Left Ventricular Mechano-Energetic Efficiency Identifies an Early Impairment of Myocardial Blood Flow in Arterial Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension causes cardiac functional and structural alterations. In hypertensive patients without flow-limiting epicardial coronary artery disease, we investigated possible relationships between positron emission tomography/computed tomography-derived myocardial blood flow (MBF) and echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular (LV) performance, including mechano-energetic efficiency indexed for myocardial mass (MEEi). METHODS: Seventy-eight hypertensive patients without flow-limiting epicardial coronary artery disease underwent echocardiography, including MEEi computation, and cardiac positron emission tomography/computed tomography with assessment of MBF/mass ratio at rest and after stress and myocardial flow reserve. The lowest MEEi tertile (MEEi<0.031 mL/s/g) was compared to the merged second and third tertiles (MEEi≥0.031). RESULTS: Patients in the lowest MEEi tertile were older, had higher systolic blood pressure and body mass index. They also had higher prevalence of LV hypertrophy, whereas lower resting and stress MBF/mass ratio. MEEi was significantly correlated with both resting (r=0.51; P<0.0001) and hyperemic (r=0.54; P<0.0001) MBF/mass ratios, whereas it was not related to myocardial flow reserve. Delta of MBF/mass ratio was lower in the lowest MEEi tertile than in the highest (P<0.0001). In separate multiple linear regression models, after adjusting for sex, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, prevalence of LV hypertrophy, left atrial volume index, and diuretic therapy, the association between LV MEEi and both hyperemic (beta coefficient=0.44; P=0.003) and resting (beta coefficient=0.35; P=0.008) MBF/mass ratio remained significant. CONCLUSIONS: In hypertensive patients without flow-limiting epicardial coronary artery disease, low values of MEEi could detect an early LV dysfunction involving an impairment of both resting and hyperemic MBF/mass ratios. MEEi has the advantage of simpler detection, cheaper costs than positron emission tomography/computed tomography, and a lack of radiation exposure. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT02211365.

Prognostic Stratification of Clinically Stable Patients with Heart Failure by Echocardiographic Pressure/Volume Loop Model.

BACKGROUND: Pressure/volume (P/V) loops provide useful information on left ventricular performance and prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) but do not lend themselves to routine clinical practice. The authors developed a noninvasive method to compute individualized P/V loops to predict adverse clinical outcomes in patients with stable HF, which the authors believe can be used clinically. METHODS: A derivation cohort (n = 443 patients) was used to develop an echocardiography P/V loop model, using brachial arterial pressure and trans-thoracic two-dimensional Doppler echocardiographic data. Each patient's P/V loop was depicted as an irregular pentagon, and a centroid was derived for each loop. The centroid distance (CD) from a reference centroid (derived from 101 healthy control subjects) was computed. This model was prospectively applied to 435 patients who constituted the validation cohort. The study end point was a composite of cardiac death or hospitalization for HF among study patients. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort, CD was threefold greater among patients who experienced adverse events than those who did not. During a follow-up period of 30 months (15-45 months), event rates were 35% (72 of 206 patients) and 12% (29 of 237 patients P < .001), respectively, among patients with CD > 33 mL/mm Hg and those with CD ≤33 mL/mm Hg (prognostic cutoff derived by receiver operating characteristic analysis). Multivariate Cox analysis identified CD as an independent predictor of adverse outcome (hazard ratio, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.03-2.50) independently of left ventricular end-diastolic volume, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and left ventricular ejection fraction. These conclusions were confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The authors propose a method to create a noninvasive P/V loop and its centroid. These data provide useful pathophysiologic and prognostic information in patients with HF.

Static cutoffs or tables for the diagnosis of hypertension? Effect on identification of organ damage in youths with obesity.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recently, the European Society of Cardiology task force released a Consensus document (ESC-CD) on pediatric hypertension (HTN) supporting the use of normative tables (age range 6-16 years) for the diagnosis of HTN, while the Hypertension Canada Guidelines (HTN-CGs) proposed static cutoffs. We aimed to assess the prevalence of HTN by ESC-CD or HTN-CGs and their association with glomerular function and left ventricular (LV) geometry in youths with overweight/obesity (OW/OB). METHODS AND RESULTS: Data of 3446 youths were analyzed. HTN by was defined using normative tables (ESC-CD) or static cutoffs of BP ≥ 120/80 in children (age <12 years) and ≥130/85 mmHg in adolescents (age ≥12 years) (HTN-CGs). Mildly reduced glomerular filtration rate was defined by GFR <90 ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Concentric LV hypertrophy (cLVH) was assessed in 500 youths and defined by LVH and high relative wall thickness as proposed by ESC-CD. Prevalence of HTN was 27.9% by ESC-CD and 22.7% by HTN-CGs. The association with mildly reduced glomerular filtration rate was significant only in hypertensive adolescents classified by HTN-CGs [Odds Ratio (OR), 95%Cl] 2.16 (1.44-3.24), whereas the association with cLVH was significant using both criteria: children OR 2.18 (1.29-3.67) by ESC-CD and 2.27 (1.32-3.89) by HTN-CGs; adolescents OR 2.62 (1.17-5.84) by ESC-CD and 2.83 (1.14-7.02) by HTN-CGs. CONCLUSION: Although static cutoffs may represent a simplification for HTN identification, tables by ESC-CD detect a higher number of hypertensive youths before a clear appearance of glomerular impairment, which offers advantages in terms of primary cardiovascular prevention.

Left Ventricular Mass in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Assessed by 2D-Echocardiography: Validation with Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

We aim to validate echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) mass (echoLVM) in sixty-one patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), using cardiac magnetic resonance measures (cmrLVM) as gold standard. cmrLVM was calculated using LV short-axis images, from base to apex, whereas echoLVM by LV epicardial minus LV endocardial volumes in 4 and 2 chamber views, using Simpson disk summation; trabeculae and papillary muscle were excluded in both cmrLVM and echoLVM. cmrLVM and echoLVM were not different by paired t test (145 ± 66 vs 147 ± 61; p = 0.240), and their correlation was good (r = 0.977; p < 0.0001). Intraclass correlation demonstrated reliability of echoLVM with cmrLVM (ρ = 0.987; Cls = 0.978-0.992; p < 0.0001). LV end-diastolic volume was higher by CMR than that by echo (137 ± 33 vs 85 ± 28 mL, p < 0.0001), resulting in a lower mass/volume ratio (1.1 ± 0.4 vs 1.8 ± 0.8, p < 0.0001). EchoLVM may be determined in patients with HCM. However, mass/volume ratio is higher by echocardiography than that by CMR.

Echocardiography in Low-Risk Hypertensive Patients.

Background It is debated whether echocardiography should be part of the diagnostic workup in all hypertensive patients. We identified some factors potentially associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) at echocardiography in untreated hypertensive patients. Methods and Results We studied 2150 patients without LVH at ECG. All patients underwent standard 12-lead ECG and echocardiography. Mean age was 48.7 years, and mean office blood pressure was 154/97 mm Hg. Prevalence of echocardiographic LVH (LV mass >47.0 g/m2.7 in women and >50.0 g/m2.7 in men) was 37.1%. We developed a nomogram based on 7 items (age, smoking, body mass index, office systolic and diastolic blood pressure, Cornell voltage, and chronic kidney disease) on the basis of a multivariable logistic regression analysis. We internally validated the model by bootstrap recalibration and obtained a calibration curve to assess agreement in the validation data set. Probability of LVH at echocardiography ranged from <10% (score, ≤100 points) to >90% (score, ≥180 points). Proportion of patients with LVH progressively increased with the total score (χ2=444.8; P<0.001). Prevalence of LVH was <2% and 90% at the lower 5th and upper 95th percentile of its distribution, respectively. Conclusions We developed and validated a novel score to assess the probability of LVH at echocardiography in hypertensive patients without LVH at ECG. The score may guide the appropriateness of echocardiographic study in low-risk hypertensive patients. Echocardiography appears most appropriate for score values >136 in men and >124 in women.

Depressed Myocardial Energetic Efficiency Increases Risk of Incident Heart Failure: The Strong Heart Study.

An estimation of myocardial mechano-energetic efficiency (MEE) per unit of left ventricular (LV) mass (MEEi) can significantly predict composite cardiovascular (CV) events in treated hypertensive patients with normal ejection fraction (EF), after adjustment for LV hypertrophy (LVH). We have tested whether MEEi predicts incident heart failure (HF), after adjustment for LVH, in the population-based cohort of a "Strong Heart Study" (SHS) with normal EF. We included 1,912 SHS participants (age 59 ± 8 years; 64% women) with preserved EF (≥50%) and without prevalent CV disease. MEE was estimated as the ratio of stroke work to the "double product" of heart rate times systolic blood pressure. MEEi was calculated as MEE/LV mass, and analyzed in quartiles. During a follow-up study of 9.2 ± 2.3 years, 126 participants developed HF (7%). HF was preceded by acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in 94 participants. A Kaplan-Meier plot, in quartiles of MEEi, demonstrated significant differences, substantially due to the deviation of the lowest quartile (p < 0.0001). Using AMI as a competing risk event, sequential models of Cox regression for incident HF (including significant confounders), demonstrated that low MEEi predicted incident HF not due to AMI (p = 0.026), after adjustment for significant effect of age, LVH, prolonged LV relaxation, diabetes, and smoking habits with negligible effects for sex, hypertension, antihypertensive therapy, obesity, and hyperlipemia. Low LV mechano-energetic efficiency per unit of LVM, is a predictor of incident, non-AMI related, HF in subjects with initially normal EF.

Severity of Coronary Atherosclerosis and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Cardio-vascular target organ damage predicts the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in hypertensive patients. Whether an increased incidence of DM is also in relation to the severity of coronary atherosclerosis is unknown. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the onset of DM in relation to the extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis, using the SYNTAX (Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) score (SS), in patients with stable angina or acute coronary syndromes, referred for coronary angiography (CA). METHODS: Non-diabetic patients that underwent CA for the first time were included, and the SS was computed. Predictors of DM onset in low, medium, and high SSs were investigated. RESULTS: Five hundred and seventy patients were included, and the mean SS was 6.3 ± 7.6. During a median follow-up of 79 months (interquartile range (IQR): 67-94), 74 patients (13%) developed DM. The risk of DM onset was significantly higher in the patients with a medium or high SS (hazard ratio (HR)-95% confidence interval (CI): 16 (4-61), p < 0.0001; and 30 (9-105), p < 0.0001, vs low SS, respectively), even after adjustment for obesity, history of hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, and cardiovascular therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The severity and extent of the coronary atherosclerosis, evaluated by the SS, is a strong and independent predictor of the development of DM in patients, referred to CA.

Achievement of target SBP without attention to decrease in DBP can increase cardiovascular morbidity in treated arterial hypertension: the Campania Salute Network.

OBJECTIVES: Results of the SPRINT study have influenced recent guidelines on arterial hypertension, in the identification of target SBP, but scarce attention has been paid to the consequences on DBP. However, there is evidence that reducing DBP too much can be harmful. METHODS: We analyzed outcome in 4005 treated hypertensive patients (22% obesity, 8% diabetes and 21% current smoking habit) with target attended office SBP less than 140 mmHg, in relation to quintiles of DBP, cardiovascular risk profile and target organ damage (LV hypertrophy, carotid plaque and left atrial dilatation). Composite fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular event was the outcome variable in this analysis (stroke and myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, heart failure requiring hospitalization, transient ischemic attack, myocardial revascularization, de novo angina, carotid stenting and atrial fibrillation). RESULTS: Lower DBP was associated with greater proportion of women and diabetes, older age, decline in kidney function and greater values of LV mass index and left atrial volume and greater prevalence of carotid plaque (all 0.04 < P < 0.0001). The lowest quintile of DBP (74.1 ±â€Š3.7 mmHg) was associated with 1.49 higher hazard of composite cardiovascular events, independently of significant effect of older age, female sex, LV hypertrophy and borderline effect of left atrial dilatation (0.04 < P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Increased risk associated with aggressive reduction of DBP should be balanced with the advantage of reducing aggressively SBP to predict the net benefit of antihypertensive treatment, especially in the oldest old individuals.

Impact of the 2017 Blood Pressure Guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics in overweight/obese youth.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the impact of the European Society of Hypertension Guidelines 2016 (ESHG2016) and the American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines 2017 (AAPG2017) on the screening of hypertension and classification of abnormal left ventricular geometry (ALVG) in overweight/obese youth. METHODS: This study included 6137 overweight/obese youth; 437 had echocardiographic assessment. Hypertension was defined using either ESHG2016 or AAPG2017. ALVG was defined using 95th percentile for age and sex of left ventricular mass index (LVMi) and/or relative wall thickness (RWT) more than 0.38 (juvenile cut-offs) according to ESHG2016 or LVMi more than 51 g/h and/or RWT more than 0.42 (adult cut-offs) according to AAPG2017. RESULTS: Prevalence of youth at a high risk of hypertension was 13% higher using AAPG2017 than ESHG2016. The increase was larger in overweight youth at least 13 years of age (+43%). Using the juvenile cut-offs for ALVG, youth at a high risk of hypertension by ESHG2016 had an odds ratio [95% confidence interval (95% CI)] of 3.03 (1.31-7.05) for left ventricular concentric remodelling (LVcr) and 2.53 (1.43-4.47) for concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (cLVH) as compared with youth with normal LVG. Similarly, in youth at a high risk of hypertension by AAPG2017, the odds ratio for LVcr was 3.28 (1.45-7.41, P < 0.001) and 3.02 (95% CI: 1.73-5.27, P < 0.001) for cLVH. Using the adult cut-offs, no significant difference in ALVG was found with both guidelines. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight/obese youth at a high risk of hypertension increased by 13% comparing AAPG2017 vs. ESHG2016. The juvenile cut-offs for ALVG were more effective than the adult criteria in intercepting individuals with a potentially higher cardiovascular risk.

A challenging diagnosis of dyspnea: A case report of contralateral reexpansion pulmonary edema.

Reexpansion pulmonary edema (RPE) is an uncommon complication of thoracentesis or chest drainage. It occurs in the ipsilateral or contralateral lung. Causes, pathogenesis and therapy are not well understood especially for contralateral RPE. We describe a case of fatal contralateral RPE in a 59-years-old woman with right lung cancer underwent ultrasound-guided thoracentesis for massive pleural effusion and severe dyspnea. Pathogenesis of contralateral RPE is probably multifactorial and in this case is mostly due to the overperfusion of the healthy lung and consequent capillary damage. The right therapy for this condition is not known.

Relationship between plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and hypertension in American Indians: findings from the Strong Heart Study.

OBJECTIVES: Deficient plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) prevented hypertension in mice. Plasma PAI-1 was associated with hypertension in cross-sectional analyses, but the prospective association of PAI-1 with incident hypertension in large epidemiological studies is scarce. METHODS: Leveraging two longitudinal cohorts of American Indians in the Strong Heart Study (SHS, N = 1019) and the Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS, N = 1502), we examined the prospective association of plasma PAI-1 with incident hypertension by multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, study site, smoking, drinking, dietary sodium, obesity, lipids, fasting glucose, kidney function, inflammation, and follow-up years. Family relatedness in the SHFS was accounted for using the GLIMMIX procedure. Plasma PAI-1 level at baseline was measured by immunoassay. All participants were free of hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney disease at baseline. RESULTS: A total of 305 and 258 participants, respectively, from the SHS (57 ±â€Š7 years) and the SHFS (33 ±â€Š13 years) developed incident hypertension during follow-up. In the SHS, higher level of log-transformed PAI-1 was associated with 1.35-fold increased risk of hypertension [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval): 1.35 (1.06-1.72)]. Analysis using categorical PAI-1 (in tertiles) showed that participants in the highest tertile (≥58 ng/ml) had 63% increased risk for hypertension [OR = 1.63 (1.12-2.37)] compared with those in the lowest tertile (<33 ng/ml). This association was confirmed in the SHFS with similar effect sizes [OR = 1.41 (1.11-1.81) for log-transformed PAI-1; OR = 1.64 (1.08-2.50) for categorical PAI-1: ≥58 vs. <33 ng/ml]. CONCLUSION: A higher level of plasma PAI-1 is significantly associated with hypertension in American Indians, independent of established risk factors. The potential causality warrants further investigation.

2D and 3D strain for detection of subclinical anthracycline cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients: a balance with feasibility.

AIMS: 2D echocardiography is limited for identifying chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity. This study compared standard echo, 2D, and 3D speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) for detection of subclinical anthracycline (ANT) cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: One-hundred consecutive breast cancer patients free of cardiac symptoms were treated by multiple protocols including ANT and cyclophosphamide and/or 5-fluorouracil for 3-4 cycles. Both before and after treatment, patients underwent standard echo, 2D STE-derived left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS), 3D volumetric echo and 3D STE with measurements of GLS, global circumferential strain (GCS), global area strain (GAS), and global radial strain (GRS). The follow-up period from the beginning of cancer therapy was 129 ± 18 days. All patients completed the chemotherapy cycles, without experiencing symptoms/signs of heart failure. 2D ejection fraction (EF) was not significantly changed after treatment, whereas E/e' ratio was higher than baseline (from 6.9 ± 2.2 to 7.3 ± 2.1, P = 0.006). 2D GLS was reduced after treatment (from -22.2 ± 2.3% to - 20.1 ± 6.6%, P = 0.004). 3D derived LV end-systolic volume was increased (P < 0.01) and 3D EF (from 62.4 ± 6.5% to 60.3 ± 7.3%, P < 0.01), 3D GLS (P < 0.001) GRS (P < 0.002), GCS, and GAS (both P < 0.0001) were reduced after ANT. Post-ANT 2D GLS was feasible in 90%, 3D EF in 66%, and 3D STE in 60% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates potential superiority but also suboptimal feasibility of 3D EF and 3D strain in diagnosing subclinical ANT cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients. 2D GLS is superior to standard echo and presents a good feasibility. E/e' ratio also offers advantages in revealing cardiotoxicity.

Influence of Left Ventricular Stroke Volume on Incident Heart Failure in a Population With Preserved Ejection Fraction (from the Strong Heart Study).

At a given level of left ventricular (LV) systolic function, LV pump performance (assessed by stroke index [SVi]) may differ, depending on LV size. We evaluated whether low SVi may be considered a marker of risk for incident congestive heart failure (HF), independent of LV geometry and systolic function, assessed by ejection fraction (EF) or midwall fractional shortening (MFS), in a large population-based sample with normal EF. Clinical and echocardiographic data from the second Strong Heart Study (SHS) examination, including 2,885 American Indians (59 ± 8 years; 63% women) with normal EF (EF ≥51% in men and EF ≥55% in women) and without prevalent HF or significant valve disease, were analyzed. Low SVi was defined as SVi ≤22 ml/m2.04. Low SVi was more common among men and associated with lower body mass index, systolic blood pressure, LV mass index, left atrial dimension, EF, and MFS and with higher relative wall thickness. During a mean 12-year follow-up, 209 participants developed HF and 246 had acute myocardial infarction. In Cox regression analysis, low SVi was associated with higher risk of incident HF (hazard ratio 1.38; 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.80), independently of age, gender, body mass index, heart rate, hypertension, prevalent cardiovascular disease, left atrial dimension index, LV mass index, LV concentric geometry, EF or MFS, and abnormal wall motion, also accounting for myocardial infarction as a competing risk event. In conclusion, in the SHS, low SVi was associated with higher incident rate of HF, independently of LV geometry and systolic function and other major confounders.

Aortic root dimension and arterial stiffness in arterial hypertension: the Campania Salute Network.

OBJECTIVES: The relation between aortic root dimension (ARD) and measures of arterial stiffness is uncertain. Accordingly, we studied the relation between ARD and an estimate of arterial stiffness in 12 392 hypertensive patients (age 53 ±â€Š12 years, 43% women) free of prevalent cardiovascular disease and with ejection fraction at least 50%, from the Campania Salute Network Registry. METHODS: Echocardiographic ARD was measured and compared with the value predicted by age, sex and height by using a z-score. Arterial stiffness was assessed by the pulse pressure/stroke index. The highest population tertile of pulse pressure/stroke index was considered 'high arterial stiffness'. RESULTS: High arterial stiffness was more common in women than in men (P < 0.001) and associated with older age, diabetes, longer duration of hypertension and less frequent smoking habit (all P less than 0.01). Patients with high arterial stiffness had smaller ARD, higher carotid intima-media thickness and plasma cholesterol, and lower BMI and glomerular filtration rate (all P less than 0.01). In multivariable logistic analysis, high arterial stiffness was associated with both lower ARD z-score [OR 0.83 (95% confidence interval 0.79-0.88)] and higher carotid intima-media thickness [OR 1.36 (95% confidence interval 1.26-1.47); both P less than 0.0001], independent of significant associations with age, female sex, body size, DBP, heart rate, duration of hypertension, diabetes and smoking habit. CONCLUSION: Small ARD, together with atherosclerotic modifications of conduit arteries, is associated with increased 2-element Windkessel model of arterial stiffness in hypertension, independently of the significant effect of confounders.

Development of new atherosclerotic plaque in hypertensive patients: an observational registry study from the Campania-Salute network.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Carotid atherosclerotic plaques (CAPs) can develop despite appropriate antihypertensive therapy. In this observational study, we assessed characteristics associated with risk of incident CAP in a large hypertensive registry. METHODS: We evaluated 2143 hypertensive patients without evidence of CAP. Incident CAP was censored at the time of the first ultrasound control in which CAP was detected. CAP was defined according to European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology guidelines. RESULTS: At a median follow-up period of 56.6 months, about one-third of patients (32%; N = 688) exhibited new CAP. Those patients were older, more frequently smokers, diabetic, more often with metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease (CKD), longer hypertension history, higher baseline SBP, pulse pressure (PP), fasting glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides, greater left ventricular mass index, higher PP/stroke index ratio and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT; all P < 0.05). In-treatment BP control was similar in both groups. In multivariable Cox regression, CAP was predicted by older age, diabetes, smoking habit, CKD and higher value of initial IMT (all P < 0.02), independently of BP control during follow-up, antihypertensive therapy and other confounders. CONCLUSION: In this registry of treated hypertensive patients, after adjusting for age and other confounders, risk of incident CAP did not depend on BP control and type of antihypertensive therapy, whereas it was independently related to the magnitude of initial IMT, independently of significant effect of prevalent diabetes and smoking habit. These findings suggest that antihypertensive treatment strategy to stop progression of cardiovascular disease might be difficult to achieve, once target organ damage is established.

Early markers of right heart involvement in regular smokers by Pocket Size Imaging Device.

PURPOSE: To test the diagnostic power of Pocket Size Imaging Device (PSID) in detecting early signs of right heart (RH) involvement in regular smokers (RS) free of overt cardiac involvement. METHODS: One-hundred-forty-three regular smokers and 51 healthy controls, comparable for age and sex, underwent physical exam (PE), PSID exam and standard echocardiography. Based on a simplified Boston score, ≥1 of clinical signs (jugular venous distension, hepatomegaly, peripheral pitting oedema and abnormal pulmonary sounds) were considered indicative of RH involvement. A composite score (1 to 4) obtained by summing the points of four quantitative RH abnormalities detectable by PSID (inferior vena cava [IVC] dilatation, reduced IVC respiratory variation, right ventricular dilatation and right atrial dilatation), was generated and ≥1 of PSID abnormal signs was considered indicative of RH involvement. RESULTS: Boston score was not significantly different between the two groups. By using PSID, smokers exhibited greater IVC diameter (p < 0.0001), right atrial diameter (p < 0.002) and higher PSID score (p < 0.005) than controls. Compared to PE, the additional diagnostic power of PSID (≥1 abnormal sign of both Boston and PSID score) was 44.9% in smokers. By dividing smokers in tertiles according to number of cigarettes per day, the third tertile showed the largest values of both IVC and right atrial dimension. Differences were confirmed by standard echocardiography. Reproducibility of PSID measurements and concordance of linear measurements between PSID and standard echo measurements was very good except for concordance of right ventricular basal diameter. CONCLUSIONS: PSID detects early ultrasound signs of RH involvement in regular otherwise healthy smokers in comparison with PE.

Parallel improvement of left ventricular geometry and filling pressure after transcatheter aortic valve implantation in high risk aortic stenosis: comparison with major prosthetic surgery by standard echo Doppler evaluation.

PURPOSE: The effect of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) on left ventricular (LV) geometry and function was compared to traditional aortic replacement (AVR) by major surgery. METHODS: 45 patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing TAVI and 33 AVR were assessed by standard echo Doppler the day before and 2 months after the implantation. 2D echocardiograms were performed to measure left ventricular (LV) mass index (LVMi), relative wall thickness (RWT), ejection fraction (EF) and the ratio between transmitral E velocity and early diastolic velocity of mitral annulus (E/e' ratio). Valvular-arterial impedance (Zva) was also calculated. RESULTS: At baseline, the 2 groups were comparable for blood pressure, heart rate, body mass index mean transvalvular gradient and aortic valve area. TAVI patients were older (p<0.0001) and had greater LVMi (p<0.005) than AVR group. After 2 months, both the procedures induced a significant reduction of transvalvular gradient and Zva but the decrease of LVMi and RWT was significant greater after TAVI (both p<0.0001). E/e' ratio and EF were significantly improved after both the procedure but E/e' reduction was greater after TAVI (p<0.0001). TAVI exhibited greater percent reduction in mean transvalvular gradient (p<0.05), Zva (p<0.02), LVMi (p<0.0001), RWT (p<0.0001) and E/e' ratio (p<0.0001) than AVR patients. Reduction of E/e' ratio was positively related with reduction of RWT (r = 0.46, p<0.002) only in TAVI group, even after adjusting for age and percent reduction of Zva (r =0.43, p<0.005). CONCLUSIONS: TAVI induces a greater improvement of estimated LV filling pressure in comparison with major prosthetic surgery, due to more pronounced recovery of LV geometry, independent on age and changes of hemodynamic load.

Insulin resistance, incident cardiovascular diseases, and decreased kidney function among nondiabetic American Indians: the Strong Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE: Prevalence of insulin resistance is high in the American Indian population, likely as a result of the high prevalence of obesity. This condition may be influential for clinical outcomes such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and decreased kidney function. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Normal glucose tolerant (NGT) participants free of hypertension and CVD at the baseline examination (1989-1992) (N=964) of the Strong Heart Study were selected to explore the cross-sectional association between insulin resistance quantified by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and demographic, behavioral, and cardiometabolic variables. The longitudinal association between baseline HOMA-IR and the development of CVD was also explored. The longitudinal association between baseline HOMA-IR and the development of high urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio was explored among nondiabetic participants (N=1,401). RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, HOMA-IR was associated with sex, residence location, smoking, and high-risk cardiometabolic profile. Prospectively, insulin resistance is associated with the development of CVD and decreased kidney function in this population. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin resistance may have an important role in the pathogenesis of CVD and chronic kidney disease. Since obesity contributes to the development of insulin resistance, intervention focusing on modifiable factors such as physical activity and weight control may reduce the development of these diseases.

Mitral annular calcification and incident ischemic stroke in treated hypertensive patients: the LIFE study.

Background Fibro-calcification of the mitral annulus (MAC) has been associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke in general populations. This study was performed to assess whether MAC predicts incidence of ischemic stroke in treated hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Methods Baseline and follow-up clinical and echocardiographic parameters were assessed in 939 hypertensive patients with electrocardiogram (ECG) LVH participating in the Losartan Intervention for Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) echocardiography substudy (66±7 years; 42% women; 11% with diabetes) who did not have aortic or mitral valve stenosis or prosthesis. Results MAC was found in 458 patients (49%). Patients with MAC were older (68±7 vs. 65±7 years); were more often women (47% vs. 37%); had higher baseline systolic blood pressure (BP) (175±14 vs. 172±15mm Hg), left atrial diameter (4.0±0.5 vs. 3.8±0.6cm), and left ventricular mass index (58±13 vs. 55±12g/m(2.7)) and included more patients with proteinuria (30% vs. 21%; all P < 0.01). During a mean follow-up of 4.8 years, 58 participants had an ischemic stroke. Risk of incident ischemic stroke was significantly related to presence of MAC (log rank = 9; P < 0.01). In multivariable Cox regression analysis models, MAC was associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio = 1.78-2.35), independent of age, baseline or time-varying systolic BP, prevalence or incidence of atrial fibrillation, history of previous cerebrovascular disease, and other well-recognized confounders, such as sex, time-varying left ventricular mass, left atrial diameter, and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (all P < 0.05). Conclusions MAC is common in treated hypertensive patients with ECG LVH and is an independent predictor of incident ischemic stroke.

Effect of bariatric surgery on left ventricular geometry and function in severe obesity.

OBJECTIVE: Weight loss improves cardiac abnormalities associated with severe obesity. We evaluated the impact of weight loss following laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGBP) on left ventricular (LV) geometry and function in obese patients. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with severe obesity (41 ± 8 years, 50% women) underwent Doppler echocardiograms before and after LGBP, to measure LV geometry, excess of LV mass relative to hemodynamic load and systolic and diastolic function. RESULTS: Pre-operatively, 85% of patients exhibited LVH, and 62% hypertension and metabolic syndrome, reflecting high cardiometabolic risk. After 8 ± 4 months of follow-up, the average weight loss was 19 ± 8%. Weight loss was significantly associated with improved metabolic parameters and reduced heart rate (-9 bpm), systolic (-11 mmHg) and diastolic (-6 mmHg) blood pressure (all p < 0.02). After surgery, there was significant reduction in relative wall thickness (0.43 ± 0.07 versus 0.39 ± 0.06), LV mass index (63 ± 14 g/m(2.7) versus 49 ± 10 g/m(2.7)) and excess of LV mass in relation to hemodynamic load (all p < 0.004). LVH remained in 54% of patients, hypertension in 23% and metabolic syndrome in 27%. Ejection fraction and Doppler indices of diastolic function did not change significantly, even after adjusting for changes in heart rate. All favorable changes in LV geometry and function were also confirmed in the subgroup with <9 month follow-up (median), whereas no further improvement could be detected in patients with longer follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In patient with severe obesity, LV geometry and systolic function improved rapidly after LGBP, without evidence of further improvement during prolonged follow-up.