Guideline-endorsed follow-up after percutaneous valve therapies-non-attendance of TAVI and MitraClip patients.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous valve therapies (PVT) are performed on a large number of patients. With increasing procedural volume, the need for follow-up has also increased. Follow-up in the heart valve clinic is endorsed by recent guidelines but utilization is unknown, making resource allocation in the clinic difficult. Central follow-up in valve centers may not be feasible for all patients in the future. METHODS: In our center, follow-up for PVT patients is scheduled at 1 month and 12 months after the index procedure. Patients are reminded of their appointment by invitation letters or phone calls. We analyzed 150 consecutive patients who underwent transcutaneous aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and MitraClip implantation (n = 300) at our center. RESULTS: At 1 month, 72.7% of patients attended their follow-up, while at 12 months the rate dropped to 58%. Patients who underwent TAVI were older than the MitraClip patients (82.7 vs. 76.1 years) but had lower mean logEuroSCORE (22.6% vs. 25.9%). There was no significant difference in 1­year mortality between TAVI and MitraClip patients (20% vs. 17.3%). By contrast, the rate of missed follow-up visits was higher for TAVI compared to MitraClip patients (52% vs. 33.3%; p = 0.002). Female patients less frequently attended follow-up (p = 0.005), whereas age, EuroSCORE, NYHA class, ejection fraction, and health status (EQ-5DVAS) were not predictors of attendance in multivariable analysis. Although the result of the EQ-5D assessment was not associated with mortality or attendance, completing the questionnaire was associated with overall survival (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In our heart valve clinic, we observed a high percentage of missed follow-up appointments (42% at 12 months) despite a structured follow-up plan. Factors significantly associated with non-attendance in multivariable analysis were female gender and having a TAVI rather than MitraClip. Future follow-up concepts should take such findings into account, and decentralized approaches need to be explored.

Cardiac arrhythmias in patients with Danon disease.

AIMS: Different cardiac arrhythmias have been suggested to be associated with Danon disease, e.g. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. However, a systematic electrophysiological investigation of patients with Danon disease is lacking thus far. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seven patients with Danon disease (4 males, 35.8 ± 10.8 years; 3 females, 51.3 ± 19.9 years) from 3 different families were studied. In all patients, the presence of Danon disease was confirmed by western blot of biopsy material or genetic testing. The patients were characterized by 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), Holter ECG, echocardiography, and serial implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) interrogations (in ICD recipients). All male patients underwent electrophysiological investigation (EP study). Asymptomatic ventricular tachyarrhythmias were documented in six of the seven patients. Moreover, 5 of the 7 patients suffered from atrial fibrillation (AF), with 1 of them experiencing thromboembolic stroke at the age of 30 years. In male patients, the initial QRS complex was characterized by a slurring upstroke and shortened PQ interval mimicking ventricular pre-excitation. One male patient showed initial QRS complex slurring with prolonged PR interval. However, the presence of an accessory pathway was excluded by an EP study in all patients. In female patients, initial QRS complex slurring was significantly less distinct. In four patients, ICD implantation was performed for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. However, sustained ventricular arrhythmias were not documented in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that the distinct surface ECG pattern in Danon disease is not associated with ventricular pre-excitation. Atrial fibrillation is frequently observed in these patients and may be associated with thromboembolic events in the young, while sustained ventricular arrhythmias occur less frequently than previously reported.

Preoperative evaluation before MitraClip®: present and future perspective.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the second most common heart valve disease worldwide. Currently, the management of MR is based on medical therapy (including biventricular pacing), surgery (mitral valve replacement or repair) and percutaneous therapy. However, in spite of guideline recommendations, 50% of individuals assessed in the Euro Heart Survey were not referred to surgical intervention due to comorbidities or real or perceived high risks for cardiac surgery; thus, in recent years, the focus of research has shifted to the development of percutaneous approaches to treat severe MR in order to restore valve function in a minimally invasive fashion. Among these techniques, the percutaneous mitral valve repair procedure using the MitraClip(®) system (Abbott Vascular, IL, USA) is one of the most promising. Usually, patient selection for MitraClip implantation is based on careful echocardiographic assessment of valve disease; however, although definitive data are lacking, evidence is mounting for a multiparametric approach including the evaluation of the functional status of patients.

Immediate effect of the MitraClip procedure on mitral ring geometry in primary and secondary mitral regurgitation.

AIMS: Percutaneous treatment of mitral regurgitation (MR) has been shown to reduce MR severity and improve functional outcomes. Surgical treatment of MR usually includes mitral annulus reduction. The influence of the MitraClip on annulus geometry is not clear. We wanted to investigate whether the procedure itself reduces annulus diameter and if there may be differences between secondary or functional (SMR) and primary (PMR) MR. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively assessed 3D echocardiography (3D-TEE) data of 55 patients acquired during the procedure shortly before and after clip placement for changes in annulus diameter and area. Measurements were done with QLAB software. Patients were categorized as having either SMR (n = 41) or PMR (n = 14). In SMR, we were able to demonstrate a significant reduction in annulus area (meanΔ 1.30 ± 1.44 cm2; P < 0.001), anterior-posterior (AP)-diameter (meanΔ 0.28 ± 0.32 cm; P < 0.001), tenting area (meanΔ 0.39 ± 0.49 cm2; P < 0.001). No significant change could be found for latero-medial (LM)-diameter. In contrast, we could not demonstrate significant changes in any of the parameters described above in patients with PMR. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous treatment with the MitraClip device can produce immediate reductions in mitral annulus size in SMR, probably supporting procedural success. It also reduces tenting, which may have prognostic implications. In contrast, these effects on mitral geometry cannot be demonstrated in PMR. Knowledge of this difference between SMR and PMR may be important to improve procedural strategies.