Univentricular hearts not undergoing Fontan: the type of palliation matters.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: There is scarce information on patients with single ventricle physiology (SVP) and restricted pulmonary flow not undergoing Fontan circulation. This study aimed to compare survival and cardiovascular events in these patients according to the type of palliation. METHODS: SVP patient data were obtained from the databases of the adult congenital heart disease units of 7 centers. Patients completing Fontan circulation or developing Eisenmenger syndrome were excluded. Three groups were created according to the source of pulmonary flow: G1 (restrictive pulmonary forward flow), G2 (cavopulmonary shunt), and G3 (aortopulmonary shunts±cavopulmonary shunt). The primary endpoint was death. RESULTS: We identified 120 patients. Mean age at the first visit was 32.2 years. Mean follow-up was 7.1 years. Fifty-five patients (45.8%) were assigned to G1, 30 (25%) to G2, and 35 (29.2%) to G3. Patients in G3 had worse renal function, functional class, and ejection fraction at the first visit and a more marked ejection fraction decline during follow-up, especially when compared with G1. Twenty-four patients (20%) died, 38 (31.7%) were admitted for heart failure, and 21 (17.5%) had atrial flutter/fibrillation during follow-up. These events were more frequent in G3 and significant differences were found compared with G1 in terms of death (HR, 2.9; 95%CI, 1.14-7.37; P=.026) and atrial flutter/fibrillation (HR, 2.9; 95%CI, 1.11-7.68; P=.037). CONCLUSIONS: The type of palliation in patients with SVP and restricted pulmonary flow not undergoing Fontan palliation identifies distinct profiles. Patients palliated with aortopulmonary shunts have an overall worse prognosis with higher morbidity and mortality.

Does the right ventricle experiment morphologic and functional changes similarly to the left ventricle during pregnancy?

OBJECTIVE: Morphological and functional right ventricular (RV) changes during normal pregnancy remain poorly characterized. Similar to left ventricle, RV load and function are expected to change, and establishing reference values for RV during a healthy pregnancy is critical for the evaluation of pregnancy-related heart disease. The aim of the study was to describe RV adaptation in a prospective cohort. METHODS: Serial echocardiographic examinations were performed in second trimester (24 ± 2 weeks), third (32 ± 2 week) trimester, and postpartum (>3 months after delivery). Nulliparous women were evaluated as control group. RV linear dimensions, areas, and function were assessed and compared. RESULTS: Forty-three pregnant women were evaluated and compared with nineteen nulliparous women as control. Function parameters decreased along gestation. RV fractional area fell from second to third trimester (52.01 ± 0.92 vs 48.73 ± 0.97, P < .05), as well as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (2.62 ± 0.05 vs 2.41 ± 0.05, P < .05); however, RV longitudinal strain (L) decreased earlier, showing main changes from second trimester (26.17 ± 0.86 vs 22.71 ± 0.57, P < .003, control vs second trimester). S'-wave velocity followed a different pattern without changes during pregnancy. RV diameters significantly increased during pregnancy: basal (3.65 ± 0.06 vs 3.90 ± 0.06, P < .05), mid- (2.70 ± 0.06 vs 3.00 ± 0.07, P < .05), longitudinal (6.90 ± 0.09 vs 7.32 ± 0.11, P < .05), and right ventricle outflow tract proximal diameter (3.20 ± 0.06 vs 3.44 ± 0.06, P < .05). RV areas also suffered early variation during pregnancy. In postpartum evaluation, all these changes were reversed. CONCLUSION: During pregnancy, RV experiments important variations. RV size increases, and its function decreases. Changes in LS were earlier compared with other function measures.

Dataset regarding baseline and follow-up characteristics of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients focused on neurological outcomes.

This data article contains the data related to the research article entitled "Long-term neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with targeted-temperature management" (Caro-Codón et al., 2018). In this dataset, we report details regarding the flow chart of the included patients and the specific exclusion criteria. We also include information on the difference between the patients who attended the structured personal interview (and therefore were finally included in the study) and those who did not attend. Neuropsychiatric and functional data before and after cardiac arrest are also reported. Finally, we list all the "de novo" focal neurological deficits identified after cardiac arrest in the related population.

Long-term neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with targeted-temperature management.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess long-term cognitive and functional outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients treated with targeted-temperature management, investigate the existence of prognostic factors that could be assessed during initial admission and evaluate the usefulness of classic neurological scales in this clinical scenario. METHODS: Patients admitted due to OHCA from August 2007 to November 2015 and surviving at least one year were included. Each patient completed a structured interview focused on the collection of clinical, social and demographic data. All available information in clinical records was reviewed and a battery of neurocognitive and psychometric tests was performed. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients were finally included in the analysis. Forty-three patients (54.4%) scored below the usual cut-off points for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, even though most of these deficits went unnoticed when patients were assessed using CPC and modified Rankin scale. Nineteen (24%) developed certain degree of impairment in their attention capacity and executive functions. A significant proportion developed new memory-related disorders (43%), depressive symptoms (17.7%), aggressive/uninhibited behavior (12.7%) and emotional lability (8.9%). A greater number of weekly hours of intellectual activity and a qualified job were independent protective factors for the development of cognitive impairment. However, being older at the time of the cardiac arrest was identified as a poor prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of long-term cognitive deficits and functional limitations in OHCA survivors. Most commonly used clinical scales in clinical practice are crude and lack sensitivity to detect most of these deficits.