Elective or emergency heart transplantation: Cost comparison in a single center.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Heart transplantation (HT) is the treatment of choice for selected cases of advanced heart failure. There is an increasing rate of emergency HT in our country. The aim of this study was to determine the cost of HT in our hospital according to emergent vs. elective transplantation status. METHODS: The costs of all consecutive HTs performed in our center between January 2010 and May 2015 were analyzed. The cost of elective and emergent HT was compared. RESULTS: HT mean cost at our institution was €62 203 ± 47 976. Elective HT mean cost was €47 540 ± 25 140, whereas emergent HT cost was €102 733 ± 68 050 (emergency status 1, as regional priority, was €66 077 ± 28 067 and emergency status 0, as the highest national priority, was €136 056 ± 77 080; P < 0.001). Increased emergent HT cost was mainly related to a longer admission (32 ± 24 days vs. 69 ± 53 days; P = 0.006; accounting for a cost of €14 517 ± 12 475 vs. €37 846 ± 31 702; P < 0.001) and increased drug-related expenses (€6622 ± 7465 vs. €15,171 ± 15,758; P < 0.02). Elective HT survival rate was 96%, compared to 68% for emergent HT; P = 0.002. CONCLUSIONS: Elective HT showed a high survival rate with a relatively low and less variable cost, leading to a favorable economic balance in today's public health reimbursement system. In contrast, emergent HT showed a higher cost and a lower survival rate. New treatment strategies should be identified for heart failure patients at risk of requiring emergency HT.

Assessment of psychosocial factors and predictors of psychopathology in a sample of heart transplantation recipients: a prospective 12-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the last decades, researchers of heart transplantation (HT) programs have attempted to identify the existence of psychosocial factors that might influence the clinical outcome before and after the transplantation. The first objective of this study is the prospective description of changes in psychiatric and psychosocial factors in a sample of HT recipients through a 12-month follow-up. The second goal is to identify predictors of psychopathology 1 year after HT. METHODS: Pretransplant baseline assessment consisted of clinical form; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Structured Clinical Interview; Coping questionnaire (COPE); Five Factors Inventory Revised; Apgar-Family questionnaire and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC). The assessment 1 year after HT consisted of HADS, COPE, Apgar-Family and MHLC. RESULTS: The sample included 78 recipients. During the waiting list period, 32.1% of them had a psychiatric disorder; personality factors profile was similar to the general population, and they showed adaptive coping strategies. Some changes in psychosocial factors were observed at 12 months after the surgery: lower scores of anxiety and depression, less necessity of publicly venting of feelings and a trend to an internal locus of control. Neuroticism and Disengagement pre-HT were predictors of psychopathology in the follow-up assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Pretransplant psychosocial screening is important and enables to find out markers of emotional distress like Neuroticism or Disengagement coping styles to identify patients who might benefit from psychiatric and psychological interventions. Successful HT involved some positive changes in psychosocial factors 12 months after the surgery beyond physical recovery.

Plasma tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1): an independent predictor of poor response to cardiac resynchronization therapy.

AIMS: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) play a role in left ventricular structural remodelling. The aim of our study was to analyse MMP-2 and TIMP-1 levels as predictors of poor response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). METHODS AND RESULTS: A cohort of 42 CRT patients from our centre was prospectively evaluated at baseline and after 12-month follow-up. MMP-2 and TIMP-1 assays were performed prior to CRT implant. Cardiac resynchronization therapy responders were defined as patients who survived, were not transplanted, and increased their basal 6 min walking distance test (6MWDT) by >or=10% or improved their NYHA functional class. Overall, 25 patients (60%) were classed as responders. At 12-month follow-up, six patients (14.2%) had died and one (2.4%) patient had been transplanted. Compared with responders, non-responders had higher levels of TIMP-1 (277 +/- 59 vs. 216 +/- 46 ng/mL, P = 0.001), MMP-2 (325 +/- 115 vs. 258 +/- 56 ng/mL, P = 0.02), and creatinine (1.76 +/- 0.8 vs. 1.25 +/- 0.3 mg/dL, P = 0.01). In a multivariate analysis, TIMP-1 was the only independent predictor of non-response to CRT [OR 0.97, 95% (CI 0.96-0.99) P = 0.005]. TIMP-1>or=248 ng/mL predicted non-response with 71% sensitivity and 72% specificity. CONCLUSION: TIMP-1 is an independent predictor of non-response in patients treated with CRT.

Assessment of peripheral endothelial-dependent vasodilatation within the first year after heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral endothelial dysfunction (ED) has been found in patients with severe heart failure. Whether ED improves after heart transplantation (HTx) is still a matter of controversy. METHODS: Forearm endothelium-dependent vasoreactivity was assessed in 40 patients after HTx. Flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) was measured by high-resolution brachial artery ultrasound to assess endothelial function at 1, 6, and 12 months after HTx. Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) was assessed by coronary angiography at 1 and 12 months and by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) at 1 year. RESULTS: Mean FMD at 1 month was 1.9% +/- 2.6%, improving to 3.3% +/- 3.2% at 6 months (p < 0.005) and to 5.1% +/- 3.4% at 1 year (p < 0.0001). FMD was significantly impaired in 33 patients (82%) at 1 month, in 27 (67%) at 6 months, and in 19 (47%) at 1 year after HTx. CAV was diagnosed by IVUS in 19 patients (63%) at 1 year. Patients without peripheral ED at 1 month had lower incidence of increased intimal thickness of 0.5 mm or more at 1 year after HTx (20% vs 75%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Impairment of peripheral FMD was highly prevalent soon after HTx and was present in nearly 50% of patients at 1 year. Patients without peripheral ED at 1 month were associated with lower probability of CAV. Although more studies are needed, the evaluation of peripheral endothelial function at 1 month after HTx could be potentially useful to identify patients at lower risk of CAV.

[Specialized care program for end-stage heart failure patients. Initial experience in a heart failure unit]. / Programa de atención especializada en la insuficiencia cardíaca terminal. Experiencia piloto de una unidad de insuficiencia cardíaca.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: End-stage heart failure is associated with very high morbidity and mortality. Palliative care has been little studied in affected patients. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Between January 1998 and December 2004, 61 patients with end-stage heart failure participated in a specialized advanced heart failure care program. The program included patient education on advanced heart failure, with day-care and home-care elements, and involved intravenous drug administration when necessary. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 64 (13) years (range 32-87 years), with 92% being male. Their mean ejection fraction was 23 (6%), mean systolic blood pressure 100 (16) mm Hg, mean blood sodium level 137 (4) mEq, mean creatinine level 1.7 (0.8) mg/dL, and mean hemoglobin level 12 (2) mg/dL. The number of hospitalizations, number of days in hospital per admission, and number of emergency room visits in the year before inclusion in the specialized heart failure care program were 5.7 (0.5), 53 (5), and 8.3 (1.1), respectively. After inclusion, these figures decreased significantly to 1.9 (0.2) (P=.0001), 19 (3) (P=.0001), and 1.2 (0.2) (P=.0001), respectively. During a mean follow-up period of 11 (10) months, 28 patients died (47%) and 23 (38%) underwent heart transplantation. In addition, use of the program led to a reduction in healthcare costs. CONCLUSIONS: Although mortality in end-stage heart failure patients remained very high, use of a specialized advanced heart failure care program decreased the number of hospitalizations, days per hospitalization, and emergency room visits, and reduced the cost of care.

Technetium 99m-labeled tetrofosmin and iodine 123-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy in the assessment of transmyocardial laser revascularization.

OBJECTIVE: Transmyocardial laser revascularization is a new technique that improves symptoms in patients with refractory angina not amenable to conventional revascularization. The aim of this study was to assess whether transmyocardial laser revascularization produces changes in innervation, perfusion scintigraphy, or both that could explain the benefit to patients. METHODS: Sixteen patients (12 men and 4 women; mean age, 60 +/- 8 years) with coronary artery disease were studied. Transmyocardial laser revascularization was performed in 39 myocardial areas supplied by a stenotic vessel. A technetium 99m-labeled tetrofosmin stress-rest tomographic scan and iodine 123-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine planar scans were performed before and after transmyocardial laser revascularization (3 and 12 months later) to evaluate myocardial perfusion and innervation. Stress and rest perfusion images were quantified on a polar map. Ischemia uptake was also defined as the difference between rest and stress uptake for each area. Innervation planar images were visually analyzed and semiquantified. RESULTS: A significant decrease in angina class from baseline was observed at 3, 6, and 12 months after transmyocardial laser revascularization (P <.005). A significant decrease in ischemia uptake was also found between the pre-transmyocardial laser revascularization and the post-transmyocardial laser revascularization studies in treated areas (P <.001). A significant improvement in stress myocardial perfusion at 3 and 12 months after transmyocardial laser revascularization was only found in treated areas that were considered ischemic in the pre-transmyocardial laser revascularization study (P <.05). At 3 months, a significant myocardial innervation worsening was observed in treated areas (P <.001), with partial recovery at 12 months (P <.05). CONCLUSION: The transmyocardial laser revascularization mechanism involves both perfusion improvement and denervation, mainly at 3 months, that partially recovered at 12 months.