Predictors of non-obstructive coronary slow flow in poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary slow flow (CSF) can occur due to various factors, such as inflammation, small vessel disease, endothelial dysfunction, and inadequate glucose control. However, the exact pathological mechanisms behind CSF remain incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with slow coronary flow in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) who have non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and experience CSF. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study involving 120 patients with T2DM who were referred for invasive coronary angiography due to typical chest pain or inconclusive results from non-invasive tests for myocardial ischemia. Using a 2 × 2 design, we categorized patients into groups based on their glycemic control (adequate or poor) and the presence of CSF (yes or no), defined by a TIMI frame count > 27. All patients had non-obstructive CAD, characterized by diameter stenosis of less than 40%. We identified many variables associated with CSF. RESULTS: Our investigation revealed no significant differences in age, sex, family history of coronary artery disease, ECG ischemia abnormalities, or echocardiographic (ECHO) data between the groups. In patients with adequate glycemic control, hypertension increased the risk of CSF by 5.33 times, smoking by 3.2 times, while dyslipidemia decreased the risk by 0.142. Additionally, hematocrit increased the risk by 2.3, and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) increased the risk by 1.053. Among patients with poor glycemic control, hematocrit increased the risk by 2.63, and the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) by 24.6. Notably, NLR was positively correlated with glycemic control parameters in T2DM patients with CSF. CONCLUSIONS: In T2DM patients with CSF, various factors strongly correlate with glycemic control parameters and can be employed to predict the likelihood of CSF. These factors encompass hypertension, smoking, increased body mass index (BMI), elevated platelet count, hematocrit, NLR, PLR, and C-reactive protein (CRP). TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: ZU-IRB (ZU-IRB#9419-3-4-2022), Registered on: 3 April 2022, Email: IRB_123@medicine.zu.edu.eg.

Early right ventricular dysfunction after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in anterior versus isolated inferior myocardial infarction assessed by tissue Doppler imaging and speckle tracking echocardiography.

This study hypothesized that imaging provides information indicating the right ventricular (RV) involvement after anterior or inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), beyond standard electrocardiogram (ECG) due to the increasing interest in RV function and assessment techniques. This study aimed to compare RV function between anterior and inferior MI without RV involvement using different echocardiographic modalities. This study included 100 patients with anterior (50 patients) and inferior (50 patients) STEMI, who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) and two-dimensional echocardiographic imaging within 24 h after PPCI with RV function analysis by left ventricular (LV) infarct size, LV filling pressure, and RV strain rate. Our primary endpoint was the subclinical RV dysfunction in anterior or inferior MI using tissue Doppler and speckle tracking (STE). The study population included 80 (80%) males and 20 (20%) females. Patients with the anterior STEMI had higher mean creatine kinase-MB (CKMB) and troponin than those with inferior STEMI. This study revealed worse RV dysfunction in patients with anterior than those with inferior STEMI, as reflected by significantly lower RV systolic function, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (p ≤ 0.0001), tissue Doppler-derived velocity (p ≤ 0.0001), and STE-derived strain magnitude and rate (p ≤ 0.0001). RV dysfunction occurs in patients without ECG evidence of RV STEMI. RV dysfunction is worse in anterior than inferior MI. Moreover, RV systolic functions were affected by declined LV ejection fraction irrespective of the infarction site, which clinically implies prognostic, treatment, survival rate, and outcome improvement between both conditions. (Trial registration ZU-IRB#:4142/26-12-2017 Registered 26 December 2017, email: IRB_123@medicine.zu.edu.eg).

Relationship between inflammatory markers and coronary slow flow in type 2 diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a serious and quickly expanding global health problem. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Coronary slow flow (CSF) is characterised by delayed distal perfusion during coronary angiography with normal coronary arteries. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between CSF and inflammatory markers regarding glycemic status in T2DM. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 120 patients who were divided equally into 4 groups according to their glycemic control and presence or absence of coronary slow flow: Group I included patients with T2DM with good glycemic control without CSF; Group II included patients with T2DM with good glycemic control and CSF; Group III included patients with T2DM with poor glycemic control without CSF; and Group IV included patients with T2DM with poor glycemic control and CSF. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), platelets, hematocrit, and haemoglobin were also evaluated as risk factors for coronary slow flow. RESULTS: This study showed that body mass index (BMI), hematocrit level, NLR, and CRP demonstrated a moderate but significant correlation (r = 0.53) with CSF in poorly controlled T2DM. NLR cutoff > 2.1 could predict CSF in poorly controlled T2DM with a modest sensitivity and specificity. A 1.9 increase in HbA1c increases the likelihood of coronary slow flow. Dylipidemia increases the likelihood of coronary slow flow by 0.18 times. Other predictors for coronary slow flow include NLR, PLR, CRP, platelets, hematocrit, and hemoglobin. The effect of the predictors is still statistically significant after being adjusted for glycemic status, age, and sex (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Poor glycemic control increases the incidence of CSF. This supports the hypothesis that CSF is related to endothelial dysfunction as poor glycemic control causes endothelial dysfunction due to inflammation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ZU-IRB#9419-3-4-2022 Registered 3 April 2022, email.  IRB_123@medicine.zu.edu.eg .

Predictors of myocardial functional recovery following successful reperfusion of acute ST elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Following acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), restoration of large-vessel patency does not mean complete perfusion recovery. Little is known regarding the predictors of successful myocardial reperfusion for the STEMI patients undergoing pharmacologic and mechanical reperfusion strategies. AIM OF THE WORK: The aim of this clinical study was to find out the predictors of myocardial functional recovery following reperfusion of acute STEMI, represented by 3-month global longitudinal strain (GLS) value assessed by speckle tracking echocardiography. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study population included 400 patients presented with first acute STEMI with successful reperfusion by thrombolysis (group I) or primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) (group II). Electrocardiography (ECG) at baseline and 90 minutes after coronary reperfusion was performed with assessment of ST resolution. Basal and 3-month follow-up echocardiography was performed with assessment of ejection fraction (EF), myocardial performance index (MPI), systolic myocardial excursion (S'), and GLS. RESULTS: There was nonsignificant difference between patients of both groups regarding age (P = 0.422) and gender (P = 0.272). Also, there was a nonsignificant difference between both groups regarding the risk factors of coronary artery disease like hypertension (P = 0.511), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.332), and smoking (P = 0.381). But there was significant statistical difference between both groups regarding dyslipidemia (P = 0.012). Ninety-minute ST resolution was significantly higher in PPCI group (P = 0.042). Moreover, PPCI group had significant improvement of EF (P = 0.013) during follow-up, and highly significant improvement of MPI, S' and GLS (P Ë‚ 0.001) compared to the basal echocardiographic study. The percentage of change (∆) of each of the echocardiographic parameter was compared between both groups and revealed statistically significant improvement regarding EF, highly significant improvement of MPI, S' and GLS in favor of PPCI arm (group II). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that pain to reperfusion time, MI territory, ST resolution, and basal GLS value are the most important predictors for LV functional recovery. CONCLUSION: The study found pain to reperfusion time, MI territory, ST resolution, basal GLS value are the most important predictors of myocardial functional recovery. Regular follow-up with echocardiography for STEMI patients with different reperfusion strategies has informative impact on long-term clinical outcome. Also the study confirmed that PPCI is better than thrombolysis not only in restoring epicardial coronary flow but also in restoring microvascular and tissue perfusion assuring better myocardial functional recovery and better long-term clinical outcomes.

Coronary slow flow and its correlation with reduced left ventricle global longitudinal strain: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Coronary slow flow (CSF) often links to inflammation and endothelial function disturbance. While conventional ejection fraction measurements fall short in identifying myocardial dysfunction, left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) has shown superior efficacy in this regard. Our study aimed to explore subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction by assessing LV GLS in patients diagnosed with coronary slow flow (CSF). METHODS: The study included sixty patients with CSF and sixty control individuals without CSF. Coronary angiography employed the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) frame count (TFC) to identify CSF. LV GLS values were evaluated and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Significantly reduced LV GLS was evident in the CSF group compared to the control group (- 16.18 ± 1.25 vs. - 19.34 ± 1.33, p < 0.001). A notable correlation (r = 0.492, p < 0.001) between LV GLS and TFC was observed in the CSF group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis highlighted reduced LV-GLS (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.57-3.09, p < 0.001) and smoking (OR 11.55, 95% CI 3.24-41.2, p < 0.001) as significant predictors for CSF presence. The receiver operating characteristic curve established that an LV GLS value of ≥ - 17.8% accurately predicted the presence of CSF (AUC: 0.958, 95% CI: 0.924-0.991, p < 0.001) with 90% specificity and 91.7% sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that reduced LV GLS is associated with CSF presence, offering a valuable means to early detect subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction in high-risk patients susceptible to heart failure. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ZU-IRB#7038/12-7-2021 Registered 12 July 2021, email: IRB_123@medicine.zu.edu.eg.

Subclinical Impairment of Left Ventricular Function assessed by Speckle Tracking in Type 2 Diabetic Obese and Non-Obese Patients: Case Control Study.

Objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and obesity are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, so early prediction of LV dysfunction carries better prognosis. So our aim was to assess the subclinical LV dysfunction in type 2 diabetic obese and non-obese patients using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE). Materials and Methods: We studied 93 patients, including two groups of 31 each with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), divided by body mass index (BMI), and 31 non-diabetic non-obese controls. All these subjects underwent two-dimensional Echo (2DE) imaging with analysis of conventional parameters of systolic and diastolic function, as well as speckle tracking echocardiography s (STE) analysis of LV global and regional longitudinal strain. Results: We reported significant inter-group differences in parameters of diastolic function, but no significant differences in ejection fraction or fractional shortening. Nevertheless, we found significant differences in strain, which we interpreted as evidence of subclinical systolic dysfunction. Conclusion: 2DSTE is better than basic echocardiographic measurements in assessment of subclinical LV dysfunction in type 2 diabetic obese and non-obese patients which can be used to predict cardiomyopathic changes in the earlier course of type 2 DM and start earlier treatment with better prognosis.

Myocardial deformation indices for detection of the functional significance of intermediate left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis: FFR guided study.

This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of non-invasive resting myocardial deformation indices in identifying functional significance of intermediate stenosis of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. Patients with 50-70% LAD stenosis upon coronary angiography were enrolled and divided into group I with fractional flow reserve (FFR) > 0.8 and group II with FFR ≤ 0.8. Patients were subjected to conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography with measurement of myocardial deformation indices including regional peak longitudinal strain (PLS), global longitudinal strain (GLS), Post-systolic strain index (PSI), and time interval between Aortic valve closure (AVC) and PLS. The current study included 200 patients. Group II patients had significantly lower absolute mean values of regional (PLS) and (GLS) compared to group I (- 14.98 ± 5.05 and - 18.73 ± 3.92 vs. - 17.59 ± 3.62 and - 19.20 ± 2.61, p = 0.001 and 0.02, respectively). The FFR values of LAD correlated significantly and negatively with the time interval between AVC and regional PLS (r = - 0.201, p = 0.004) as well as PSI (r = - 0.257, p < 0.001). For identifying cases with FFR ≤ 0.8, the optimal cut-off value of the time interval between AVC and PLS was 76 ms with 77.8% sensitivity and 93.8% specificity. The best cut-off value of PSI was 13%, yielding 50% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity. In patients with intermediate 50-70% LAD coronary artery stenotic lesions, the PSI and the duration between AVC and regional PLS enabled the identification of functionally significant lesions with reasonable diagnostic accuracy.Trial registration ZU-IRB#3199-20-11-2015 Registered 20 November 2015, IRB_123@medicine.zu.edu.eg.

Tissue tracking of segmental strain as a predictor of provoked dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) is commonly observed in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Some patients develop LVOTO provoked by physical exertion, and hence termed dynamic LVOTO (DLVOTO). However, its precise prevalence and mechanism are still unclear. AIM: Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D STE) seems to be helpful for the detection of early LV structural abnormalities. This study aimed to examine the possible role of segmental as well as global longitudinal strain in identifying DLVOTO non-HCM patients as detected by dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). METHODS AND RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty patients without structural heart disease had undergone conventional transthoracic echocardiography, 2D STE, and DSE. All patients with non-ischemic evidence were divided into two groups according to the DSE results; DLVOTO (+) and DLVOTO (-). Among 250 patients, 50 patients (36%) had shown DLVOTO after DSE (15 males, 35 females; mean age 55±7years). They were compared with 90 non -LVOTO obstruction patients (43 males, 47 females; mean age 57±6years). Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, the independent predictors of provoked DLVOTO during DSE were resting basal septal longitudinal strain BS-LS average (p < 0.001), resting LA reservoir strain (p < 0.001), and systolic LVOT diameter (p = 0.03). Resting BS-LS average with cut-off - 17.5% was recognized as a critical indicator of DLVOTO, with sensitivity 78%, and specificity 95% (better than systolic LVOT diameter of sensitivity 76%, and specificity 15% and resting LA reservoir strain which showed poor AUC at ROC curve 0.007). CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that provoked LVOTO during DSE in non HCM symptomatic patients is directly correlated to resting regional LS, where the increased BS-LS of ≥ -17.5% was a key determinant of LVOT gradient provocation. Assessment of baseline BS-LS average might be a bedside simple tool for detection of patients with DLVOTO not able to do DSE.

Safety and efficacy outcomes at 1 year after MitraClip therapy for percutaneous mitral valve repair in patients with severe mitral regurgitation: the Egyptian experience.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to assess safety and efficacy outcomes at 1 year after MitraClip for percutaneous mitral valve repair in patients with severe mitral regurgitation. Twenty consecutive patients with significant MR (GIII or GIV) were selected according to the AHA/ACC guidelines from June 2016 to June 2019 and underwent percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair using MitraClip with a whole 1 year follow-up following the procedure. The primary acute safety endpoint was a 30-day freedom from any of the major adverse events (MAEs) or rehospitalization for heart failure. The primary efficacy endpoint was acute procedural success defined as clip implant with an improvement of MR to ≤ grade II, based on current guidelines, NYHA class, ejection fraction, and the left atrium size during follow-up. RESULTS: Mean age of the studied population was 66.8 ± 10 years and about 85% were males. All patients presented with NYHA > 2. EuroSCORE ranged between 7 and 15. Patients varied regarding their HAS-BLED score. None of them experienced MAEs at 30 days. Patients showed significant improvement of NHYA functional class, and all echocardiographic measurements such as left ventricular end systolic diameter, left ventricular end diastolic diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction, left atrium volume index and MR grade. They also showed significant improvement of right-side heart failure manifestations (lower limb edema, S3 gallop, neck veins congestion), and laboratory value (the mean Hb levels significantly increased from 11.96 ± 1.57 to 12.97 ± 1.36, while the median CRP significantly decreased from 7 (3-9) to 2 (1-3). As well, the median Pro-BNP significantly decreased from 89.5 (73-380) to 66.5 (53.5-151) following MV clipping. During the whole follow-up period, there was dramatic improvement in the NHYA functional class, echocardiographic assessment including left ventricular ejection fraction, and mitral regurge grade. During follow-up, four patients (20%) developed complications. There was no statistical difference between patients who developed complications and those who did not regarding their age (75.25 ± 12.42 versus 64.63 ± 9.21, respectively), BSA (1.69 ± 0.11 versus 1.79 ± 0.22, respectively), gender (75% versus 87.5% males respectively), MR etiology (75% versus 50% ischemic, 25% versus 50% non-ischemic), or NYHA pre- or post-mitral clipping. However, the median EuroSCORE was significantly higher in the complicated group (13, IQR= 11.5-14.5) than the non-complicated group (9.5, IQR=8.5-11.5). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous usage of MitraClip for mitral valve repair showed favorable reliability and better clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ZU-IRB#2481-17-2-2016 Registered 17 February 2016, email: IRB_123@medicine.zu.edu.eg.

Long-term follow-up of therapeutic efficacy of everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold in comparison to everolimus-eluting stent in treatment of chronic total occlusion guided by intracoronary imaging.

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that 1st generation everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) stent associated with less complication and less restenosis rate than everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in chronic total occlusion (CTO) recanalization guided by intracoronary imaging. Therefore, we aimed to assess the safety and performance of BVS stent in CTO revascularization in comparison to EES guided by intracoronary imaging. Our prospective comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 CTO patients divided into two groups according to type of stent revascularization: group I (EES group): 40 (66.7%) patients and group II (BVS group): 20 (33.3%) patients. All patients were subjected to history taking, electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, laboratory investigation, stress thallium study to assess viability before revascularization. Revascularization of viable CTO lesion guided by intracoronary imaging using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Then, long-term follow-up over 1 year clinically and by multi-slice CT coronary angiography (MSCT). Our clinical and angiographic endpoints were to detect any clinical or angiographic complications during the follow-up period. RESULTS: At 6 months angiographic follow-up, BVS group had not inferior angiographic parameters but without statistically significant difference (p = 0.566). At 12 months follow-up, there was no difference at end points between the two groups (p = 0.476). No differences were found at angiographic or clinical follow-up between BVS and EES. CONCLUSION: This study shows that 1st generation everolimus-eluting BVS is non-inferior to EES for CTO revascularization. Further studies are needed to clearly state which new smaller footprint BVS, faster reabsorption, magnesium-based less thrombogenicity, and advanced mechanical properties is under development. We cannot dismiss the efficacy and safety of new BVS technology. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ZU-IRB#2498/3-12-2016 Registered 3 December 2016, email: IRB_123@medicine.zu.edu.eg.