Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and radiotherapy is a widely used treatment approach. However, there is an increased risk of coronary artery disease and cardiac death in women treated with radiotherapy. AMG 232 manufacturer The present study was undertaken to clarify the relation between radiotherapy and coronary disease in women with previous breast irradiation using coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). We conducted a retrospective analysis of women with a history of right or left-sided breast cancer (RBC; LBC) treated with radiotherapy who subsequently underwent CCTA. RBC patients who had reduced radiation doses to the myocardium served as controls. Patients (n = 6,593) with a history of nonmetastatic breast cancer treated with radiotherapy were screened for completion of CCTA; 49 LBC and 45 RBC women were identified. Age and risk factor matched patients with LBC had higher rates of coronary disease compared with RBC patients; left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery (76% vs 31% [p less then 0.001]), left circumflex (33% vs. 6.7% [p = 0.004]), and right coronary artery (37% vs 13% [p = 0.018]). Mean LAD radiation dose and mean heart dose strongly correlated with coronary disease, with a 21% higher incidence of disease in the LAD per Gy for mean LAD dose and a 95% higher incidence of disease in the LAD per Gy for mean heart dose. In conclusion, LBC patients treated with radiotherapy have a significantly higher incidence of coronary disease when compared with a matched group of patients treated for RBC. Radiation doses correlated with the incidence of coronary disease.The American Society of Echocardiography and/or the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging recommend a conventional algorithm for estimating left ventricular (LV) filling pressure in heart failure. However, several patients are classed as “indeterminate” due to their LV filling pressures being impossible to calculate. We investigated whether our new echocardiographic algorithm can predict clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We enrolled 754 consecutive patients from the PURSUIT-HFpEF registry. We used the new algorithm to divide them into 2 groups; a normal LV filling pressure group (N group) and a high LV filling pressure group (H group). The H group consisted of 342 patients. Over a mean follow-up of 342 days, 185 patients reached the primary composite end point (157 readmissions for worsening heart failure and 43 cardiovascular deaths). In a multivariable Cox analysis, being in the H group was significantly associated with an increased rate of cardiac events compared with the N group (hazard ratio 1.71; 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 2.50, p = 0.006). There were 56 patients (7%) who were assigned to “indeterminate” with the conventional algorithm. Using the new algorithm, we reclassified 16 patients (29%) into the H group and 40 patients (71%) into the N group. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed the reclassified H group had a significantly higher incidence of cardiac events than those assigned to the N group (p less then 0.01). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated LV filling pressure assessed by our algorithm can predict clinical outcomes in patients with HFpEF.As transcatheter aortic valve Implantation (TAVI) moves to younger and lower risk patients with longer life expectancy, the long-term durability of TAVI is becoming an increasingly relevant issue. We sought to evaluate the long-term clinical outcome and prosthesis performance of the CoreValve self-expandable valve. Clinical registry of 182 patients consecutively treated with TAVI in a tertiary center from January 2009 to July 2017. Of these, 111 died during an average follow-up (FU) of 1,026 ± 812 days (median IQR 745, 477 to 1,400 days; longest survival 11 years; 61% mortality at Kaplan-Meier analysis). At 1 month, functional profile improved in all survivors, with 93.9% of them achieving NYHA class I or II. At Cox analysis, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons score (HR 1.55; p = 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction 0.05). Most patients had none and/or trivial (34%), or mild (58%), fewer had moderate (8%) and none had severe perivalvular leak, without significant change during FU. At 11 years, cumulative incidence of bioprosthetic valve failure and moderate structural valve deterioration (SVD) were 2.9% (95% CI 0.8% to 10%) and 9.3% (95% CI 3.3% to 26.7%), respectively. In conclusion, our registry confirmed that TAVI with the self-expandable CoreValve system was associated with favorable long-term clinical outcomes, with a reassuring low rate of significant bioprosthetic valve failure and moderate SVD.The present study aimed to examine differences in left- and right atrial characteristics between atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For this, 420 patients (mean age 68 ± 10 years, 73% female) with first diagnosis of AF and baseline echocardiography were included. Of these, 143 COPD patients were compared with 277 patients without COPD matched by age, gender and body surface area. Additionally 38 healthy controls without cardiovascular risk factors, matched for age, were included. For all 3 groups, left atrial (LA) volumes and diameter, LA reservoir strain (LASr), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), right atrial (RA) area and diameter, RA reservoir strain (RASr) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion were evaluated on transthoracic echocardiography. Baseline characteristics were similar in patients with and without COPD except for smoking and a history of heart failure (42% vs 11%, p less then 0.001 and 48% vs 37%, p = 0.036 for COPD and non-COPD patients, respectively). Also, COPD patients less often used β-blockers (63% vs 75%, p = 0.017). There were no significant differences in LVEF, LA volume and RA area between COPD and non-COPD patients. Compared to the controls, AF patients had impaired LVEF, LASr and RASr. Only RASr was significantly worse in COPD patients as compared to non-COPD patients (15.3% [9.0 to 25.1] vs 19.6% [11.8 to 28.5], p = 0.013). Additionally, a trend towards worse RASr was observed with increasing COPD severity. In conclusion, AF patients with concomitant COPD have more impaired RA function compared to patients without COPD but with similar atrial size and LA function.