Reperfusion therapy decreases myocardium damage during an acute coronary event and consequently mortality. However, there are unmet needs in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, consequently ...mortality and heart failure continue to occur in about 10% and 20% of cases, respectively. Different strategies could improve reperfusion. These strategies, like generation of warning sign recognition and being initially assisted and transferred by an emergency service, could reduce the time to reperfusion. If the first electrocardiogram is performed en route, it can be transmitted and interpreted in a timely manner by a specialist at the receiving center, bypassing community hospitals without percutaneous coronary intervention capabilities. To administer thrombolytic therapy during transport to the catheterization laboratory could reduce time to reperfusion in cases with expected prolonged transport time to a percutaneous coronary intervention center or to a center without primary percutaneous coronary intervention capabilities with additional expected delay, known as pharmaco-invasive strategy. Myocardial reperfusion is known to produce damage and cell death, which defines the reperfusion injury. Lack of resolution of ST segment is used as a marker of reperfusion failure. In patients without ST segment resolution, mortality triples. It is important to note that, until recently, reperfusion injury and no-reflow were interpreted as a single entity and we should differentiate them as different entities; whereas no-reflow is the failure to obtain tissue flow, reperfusion injury is actually the damage produced by achieving flow. Therefore, treatment of no-reflow is obtained by tissue flow, whereas in reperfusion injury the treatment objective is protection of susceptible myocardium from reperfusion injury. Numerous trials for the treatment of reperfusion injury have been unsuccessful. Newer hypotheses such as "
", in which the interventional cardiologist assumes not only the treatment of the culprit vessel but also the way to reperfuse the myocardium at risk, could reduce reperfusion injury.
The nitric oxide (NO)-soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway is dysregulated in patients with heart failure (HF) resulting in myocardial and vascular ...dysfunction that contributes to its progression. Vericiguat is a novel direct sGC stimulator that targets in at least two ways the NO-sGC-cGMP pathway with the subsequent restoration of cGMP activity. The VICTORIA trial assessed the effects of vericiguat (
placebo) in 5050 patients with chronic HF (NYHA class II-IV), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <45%, elevated natriuretic peptide levels and a recent HF decompensation (hospitalized or outpatient intravenous diuretics). After a median follow-up of 10.8 months, a lower risk (10% reduction) of the primary combined outcome (cardiovascular death or HF hospitalization) was achieved (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83-0.98;
=0.02). The composite endpoint was driven by HF hospitalizations (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.81-1.00;
=0.048) whilst CV death reduction was not statistically significant on its own. The target dose was achieved in 89% of patients treated with vericiguat, and no significant differences were observed in the rates of syncope or hypotension. The VICTORIA trial showed that vericiguat was safe, well tolerated and without need of laboratory testing. The aim of this review is to provide comprehensive information about vericiguat in terms of its differential mechanism of action and clinical data particularly focused on the VICTORIA trial. A comparison is also made with DAPA-HF and EMPEROR-Reduced considering that, in all these contemporary trials, a new study medication was added to the standard triple HF therapy. This is a relevant issue because the VICTORIA trial had a significant but less powerful effect than DAPA-HF and EMPEROR-Reduced on HF outcomes in a setting of more severe disease, higher event rate and shorter follow-up. In addition, relevant data on other previous studies are also provided in both HF with reduced LVEF (SOCRATES-Reduced) and HF with preserved LVEF (SOCRATES-Preserved and VITALITY-Preserved). This article is part of the
Special Issue: https://www.drugsincontext.com/special_issues/emerging-concepts-in-heart-failure-management-and-treatment.
Circulatory support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is being increasingly used in several critical situations but evidence of its impact on outcomes is inconsistent. Understanding of ...the specific indications and appropriate timing of implantation of this technology might lead to improved results. Indeed, the line between success and futility may be sometimes very thin when facing a patient in critical condition. New techniques with lighter, simpler and effective devices are being developed. Hence, ECMO has become an accessible technology that is being increasingly used outside of the operating room by heart failure specialists, critical care cardiologists and intensivists. Proper timing of utilization and choice of device may lead to better outcomes. We herein aim to improve this knowledge gap by conducting a literature review to provide simple information, evidence-based indications and a practical approach for cardiologists who may encounter acutely ill adult patients that may be ECMO candidates. This article is part of the
Special Issue: https://www.drugsincontext.com/special_issues/emerging-concepts-in-heart-failure-management-and-treatment.
Prompt and accurate identification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the presence of left bundle-branch block (LBBB) remains difficult. The 2004 STEMI guideline recommended emergent ...reperfusion therapy to patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB. These recommendations have led to frequent false catheterization laboratory activation and inappropriate fibrinolytic therapy because most patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB do not have acute coronary artery occlusion on angiography. The new 2013 STEMI guideline makes a drastic change by removing previous recommendations. Therefore, patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB would no longer be treated as STEMI equivalent. The new guideline fails to recognize that some patients with suspected ischemia and LBBB do have STEMI, and denying reperfusion therapy could be fatal. The Sgarbossa electrocardiography criteria are the most validated tool to aid in the diagnosis of STEMI in the presence of LBBB. A Sgarbossa score of ≥3 has a superb specificity (98%) and positive predictive value for acute myocardial infarction and angiography-confirmed acute coronary occlusion. Thus, we propose a diagnosis and triage algorithm incorporating the Sgarbossa criteria to quickly and accurately identify, among patients presenting with chest pain and new or presumably new LBBB, those with acute coronary artery occlusion. This is a high-risk population in which reperfusion therapy would be denied by the 2013 STEMI guideline. Our algorithm will also significantly reduce false catheterization laboratory activation and inappropriate fibrinolytic therapy, the inevitable consequence of the 2004 STEMI guideline.
Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy is an entity characterized by reversible dysfunction of the left ventricle, which can be induced by different types of arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation, ...atrial flutter, incessant supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular arrhythmia (more frequent causes). Correct identification of the causative arrhythmia and normalization of the heart rate (e.g through medical treatment, electrical cardioversion, ablation) can lead to recovery of left ventricular function. Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy should be suspected in patients with tachycardia and left ventricular dysfunction (heart failure setting), especially when there is no history of previous heart disease. Its usual phenotype is that of non-ischaemic/non-valvular dilated cardiomyopathy and it can occur in both children (main cause: permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia) and adults (main cause: atrial fibrillation). With proper treatment, most cases recover within a few months, though there is a risk of relapse, especially when the causal arrhythmia reappears or its control is lost. This is a narrative review that comprehensively addresses the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and therapeutic management of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. This article is part of the
Special Issue: https://www.drugsincontext.com/special_issues/emerging-concepts-in-heart-failure-management-and-treatment.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) plays a strategic role in the diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation of critically ill patients and, especially, in those who are haemodynamically unstable. In this ...context, POCUS allows a more precise identification of the cause, its differential diagnosis, the eventual coexistence with another entity and, finally, guiding of the therapeutic approach. It implies a portable use of ultrasound in acute settings covering different specified protocols, such as echocardiography, vascular, lung or abdominal ultrasound. This article reviews POCUS application in the emergency department or the intensive care unit, focused on severely compromised patients with cardiogenic shock with an emergent bedside assessment. Considering the high mortality rate of this entity, POCUS provides the intensivist/clinician with an appropriate tool for accurate diagnoses and a timely management plan. The authors propose practical algorithms for the diagnosis of patients using POCUS in these settings. This article is part of the
Special Issue: https://www.drugsincontext.com/special_issues/emerging-concepts-in-heart-failure-management-and-treatment.
One of the most relevant and differentiating aspects provided by the 2021 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure is the ...retraction of the historical stepped and vertical pharmacological treatment scheme for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Subsequently, it was replaced by an updated algorithm that places four therapeutic families in the same initial horizontal step with an equally high degree of recommendation (class I). In this context, these four pillars, which have demonstrated a significant reduction in mortality and hospitalizations in patients with HFrEF, include (1) angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB)/angiotensin II receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNi), (2) beta blockers, (3) mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) and (4) sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) as the main novelty. This manuscript reviews the current therapeutic algorithm with a special focus on the therapeutic value of adding an MRA (still underused in both clinical trials and real world), changing an ACEi/ARB for an ARNi and incorporating an SGLT2i in patients with HFrEF. This article is part of the
Special Issue: https://www.drugsincontext.com/special_issues/emerging-concepts-in-heart-failure-management-and-treatment.
Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by the bite of a female arthropod, prevalent primarily in tropical and subtropical regions. Its manifestations include asymptomatic infections, dengue fever, and ...a severe form called
or
. Atypical manifestations can also occur, called
. We describe the case of a 43-year-old man with an unusual presentation of dengue, demonstrating a workup suggestive of myocardial and pericardial damage. Symptoms and markers indicative of cardiac compromise improved after five days on anti-inflammatory treatment. Dengue myocarditis is considered an uncommon complication of dengue, although its reported incidence is likely an underestimation. In general, most cases of dengue myocarditis are self-limited, with only a minority at risk of progressing to heart failure. In order to improve recognition and prevent progression, healthcare providers should maintain a high degree of suspicion regarding potential cardiac complications in patients with dengue.
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are used in end-stage heart failure. Inadequate positioning of the inflow cannula may necessitate replacement of the LVAD. We present the successful use of a ...three-dimensional printed model used to optimize surgical planning and allow for simulation and training for the LVAD exchange procedure.
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AbstractIn patients experiencing an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), rapid diagnosis and immediate access to reperfusion therapy leads to optimal clinical outcomes. The rate-limiting step ...in STEMI diagnosis is the availability and performance of a 12–lead ECG. Recent technology has provided access to a reliable means of obtaining an ECG reading through a smartphone application (app) that works with an attachment providing all 12–leads of a standard ECG system. The ST LEUIS study was designed to validate the smartphone ECG app and its ability to accurately assess the presence or absence of STEMI in patients presenting with chest pain compared with the gold standard 12–lead ECG. We aimed to support the diagnostic utility of smartphone technology to provide a timely diagnosis and treatment of STEMI. The study will take place over 12 months at five institutions. Approximately 60 patients will be enrolled per institution, for a total recruitment of 300 patients.
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