Despite the established benefits of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) across various etiologies, there are controversies ...regarding the effects of ARNI in patients with irreversible myocardial injury. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of irreversible myocardial injury on the benefits of ARNI treatment in patients with HFrEF, consisted of both ischemic and non-ischemic etiologies.
We conducted a retrospective single-center study including 409 consecutive patients with HFrEF treated with ARNI between March 2017 and May 2020. Irreversible myocardial injury was defined as nonviable myocardium without contractile reserve, which suggests a limited potential for recovery of left ventricular function and geometry. At baseline, irreversible myocardial injury was observed in 129 (31.5%) patients. Composite outcome was cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure, which occurred in 56 (43.4%) and 61 (21.8%) patients with and without irreversible myocardial injury, respectively. On multivariable analysis, irreversible injury presence, but not ischemic etiology, was an independent predictor of composite outcome (hazard ratio 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.33-3.49). Mediation analysis revealed that the increased risk of the composite outcome due to irreversible myocardial injury was mediated by attenuated LV reverse remodeling (Z value = 2.02, P = 0.043).
The presence of irreversible myocardial injury was significantly associated with the response to ARNI treatment in patients with HFrEF, regardless of etiology.
Presence of non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with increased prescription of cardiovascular preventive medications including aspirin. However, the association between ...aspirin therapy with all-cause mortality and coronary revascularization in this population has not been investigated.
Among the cohort of individuals who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) from 2007 to 2011, 8372 consecutive patients with non-obstructive CAD (1-49% stenosis) were identified. Patients with statin or aspirin prescription before CCTA, and those with history of revascularization before CCTA were excluded. We analyzed the differences of all-cause mortality and a composite of mortality and late coronary revascularization (> 90 days after CCTA) between aspirin users (n = 3751; 44.8%) and non-users. During a median of 828 (interquartile range 385-1,342) days of follow-up, 221 (2.6%) mortality cases and 295 (3.5%) cases of composite endpoint were observed. Annualized mortality rates were 0.97% in aspirin users versus 1.28% in non-users, and annualized rates of composite endpoint were 1.56% versus 1.48%, respectively. Aspirin therapy was associated with significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 0.649; 95% CI 0.492-0.857; p = 0.0023), but not with the composite endpoint (adjusted HR 0.841; 95% CI 0.662-1.069; p = 0.1577). Association between aspirin and lower all-cause mortality was limited to patients with age ≥ 65 years, diabetes, hypertension, decreased renal function, and higher levels of coronary artery calcium score, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.
Among the patients with non-obstructive CAD documented by CCTA, aspirin is associated with lower all-cause mortality only in those with higher risk.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently, but not always, progresses to persistent/permanent AF. The aim of this study was to evaluate the echocardiographic predictors of AF progression in ...patients with paroxysmal AF.
A multicenter, prospective, observational study was conducted that included 313 patients with paroxysmal AF who underwent two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. The diameter, volume, and mechanical function of the left atrium, including global strain (ε) and ε rate, were measured.
Progression to persistent or permanent AF occurred in 52 patients (16.6%) during a median follow-up period of 26 months. Echocardiographic measure of left atrial (LA) diameter, volume, and function (E velocity, E/A and E/e' ratio, LA expansion index, active emptying fraction, global longitudinal ε and ε rate) were associated with AF progression. LA ε ≤ 30.9% was the strongest predictor of AF progression, which was associated with a more than fourfold hazard increase for AF progression (hazard ratio, 4.224; P = .001). LA diameter > 39 mm and maximal LA volume index > 34.2 mL/m(2) were associated with about a twofold hazard increase for AF progression (hazard ratios, 1.994 and 2.649; P = .016 and P = .001, respectively). When adjusted for a model combining maximal LA volume index, E velocity, LA expansion index, and active emptying fraction, LA ε ≤ 30.9% maintained a more than threefold hazard increase for AF progression (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.970; P = .003).
Echocardiographic measures of LA diameter, volume, and mechanical function, including LA ε, were associated with AF progression. LA ε was the strongest independent predictor of AF progression and is expected to serve as a valuable predictor of AF progression.
Abstract Objectives This study sought to investigate the prognostic significance of left ventricular (LV) mass and geometry in ischemic stroke survivors, as well as the LV geometry–specific ...differences in the blood pressure–mortality relationship. Background LV mass and geometry are well-known prognostic factors in various populations; however, there are no data on their role in ischemic stroke patients. Methods We prospectively recruited 2,328 consecutive patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke to our institute between 2002 and 2010. Of these, 2,069 patients were analyzed in whom echocardiographic data were available to assess LV mass and geometry. Results All-cause mortality was significantly greater in patients with concentric hypertrophy (adjusted hazard ratio HR: 1.417; 95% confidence interval CI: 1.045 to 1.920) and concentric remodeling (HR: 1.540; 95% CI: 1.115 to 2.127) but nonsignificantly in those with eccentric hypertrophy (HR: 1.388; 95% CI: 0.996 to 1.935) compared with normal geometry in multivariate analyses. Relative wall thickness was a significant predictor of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.149 per 0.1-U increase in relative wall thickness; 95% CI: 1.021 to 1.307), whereas LV mass index was not (HR: 1.003 per 1 g/m2 increase in LV mass index; 95% CI: 0.999 to 1.007). Similar results were observed with cardiovascular mortality. In multivariable fractional polynomials, patients with altered LV geometry showed reverse J-curve relationships between acute-phase systolic blood pressure and all-cause or cardiovascular mortality, with the highest risks in the lower extremes, whereas those with normal geometry did not. Conclusions Echocardiographic assessment of LV geometry provided independent and additive prognostic information in ischemic stroke patients. A reverse J-shaped relation of mortality with blood pressure was found in patients with abnormal LV geometry.
To enhance M-mode echocardiography’s utility for measuring cardiac structures, we developed and evaluated an artificial intelligence (AI)-based automated analysis system for M-mode images through the ...aorta and left atrium M-mode (Ao-LA), and through the left ventricle M-mode (LV). Our system, integrating two deep neural networks (DNN) for view classification and image segmentation, alongside an auto-measurement algorithm, was developed using 5,958 M-mode images 3,258 M-mode (LA-Ao), and 2,700 M-mode (LV) drawn from a nationwide echocardiographic dataset collated from five tertiary hospitals. The performance of view classification and segmentation DNNs were evaluated on 594 M-mode images, while automatic measurement accuracy was tested on separate internal test set with 100 M-mode images as well as external test set with 280 images (140 sinus rhythm and 140 atrial fibrillation). Performance evaluation showed the view classification DNN’s overall accuracy of 99.8% and segmentation DNN’s Dice similarity coefficient of 94.3%. Within the internal test set, all automated measurements, including LA, Ao, and LV wall and cavity, resonated strongly with expert evaluations, exhibiting Pearson’s correlation coefficients (PCCs) of 0.81–0.99. This performance persisted in the external test set for both sinus rhythm (PCC, 0.84–0.98) and atrial fibrillation (PCC, 0.70–0.97). Notably, automatic measurements, consistently offering multi-cardiac cycle readings, showcased a stronger correlation with the averaged multi-cycle manual measurements than with those of a single representative cycle. Our AI-based system for automatic M-mode echocardiographic analysis demonstrated excellent accuracy, reproducibility, and speed. This automated approach has the potential to improve efficiency and reduce variability in clinical practice.
Graphical abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based pipeline for automated M-mode echocardiography analysis. The M-mode echocardiography analysis algorithm consists of a pipeline of two interconnected deep neural networks and an automated measurement algorithm. The first network classifies two different M-mode echocardiographic views, and the second segments M-mode echocardiographic images. The corresponding auto-measurements were then performed.
Background Heart failure (HF) involves dysfunction of the left ventricle (LV) as well as left atrium and right ventricle. We characterized mechanical phenotypes of HF using 3-chamber strain ...echocardiography and compared their clinical outcomes. Methods and Results We retrospectively analyzed 3574 patients (median age, 74 years; male 52.8%) with acute HF who underwent 3-chamber strain echocardiography. Patients were classified as with LV, left atrium, or right ventricle myopathy if their corresponding strain values (LV global longitudinal strain, left atrium reservoir strain, and right ventricle global longitudinal strain) were lower than median cutoffs, respectively. The mechanical phenotypes of individual patients were characterized according to the combined myopathy. The primary outcome was a composite end point of 5-year all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization. During follow-up (median, 25.8 months), the primary outcome occurred in 1877 (52.5%) patients. Three-chamber strain values were independent predictors for the primary outcome. An incremental trend was observed for the primary outcome, along with the increasing numbers of combined myopathy. Each mechanical phenotype exhibited an increased risk of the primary outcome, with the highest risk observed in patients with 3-chamber myopathy (hazard ratio, 1.67 95% CI, 1.42-1.96). The prognostic significance of the mechanical phenotypes was feasible across the conventional HF subtypes stratified by LV ejection fraction. In HF with preserved ejection fraction, the presence of left atrium and right ventricle myopathy significantly increased the primary outcome, regardless of combined left ventricle myopathy. Conclusions Assessment of 3-chamber strain in HF enables characterization of distinctive mechanical phenotypes, which provides an independent prognostic value that may support long-term risk stratification.
Little is known about the determinants and outcomes of significant atrial functional tricuspid regurgitation (AFTR).
The authors aimed to identify risk factors for significant TR in relation to ...atrial fibrillation-flutter (AF-AFL) and assess its prognostic implications.
The authors retrospectively studied patients with mild TR with follow-up echocardiography examinations. Significant TR was defined as greater than or equal to moderate TR. AFTR was defined as TR, attributed to right atrial (RA) remodeling or isolated tricuspid annular dilatation, without other primary or secondary etiology, except for AF-AFL. The Mantel-Byar test was used to compare clinical outcomes by progression of AFTR.
Of 833 patients with mild TR, 291 (34.9%) had AF-AFL. During the median 4.6 years, significant TR developed in 35 patients, including 33 AFTRs. Significant AFTR occurred in patients with AF-AFL more predominantly than in those patients without AF-AFL (10.3% vs 0.6%; P < 0.001). In Cox analysis, AF-AFL was a strong risk factor for AFTR (adjusted HR: 8.33 95% CI: 2.34-29.69; P = 0.001). Among patients with AF-AFL, those who developed significant AFTR had larger baseline RA areas (23.8 vs 19.4 cm
; P < 0.001) and RA area-to-right ventricle end-systolic area ratio (3.0 vs 2.3; P < 0.001) than those who did not. These parameters were independent predictors of AFTR progression. The 10-year major adverse cardiovascular event was significantly higher after progression of AFTR than before or without progression (79.8% vs 8.6%; Mantel-Byar P < 0.001).
In patients with mild TR, significant AFTR developed predominantly in patients with AF-AFL, conferring poor prognosis. RA enlargement, especially with increased RA area-to-right ventricle end-systolic area ratio, was a strong risk factor for progression of AFTR.
This retrospective cohort study investigated the association between in-hospital survival and two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography within 24 hours after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) ...in patients who underwent in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ICPR) after in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (IHCA). The 2D-echo and non-2D-echo groups comprised eligible patients who underwent transthoracic 2D echocardiography performed by the cardiology team within 24 hours after ROSC and those who did not, respectively. After propensity score (PS) matching, 142 and 284 patients in the 2D-echo and non-2D-echo groups, respectively, were included. A logistic regression analysis showed that the likelihood of in-hospital survival was 2.35-fold higher in the 2D-echo group than in the non-2D-echo group (P < 0.001). Regarding IHCA aetiology, in-hospital survival after cardiac arrest of a cardiac cause was 2.51-fold more likely in the 2D-echo group than in the non-2D-echo group (P < 0.001), with no significant inter-group difference in survival after cardiac arrest of a non-cardiac cause (P = 0.120). In this study, 2D echocardiography performed within 24 hours after ROSC was associated with better in-hospital survival outcomes for patients who underwent ICPR for IHCA with a cardiac aetiology. Thus, 2D echocardiography may be performed within 24 hours after ROSC in patients experiencing IHCA to enable better treatment.
There is an incomplete understanding of the natural course of mild to moderate aortic stenosis (AS). We aimed to evaluate the natural course of patients with mild to moderate AS and its association ...with coronary artery disease (CAD).
We retrospectively analyzed 787 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate AS using echocardiography between 2004 and 2010. Cardiac death and aortic valve replacement (AVR) for AS were assessed.
A median follow-up period was 92 months. Compared to the general population, patients with mild to moderate AS had a higher risk of cardiac death (hazard ratio HR, 17.16; 95% confidence interval CI, 13.65-21.59;
< 0.001). Established CAD was detected in 22.4% and associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiac mortality (adjusted HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.04-2.53;
= 0.033). The risk of cardiac death was lower when patients were taking statin (adjusted HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.41-0.98;
= 0.041), which was clear only after 7 years. Both patients with CAD and on statin tended to undergo more AVR, but the difference was not statistically significant (the presence of established CAD; adjusted HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 0.51-3.51;
= 0.214 and the use of statin; adjusted HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 0.76-4.58;
= 0.177).
Mild to moderate AS does not have a benign course. The presence of CAD and statin use may affect the long-term prognosis of patients with mild to moderate AS.
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