Risk stratification in Brugada syndrome (BS) remains controversial. The time interval between the peak and the end of the T wave (Tpe interval), a marker of transmural dispersion of repolarization, ...has been linked to malignant ventricular arrhythmias in various settings but leads to discordant results in BS.
We study the correlation of the Tpe interval with arrhythmic events in a large cohort of patients with BS.
A total of 325 consecutive patients with BS (mean age 47±13 years, 259 men-80%) with spontaneous (n=143, 44%) or drug-induced (n=182, 56%) type 1 electrocardiogram were retrospectively included. 235 were asymptomatic (70%), 80 presented with unexplained syncope (22%), and 10 presented with sudden death (SD) or appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy (AT) (8%) at diagnosis or over a mean follow-up of 48 ± 34 months. The Tpe interval was calculated as the difference between the QT interval and the QT peak interval as measured in each of the precordial leads.
The Tpe interval from lead V1 to lead V4, maximum value of the Tpe interval (max Tpe), and Tpe dispersion in all precordial leads were significantly higher in patients with SD/AT or in patients with syncope than in asymptomatic patients (P < .001). A max Tpe of ≥100 ms was present in 47 of 226 asymptomatic patients (21%), in 48 of 73 patients with syncope (66%), and in 22 of 26 patients with SD/AT (85%) (P < .0001). In multivariate analysis, a max Tpe of ≥100 ms was independently related to arrhythmic events (odds ratio 9.61; 95% confidence interval 3.13-29.41; P < .0001).
The Tpe interval in the precordial leads is highly related to malignant ventricular arrhythmias in this large cohort of patients with BS. This simple electrocardiographic parameter could be used to refine risk stratification.
Abstract Background and aims A high level of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is associated with an increased risk of mortality and myocardial infarction. ALP hydrolyses inorganic pyrophosphate, ...which is a strong inhibitor of calcium phosphate deposition. The aim of this study was to determine whether ALP is associated with the coronary artery calcium score (CACS). Methods We examined the association of CACS, assessed by computed tomography scanning, and ALP, in 500 patients consecutively recruited, free of cardiovascular disease. The CACS were categorized into two groups: no calcification (CACS = 0) (n = 187) and with calcification (CACS>0) (n = 313). ALP activity was divided into three tertile groups: low ALP level (<55 IU/L), intermediate (55–66 IU/L) and high ALP level (>66 IU/L). Results The mean age was 60.9 ± 10.8 years, 49.6% of the patients were women. ALP ranged from 22 to 164 IU/L (mean 62.6 IU/L, SD 19.3). In univariate analysis, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, statin use ( p = 0.001), and ALP ( p = 0.001) were significantly associated withCACS. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, only age ( p = 0.001) and sex ( p = 0.0 01) were independently associated with CACS. Compared to the tertile group with low levels of ALP, the intermediate tertile group OR 2.11, 95%CI (1.12; 3.96), p = 0.02, as well as the high tertile group OR 3.89, 95% CI (2.01; 7.54), p = 0.001), was independently associated with CACS. Conclusions In patients free of cardiovascular disease, high ALP levels are positively and independently associated with coronary artery calcification. The metabolic pathway of ALP and inorganic pyrophosphate could be a target for new therapies against vascular calcification.
Cancer associated thrombosis is recognized. However, pulmonary embolism (PE) from testicular cancer is rarely reported. Right ventricular (RV) function and PE are closely related. The RV cannot cope ...with a sudden increase in afterload because of PE and this causes dysfunction, but isolated left ventricular dysfunction in this context is not reported in the literature.
We report an unusual association of pulmonary embolism and testicular germ cell tumor complicating severe left heart failure and full recovery at three months follow up in a 33-year-old patient with no prior medical history. The diagnosis was made after comprehensive history taking and physical examination with the help of different imaging modalities. Full recovery was achieved after optimal medical therapy.
This case raises our awareness of unusual clinical presentation as we report associated left-sided severe heart failure in cancer-related pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism in healthy young adults warrant in-depth causative exploration.
Prediction of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) mostly relies on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), but with limited performance. New echocardiographic parameters such as mechanical dispersion ...have emerged, but acoustic window sometimes precludes this measurement. Nuclear imaging may be an alternative.
We aimed to assess the ability of mechanical dispersion, measured with phase standard deviation (PSD) on radionuclide angiocardiography (RNA), to predict VAs.
This retrospective monocentric observational study included all patients who underwent a tomographic RNA from 2015 to 2019. Phase analysis yielded PSD and follow-up was examined to identify VAs, heart transplantation, and death.
The study population consisted of 937 patients, mainly with LVEF ≤ 35% (425, 45%). Most had ischemic (334, 36%) or dilated cardiomyopathies (245, 26%). We identified 86 (9%) VAs. PSD was strongly associated with the occurrence of VA hazard ratio per 10 ms increase (HR10) 1.12 (1.09-1.16), heart transplantation HR10 1.09 (1.06-1.12), and death HR10 1.03 (1.00-1.05). The association between PSD and VA persisted after adjustment for age, sex, QRS duration, LVEF, global longitudinal strain (GLS), and echocardiography-assessed mechanical dispersion.
The occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias was predicted by mechanical dispersion assessed by RNA, even after adjustment for LVEF and GLS.
Abstract Background Elderly patients represent a large proportion of patients admitted for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). Whether frailty, defined as a biological syndrome that reflects a state of ...decreased physiological reserve and vulnerability to stressors, may impact the clinical outcomes in this population remains unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence of frailty and its impact on mortality in patients aged ≥ 80 years admitted for ACS. Methods This prospective observational study was conducted among patients aged 80 or older admitted in a tertiary hospital for ACS. Frailty was assessed using the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) which provides a score ranging from 0 (not frail) to 17 (very frail). Population was divided into 3 classes: 0-3 EFS-score, 4-6 EFS-score, and >7 EFS-score. Results 236 patients were included with a mean follow-up duration of 470 days. The mean age was 85.9 years. 75 patients died during follow-up period.119 subjects (50.4%) had a 0-3 EFS-score, 68 patients (28.8%) had a 4-6 EFS-score and 49 patients (20.8%) had a ≥ 7 EFS-score. All-cause mortality rate was 17.7% in the 0-3 EFS-score group, 35.3% in the 4-6 EFS-score group and 61.2% in the ≥ 7 EFS-score group, (p<0.001). After multivariate analysis, frailty status remained associated with all-cause mortality: HR was 1.53 (95% CI 0.74 - 3.16) within the 4-6 EFS-score group, and HR was 3.60 (95% CI 1.70 - 7.63) within the ≥ 7 EFS-score group. Conclusion Frailty is a strong and independent prognosis factor of midterm all-cause mortality in elderly patients presenting with ACS.
A simple and accurate prognostic tool for Heart Failure (HF) patients is critical to improve follow-up. Different risk scores are accurate but with limited clinical applicability. The current study ...aims to derive and validate a simple predictive tool for HF prognosis. French outpatients with stable HF of two university hospitals were included in the derivation (N = 134) or in the validation (N = 274) sample and followed up for a median of 23 months. Potential predictors were variables with known association with mortality and easily available. The proSCANNED risk score was derived using a parametric survival model on complete case data; it includes 8 binary variables and its values are 0-8. In the validation sample, the ability of the score to discriminate the 1-year vital status was moderate (AUC = 0.71, IC95% = 0.64-0.71). However, the stratification of the score in three groups showed a good calibration for patients in the low- and medium-risk risk group. The proSCANNED score is an easy-to-use tool in clinical practice with a good discrimination, stability, and calibration sufficient to improve the medical care of patients. Other follow up studies are necessary to assess score applicability in larger populations, and its impact.
Factors associated with premature ventricular contraction-induced cardiomyopathy (PVCi-CMP) remain debated.
The purpose of this study was to test the correlation of various factors to the presence ...PVCi-CMP in a large multicenter population.
One hundred sixty-eight consecutive patients referred for ablation of frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1 with suspected PVCi-CMP (96 patients, ejection fraction 38% ± 10%, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter 62 ± 8 mm, with or without additional structural heart disease); and group 2 (control group, 72 patients with normal ejection fraction and left ventricular dimensions). Various clinical and electrophysiologic parameters were compared between groups.
In univariate analysis, left ventricular origin of PVC, lack of palpitations, long PVC coupling interval, epicardial origin of the focus, long sinus beat QRS duration, male gender, high PVC burden, presence of polymorphic PVCs, high PVC QRS duration, and older age were significantly related to the presence of PVCi-CMP. In multivariate analysis, only lack of palpitations, PVC burden, and epicardial origin remained significantly and independently correlated with the presence of cardiomyopathy. Even if sinus QRS duration or PVC left ventricular origin were also found independently linked to PVCi-CMP in the whole population, they were no longer correlated when patients with additional heart disease were excluded.
Lack of palpitations, PVC burden, and epicardial origin are independent factors that identify patients prone to developing PVCi-CMP.
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) commonly affects patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA). Amyloid deposition within the left atrium may be responsible for the subtype of AF in either permanent or ...non-permanent form. The prognostic implications of AF and its clinical subtype according to the type of CA are still controversial in this population. This study sought to investigate the prevalence, incidence and prognostic implications of AF and the clinical subtype of AF (permanent or non-permanent) in patients with CA.
Methods: Two hundred and thirty-eight patients with CA and full medical records were retrospectively enrolled in the study: About 115 (48%) with light chain (AL) amyloidosis and 123 (52%) with transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). Patient's medical records were reviewed to establish baseline prevalence, incidence and impact on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality during follow-up of AF.
Results: One hundred and four (44%) patients had history of AF at the time of diagnosis: 62 (60%) permanent and 42 (40%) non-permanent. There were 30 (26%) and 74 (60%) patients with history of AF among patients with AL and ATTR (including 5 hereditary and 69 wild-type), respectively (p<.0001). During the follow-up, 48 new patients developed AF (29, 12 and 7 among patients with AL, wild-type ATTR and hereditary ATTR). After adjustment for age, survival was similar in patients with or without history of AF (HR 0.87 (95% CI, 0.60 to 1.27; p = .467). AF had no impact on cardiovascular mortality. Among the 152 patients with history of AF included in the whole study, there were 75 (49%) patients with permanent AF. After adjustment for age, survival was similar in patients with permanent and non-permanent AF: HR 1.29 (95% CI, 0.84 to 1.99; p = .251). The results were the same among patients with AL or wild-type amyloidosis. Subtype of AF had no impact on cardiovascular mortality.
Conclusions: AF is common in patients with CA. However, AF and clinical subtype of AF have no impact on all-cause mortality, whatever the type of amyloidosis.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Aims
To improve knowledge of epidemiological data, management, and clinical outcome of acute heart failure (AHF) in a real‐life setting in France.
Methods and results
We conducted an observational ...survey constituting a single‐day snapshot of all unplanned hospitalizations because of AHF in 170 hospitals throughout France (the OFICA survey). A total of 1658 patients (median age 79 years, 55% male) were included. Family doctors were the first medical contact in 43% of cases, and patients were admitted through emergency departments in 64% of cases. Clinical scenarios were mainly acutely decompensated HF (48%) and acute pulmonary oedema (38%) with similar clinical and biological characteristics as well as outcome. Characteristics were different and severity higher in both shock and right HF. Infection and arrhythmia were the most frequent precipitating factors (27% and 24% of cases); diabetes and chronic pulmonary disease were the most frequent co‐morbidities (31% and 21%). Over 80% of patients underwent both natriuretic peptide testing and echocardiography. LVEF was preserved (>50%) in 36% of patients and associated with specific characteristics and lower severity. Median hospital stay was 13 days; in‐hospital mortality was 8.2%, and independent predictors were age, blood pressure, and creatinine. Treatment at discharge in patients with reduced LVEF included ACE inhibitors/ARBs, beta‐blockers, and aldosterone inhibitors in 78, 67, and 27% cases. Non‐surgical devices were reported in <20% of potential candidates.
Conclusion
This comprehensive survey analysing AHF in real life emphasizes the heterogeneous nature and overall high severity of AHF. It could be a useful tool to identify unsolved medical issues and improve outcome.
Trial registration: NCT01080937
The exact pathophysiology of Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) remains unknown but a role for sympathetic hyperactivity has been suggested. Up to now, no direct evidence of sympathetic nerve ...hyperactivity has been established nor involvement of sympathetic baroreflex identified. The aim of our study was to determine, by direct sympathetic nerve activity (SNS) recording if sympathetic nervous system activity is increased and spontaneous baroreflex control of sympathetic activity reduced in patients with TTC.
We included 13 patients who presented with TTC and compared their SNS activity and spontaneous baroreflex control of sympathetic activity with that of 13 control patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure. SNS activity was evaluated by microneurography, a technique assessing muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). Spontaneous baroreflex control of sympathetic activity was evaluated as the absolute value of the slope of the regression line representing the relationship between spontaneous diastolic blood pressure values and concomitant SNS activity. Control patients were matched for age, sex, left ventricular ejection fraction and creatinine clearance.
The mean age of the patients with TTC was 80 years, all patients were women. There were no significant differences between the two groups of patients for blood pressure, heart rate or oxygen saturation level. TTC patients presented a significant increase in sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA median 63.3 bursts/min interquartile range 61.3 to 66.0 vs median 55.7 bursts/min interquartile range 51.0 to 61.7; p = 0.0089) and a decrease in spontaneous baroreflex control of sympathetic activity compared to matched control patients (spontaneous baroreflex control of sympathetic activity median 0.7%burst/mmHg interquartile range 0.4 to 1.9 vs median 2.4%burst/mmHg interquartile range 1.8 to 2.9; p = 0.005).
We report for the first time, through direct measurement of sympathetic nerve activity, that patients with TTC exhibit elevated SNS activity associated with a decrease in spontaneous baroreflex control of sympathetic activity. These data may explain the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of patient with TTC.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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