Changes in Right Ventricular-to-Pulmonary Artery Coupling After Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair in Secondary Mitral Regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: Preprocedural right ventricular-to-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) coupling is a major predictor of outcome in patients with secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR) undergoing transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (M-TEER). However, clinical significance of changes in RV-PA coupling after M-TEER is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in RV-PA coupling after M-TEER, their prognostic value, and predictors of improvement. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study, including patients undergoing successful M-TEER (residual mitral regurgitation ≤2+ at discharge) for SMR at 13 European centers and with complete echocardiographic data at baseline and short-term follow-up (30-180 days). RV-PA coupling was assessed with the use of echocardiography as the ratio of tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion to pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP). All-cause death was assessed at the longest available follow-up starting from the time of the echocardiographic reassessment. RESULTS: Among 501 patients included, 331 (66%) improved their TAPSE/PASP after M-TEER (responders) at short-term follow-up (median: 89 days; IQR: 43-159 days), whereas 170 (34%) did not (nonresponders). Lack of previous cardiac surgery, low postprocedural mitral mean gradient, low baseline TAPSE, high baseline PASP, and baseline tricuspid regurgitation were independently associated with TAPSE/PASP improvement after M-TEER. Compared with nonresponders, responders had lower New York Heart Association functional class and less heart failure hospitalizations at short-term follow-up. Improvement in TAPSE/PASP was independently associated with reduced risk of mortality at long-term follow-up (584 days; IQR: 191-1,243 days) (HR: 0.65 [95% CI: 0.42-0.92]; P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with SMR, improvement in TAPSE/PASP after successful M-TEER is predicted by baseline clinical and echocardiographic variables and postprocedural mitral gradient, and is associated with a better outcome.

Clinical presentations leading to arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a cohort of patients with arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy (ALVC), focusing on the spectrum of the clinical presentations. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively evaluated between January 2012 and June 2020. Diagnosis was based on (1) ≥3 contiguous segments with subepicardial/midwall late gadolinium enhancement in the left ventricle (LV) at cardiac magnetic resonance plus a likely pathogenic/pathogenic arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) associated genetic mutation and/or familial history of AC and/or red flags for ALVC (ie, negative T waves in V4-6/aVL, low voltages in limb leads, right bundle branch block like ventricular tachycardia) or (2) pathology examination of explanted hearts or autoptic cases suffering sudden cardiac death (SCD). Significant right ventricular involvement was an exclusion criterion. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients (63% males, age 45 years (31-53)) composed the study cohort. Twenty-one (41%) had normal echocardiogram, 13 (25%) a hypokinetic non-dilated cardiomyopathy (HNDC) and 17 (33%) a dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Of 47 tested patients, 29 (62%) were carriers of a pathogenic/likely pathogenic DNA variant. Clinical contexts leading to diagnosis were SCD in 3 (6%), ventricular arrhythmias in 15 (29%), chest pain in 8 (15%), heart failure in 6 (12%) and familial screening in 20 (38%). Thirty patients (57%) had previously received a diagnosis other than ALVC with a diagnostic delay of 6 years (IQR 1-7). CONCLUSIONS: ALVC is hidden in different clinical scenarios with a phenotypic spectrum ranging from normal LV to HNDC and DCM. Ventricular arrhythmias, chest pain, heart failure and SCD are the main clinical presentations, being familial screening essential for the affected relatives' identification.

Standard ECG for differential diagnosis between Anderson-Fabry disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role of the ECG in the differential diagnosis between Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHODS: In this multicentre retrospective study, 111 AFD patients with left ventricular hypertrophy were compared with 111 patients with HCM, matched for sex, age and maximal wall thickness by propensity score. Independent ECG predictors of AFD were identified by multivariate analysis, and a multiparametric ECG score-based algorithm for differential diagnosis was developed. RESULTS: Short PR interval, prolonged QRS duration, right bundle branch block (RBBB), R in augmented vector left (aVL) ≥1.1 mV and inferior ST depression independently predicted AFD diagnosis. A point-by-point ECG score was then derived with the following diagnostic performances: c-statistic 0.80 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.86) for discrimination, the Hosmel-Lemeshow χ2 6.14 (p=0.189) for calibration, sensitivity 69%, specificity 84%, positive predictive value 82% and negative predictive value 72%. After bootstrap resampling, the mean optimism was 0.025, and the internal validated c-statistic for the score was 0.78. CONCLUSIONS: Standard ECG can help to differentiate AFD from HCM while investigating unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy. Short PR interval, prolonged QRS duration, RBBB, R in aVL ≥1.1 mV and inferior ST depression independently predicted AFD. Their systematic evaluation and the integration in a multiparametric ECG score can support AFD diagnosis.

Percutaneous mitral valve repair: The last chance for symptoms improvement in advanced refractory chronic heart failure?

BACKGROUND: The role of percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) in patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) and functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is unclear. METHODS: Seventy-five consecutive patients with FMR grade≥3+ and severe HF symptoms despite optimal medical therapy and resynchronization therapy underwent PMVR with the MitraClip system (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL, USA) at 3 centers. Clinical evaluation, echocardiography and pro-BNP measurement were performed at baseline and at 6-month. RESULTS: Mean age was 67±11years, logistic EuroSCORE=23±18%, left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) 30±9%. In 6 patients (8%) PMVR was performed as a bridge to heart transplant; many patients were dependent from iv diuretics and/or inotropes. Rate of serious adverse in-hospital events was 1.3% (1 patient who died after conversion to cardiac surgery). Sixty-three patients (84%) were discharged with MR≤2+. At 6-month, 4 patients died (5%), 80% had MR≤2+ and 75% were in New York Heart Association class ≤II. Median pro-BNP decreased from 4395pg/ml to 2594pg/ml (p=0.04). There were no significant changes in LV end-diastolic volume (222±75ml vs. 217±79, p=0.19), end-systolic volume (LVESV, 154±66ml vs. 156±69, p=0.54) and LVEF (30±9% vs. 30±12%, p=0.86). Significant reverse remodeling (reduction of LVESV≥10%) was observed in 25%, without apparent association with baseline characteristics. The number of hospitalizations for HF in comparison with the 6months before PMVR were reduced from 1.1±0.8 to 0.3±0.6 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In extreme risk HF patients with FMR, PMVR improved symptoms and reduced re-hospitalization and pro-BNP levels at 6months, despite the lack of LV reverse remodeling.

Risk of Adverse Cardiac and Bleeding Events Following Cardiac and Noncardiac Surgery in Patients With Coronary Stent: How Important Is the Interplay Between Stent Type and Time From Stenting to Surgery?

BACKGROUND: Epidemiology and consequences of surgery in patients with coronary stents are not clearly defined, as well as the impact of different stent types in relationship with timing of surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Among 39 362 patients with previous coronary stenting enrolled in a multicenter prospective registry and followed for 5 years, 13 128 patients underwent 17 226 surgical procedures. The cumulative incidence of surgery at 30 days, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years was 3.6%, 9.4%, 14.3%, and 40.0%, respectively, and of cardiac and noncardiac surgery was 0.8%, 2.1%, 2.6%, and 4.0% and 1.3%, 5.1%, 9.1%, and 31.7%, respectively. We assessed the incidence and the predictors of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and serious bleeding event within 30 days from surgery. Cardiac death occurred in 438 patients (2.5%), myocardial infarction in 256 (1.5%), and serious bleeding event in 1099 (6.4%). Surgery increased 1.58× the risk of cardiac death during follow-up. Along with other risk factors, the interplay between stent type and time from percutaneous coronary intervention to surgery was independently associated with cardiac death/myocardial infarction. In comparison with bare-metal stent implanted >12 months before surgery, old-generation drug-eluting stent was associated with higher risk of events at any time point. Conversely, new-generation drug-eluting stent showed similar safety as bare-metal stent >12 months and between 6 and 12 months and appeared trendly safer between 0 and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery is frequent in patients with coronary stents and carries a considerable risk of ischemic and bleeding events. Ischemic risk is inversely related with time from percutaneous coronary intervention to surgery and is influenced by stent type.

[Gender effect on cardiomyopathy]. / "Effetto donna" nelle cardiomiopatie.

The role of a gender effect (that means differences in clinical manifestations, access to therapies and response to treatments according to gender) in cardiomyopathies remains a matter of debate. Although recent studies have evaluated the differences in the clinical features and prognosis between the two sexes, many issues remain to be elucidated. At present, the only sex-specific condition that affects females is peripartum cardiomyopathy. Recent evidence suggests a pathogenetic role of a prolactin derivative, and ongoing clinical trials are investigating the possibility of targeted therapies using prolactin secretion inhibitors, such as bromocriptine and carbegoline. Although women were considered so far only carriers of X-linked diseases (Anderson-Fabry disease, Danon disease, Hunter syndrome and dystrophinopathies), clinical experience showed a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations in females due to random X chromosome inactivation. Conversely, in mitochondrial diseases (with matrilineal inheritance), cardiomyopathies may occur in the context of clinical multisystemic involvement without significant gender-related differences. Autosomal inherited cardiomyopathies also show different phenotypes and prognostic impact according to gender. The hypothesis of a premenopausal protective role of female hormones towards myocardial involvement has been raised by recent data on transtiretin-related amyloidosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Preexisting cardiomyopathies may affect pregnancy, labor and delivery in women, since all these conditions are associated with important hemodynamic changes. Women with low-risk hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (asymptomatic and without left ventricular outflow tract gradient) usually can tolerate pregnancy. Conversely, women who are symptomatic before pregnancy or have severe hypertrophy with important outflow tract gradient are at higher risk and should be referred to a tertiary center to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Pregnancy in women with dilated cardiomyopathy and significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction represents a high-risk condition. In addition, information on the clinical course and potential complications in pregnant women with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy or restrictive cardiomyopathy is limited to individual reports.