Association of Left Atrial Hemodynamics by Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Long-Term Outcomes in Patients With Cardiac Amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND: Left atrial (LA) function and strain patterns by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been investigated as markers of several cardiovascular pathologies, including cardiac amyloidosis (CA). However, associations with clinical outcomes have not been investigated. PURPOSE: To compare LA function and strain by MRI in CA patients to a matched cohort of patients without cardiovascular disease (CVD) and evaluate the association with long-term clinical outcomes in CA patients. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective case control. POPULATION: A total of 51 patients with CA and 51 age-, gender-, and race-matched controls without CVD who underwent MRI in sinus rhythm. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: ECG-gated balanced steady-state free precession sequence at 1.5 T. ASSESSMENT: All measurements were completed by one investigator (M.M.B.). LA function and strain parameters were measured including LA indexed minimum and maximum volumes, LA reservoir (R), contractile (CT), and conduit (CD) strain. We compared groups after adjusting for age, hypertension, New York Heart Association class, modified staging system (troponin-I, BNP, estimated GFR) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) for an endpoint of all-cause mortality and a composite endpoint of heart failure hospitalization (HFH) or death. STATISTICAL TESTS: Differences between groups were evaluated with t tests for continuous variables or χ2 tests for categorical variables. A multivariable regression model was used to assess the associations of the P values-two-sided tests-<0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: CA patients with median follow up of 4.9 (8.5) months had significantly lower LA strain and higher LA volumes in comparison to the matched cohort. In the multivariable analysis, only LVEF was significantly associated with death while ƐCT (OR 0.6, CI: 0.41-0.89), indexed minimum LA volume (OR 1.06, CI: 1.02-1.13) and indexed maximum LA volume (OR 1.08, CI: 1.01-1.15) were significantly associated with the composite outcome of death or HFH. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective study of CA patients, ƐCT and indexed minimum and maximum LA volumes were significantly associated with the composite outcome of death or HFH. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.

Impact of donor smoking history on post heart transplant outcomes: A propensity-matched analysis of ISHLT registry.

PURPOSE: Smoking is a major public health issue, and its effect on cardiovascular outcomes is well established. This study evaluates the impact of donor smoking on heart transplant (HT) outcomes. METHODS: HT recipients between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2016, with known donor smoking status were queried from the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) registry. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and secondary endpoints were graft failure, acute rejection, and cardiac allograft vasculopathy. We utilized propensity-score matching to identify cohorts of recipients with and without a history of donor smoking. Hazard ratios for post-transplant outcomes for the matched sample were estimated from separate Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Of 26 390 patients in the cohort, 18.9% had history of donor smoking. Donors with history of smoking were older, predominantly male and had higher incidence of diabetes, hypertension, cocaine use, and "high-risk" status. In propensity-matched analysis, recipients with a history of donor smoking had increased risk of death (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20) and higher risk of graft failure (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03-1.20). CONCLUSION: Donor smoking was associated with increased mortality and higher incidence of graft failure following HT. Consideration of donor smoking history is warranted while evaluating donor hearts.

Elevated Heart Rate Following Heart Transplantation Is Associated With Increased Graft Vasculopathy and Mortality.

BACKGROUND: The effect of elevated heart rate (HR) on outcomes after heart transplantation (HT) has not been well established. The aim of this study was to assess predictors of elevated HR following HT and its impact on outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively evaluated 394 patients who underwent HT at 2 academic medical centers from 2005 to 2016. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on HR 1 year after HT: HR ≥95 beats/min (n = 162; 41%) and HR <95 beats/min (n = 232; 59%). Median follow-up time was 6.6 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.2-7.5) years. HR ≥95 beats/min 1 year after HT was associated with younger donor age, whereas HR <95 beats/min was associated with heavy donor alcohol use and African-American recipient race. Left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension, mass, and ejection fraction were lower and E/E' higher in the HR ≥95 group at the time of the last follow up. HR ≥95 beats/min at 1 year after HT was independently associated with the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy and increased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: HR ≥95 beats/min 1 year after HT is associated with a reduction in LV size and function, increased incidence of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, and reduced survival. Studies investigating the effect of medical HR reduction on post-HT outcomes are warranted.

Prognostic Implications of Changes in Amino-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: Insights From ASCEND-HF.

BACKGROUND: Amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) is closely associated with prognosis in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). As a result, there has been great interest measuring it during the course of treatment. The prognostic implications in both short-term and follow-up changes in NTproBNP need further clarification. METHODS: Baseline, 48-72 hour, and 30-day NTproBNP levels were measured in 795 subjects in the ASCEND-HF trial. Multivariable logistic and Cox-proportional hazards models were used to test the association between static, relative, and absolute changes in NTproBNP with outcomes during and after ADHF. RESULTS: The median NTproBNP at baseline was 5773 (2981-11,579) pg/mL; at 48-72 hours was 3036 (1191-6479) pg/mL; and at 30 days was 2914 (1364-6667) pg/mL. Absolute changes in NTproBNP by 48-72 hours were not associated with 30-day heart failure rehospitalization or mortality (P = .065), relative changes in NTproBNP were nominally associated (P = .046). In contrast, both absolute and relative changes in NTproBNP from baseline to 48-72 hours and to 30 days were closely associated with 180-day mortality (P < .02 for all) with increased discrimination compared to the multivariable models with baseline NTproBNP (P <.05 for models with relative and absolute change at both time points). CONCLUSIONS: Although the degree of absolute change in NTproBNP was dependent on baseline levels, both short-term absolute and relative changes in NTproBNP were independently and incrementally associated with long-term clinical outcomes. Changes in NTproBNP levels at 30-days were particularly well associated with long-term clinical outcomes.

The effect of donor alcohol abuse on outcomes following heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend against the use of hearts from donors that abuse alcohol. We explored the effect of donor alcohol abuse (AA) on cardiac allograft function and outcomes in heart transplant (HTx) recipients. METHODS: Overall, 370 HTx recipients were divided into two groups: (a) the alcoholic donor group (AD, n = 58) and (b) the non-alcoholic donor group (NAD, n = 312). RESULTS: Recipients in the AD group had a slower heart rate (86 ± 13 vs 93 ± 13, P = 0.004) and an increased incidence of early atrial fibrillation (AF) (30% vs 11%, P = 0.003). Echocardiographic left ventricular mass was higher among alcoholic donors (171.7 ± 66.7 vs 151.6 ± 54.7, P = 0.02). This difference remained present 1 year following HTx (185 ± 43 vs 166 ± 42, P = 0.007). E/E' was higher in the AD group (9.5 ± 3.9 vs 8.4 ± 2.9, P = 0.04) and a larger number of AD recipients had a ventilatory equivalent for VCO2  > 34 (50% vs 31%, P = 0.04) on cardiopulmonary exercise test. There was no significant difference in rejection, cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), or survival between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that donor AA does not impact rejection, CAV, or intermediate-term survival, but may cause increased incidence of post-HTx AF and impaired cardiac allograft diastolic function.

The value of psychosocial factors in patient selection and outcomes after heart transplantation.

Heart transplantation remains the gold standard treatment for advanced heart failure, although its use is limited by donor organ availability. To ensure that the rare resource of a donor heart is allocated appropriately, the evaluation of the heart transplant candidates includes extensive medical and psychosocial assessments. These psychosocial factors are critically important to understand pre-heart transplant because it is known that psychosocial evaluation and psychosocial comorbidities have a strong association with post-heart transplant outcomes. The critical factors to assess are psychological functioning, adherence to medical recommendations, and social support. These factors are likely inter-related and have been shown to have an effect on the health-related quality of life and overall survival. Recently, new tools have been developed to standardize the evaluation process. In this review, we will discuss the tools available to assess psychosocial factors in the transplant candidate and discuss the role these factors have on post-heart transplant outcomes.

Long-Term Outcomes of Cardiac Sarcoid: Prognostic Implications of Isolated Cardiac Involvement and Impact of Diagnostic Delays.

Background Isolated cardiac sarcoid (iCS) is reported to have more severe clinical presentation and greater risk of adverse events compared with cardiac sarcoid (CS) with extracardiac involvement (nonisolated CS). Delays in diagnosing specific organ involvement may play a role in these described differences. Methods and Results A retrospective observational study of patients with CS over a 20-year period was conducted. Objective evidence of organ involvement and time of onset based on consensus criteria were identified. CS was confirmed by histology in all patients from myocardium only (iCS) or extracardiac tissue (nonisolated CS). The primary end point was a composite of mortality, orthotopic heart transplant, and durable left ventricular assist device implantation. CS was isolated in 9 of 50 patients (18%). Among baseline characteristics, iCS and nonisolated CS differed significantly only in the frequency of sustained ventricular tachycardia at presentation (78% versus 37%; P=0.03) and delay in CS diagnosis >6 months (67% versus 5%; P<0.01). A nonsignificant trend toward lower left ventricular ejection fraction and more frequent heart failure in iCS was observed. Over a median follow-up of 9.7 years (95% CI, 6.8-10.8), 18 patients reached the primary end point (13 deaths, 2 orthotopic heart transplants, and 3 durable left ventricular assist device implantations). The 1-, 5-, and 10-year event-free survival rates were 96% (95% CI, 85%-99%), 79% (95% CI, 64%-88%), and 58% (95% CI, 40%-73%), respectively, without differences between groups. There were no significant predictors of the primary end point, including delayed CS diagnosis. Conclusions Long-term outcomes were similar between iCS and nonisolated CS in patients with histologically documented sarcoid. Diagnostic delays may contribute to differences in the dominant clinical presentation, despite similar outcomes.

Is pocket mobile echocardiography the next-generation stethoscope? A cross-sectional comparison of rapidly acquired images with standard transthoracic echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: A pocket mobile echocardiography (PME) device is commercially available for clinical use, but public data documenting its accuracy compared with standard transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) are not available. OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of rapidly acquired PME images with those acquired by standard TTE. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. At the time of referral for TTE, ultrasonographers acquired PME images first in 5 minutes or less. Ultrasonographers were not blinded to the clinical indication for imaging or to the PME image results when obtaining standard TTE images. Two experienced echocardiographers and 2 cardiology fellows who were blinded to the indication for the study and TTE results but not to the device source interpreted the PME images. SETTING: Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines and Scripps Green Hospital, La Jolla, California. PATIENTS: Convenience sample of 97 patients consecutively referred for echocardiography. MEASUREMENTS: Visualizability and accuracy (the sum of proportions of true-positive and true-negative readings and observer variability) for ejection fraction, wall-motion abnormalities, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, inferior vena cava size, aortic and mitral valve pathology, and pericardial effusion. RESULTS: Physician-readers could visualize some but not all echocardiographic measurements obtained with the PME device in every patient (highest proportions were for ejection fraction and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension [95% each]; the lowest proportion was for inferior vena cava size [75%]). Accuracy also varied by measurement (aortic valve was 96% [highest] and inferior vena cava size was 78% [lowest]) and decreased when nonvisualizability was accounted for (aortic valve was 91% and inferior vena cava size was 58%). Observer agreement was fair to moderate for some measurements among less-experienced readers. LIMITATION: The study was conducted at a single setting, there was no formal estimate of accuracy given the small convenience sample of patients, and few abnormal echocardiographic measurements occurred. CONCLUSION: The rapid acquisition of images by skilled ultrasonographers who use PME yields accurate assessments of ejection fraction and some but not all cardiac structures in many patients. Further testing of the device in larger patient cohorts with diverse cardiac abnormalities and with untrained clinicians obtaining and interpreting images is required before wide dissemination of its use can be recommended. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institutes of Health.

Preoperative Right Heart Dysfunction and Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common cause of morbidity among patients supported by left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). The aim of this study was to identify if pre-LVAD right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is associated with risk of GIB after LVAD implantation. Of 398 patients implanted with LVADs between July 2008 and July 2016, 130 (33%) developed GIB at a median of 2.6 months following LVAD implantation. Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) were found in 42 (34%) GIB patients. Patients with GIB were older and more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, and ischemic cardiomyopathy. On pre-LVAD echocardiography, GIB patients had increased RV diastolic dimension (4.7 ± 0.8 vs. 4.4 ± 0.9 cm, p = 0.02), a higher rate of greater than mild tricuspid valve (TV) regurgitation (73 [60%] vs. 120 [47%], p = 0.006), and underwent TV repair more often (38 [30%] vs. 43 [16%], p = 0.0006) during LVAD implantation. After multivariable adjustment, preoperative greater than mild RV enlargement (hazard ratio [HR] 2.32, 95% CI 1.12-5.03; p = 0.03), TV regurgitation (HR 1.83, CI 1.02-3.44; p = 0.01), and TV repair (HR 3.76, confidence interval [CI] 1.02-4.44; p = 0.01) remained associated with risk of GIB. This finding was driven by the AVM-GIB subgroup. Preoperative RV enlargement and TV regurgitation are associated with post-LVAD AVM-related GIB.

Impaired Exercise Tolerance Early After Heart Transplantation Is Associated With Development of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy.

BACKGROUND: Exercise performance remains limited in some patients after heart transplantation (HTx). The goal of this study was to assess for association between cardiopulmonary exercise test performance at 1 year after HTx and future development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). METHODS: Overall 243 HTx recipients performed cardiopulmonary exercise testing at 1 year after HTx. During the median follow-up period of 31 (interquartile range 19;61) months, 76 (32%) patients were diagnosed with CAV (CAV group). RESULTS: The CAV group patients had lower exercise capacity (5.2 ± 1.9 versus 6.5 ± 2.2 metabolic equivalents; P = 0.001) and duration (9.6 ± 3.5 versus 11.4 ± 4.8 min; P = 0.008), lower peak oxygen consumption (VO2) (18.4 ± 5.4 versus 21.4 ± 6.1 mL/kg/min; P = 0.0005), lower normalized peak VO2 (63% ± 18% versus 71% ± 19%; P = 0.007), and higher minute ventilation (VE)/carbon dioxide production (VCO2) (34 ± 5 versus 32 ± 5, P = 0.04). On Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, normalized peak VO2 ≤60%, and VE/VCO2 ≥34 were associated with a high hazard for CAV (HR = 1.8 [95% CI 1.10-4.53, P = 0.03] and 2.5 [95% CI 1.01-8.81, P = 0.04], respectively). The subgroup of patients with both normalized peak VO2 ≤60% and VE/VCO2 ≥34 was at highest risk for development of CAV (HR = 5.2, 95% CI 2.27-15.17, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Normalized peak VO2 ≤60% and VE/VCO2 ≥34 at 1 year after HTx are associated with the development of CAV.

Thrombectomy of Ventricular Assist Device-Originated Embolic Stroke: A Clinical Decision Model.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of ventricular assist devices (VADs) for the treatment of heart failure has become increasingly common. These patients have a considerable risk of cerebral embolism. We describe such a patient and his successful treatment by thrombectomy, compare his attributes with those previously published, and describe the construct of a clinical decision model, whose results bear practical implications for patient management. METHODS: The details of our patient and his treatment are presented, followed by a literature review of all previously reported similar cases. Using this information, as well as that available from published series, we constructed a probabilistic decision tree, completed all calculations (ie, "folding back"), and, in order to assess the strength of the results, subjected them to multiple independent sensitivity analyses of each of the variables. RESULTS: The therapeutic success of our case, the 14th reported to date, when combined with previous reports, shows: (1) recanalization times of 184 minutes, (2) "successful" recanalization (ie, TICI = 2b or 3) achieved in 71% of procedures, (3) ultimate functional outcome (ie, mRS = 0-2) achieved in 57% patients, and (4) ultimate successful heart transplantations in 66% of cases. The clinical decision model showed the predicted utility of thrombectomy to be superior to conservative management (3.33 QALY vs. 2.56 QALY, respectively). The sensitivity analyses support the validity of these results. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, thrombectomy appears to be a safe and effective method (and often the only viable one) for urgent treatment of patients with VAD-originated cerebral embolism.

Statin-induced myopathy: the two faces of Janus.

Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) have been shown to be effective at lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease. Although safe and well tolerated by most patients, statins have also been associated with muscle-related adverse events. This article reviews statin-associated myotoxicity to clarify the definitions of muscle-related adverse events and discusses their incidences in major statin trials, case reports, and review articles through January 2006. Milder complaints (ie, myalgia) are reported by approximately 5% to 7% of patients who take statins. More severe myotoxicity, namely rhabdomyolysis, is extremely rare for all statins save cerivastatin, and most recent estimates of its incidence are between 0.44 and 0.54 cases per 10 000 person-years. The mechanism of statin-associated myotoxicity has not been satisfactorily defined and is likely due to multiple factors, including membrane instability, mitochondrial dysfunction, and defects in myocyte duplication.