Muscle fatigue and pain are key symptoms of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Although the pathophysiology is not yet fully understood, there is ample evidence for ...hypoperfusion which may result in electrolyte imbalance and sodium overload in muscles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess levels of sodium content in muscles of patients with ME/CFS and to compare these to healthy controls.
Six female patients with ME/CFS and six age, BMI and sex matched controls underwent
Na-MRI of the left lower leg using a clinical 3T MR scanner before and after 3 min of plantar flexion exercise. Sodium reference phantoms with solutions of 10, 20, 30 and 40 mmol/L NaCl were used for quantification. Muscle sodium content over 40 min was measured using a dedicated plugin in the open-source DICOM viewer Horos. Handgrip strength was measured and correlated with sodium content.
Baseline tissue sodium content was higher in all 5 lower leg muscle compartments in ME/CFS compared to controls. Within the anterior extensor muscle compartment, the highest difference in baseline muscle sodium content between ME/CFS and controls was found (mean ± SD; 12.20 ± 1.66 mM in ME/CFS versus 9.38 ± 0.71 mM in controls, p = 0.0034). Directly after exercise, tissue sodium content increased in gastrocnemius and triceps surae muscles with + 30% in ME/CFS (p = 0.0005) and + 24% in controls (p = 0.0007) in the medial gastrocnemius muscle but not in the extensor muscles which were not exercised. Compared to baseline, the increase of sodium content in medial gastrocnemius muscle was stronger in ME/CFS than in controls with + 30% versus + 17% to baseline at 12 min (p = 0.0326) and + 29% versus + 16% to baseline at 15 min (p = 0.0265). Patients had reduced average handgrip strength which was associated with increased average muscle tissue sodium content (p = 0.0319, R
= 0.3832).
Muscle sodium content before and after exercise was higher in ME/CFS than in healthy controls. Furthermore, our findings indicate an inverse correlation between muscle sodium content and handgrip strength. These findings provide evidence that sodium overload may play a role in the pathophysiology of ME/CFS and may allow for potential therapeutic targeting.
Heart failure (HF) presents manifestations in both cardiac and vascular abnormalities. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is prevalent in up 50% of HF patients. While pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) ...is closely associated with pulmonary artery (PA) stiffness, the association of HF caused, post-capillary PH and PA stiffness is unknown. We aimed to assess and compare PA stiffness and blood flow hemodynamics noninvasively across HF entities and control subjects without HF using CMR. We analyzed data of a prospectively conducted study with 74 adults, including 55 patients with HF across the spectrum (20 HF with preserved ejection fraction HFpEF, 18 HF with mildly-reduced ejection fraction HFmrEF and 17 HF with reduced ejection fraction HFrEF) as well as 19 control subjects without HF. PA stiffness was defined as reduced vascular compliance, indicated primarily by the relative area change (RAC), altered flow hemodynamics were detected by increased flow velocities, mainly by pulse wave velocity (PWV). Correlations between the variables were explored using correlation and linear regression analysis. PA stiffness was significantly increased in HF patients compared to controls (RAC 30.92 ± 8.47 vs. 50.08 ± 9.08%, p < 0.001). PA blood flow parameters were significantly altered in HF patients (PWV 3.03 ± 0.53 vs. 2.11 ± 0.48, p < 0.001). These results were consistent in all three HF groups (HFrEF, HFmrEF and HFpEF) compared to the control group. Furthermore, PA stiffness was associated with higher NT-proBNP levels and a reduced functional status. PA stiffness can be assessed non-invasively by CMR. PA stiffness is increased in HFrEF, HFmrEF and HFpEF patients when compared to control subjects.Trial registration The study was registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS, registration number: DRKS00015615).
In aortic coarctation, current guidelines recommend reducing pressure gradients that exceed given thresholds. From a physiological standpoint this should ideally improve the energy expenditure of the ...heart and thus prevent long term organ damage.
The aim was to assess the effects of interventional treatment on external and internal heart power (EHP, IHP) in patients with aortic coarctation and to explore the correlation of these parameters to pressure gradients obtained from heart catheterization.
In a collective of 52 patients with aortic coarctation 25 patients received stenting and/or balloon angioplasty, and 20 patients underwent MRI before and after an interventional treatment procedure. EHP and IHP were computed based on catheterization and MRI measurements. Along with the power efficiency these were combined in a cardiac energy profile.
By intervention, the catheter gradient was significantly reduced from 21.8±9.4 to 6.2±6.1mmHg (p<0.001). IHP was significantly reduced after intervention, from 8.03±5.2 to 4.37±2.13W (p < 0.001). EHP was 1.1±0.3 W before and 1.0±0.3W after intervention, p = 0.044. In patients initially presenting with IHP above 5W intervention resulted in a significant reduction in IHP from 10.99±4.74 W to 4.94±2.45W (p<0.001), and a subsequent increase in power efficiency from 14 to 26% (p = 0.005). No significant changes in IHP, EHP or power efficiency were observed in patients initially presenting with IHP < 5W.
It was demonstrated that interventional treatment of coarctation resulted in a decrease in IHP. Pressure gradients, as the most widespread clinical parameters in coarctation, did not show any correlation to changes in EHP or IHP. This raises the question of whether they should be the main focus in coarctation interventions. Only patients with high IHP of above 5W showed improvement in IHP and power efficiency after the treatment procedure.
clinicaltrials.gov NCT02591940.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract Background Due to aging of the population, the prevalence of aortic valve stenosis will increase drastically in upcoming years. Consequently, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) ...procedures will also expand worldwide. Optimal selection of patients who benefit with improved symptoms and prognoses is key, since TAVI is not without its risks. Currently, we are not able to adequately predict functional outcomes after TAVI. Quality of life measurement tools and traditional functional assessment tests do not always agree and can depend on factors unrelated to heart disease. Activity tracking using wearable devices might provide a more comprehensive assessment. Objective This study aimed to identify objective parameters (eg, change in heart rate) associated with improvement after TAVI for severe aortic stenosis from a wearable device. Methods In total, 100 patients undergoing routine TAVI wore a Philips Health Watch device for 1 week before and after the procedure. Watch data were analyzed offline—before TAVI for 97 patients and after TAVI for 75 patients. Results Parameters such as the total number of steps and activity time did not change, in contrast to improvements in the 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and physical limitation domain of the transformed WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Conclusions These findings, in an older TAVI population, show that watch-based parameters, such as the number of steps, do not change after TAVI, unlike traditional 6MWT and QoL assessments. Basic wearable device parameters might be less appropriate for measuring treatment effects from TAVI.
Undesirable outcomes in health care are associated with patient harm and substantial excess costs. Coarctation of the aorta (CoA), one of the most common congenital heart diseases, can be repaired ...with stenting but requires monitoring and subsequent interventions to detect and treat disease recurrence and aortic wall injuries. Avoidable costs associated with stenting in patients with CoA are unknown.
We developed an economic model to calculate potentially avoidable costs in stenting treatment of CoA in the United Kingdom over 5 years. We calculated baseline costs for the intervention and potentially avoidable complications and follow-up interventions and compared these to the costs in hypothetical scenarios with improved treatment effectiveness and complication rates.
Baseline costs were £16 688 ($25 182) per patient. Avoidable costs ranged from £137 ($207) per patient in a scenario assuming a 10% reduction in aortic wall injuries and reinterventions at follow-up, to £1627 ($2455) in a Best-case scenario with 100% treatment success and no complications. Overall costs in the Best-case scenario were 90.2% of overall costs at Baseline. Reintervention rate at follow-up was identified as most influential lever for overall costs. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed a considerable degree of uncertainty for avoidable costs with widely overlapping 95% confidence intervals.
Significant improvements in the treatment effectiveness and reductions in complication rates are required to realize discernible cost savings. Up to 10% of total baseline costs could be avoided in the best-case scenario. This highlights the need to pursue patient-specific treatment approaches which promise optimal outcomes.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the combined effects of arterial hypertension, bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD) and age on the distensibility of the ascending and descending aortas in patients ...with aortic coarctation.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingThe study was conducted at two university medical centres, located in Berlin and London.ParticipantsA total of 121 patients with aortic coarctation (ages 1–71 years) underwent cardiac MRI, echocardiography and blood pressure measurements.Outcome measuresCross-sectional diameters of the ascending and descending aortas were assessed to compute aortic area distensibility. Findings were compared with age-specific reference values. The study complied with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement and reporting guidelines.ResultsImpaired distensibility (below fifth percentile) was seen in 37% of all patients with coarctation in the ascending aorta and in 43% in the descending aorta. BAVD (43%) and arterial hypertension (72%) were present across all ages. In patients >10 years distensibility impairment of the ascending aorta was predominantly associated with BAVD (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.33 to 7.22, p=0.009). Distensibility impairment of the descending aorta was predominantly associated with arterial hypertension (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.08 to 7.2, p=0.033) and was most pronounced in patients with uncontrolled hypertension despite antihypertensive treatment.ConclusionFrom early adolescence on, both arterial hypertension and BAVD have a major impact on aortic distensibility. Their specific effects differ in strength and localisation (descending vs ascending aorta). Moreover, adequate blood pressure control is associated with improved distensibility. These findings could contribute to the understanding of cardiovascular complications and the management of patients with aortic coarctation.
Although disease etiologies differ, heart failure patients with preserved and reduced ejection fraction (HFpEF and HFrEF, respectively) both present with clinical symptoms when under stress and ...impaired exercise capacity. The extent to which the adaptation of heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), and cardiac output (CO) under stress conditions is altered can be quantified by stress testing in conjunction with imaging methods and may help to detect the diminishment in a patient's condition early. The aim of this meta-analysis was to quantify hemodynamic changes during physiological and pharmacological stress testing in patients with HF. A systematic literature search (PROSPERO 2020:CRD42020161212) in MEDLINE was conducted to assess hemodynamic changes under dynamic and pharmacological stress testing at different stress intensities in HFpEF and HFrEF patients. Pooled mean changes were estimated using a random effects model. Altogether, 140 study arms with 7,248 exercise tests were analyzed. High-intensity dynamic stress testing represented 73% of these data (70 study arms with 5,318 exercise tests), where: HR increased by 45.69 bpm (95% CI 44.51-46.88;
= 98.4%), SV by 13.49 ml (95% CI 6.87-20.10;
= 68.5%), and CO by 3.41 L/min (95% CI 2.86-3.95;
= 86.3%). No significant differences between HFrEF and HFpEF groups were found. Despite the limited availability of comparative studies, these reference values can help to estimate the expected hemodynamic responses in patients with HF. No differences in chronotropic reactions, changes in SV, or CO were found between HFrEF and HFpEF. When compared to healthy individuals, exercise tolerance, as well as associated HR and CO changes under moderate-high dynamic stress, was substantially impaired in both HF groups. This may contribute to a better disease understanding, future study planning, and patient-specific predictive models.
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42020161212.
Background:
Myocardial efficiency should be maintained stable under light-to-moderate stress conditions, but ischemia puts the myocardium at risk for impaired functionality. Additionally, the ...measurement of such efficiency typically requires invasive heart catheterization and exposure to ionizing radiation. In this work, we aimed to non-invasively assess myocardial power and the resulting efficiency during pharmacological stress testing and ischemia induction.
Methods:
In a cohort of
n
= 10 healthy Landrace pigs, dobutamine stress testing was performed, followed by verapamil-induced ischemia alongside cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. External myocardial power, internal myocardial power, and myocardial efficiency were assessed non-invasively using geometrical and functional parameters from CMR volumetric as well as blood flow and pressure measurements.
Results:
External myocardial power significantly increased under dobutamine stress 2.3 (1.6–3.1) W/m
2
vs. 1.3 (1.1–1.6) W/m
2
,
p
= 0.005 and significantly decreased under verapamil-induced ischemia 0.8 (0.5–0.9) W/m
2
,
p
= 0.005. Internal myocardial power baseline: 5.9 (4.6–8.5) W/m
2
was not affected by dobutamine 7.5 (6.9–9.0) W/m
2
,
p
= 0.241 nor verapamil 5.8 (4.7–8.8) W/m
2
,
p
= 0.878. Myocardial efficiency did not change from baseline to dobutamine 21% (15–27) vs. 31% (20–44),
p
= 0.059 but decreased significantly during verapamil-induced ischemia 10% (8–13),
p
= 0.005.
Conclusion:
In healthy Landrace pigs, dobutamine stress increased external myocardial power, whereas myocardial efficiency was maintained stable. On the contrary, verapamil-induced ischemia substantially decreased external myocardial power and myocardial efficiency. Non-invasive CMR was able to quantify these efficiency losses and might be useful for future clinical studies evaluating the effects of therapeutic interventions on myocardial energetics.
Aims
Although heart failure (HF) is a leading cause for hospitalization and mortality, normalized and comparable non‐invasive assessment of haemodynamics and myocardial action remains limited. ...Moreover, myocardial deformation has not been compared between the guideline‐defined HF entities. The distribution of affected and impaired segments within the contracting left ventricular (LV) myocardium have also not been compared. Therefore, we assessed myocardial function impairment by strain in patients with HF and control subjects by magnetic resonance imaging after clinically phenotyping these patients.
Methods and results
This prospective study conducted at two centres in Germany between 2017 and 2018 enrolled stable outpatient subjects with HF n = 56, including HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HF with mid‐range ejection fraction (HFmrEF), and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and a control cohort (n = 12). Parameters assessed included measures for external myocardial function, for example, cardiac index and myocardial deformation measurements by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS), the global circumferential strain (GCS) and the regional distribution of segment deformation within the LV myocardium, as well as basic phenotypical characteristics.
Comparison of the cardiac indices at rest showed no differences neither between the HF groups nor between the control group and HF patients (one‐way ANOVA P = 0.70). The analysis of the strain data revealed differences between all groups in both LV GLS (One‐way ANOVA: P < 0.01. Controls vs. HFpEF: −20.48 ± 1.62 vs. −19.27 ± 1.25. HFpEF vs. HFmrEF: −19.27 ± 1.25 vs. −15.72 ± 2.76. HFmrEF vs. HFrEF: −15.72 ± 2.76 vs. −11.51 ± 3.97.) and LV GCS (One‐way ANOVA: P < 0.01. Controls vs. HFpEF: −19.74 ± 2.18 vs. −17.47 ± 2.10. HFpEF vs. HFmrEF: −17.47 ± 2.10 vs. −12.78 ± 3.47. HFrEF: −11.41 ± 3.27). Comparing the segment deformation distribution patterns highlighted the discriminating effect between the groups was much more prominent between the groups (one‐way ANOVA P < 0.01) when compared by a score combining regional effects and a global view on the LV. Further analyses of the patterns among the segments affected showed that while the LVEF is preserved in HFpEF, the segments impaired in their contractility are located in the ventricular septum. The worse the LVEF is, the more segments are affected, but the septum remains an outstanding location with the most severe contractility impairment throughout the HF entities.
Conclusions
While cardiac index at rest did not differ significantly between controls and stable HF patients suffering from HFrEF, HFmrEF, or HFpEF, the groups did differ significantly in LV GLS and LV GCS values. Regional strain analysis revealed that the LV septum is the location affected most, with reduced values already visible in HFpEF and further reductions in HFmrEF and HFrEF.
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