Cardiology

doi: 10.1159/000502021pmid: N/A

Schupp, Tobias; Behnes, Michael; Weiss, Christel; Nienaber, Christoph; Reiser, Linda; Bollow, Armin; Taton, Gabriel; Reichelt, Thomas; Ellguth, Dominik; Engelke, Niko; Rusnak, Jonas; Weidner, Kathrin; Akin, Muharrem; Mashayekhi, Kambis; Borggrefe, Martin; Akin, Ibrahim

doi: 10.1159/000497271pmid: 31189160

Objective: This study sought to assess the impact of treatment with digitalis on recurrences of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) recipients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF). Background: The data regarding outcomes of digitalis therapy in ICD recipients are limited. Methods: A large retrospective registry was used, including consecutive ICD recipients with episodes of ventricular tachyarrhythmia between 2002 and 2016. Patients treated with digitalis were compared to patients without digitalis treatment. The primary prognostic outcome was first recurrence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia at 5 years. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses were applied. Results: A total of 394 ICD recipients with AF and/or HF was included (26% with digitalis treatment and 74% without). Digitalis treatment was associated with decreased freedom from recurrent ventricular tachy­arrhythmias (HR = 1.423; 95% CI 1.047–1.934; p = 0.023). Accordingly, digitalis treatment was associated with decreased freedom from appropriate ICD therapies (HR = 1.622; 95% CI 1.166–2.256; p = 0.004) and, moreover, higher rates of rehospitalization (38 vs. 21%; p = 0.001) and all-cause mortality (33 vs. 20%; p = 0.011). Conclusion: Among ICD recipients suffering from AF and HF, treatment with digitalis was associated with increased rates of recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias and ICD therapies. However, the endpoints may also have been driven by interactions between digitalis, AF, and HF.

Øvrehus, Kristian A.; Veien, Karsten T.; Lambrechtsen, Jess; Rohold, Allan; Steffensen, Flemming H.; Gerke, Oke; Jensen, Lisette O.; Mickley, Hans

doi: 10.1159/000499667pmid: 31170719

Current guidelines do not recommend coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in patients with high levels of coronary calcium, as severe calcification leads to difficulties in estimating stenosis severity due to blooming artifacts obscuring the vessel lumen. Whether the CCTA-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR_CT) improves the diagnostic performance of CCTA in patients with high levels of coronary calcification has not been sufficiently evaluated. We hypothesize that a noninvasive diagnostic strategy using FFR_CT will perform comparably to an invasive diagnostic strategy in the detection of hemodynamically significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in clinical stable chest pain patients with high levels of coronary calcium. In this prospective, blinded, multicenter study, patients with suspected stable CAD referred for CCTA and demonstrating an Agatston score >399 will be included. Patients accepting inclusion will, in addition to CCTA, undergo invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and invasive FFR measurement. FFR_CT analyses are performed by an external core laboratory blinded to any patient data, and the FFR_CT results are blinded to all participating study sites. The primary objective is to evaluate whether FFR_CT can identify patients with and without hemodynamically significant CAD, when ICA with FFR is the reference standard. A negative study result would question the clinical usefulness of FFR_CT in patients with high levels of coronary calcium. A positive study result, however, would imply a reduction in the number of patients referred for coronary catheterization and, at the same time, increase the proportion of patients with hemodynamically significant CAD at the subsequent invasive examination.

Long, Yan; Zhao, Xiao-Tao; Liu, Chang; Sun, Yuan-Yuan; Ma, Yin-Ting; Liu, Xin-Yu; Liu, Ji-Xuan

doi: 10.1159/000499866pmid: 31163415

Objectives: To explore the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MTHFR and APOE and the risk of CAD and, more importantly, the severity of CAD and the profile of serum lipids, we performed a case-control study in a Chinese Han population. Methods: A total of 1,207 cases of consecutive CAD-suspected inpatients were recruited, and 406 CAD cases and 231 non-CAD controls were enrolled for the final analysis after screening for exclusion criteria. All subjects had undergone coronary angiography, and the severity of CAD was evaluated by 2 cardiologists according to the Gensini scores. The genotypes of MTHFR and APOEwere detected using real-time PCR, and then verified by Sanger sequencing. Environmental risk factors, such as age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and BMI were collected. Statistical analyses (the χ² test, binary logistic regression analysis, and ordinal polytomous logistic regression analysis) were performed with SPSS v16.0. Results: The genotypes ofall the subjects included in the CAD and non-CAD groups in this study were successfully detected, with an agreement of 100% with Sanger sequencing. The distributions of genotypes CT and TT at MTHFR C667T were higher in CAD cases than in non-CAD controls (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.34–2.95; OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.18–2.67; p < 0.05), whereas genotype AC at MTHFR A1298Cwas lower in CAD cases (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.50–1.02; p < 0.05). A significant association was observed in genotypes CT and TT at MTHFR C667T and the risk of CAD (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.27–3.67; OR 1.56, 95% CI 0.88–2.78; p < 0.05). Both genotypes and alleles of APOE were comparable in the CAD cases and non-CAD controls (p > 0.05). The genotype TT at MTHFR C667T and ε4+ at APOE were more likely to be found in the CAD subgroup with a Gensini score ≥72 (p = 0.040 and p = 0.028, respectively). Meanwhile, in the patients with genotype TT,a higher level of serum Hcy was detected, while genotype ε4+ patients possessed higher levels of serum apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) than other genotypes. Conclusion: This study revealed that the SNP site of MTHFR C667Tis associatedwith the risk of CAD in this Chinese Han population. In addition, the genotypes of TT in MTHFR C667T and ε4+in APOE may increase the severity of CAD, and higher Hcy, LDL-C, and ApoE levels may be involved in this pathogenic process.

Zhang, Yu ; Xing, Qiang ; Zhang, Jiang-Hua; Jiang, Wei-Feng ; Qin, Mu ; Liu, Xu 

doi: 10.1159/000499502pmid: 31189165

Aim: During cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), optimized programming of the atrioventricular (AV) delay and ventricular-to-ventricular (VV) interval can lead to improved hemodynamics, symptomatic response, and left ventricular systolic function. Currently, however, there is no recommendation for the best optimization method. This study aimed to compare the long-term clinical outcomes of 4 different CRT optimization methods. Methods: One hundred and twenty-four consecutive CRT patients with severe heart failure and left bundle-branch block configuration were randomly assigned into four groups to undergo AV/VV delay optimization through echocardiogram (ECHO; n = 30), electrocardiogram (ECG; n = 32), QuickOpt algorithm (n = 28), and nominal AV/VV (n = 36) groups. Patients were followed up and underwent examinations, including New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac functional classification, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), and echocardiography, at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months, respectively. The patients’ survival and clinical outcomes were compared among the four groups. Results: Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that the median survival was the same in the 4 groups: ECHO, 43 months; ECG, 44 months; QuickOpt, 44 months, and nominal, 41 months. At the 6-month follow-up, the reduction in left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) was significantly less in the nominal group (–1.91 ± 2.58 mm) than that in the other three groups (ECHO: –3.70 ± 2.78 mm, p = 0.012; ECG: –3.53 ± 3.14 mm, p = 0.020; QuickOpt: –3.46 ± 2.65 mm, p = 0.032); 6MWD was significantly shorter in the nominal group (87.88 ± 34.76 m) than that in the other three groups (ECHO: 120.63 ± 56.93 m, p = 0.006; ECG: 114.97 ± 54.95 m, p = 0.020; QuickOpt: 114.57 ± 35.41 m, p = 0.027). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) significantly increased in ECHO (7.23 ± 2.76%, p = 0.010), ECG (8.50 ± 3.17%, p < 0.001), and QuickOpt (8.39 ± 2.90%, p < 0.001) compared with the nominal group (5.35 ± 2.59%). There were no significant differences among the groups in the aforementioned parameters at 24, 36, and 48 months, respectively. Conclusion: While LVEDD, LVEF, 6MWD, and NYHA were significantly improved in ECHO, ECG, and QuickOpt at 6 months, there were no significant improvements in any of the groups at 12, 24, and 48 months. These findings suggested that the long-term effect of the four CRT methods for heart failure was not significantly different.

Blagova, Olga; Osipova, Yuliya; Nedostup, Alexander; Kogan, Evgeniya; Zaitsev, Alexander; Fomin, Victor

doi: 10.1159/000499865pmid: 31189164

Purpose: The aim of this study was to quantify the value of various clinical, laboratory, and instrumental signs in the diagnosis of myocarditis in comparison with morphological studies of the myocardium. Methods: In 100 patients (65 men, 44.7 ± 12.5 years old) with “idiopathic” arrhythmias (n = 20) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM; n = 80), we performed the following: 71 endomyocardial biopsies (EMB), 13 intraoperative biopsies, 5 studies of explanted hearts, and 11 autopsies with virus investigation (real-time PCR) of the blood and myocardium. Antiheart antibodies (AHA) were also measured as well as cardiac CT (n = 45), MRI (n = 25), and coronary angiography (n = 47). The comparison group included 50 patients (25 men, 53.7 ± 11.7 years old) with noninflammatory heart diseases who underwent open heart surgery. Results: Active/borderline myocarditis was diagnosed in 76.0% of the study group and in 21.6% of patients in the comparison group (p < 0.001). The myocardial viral genome was observed more frequently in patients in the comparison group than in the study group (65.0 and 40.2%; p < 0.01). We evaluated the diagnostic value of noninvasive markers of myocarditis. The panel of AHA had the greatest importance in the identification of myocarditis: sensitivity was 81.5%, and the positive and negative predictive values were 75.0 and 60.5%. This defined the diagnostic value of noninvasive markers of myocarditis and established a diagnostic algorithm providing an individual assessment of the likelihood of myocarditis development. Conclusion: AHA have the greatest significance in the diagnosis of latent myocarditis in patients with “idiopathic” arrhythmias and DCM. The use of a complex of noninvasive criteria allows the probability of myocarditis to be estimated and the indications for EMB to be determined.

Tripolino, Cesare; Tassone, Eliezer Joseph; Morabito, Gaetano; Grillo, Placido; Montesanti, Gabriella; Missiroli, Bindo

doi: 10.1159/000497828pmid: 31212301

Anomalies of the coronary arteries represent rare congenital disorders, which are characterized by a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Usually, they are asymptomatic, but sometimes they cause myocardial ischemia or sudden cardiac death. Here, we describe the case of a patient who suffered from angina. Coronary angiography revealed an ectopic origin of the left anterior descending coronary artery from the proximal trait of the right coronary artery and the left circumflex artery, originating from the left sinus; the whole coronary tree was free of atherosclerosis. To better define the coronary anatomy, we performed computed tomography angiography with a three-dimensional reconstruction. The patient was discharged from the clinic after 48 h under optimal medical treatment.

Kwon, Younghoon; Logan, Jeongok; Redline, Susan; Duprez, Daniel; Jacobs Jr., David R.; Ouyang, Pamela; Hundley, W. Greg; Lima, Joao; Bluemke, David A.; Lutsey, Pamela L.

doi: 10.1159/000499500pmid: 31189162

Szymanski, Catherine; Bohbot, Yohann; Rusinaru, Dan; Touati, Gilles; Tribouilloy, Christophe

doi: 10.1159/000499577pmid: 31230053

Background: Left atrial (LA) enlargement has been previously identified as a predictor of mortality in patients with medically managed mitral regurgitation (MR) due to mitral valve prolapse (MVP). No study has specifically assessed the prognostic value of LA size in patients undergoing mitral valve repair (MVRp). Objective: We aimed to investigate the relationship between LA area and mortality in patients in sinus rhythm (SR) undergoing MVRp for MVP. Methods: We included 305 patients in SR who underwent MVRp for MVP. Median follow-up time was 7.9 years. Patients were divided into 3 groups: LA area ≤25 cm² (reference group), LA 26–30 cm², and LA >30 cm². Results: Compared with patients with an LA area ≤25 cm², those with an LA area >30 cm² had a lower 10-year survival (98 ± 2 vs. 86 ± 4%; p = 0.037). In multivariate analysis, after adjustment for established outcome predictors including age, symptoms, EuroSCORE, and left ventricular size and function, LA enlargement >30 cm² was associated with increased mortality (adjusted HR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.03–4.90; p = 0.042), whereas LA enlargement between 26 and 30 cm² was not (adjusted HR = 1.37, 95% CI 0.56–3.56; p = 0.52). Conclusion: LA enlargement is independently predictive of long-term mortality after MVRp in patients in SR with severe MR due to MVP. Our findings suggest that MVRp should be considered before the LA area exceeds 30 cm².

Kawada, Tomoyuki

doi: 10.1159/000495003pmid: 31230042