Abstract Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a thyroid cancer that originates from the parafollicular C cells and accounts less than five percent of all thyroid cancer cases (1). It can be sporadic or part of a familial syndrome (2). Diagnosis in the routine clinical practice is difficult since the detection rate is low with fine needle aspiration and the ultrasonographic features are not reliable (3). Although serum calcitonin is the most accurate marker for the diagnosis there is no specific cut off for excluding MTC with certainty and different potential cutoff values have been reported in literature (4). There are also few cases of MTC without calcitonin elevation in the literature (5). Serum calcitonin levels can vary during the day because of its pulsatile secretion (6). Calcitonin also can be in different immunoreactive isoforms leading different results with different assays. Moreover, calcitonin is an unstable peptide and is rapidly degraded by protease enzymes in the room temperature. Even it is refrigerated 23% decays in the first twelve hours that can lead a false test result (7).
Abstract Aims The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) EURObservational Research Programme (EORP) European Endocarditis (EURO-ENDO) registry aims to study the care and outcomes of patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis (IE) and compare findings with recommendations from the 2015 ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of IE and data from the 2001 Euro Heart Survey. Methods and results Patients (n = 3116) aged over 18 years with a diagnosis of IE based on the ESC 2015 IE diagnostic criteria were prospectively identified between 1 January 2016 and 31 March 2018. Individual patient data were collected across 156 centres and 40 countries. The primary endpoint is all-cause mortality in hospital and at 1 year. Secondary endpoints are 1-year morbidity (all-cause hospitalization, any cardiac surgery, and IE relapse), the clinical, epidemiological, microbiological, and therapeutic characteristics of patients, the number and timing of non-invasive imaging techniques, and adherence to recommendations as stated in the 2015 ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of IE. Conclusion EURO-ENDO is an international registry of care and outcomes of patients hospitalized with IE which will provide insights into the contemporary profile and management of patients with this challenging disease.
The EURO-ENDO registry aimed to study the management and outcomes of patients with infective endocarditis (IE).Prospective cohort of 3116 adult patients (2470 from Europe, 646 from non-ESC countries), admitted to 156 hospitals in 40 countries between January 2016 and March 2018 with a diagnosis of IE based on ESC 2015 diagnostic criteria. Clinical, biological, microbiological, and imaging [echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) scan, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT)] data were collected. Infective endocarditis was native (NVE) in 1764 (56.6%) patients, prosthetic (PVIE) in 939 (30.1%), and device-related (CDRIE) in 308 (9.9%). Infective endocarditis was community-acquired in 2046 (65.66%) patients. Microorganisms involved were staphylococci in 1085 (44.1%) patients, oral streptococci in 304 (12.3%), enterococci in 390 (15.8%), and Streptococcus gallolyticus in 162 (6.6%). 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography was performed in 518 (16.6%) patients and presented with cardiac uptake (major criterion) in 222 (42.9%) patients, with a better sensitivity in PVIE (66.8%) than in NVE (28.0%) and CDRIE (16.3%). Embolic events occurred in 20.6% of patients, and were significantly associated with tricuspid or pulmonary IE, presence of a vegetation and Staphylococcus aureus IE. According to ESC guidelines, cardiac surgery was indicated in 2160 (69.3%) patients, but finally performed in only 1596 (73.9%) of them. In-hospital death occurred in 532 (17.1%) patients and was more frequent in PVIE. Independent predictors of mortality were Charlson index, creatinine > 2 mg/dL, congestive heart failure, vegetation length > 10 mm, cerebral complications, abscess, and failure to undertake surgery when indicated.Infective endocarditis is still a life-threatening disease with frequent lethal outcome despite profound changes in its clinical, microbiological, imaging, and therapeutic profiles.
Even though vegetation size in infective endocarditis (IE) has been associated with embolic events (EEs) and mortality risk, it is unclear whether vegetation size associated with these potential outcomes is different in left-sided IE (LSIE). This study aimed to seek assessing the vegetation cut-off size as predictor of EE or 30-day mortality for LSIE and to determine risk predictors of these outcomes.The European Society of Cardiology EURObservational Research Programme European Infective Endocarditis is a prospective, multicentre registry including patients with definite or possible IE throughout 2016-18. Cox multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess variables associated with EE or 30-day mortality.There were 2171 patients with LSIE (women 31.5%). Among these affected patients, 459 (21.1%) had a new EE or died in 30 days. The cut-off value of vegetation size for predicting EEs or 30-day mortality was >10 mm [hazard ratio (HR) 1.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-1.69, P = .0015]. Other adjusted predictors of risk of EE or death were as follows: EE on admission (HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.54-2.33, P < .0001), history of heart failure (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.21-1.93, P = .0004), creatinine >2 mg/dL (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.25-2.03, P = .0002), Staphylococcus aureus (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.08-1.70, P = .008), congestive heart failure (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.12-1.75, P = .003), presence of haemorrhagic stroke (HR 4.57, 95% CI 3.08-6.79, P < .0001), alcohol abuse (HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.04-2.03, P = .03), presence of cardiogenic shock (HR 2.07, 95% CI 1.29-3.34, P = .003), and not performing left surgery (HR 1.30 95% CI 1.05-1.61, P = .016) (C-statistic = .68).Prognosis after LSIE is determined by multiple factors, including vegetation size.
Abstract Aim Fatality of infective endocarditis (IE) is high worldwide, and its diagnosis remains a challenge. The objective of the present study was to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with culture-positive (CPIE) vs. culture-negative IE (CNIE). Methods and results This was an ancillary analysis of the ESC-EORP EURO-ENDO registry. Overall, 3113 patients who were diagnosed with IE during the study period were included in the present study. Of these, 2590 (83.2%) had CPIE, whereas 523 (16.8%) had CNIE. As many as 1488 (48.1%) patients underwent cardiac surgery during the index hospitalization, 1259 (48.8%) with CPIE and 229 (44.5%) with CNIE. The CNIE was a predictor of 1-year mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.56], whereas surgery was significantly associated with survival (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.41–0.58). The 1-year mortality was significantly higher in CNIE than CPIE patients in the medical subgroup, but it was not significantly different in CNIE vs. CPIE patients who underwent surgery. Conclusion The present analysis of the EURO-ENDO registry confirms a higher long-term mortality in patients with CNIE compared with patients with CPIE. This difference was present in patients receiving medical therapy alone and not in those who underwent surgery, with surgery being associated with reduced mortality. Additional efforts are required both to improve the aetiological diagnosis of IE and identify CNIE cases early before progressive disease potentially contraindicates surgery.
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