VAD implantation. The mean duration of support in both groups was 5.8 (range 12 h-13 days) and 4.4 days (range 2 h-9 days) respectively. Six and two patients could be weaned from the device and nine and one patients respectively, died on the device. Two patients in group B underwent successful heart transplantation and four patients in group A died after weaning. Two patients in the postcardiotomy group and four patients in group B survived (13% and 80%) with an overall survival and discharge rate of 30%. Although sample sizes are small, better survival rates with emergency Abiomed BVS 5000 implantation were obtained in the non postcardiotomy group (group B). For patients in the postcardiotomy group, outcome was negatively influenced by cardiac arrest and resuscitation before urgent CABG. Since death is the only alternative for these patients in cardiogenic shock and organ recovery cannot be predicted, we continue to consider emergency VAD implantation in this patient population.

Objective: Cardiac surgery may lead to severe oxidative stress due to formation of oxidation prod... more Objective: Cardiac surgery may lead to severe oxidative stress due to formation of oxidation products generated during ischemia and reperfusion. We investigated to which extent oxidative stress influences a number of endogenous antioxidants and markers of cellular activation. Methods: At six time points blood was withdrawn from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, using the on-pump procedure. Results: Both glutathione

Acta cardiologica

ABSTRACT

Since the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) 12 years ago, the treatm... more Since the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) 12 years ago, the treatment options for severe, symptomatic aortic valve stenosis in high-risk patients have significantly increased. Because of the growing implementation of TAVI in clinical practice, knowledge of the outstanding clinical outcome of TAVI and TAVI-related limitations is expanding. In this review, potential complications, including stroke, vascular complications, paravalvular regurgitation, and conduction disturbances, are discussed. To reduce the incidence of these limitations, new valves are being designed and clinically evaluated. The ultimate goal is to reduce potential complications and expand the use of TAVI to lower-risk patient cohorts.

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, 1999

ABSTRACT

European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Jan 26, 2015

The aim of this study was to determine if red cell distribution width (RDW) could improve the pre... more The aim of this study was to determine if red cell distribution width (RDW) could improve the prediction of prognosis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). In this single-centre study, 197 consecutive patients underwent TAVI (median age 82 (77-86), 46.2% men). Normal RDW at baseline was defined as ≤15.5%, elevated RDW at baseline was defined as >15.5%. Ouctomes according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 and survival up to one year were compared between these groups. Compared with the patients with RDW ≤15.5% (n = 168), those with RDW >15.5% (n = 29) had a higher Society of Thoracic Surgeon (STS) score (7.2 vs 5.0%, P = 0.041), higher systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (50 vs 41 mmHg, P = 0.021) and lower haemoglobin (11.5 vs 12.4 mg/dl, P = 0.003). Patients with RDW >15.5% developed significantly more adverse events after TAVI (major vascular complications: 10.3 vs 1.8%, P = 0.042; aortic regurgitation grade II-IV: 50.0 vs 18.0%, P = 0.001) and ...

International Journal of Cardiology, 2015

ABSTRACT Aortic regurgitation (AR) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains a... more ABSTRACT Aortic regurgitation (AR) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains a relatively frequent and life-limiting complication. However, the most prognostically discriminative (and therefore preferred) technique of AR evaluation after TAVI is not yet clearly defined. The aim of this study was to compare angiographic, echocardiographic and hemodynamic assessment of AR after TAVI in relation to one year outcome. In this single center prospective cohort study, angiography (AR grading), echocardiography (AR quantification using color Doppler flow mapping) and invasive hemodynamics (AR index) were assessed before and after TAVI. All patients were followed up to at least one year. A total of 111 consecutive (very) high-risk patients with severe, symptomatic aortic valve stenosis underwent TAVI. No concordant relation could be demonstrated between angiographic, echocardiographic and invasive assessment of AR after TAVI. AR index &lt;25 post TAVI was significantly influenced by left ventricular posterior wall thickness (odds ratio: 1.276, p=0.030) and AR index pre TAVI (odds ratio: 0.948, p=0.019). Neither angiographic nor hemodynamic AR assessments were able to discriminate between good or significantly decreased one year survival. In contrast, color Doppler flow mapping of AR after TAVI was highly reproducible, and able to differentiate between good or significantly decreased one year survival (AR grades 0-I: one year survival 87% vs. AR grades II-III-IV: one year survival 68%, p=0.035). Echocardiography using color Doppler flow mapping is the preferred technique to assess prognostically relevant AR after TAVI. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry, Jan 17, 2015

Peripheral blood (PB) admixture should be minimized during numerical and functional, as well as c... more Peripheral blood (PB) admixture should be minimized during numerical and functional, as well as cytokinetic analysis of bone marrow (BM) aspirates for research purposes. Therefore, purity assessment of the BM aspirate should be performed in advance. We investigated whether bone matrix vesicle (BMV)-bound bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) could serve as a marker for the purity of BM aspirates. Total ALP activity was significantly higher in BM serum (97 (176-124) U/L, median (range)) compared to PB serum (63 (52-73) U/L, p<0.001). Agarose gel electrophoresis showed a unique bone ALP fraction in BM, which was absent in PB. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the high molecular weight of this fraction, corresponding with membrane-bound ALP from bone matrix vesicles (BMV), as evidenced by electron microscopy. A serial PB admixture experiment of bone cylinder supernatant samples, rich in BMV-bound ALP, confirmed the sensitivity of this proposed quality assessment method. F...

Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Jan 7, 2015

Aneurysms affecting the aorta are a common condition associated with high mortality as a result o... more Aneurysms affecting the aorta are a common condition associated with high mortality as a result of aortic dissection or rupture. Investigations of the pathogenic mechanisms involved in syndromic types of thoracic aortic aneurysms, such as Marfan and Loeys-Dietz syndromes, have revealed an important contribution of disturbed transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling. This study sought to discover a novel gene causing syndromic aortic aneurysms in order to unravel the underlying pathogenesis. We combined genome-wide linkage analysis, exome sequencing, and candidate gene Sanger sequencing in a total of 470 index cases with thoracic aortic aneurysms. Extensive cardiological examination, including physical examination, electrocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography was performed. In adults, imaging of the entire aorta using computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging was done. Here, we report on 43 patients from 11 families with syndromic presentations of aortic aneurys...

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2013

The left ventricular apical core biopsy performed during implantation of a left ventricular assis... more The left ventricular apical core biopsy performed during implantation of a left ventricular assist device (VAD) is a well-known diagnostic procedure in confirming cardiomyopathies leading to end-stage heart failure. We describe a patient in whom disseminated malignancy was revealed by means of the apical core biopsy after extracorporeal life support and left ventricular assist device implantation as a bridge to transplantation. This case emphasizes the importance of thorough oncological screening before VAD implantation and the possible consequences of circulating tumour cells in this device-assisted circulation.

The Journal of heart valve disease, 2010

... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, J... more ... Recommended Citation. Ho, Erwin; Coveliers, Jan; Amsel, Bram J.; Stockman, Bernard; Walpot, Jeroen; Ieven, Margaretha; Rodrigus, Inez - A case of endocarditis due to Aerococcus urinae - In: Journal of heart valve disease, 19:2(2010), p. 264-266. ...

Interactive cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, 2006

Cardiopulmonary bypass triggers systemic inflammation and systemic oxidative stress. Recent repor... more Cardiopulmonary bypass triggers systemic inflammation and systemic oxidative stress. Recent reports suggest that continuous ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can affect the outcome of patients after cardiac surgery. We investigated the influence of lung ventilation on inflammatory and oxidative stress markers during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) with CPB in 13 patients with (Group 2) or without (Group 1) ventilation of the lungs with small tidal volume (4 ml/kg). IL-10 and elastase in blood were elevated in both groups with a peak at the end of CPB (P<0.05) and returned to the baseline at 24 h after surgery. A significant increase in Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) was observed in both groups (P<0.05). Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was significantly elevated 24 h after surgery only in Group 1 (P<0.05). There was a significant decrease in alpha-tocopherol 24 h after surgery in both groups (P<0.05). The inflammatory response observed during...