Browsing by Author "Pecoraro, A. J. K."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Atrialised right ventricular myxoma in a patient with Ebstein’s anomaly
    (BioScientifica, 2018) John, T. J.; Snyman, H. W.; Janson, J.; Pecoraro, A. J. K.
    Ebstein’s anomaly is a rare entity affecting around 1 in 200,000 live births and accounts for less than 1% of congenital heart diseases. Ebstein’s anomaly with an associated right-sided myxoma is extremely rare, with only one other case report found in the literature. Previous reports have also noted cases of Ebstein’s anomaly associated with left-sided myxomas. We describe a female patient with, to our knowledge, the first case of a histopathologically confirmed right ventricular myxoma in the setting of Ebstein’s anomaly.
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    Evaluation of the SUNHEART cardiology outreach programme
    (South African Heart Association, 2015) Van Deventer, J. D.; Doubell, A. F.; Herbst, P. G.; Piek, H.; Piek, C.; Marcos, E.; Pecoraro, A. J. K.
    Introduction: The demand for advanced cardiac care and specialised interventions is on the increase and this results in bottlenecks and increased waiting times for patients who require advanced cardiac care. By decentralising cardiac care, and using a hub-and-spoke model, the SUNHEART Outreach Programme of cardiovascular care aims to improve access to advanced cardiac care in the Western Cape. Tygerberg Hospital is the central hub, with the fi rst spoke being Paarl Hospital. Objective: To determine the value of the SUNHEART Outreach Programme to the public health care system. Methods: An audit of patients accessing the Outreach Programme was performed for the period May 2013 - May 2014 and consequently compared to a historical cohort of patients accessing the health care system during the preceding 6 months, from October 2012 - April 2013. Access to advanced cardiac care was measured in time to initial evaluation, time to defi nitive diagnosis or intervention and patient compliance with appointments. The value to the health care system was also assessed by performing a cost analysis of transport of patients and health care workers, as well as compliance with appointments. We documented the spectrum of disease requiring advanced cardiac care to guide future interventions. Results: Data of 185 patients were included in the audit. Sixty four patients were referred to tertiary care from October 2012 - April 2013 and 121 patients were referred to the outreach facility from May 2013 - May 2014. There was a signifi cant reduction in waiting times with the median days to appointment of the historical cohort being 85 days compared to 18 days in the Outreach Programme cohort (p<0.01). Patient compliance with appointments was signifi cantly superior in the Outreach Programme cohort (90% vs. 56%: p<0.01). Valvular (36.5%) and ischaemic heart disease (35.5%) were the major pathologies requiring access to cardiac care services. Transport costs per patient treated was signifi cantly reduced in the outreach programme cohort (R118,09 vs. R308,77). Conclusion: Decentralisation of services in the form of an Outreach Programme, with a central hub, improves access to advanced cardiac care by decreasing waiting time, improving compliance with appointments and decreasing travel costs.
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    Inter-scallop separations of the posterior leaflet of the mitral valve : an important cause of pathological mitral regurgitation in rheumatic heart disease screening
    (BioScientifica, 2018) Hunter, L. D.; Monaghan, M.; Lloyd, G.; Pecoraro, A. J. K.; Doubell, A. F.; Herbst, P. G.
    The 2012 World Heart Federation (WHF) criteria for echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) identify that the finding of ‘pathological’ mitral regurgitation (MR) in a screened individual increases the likelihood of detecting underlying RHD. Cases of isolated ‘pathological MR’ are thus identified as ‘borderline RHD’. A large-scale echocardiographic screening program (Echo in Africa) in South Africa has identified that inter-scallop separations of the posterior mitral valve leaflet (PMVL) can give rise to ‘pathological’ MR. The authors propose that this entity in isolation should be identified and excluded from the WHF ‘borderline RHD’ category. In this case report, we present two examples of ‘pathological’ MR related to inter-scallop separation from the Echo in Africa image database. We further provide screening tips for the accurate identification of this entity.
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    Management of aortic stenosis in pregnancy
    (South African Heart Association, 2014) Pecoraro, A. J. K.
    Aortic stenosis in pregnancy is most commonly related to congenital or bicuspid aortic stenosis, which is associated with an aortopathy and ascending aortic dilatation. The management of AS in pregnancy is based on a few key principles. First and foremost the accurate assessment of the patient’s symptoms and confirmation, via echocardiography, of the degree of AS is of the utmost importance. Exercise testing is a very handy adjunct to quantify symptoms. Based on these findings, an informed process of discussion between the patient and a multidisciplinary team will lead to the correct management. As a general rule, patients who are truly asymptomatic with normal left ventricular systolic function and normal aortic root are able to tolerate pregnancy with a low maternal and fetal risk.
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    A retrospective audit of mitral valve repair surgery at Tygerberg Hospital
    (South African Heart Association, 2018) Al Naili, M.; Herbst, P. G.; Doubell, A. F.; Janson, J. J.; Pecoraro, A. J. K.
    Background: Mitral valve repair is well established as the preferred treatment modality for the majority of patients with degenerative mitral valve disease requiring intervention. Valve repair offers a distinct event-free survival advantage compared with replacement with either a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve. At present, there are little data available on the management and outcome of mitral valve repair in South Africa. The aim of this study is to describe and compare the indications, specific pathology and outcomes of patients accepted for mitral valve repair. Internationally published figures for peri-operative mortality are less than 2% for degenerative mitral regurgitation, with a freedom from mitral valve reoperation of 94% at 10 years. Methods: All patients referred for mitral valve repair at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, between 1 December 2010 and 30 June 2015, were retrospectively included. Demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, pre-operative (NYHA) functional class, the pre- and post-operative transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiograms, immediate in hospital mortality and 6-month post-surgical mortality and functional class were analysed. Repair failure was defined as either intra-operative conversion to MVR or need for reoperation at 6 months. Results: A total of 147 patients were referred for mitral valve repair, of which 114 patients were accepted for mitral valve repair by the local heart team. In total, 106 of the 114 patients underwent surgical intervention, 6 defaulted their surgical dates, and 2 refused surgery. Of those accepted for surgery, 57.9% were males, 42.1% were females, with a mean age of 47.7 years in both groups combined, 44.7% had hypertension, 43.9% were smokers and 21.1% had concomitant IHD; 56.1% were pre-operative NYHA functional class III, 29.8% were class II, 7% class IV, and 7% were class I; 60.2% had a 6-month post-operative NYHA functional class I, 32.3% had class II, 5.4% class III, and 2.2% had class IV. Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) with flail segment due to chord rupture was the predominant etiology (29%); P2 was the most common segment involved (36%), followed by A2 (29.8%). For MVP, including patients with infective endocarditis, the mortality rate was 4.8% at 30 days and 6 months. The overall mortality rates for all patients accepted for mitral valve repair were 4.7% and 6.6% at 30 days and 6 months respectively. Freedom from reoperation was 98% at 6 months. There was a significant association between bileaflet involvement and mitral valve repair failure (p=0.006). Chordal insertion with annuloplasty was the most common intervention used (45.5%). Conclusion: Mitral valve prolapse was the predominant etiology in patients referred for mitral valve repair. The mortality rate for mitral valve repair in the prolapse group was 4.8% at 6 months. Chordal insertion with annuloplasty was the most common intervention used. Bileaflet involvement was found to be an independent risk factor for repair failure. The mortality rate for all patients accepted for mitral valve repair was 6.6% at 6 months.
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    Screening for rheumatic heart disease : is a paradigm shift required?
    (BioScientifica, 2017) Hunter, L. D.; Monaghan, M.; Lloyd, G.; Pecoraro, A. J. K.; Doubell, A. F.; Herbst, P. G.
    This focused review presents a critical appraisal of the World Heart Federation criteria for the echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and its performance in African RHD screening programmes. It identifies various logistical and methodological problems that negatively influence the current guideline’s performance. The authors explore novel RHD screening methodology that could address some of these shortcomings and if proven to be of merit, would require a paradigm shift in the approach to the echocardiographic diagnosis of subclinical RHD.