Quantitative aortography for assessment of aortic regurgitation in the era of percutaneous aortic valve replacement.

Paravalvular leak (PVL) is a shortcoming that can erode the clinical benefits of transcatheter valve replacement (TAVR) and therefore a readily applicable method (aortography) to quantitate PVL objectively and accurately in the interventional suite is appealing to all operators. The ratio between the areas of the time-density curves in the aorta and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT-AR) defines the regurgitation fraction (RF). This technique has been validated in a mock circulation; a single injection in diastole was further tested in porcine and ovine models. In the clinical setting, LVOT-AR was compared with trans-thoracic and trans-oesophageal echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. LVOT-AR > 17% discriminates mild from moderate aortic regurgitation on echocardiography and confers a poor prognosis in multiple registries, and justifies balloon post-dilatation. The LVOT-AR differentiates the individual performances of many old and novel devices and is being used in ongoing randomized trials and registries.

Timely and optimal treatment of patients with STEMI.

Fibrinolysis is recommended in European and US guidelines for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when a strategy of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is associated with ≥120 min delay from first medical contact (FMC), defined as call to the emergency medical services or self-presentation at hospital. Current evidence indicates that reperfusion therapy should be initiated as soon as possible after FMC. However, fibrinolysis cannot be initiated instantaneously at FMC, and PPCI is superior to fibrinolysis in reducing mortality if the extra time needed to perform PPCI instead of fibrinolysis (so-called PCI-related delay) is <120 min. During the past 10 years, the terms 'FMC-to-PPCI delay' and 'PCI-related delay' have been used in guidelines synonymously; however, a distinction should be made between the recommended FMC-to-PPCI delay and the acceptable PCI-related delay. In the future, an ideal recommendation would be to initiate reperfusion as soon as possible, preferably within 120 min of FMC in the case of PPCI. When the expected PCI-related delay is <120 min, PPCI should be the preferred reperfusion strategy, even if the FMC-to-PPCI delay is >120 min. Setting up a health-care system enabling prehospital diagnosis of STEMI with field triage of patients directly to catheterization laboratories at large-volume PCI centres (bypassing local hospitals, coronary care units, emergency departments, and intensive care units) will help to increase the proportion of patients with STEMI who will benefit from PPCI.

Global left ventricular longitudinal systolic strain for early risk assessment in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous intervention.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular systolic function is a key determinant of outcome after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to study speckle-tracking global longitudinal strain (GLS) for early risk evaluation in STEMI and compare it with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), wall motion score index (WMSI), and end-systolic volume index (ESVI). METHODS: Five-hundred seventy-six patients underwent echocardiography ≤24 hours after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for STEMI. The end point was the composite of death, hospitalization with reinfarction, congestive heart failure, or stroke. Associations with outcome were assessed by multivariate Cox regression with adjustment for clinical parameters. Hazard ratios (HRs) for events within the first year are reported per absolute percentage GLS increase. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 24 months, 162 patients experienced at least one event. GLS was associated with the composite end point (adjusted HR, 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.29) and also when controlling for LVEF (adjusted HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.07-1.29) and ESVI (adjusted HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08-1.28). Although WMSI was significantly associated with outcome beyond any association accounted for by GLS, a borderline significant association was found after controlling for WMSI (adjusted HR for GLS, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.21). When GLS or WMSI was known, there was no significant association between LVEF or ESVI and outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In a large population of patients with STEMI, GLS and WMSI were comparable and both superior for early risk assessment compared with volume-based left ventricular function indicators such as LVEF and ESVI. Compared with WMSI, the advantage of GLS is the provision of a semiautomated quantitative measure.