Transaortic Chordal Cutting Ferrazzi, Paolo, MD; Spirito, Paolo, MD; Iacovoni, Attilio, MD ...
Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
10/2015, Volume:
66, Issue:
15
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Abstract Background In severely symptomatic patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and mild septal hypertrophy, mitral valve (MV) abnormalities may play an important role in MV ...displacement into the left ventricular (LV) outflow tract. Therefore, isolated myectomy may not relieve outflow obstruction and symptoms, and MV replacement is often the surgical alternative. Objectives This study sought to assess the clinical and hemodynamic results of cutting thickened secondary MV chordae combined with a shallow septal muscular resection in severely symptomatic patients with obstructive HCM and mild septal hypertrophy. Methods Clinical features were compared before surgery and at most recent clinical evaluation in 39 consecutive patients with obstructive HCM. Results Over a 23 ± 2 months follow-up, New York Heart Association functional class decreased from 2.9 ± 0.5 pre-operatively to 1.1 ± 1.1 post-operatively (p < 0.001), with no patient in class III at most recent evaluation. The resting outflow gradient decreased from 82 ± 43 mm Hg to 9 ± 5 mm Hg (p < 0.001) and septal thickness decreased from 17 ± 1 mm to 14 ± 2 mm (p < 0.001). No patient had MV prolapse or flail and 1 had residual moderate-to-severe MV regurgitation at most recent evaluation. MV geometry before and after surgery was compared with that of 25 consecutive patients with similar clinical profile and septal thickness that underwent isolated myectomy. After adjustment for differences in pre-operative values between the groups, the post-operative anterior MV leaflet-annulus ratio was 17% greater and tenting area 24% smaller in patients with chordal cutting, indicating that MV apparatus had moved to a more normal posterior position within the LV cavity, preventing MV systolic displacement into the outflow tract and outflow obstruction. Conclusions This procedure relieves heart failure symptoms, abolishes LV outflow gradient, and avoids MV replacement in patients with obstructive HCM and mild septal thickness.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Of the remaining 23 patients whose deaths were HCM-related, 17 died of advanced heart failure (with or without heart transplants) in the absence of LV outflow obstruction. ...the dominant cause of ...HCM-related mortality in this large consecutive cohort changed from sudden and unexpected death to death due to advanced heart failure. Furthermore, due to these difficulties in risk stratification, the decision of whether to implant an ICD often requires an open discussion with the patient about the benefits and potential complications of the device, as well as the strength of the available evidence for risk assessment (18). ...the individual patient's personal and psychological attitude toward the risk of sudden death contributes to the final decision and the number of implanted ICDs, a number also influenced by problems of legal liability perceived by clinicians.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in children and adolescents with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Background HCM is ...the most common cause of sudden death in the young. The availability of ICDs over the past decade for HCM has demonstrated the potential for sudden death prevention, predominantly in adult patients. Methods A multicenter international registry of ICDs implanted (1987 to 2011) in 224 unrelated children and adolescents with HCM judged at high risk for sudden death was assembled. Patients received ICDs for primary (n = 188) or secondary (n = 36) prevention after undergoing evaluation at 22 referral and nonreferral institutions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Results Defibrillators were activated appropriately to terminate ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation in 43 of 224 patients (19%) over a mean of 4.3 ± 3.3 years. ICD intervention rates were 4.5% per year overall, 14.0% per year for secondary prevention after cardiac arrest, and 3.1% per year for primary prevention on the basis of risk factors (5-year cumulative probability 17%). The mean time from implantation to first appropriate discharge was 2.9 ± 2.7 years (range to 8.6 years). The primary prevention discharge rate terminating ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation was the same in patients who underwent implantation for 1, 2, or ≥3 risk factors (12 of 88 14%, 10 of 71 14%, and 4 of 29 14%, respectively, p = 1.00). Extreme left ventricular hypertrophy was the most common risk factor present (alone or in combination with other markers) in patients experiencing primary prevention interventions (17 of 26 65%). ICD-related complications, particularly inappropriate shocks and lead malfunction, occurred in 91 patients (41%) at 17 ± 5 years of age. Conclusions In a high-risk pediatric HCM cohort, ICD interventions terminating life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias were frequent. Extreme left ventricular hypertrophy was most frequently associated with appropriate interventions. The rate of device complications adds a measure of complexity to ICD decisions in this age group.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) are reported to have a mortality rate of about 1.0% per year, and those patients without sudden death risk factors and with no or mild symptoms are ...generally considered to have a benign clinical presentation. However, the risk of sudden death and the outcome in this latter subgroup have not been investigated systematically and remain unresolved. We assessed the risk of sudden death and outcome in 653 consecutive patients with HC without risk factors and with no or mild symptoms. Over a median follow-up of 5.3 years, 35 patients (5.4%) died of HC-related causes. Mean age at death was 46 ± 20 years in patients who died suddenly and 66 ± 15 and 72 ± 9 years, respectively, in patients who died of heart failure or stroke. Event rate was 0.6% per year for sudden death, 0.2% per year for heart failure death, and 0.1% per year for stroke-related death. Sudden death risk was independently and inversely related to age, and risk of heart failure or stroke death was directly related to age (p = 0.020). At 10 years after the initial evaluation, sudden death risk was 5.9%, with sudden death rate being the lowest (0.3% per year) in patients with normal left atrial dimension (≤40 mm). In conclusion, in patients with HC without conventional risk factors and with no or mild symptoms, the risk of sudden death was not negligible, with an event rate of 0.6% per year. Heart failure and stroke-related death were less common and largely confined to older patients. These results underscore the need for a more accurate assessment of the sudden death risk in patients with HC.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
End-stage hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ES-HC) has an ominous prognosis. Whether genotype can influence ES-HC occurrence is unresolved. We assessed the spectrum and clinical correlates of ...HC-associated mutations in a large multicenter cohort with end-stage ES-HC. Sequencing analysis of 8 sarcomere genes (MYH7, MYBPC3, TNNI3, TNNT2, TPM1, MYL2, MYL3, and ACTC1) and 2 metabolic genes (PRKAG2 and LAMP2) was performed in 156 ES-HC patients with left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) <50%. A comparison among mutated and negative ES-HC patients and a reference cohort of 181 HC patients with preserved LVEF was performed. Overall, 131 mutations (36 novel) were identified in 104 ES-HC patients (67%) predominantly affecting MYH7 and MYBPC3 (80%). Complex genotypes with double or triple mutations were present in 13% compared with 5% of the reference cohort (p = 0.013). The distribution of mutations was otherwise indistinguishable in the 2 groups. Among ES-HC patients, those presenting at first evaluation before the age of 20 had a 30% prevalence of complex genotypes compared with 19% and 21% in the subgroups aged 20 to 59 and ≥60 years (p = 0.003). MYBPC3 mutation carriers with ES-HC were older than patients with MYH7, other single mutations, or multiple mutations (median 41 vs 16, 26, and 28 years, p ≤0.001). Outcome of ES-HC patients was severe irrespective of genotype. In conclusion, the ES phase of HC is associated with a variable genetic substrate, not distinguishable from that of patients with HC and preserved EF, except for a higher frequency of complex genotypes with double or triple mutations of sarcomere genes.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with extensive late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is a novel marker for increased risk for sudden death (SD) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC). ...Small focal areas of LGE confined to the region of right ventricular (RV) insertion to ventricular septum (VS) have emerged as a frequent and highly visible CMR imaging pattern of uncertain significance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of LGE confined to the RV insertion area in patients with HC. CMR was performed in 1,293 consecutive patients with HC from 7 HC centers, followed for 3.4 ± 1.7 years. Of 1,293 patients (47 ± 14 years), 134 (10%) had LGE present only in the anterior and/or inferior areas of the RV insertion to VS, occupying 3.7 ± 2.9% of left ventricular myocardium. Neither the presence nor extent of LGE in these isolated areas was a predictor of adverse HC-related risk, including SD (adjusted hazard ratio 0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.45 to 1.50, p = 0.53; adjusted hazard ratio 1.16/10% increase in LGE, 95% confidence interval 0.29 to 4.65, p = 0.83, respectively). Histopathology in 20 HC hearts show the insertion areas of RV attachment to be composed of a greatly expanded extracellular space characterized predominantly by interstitial-type fibrosis and interspersed disorganized myocyte patterns and architecture. In conclusion, LGE confined to the insertion areas of RV to VS was associated with low risk of adverse events (including SD). Gadolinium pooling in this region of the left ventricle does not reflect myocyte death and repair with replacement fibrosis or scarring.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The Doppler echocardiographic pattern of restrictive left ventricular (LV) filling has proved to be an important predictor of clinical course and prognosis in dilated cardiomyopathy. However, the ...relation between restrictive filling pattern and clinical course has not been systematically investigated in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC). We assessed the prognostic implications of the Doppler restrictive filling pattern in 239 consecutive patients with HC in whom Doppler measurements of LV filling had been systematically recorded at initial evaluation and during follow-up. Restrictive LV filling was identified in 14 patients (5.9%) at initial evaluation and developed in 22 (9.2%) during follow-up. A close relation was identified between restrictive filling pattern and end-stage HC, with patients with restrictive filling showing a sixfold increase in risk of developing end-stage HC (hazard ratio 6.25, 95% confidence interval 1.90 to 20.57, p = 0.003). Over a median follow-up of 9.7 years, 22 patients (9.2%) died suddenly or received appropriate cardioverter–defibrillator interventions, and 54 (22.6%) had HC-related death or underwent heart transplantation. In a set of univariate and multivariate analyses including each of the generally accepted risk factors for cardiac death in HC, the restrictive filling pattern was a strong and independent marker of increased risk (hazard ratio for sudden cardiac events 3.51, 95% confidence interval 1.37 to 8.95, p = 0.009; hazard ratio for HC-related death or heart transplantation 3.54, 95% confidence interval 1.91 to 6.57, p <0.001) compared to patients without restrictive filling. In conclusion, in our study cohort, the Doppler pattern of restrictive LV filling proved to be a strong predictor of sudden death and HC-related death, independently of other markers for unfavorable prognosis in this disease.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Surgical septal myectomy is the preferred treatment strategy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) to reverse progressive heart failure symptoms due to left ventricular outflow obstruction. However, ...open-heart surgery and the ventricular septal myectomy option in particular have limited accessibility in many parts of the world, including developing countries such as India, where skilled surgeons familiar with the complex left ventricular outflow tract anatomy of obstructive HC are rare. Indeed, septal myectomy, which is currently performed in only a limited number of countries, can become available in other venues if experienced surgeons dedicate their skills to this highly specialized but rewarding operation. Relevant to this issue, we describe a recent myectomy initiative in India (New Delhi) that demonstrates the possibility of generating a surgical myectomy program outside of an elite academic center environment, otherwise regarded as unfavorable for such an initiative. Demonstration that safe and effective septal myectomy is possible under such difficult circumstances bodes well for the expansion of this operation to many countries in the best interests of the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patient population.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK