Background The revised 2014 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association valvular heart disease guidelines provide evidenced-based recommendations for the management of mitral ...regurgitation (MR). However, knowledge gaps related to our evolving understanding of critical MR concepts may impede their implementation. Methods The ACC conducted a multifaceted needs assessment to characterize gaps, practice patterns, and perceptions related to the diagnosis and treatment of MR. A key project element was a set of surveys distributed to primary care and cardiovascular physicians (cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons). Survey and other gap analysis findings were presented to a panel of 10 expert advisors from specialties of general cardiology, cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology, and cardiac surgeons with expertise in valvular heart disease, especially MR, and cardiovascular education. The panel was charged with assessing the relative importance and potential means of remedying identified gaps to improve care for patients with MR. Results The survey results identified several knowledge and practice gaps that may limit implementation of evidence-based recommendations for MR care. Specifically, half of primary care physicians reported uncertainty regarding timing of intervention for patients with severe primary or functional MR. Physicians in all groups reported that quantitative indices of MR severity were frequently not reported in clinical echocardiographic interpretations, and that these measurements were not consistently reviewed when provided in reports. In the treatment of MR, nearly 30% of primary care physician and general cardiologists did not know the volume of mitral valve repair surgeries by their reference cardiac surgeons and did not have a standard source to obtain this information. After review of the survey results, the expert panel summarized practice gaps into 4 thematic areas and offered proposals to address deficiencies and promote better alignment with the 2014 ACC/American Heart Association valvular disease guidelines. Conclusion Important knowledge and skill gaps exist that may impede optimal care of the patient with MR. Focused educational and practice interventions should be developed to reduce these gaps.
As breast cancer survival increases, cardiotoxicity associated with chemotherapeutic regimens such as anthracyclines and trastuzumab becomes a more significant issue. Assessment of the left ...ventricular (LV) ejection fraction fails to detect subtle alterations in LV function. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether more sensitive echocardiographic measurements and biomarkers could predict future cardiac dysfunction in chemotherapy-treated patients. Forty-three patients diagnosed with breast cancer who received anthracyclines and trastuzumab therapy underwent echocardiography and blood sampling at 3 time points (baseline and 3 and 6 months during the course of chemotherapy). The LV ejection fraction; peak systolic myocardial longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strain; echocardiographic markers of diastolic function; N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide; and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I were measured. Nine patients (21%) developed cardiotoxicity (1 at 3 months and 8 at 6 months) as defined by the Cardiac Review and Evaluation Committee reviewing trastuzumab. A decrease in longitudinal strain from baseline to 3 months and detectable high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I at 3 months were independent predictors of the development of cardiotoxicity at 6 months. The LV ejection fraction, parameters of diastolic function, and N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide did not predict cardiotoxicity. In conclusion, cardiac troponin plasma concentrations and longitudinal strain predict the development of cardiotoxicity in patients treated with anthracyclines and trastuzumab. The 2 parameters may be useful to detect chemotherapy-treated patients who may benefit from alternative therapies, potentially decreasing the incidence of cardiotoxicity and its associated morbidity and mortality.
Objectives The aim of this study was to determine if individual or multiple biomarkers are associated with cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer undergoing cancer therapy. Background Current ...methods to identify patients at risk for cardiotoxicity from cancer therapy are inadequate. Methods We measured 8 biomarkers in a multicenter cohort of 78 patients with breast cancer undergoing doxorubicin and trastuzumab therapy: ultrasensitive troponin I (TnI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15, myeloperoxidase (MPO), placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor (sFlt)-1, and galectin (gal)-3. Cardiotoxicity, defined by the Cardiac Review and Evaluation Committee criteria, was assessed every 3 months for up to 15 months. Hazard ratios (HRs) of cardiotoxicity risk were assessed for each biomarker at baseline, at visit 2 (3 months), and as a function of the difference between visit 2 and baseline. Joint models were assessed for the most promising biomarkers. Results TnI, CRP, GDF-15, MPO, PlGF, and sFlt-1 levels increased from baseline to visit 2 (p < 0.05). A greater risk of cardiotoxicity was associated with interval changes in TnI (HR: 1.38 per SD; 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.81; p = 0.02) and MPO (HR: 1.34 per SD; 95% confidence interval: 1.00 to 1.80; p = 0.048) and in models combining both markers (p = 0.007 and p = 0.03, respectively). The risk of cardiotoxicity was 46.5% in patients with the largest changes in both markers (ΔTnI >121.8 ng/l; ΔMPO >422.6 pmol/l). Conclusions Early increases in TnI and MPO levels offer additive information about the risk of cardiotoxicity in patients undergoing doxorubicin and trastuzumab therapy. Independent validation of these findings is necessary before application to clinical practice.
The prognostic value of deformation parameters of the systemic right ventricle in adults with D-transposition of the great arteries and prior atrial switch has not been reported.
Sixty-four adults ...with D-transposition of the great arteries and prior atrial switch (mean age, 29 ± 6 years; 22 women; mean right ventricular RV fractional area change, 22.9 ± 7.5%; 31 with pacemakers at baseline) and no histories of heart failure or ventricular tachycardia were prospectively evaluated. Global longitudinal strain (GS), global systolic strain rate (GSRs), and global early diastolic strain rate (GSRe) of the right ventricle were measured using speckle tracking from apical views and compared with standard parameters of RV function (fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, tissue Doppler velocities, and isovolumic acceleration) for association with and potential prediction of clinical events, defined as incident stage C heart failure or ventricular tachycardia.
Baseline RV GS, GSRs, and GSRe were -12.5 ± 3.0%, -0.59 ± 0.14 sec(-1), and 0.68 ± 0.22 sec(-1), respectively. After a median of 2.4 years (interquartile range, 1.5-4.1 years), 12 patients (19%) presented with clinical events (heart failure in 11 patients, ventricular tachycardia in one patient). In Cox models, RV GS had the strongest association with clinical events (hazard ratio HR per 1%, 1.35; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.14-1.58; P < .001), followed by GSRs (HR per 0.01 sec(-1), 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.11; P = .006), GSRe (HR per -0.01 sec(-1), 1.04; 95% CI, 1.00-1.07; P = .031), and fractional area change (HR per -1%, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.00-1.17; P = .047). Other measures of RV function were not significantly associated with risk for events. In receiver operating characteristic analysis, RV GS ≥ -10% optimally predicted future events (C = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.71-0.91; P < .001).
Reduced longitudinal GS of the systemic right ventricle is associated with increased risk for clinical events among patients with D-transposition of the great arteries and prior atrial switch.
Right ventricular (RV) function has major prognostic implications for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Intraventricular dyssynchrony might play an important role in RV dysfunction ...in these patients.
Thirty-six patients with PAH without right bundle branch block (mean age 44 +/- 14 yr, 24 women) and 39 controls (mean age 43 +/- 18 yr, 26 women) were evaluated. Global and segmental RV longitudinal deformation parameters were recorded by 2-dimensional strain echocardiography from apical 4-chamber views using a 6-segment RV model. The standard deviation of the heart rate-corrected intervals from QRS onset to peak strain for the 6 segments (RV-SD(6)) was used to quantify right intraventricular dyssynchrony.
RV-SD(6) was significantly higher in patients with PAH compared with controls (63 +/- 21 vs 25 +/- 15ms, P < .001). Dyssynchrony in patients with PAH was found to derive mainly from delayed contraction of the basal and mid RV free wall. In patients with PAH, RV-SD(6) was strongly correlated with RV fractional area change (beta = -.519, P = .002), RV myocardial performance index (beta = .427, P = .009), and RV global strain (beta = .512, P = .002); in models controlling for RV systolic pressure, RV size, and QRS duration, RV-SD(6) was still an independent predictor of RV fractional area change (beta = -.426, P = .005) and RV global strain (beta = .358, P = .031). RV function was significantly worse in the subgroup of patients with PAH (n = 25) with RV-SD(6) > 55 ms (the upper 95% limit in controls).
Right intraventricular dyssynchrony, as quantified by 2-dimensional strain echocardiography, is prevalent in PAH and is associated with more pronounced RV dysfunction. The clinical implications of these findings remain to be determined in follow-up studies.
Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation Dreyfus, Gilles D., MD, PhD; Martin, Randolph P., MD; Chan, K.M. John, PhD ...
Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
06/2015, Letnik:
65, Številka:
21
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract The assessment of the etiology and severity of functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) has many limitations, especially when tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is more than severe. Instead of ...relying solely on TR severity, a new approach not only takes into account the severity of TR, but also pays strict attention to tricuspid annular dilation (size), the mode of tricuspid leaflet coaptation, and tricuspid leaflet tethering—factors often influenced by right ventricular enlargement and dysfunction. To simplify things, we propose a new staging system for functional tricuspid valve pathology using 3 parameters that may more accurately reflect the severity of the disease: TR severity, annular dilation, and mode of leaflet coaptation (extent of tethering). We believe that by utilizing these parameters, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons will be offered a better system for appraisal and decision-making in FTR.