Evolving new concepts in the assessment of aortic stenosis.

Echocardiography has been pivotal in evaluating aortic stenosis (AS) over the past several decades. Recent experience has shown a wide spectrum in the clinical presentation of AS. A better understanding of the underlying hemodynamic principles has resulted in emergence of new subtypes of AS. New treatment modalities have also been introduced, requiring precise evaluation of aortic valve (AV) pathology for implementation of these therapies. This review will discuss new concepts and indices in the use of echocardiography in patients with AS. Specifically, we will address the hemodynamic characteristics, clinical presentation, and management of normal-flow, high-gradient; paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient; and classical low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenoses.

Racial Differences in Response to Tilt-Table Testing in Patients Refered.

BACKGROUND: Syncope is a common problem in the general population and results in significant societal and patient costs. Several small studies have demonstrated differences in orthostatic response, and possibly tolerance, between blacks and whites. Based on these observations, we retrospectively reviewed results from our tilt table database to identify potential differences in response to tilt-table testing with regards to race, between black and white patients. METHODS: The reports of 446 tilt-table tests performed on adults, older than 18 years of age, at Boston Medical Center, an urban, tertiary-care, academic hospital, were reviewed. Clinical variables were retrieved from the procedure report. Occurrence of syncope was noted and hemodynamic classification was recorded as neurocardiogenic response, with subcategories of mixed, vasodepressor, or cardio-inhibitory. RESULTS: Of records reviewed, 360 patients (80.7%) identified as white and 86 patients as black (19.3%). There was a significantly lower observed frequency of syncope with a neurocardiogenic response in black vs. white patients (45.5% vs. 60.3%, p=0.015). In addition, significantly fewer black patients demonstrated a mixed neuro-cardiogenic response as compared to white patients (7.0% vs. 15.8%, p=0.038) or cardio-inhibitory response (0% vs. 5.3%, p=0.032). There was no difference in frequency of vasodepressor response in black vs. white patients (39.2 vs.38.4%, p=1.000). CONCLUSIONS: We observed a statistically-significant lower incidence of neurocardiogenic syncope among black patients compared to white patients referred for tilt-table testing for evaluation of syncope.

Effect of the 2010 task force criteria on reclassification of cardiovascular magnetic resonance criteria for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: We sought to evaluate the effect of application of the revised 2010 Task Force Criteria (TFC) on the prevalence of major and minor Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) criteria for Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) versus application of the original 1994 TFC. We also assessed the utility of MRI to identify alternative diagnoses for patients referred for ARVC evaluation. METHODS: 968 consecutive patients referred to our institution for CMR with clinical suspicion of ARVC from 1995 to 2010, were evaluated for the presence of major and minor CMR criteria per the 1994 and 2010 ARVC TFC. CMR criteria included right ventricle (RV) dilatation, reduced RV ejection fraction, RV aneurysm, or regional RV wall motion abnormalities. When quantitative measures of RV size and function were not available, and in whom abnormal size or function was reported, a repeat quantitative analysis by 2 qualified CMR physicians in consensus. RESULTS: Of 968 patients, 220 (22.7%) fulfilled either a major or a minor 1994 TFC, and 25 (2.6%) fulfilled any of the 2010 TFC criterion. Among patients meeting any 1994 criteria, only 25 (11.4%) met at least one 2010 criterion. All patients who fulfilled a 2010 criteria also satisfied at least one 1994 criterion. Per the 2010 TFC, 21 (2.2%) patients met major criteria and 4 (0.4%) patients fulfilled at least one minor criterion. Eight patients meeting 1994 minor criteria were reclassified as satisfying 2010 major criteria, while 4 patients fulfilling 1994 major criteria were reclassified to only minor or no criteria under the 2010 TFC.Eighty-nine (9.2%) patients had alternative cardiac diagnoses, including 43 (4.4%) with clinically significant potential ARVC mimics. These included cardiac sarcoidosis, RV volume overload conditions, and other cardiomyopathies. CONCLUSIONS: Application of the 2010 TFC resulted in reduction of total patients meeting any diagnostic CMR criteria for ARVC from 22.7% to 2.6% versus the 1994 TFC. CMR identified alternative cardiac diagnoses in 9.2% of patients, and 4.4% of the diagnoses were potential mimics of ARVC.

Multidisciplinary care of patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy is associated with improved clinical outcomes.

AIMS: Although cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure, a significant minority of patients do not respond adequately to this therapy. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of a 'multidisciplinary care' (MC) approach on the clinical outcome in CRT patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The clinical outcome in patients prospectively receiving MC (n = 254) was compared with a control group of patients who received conventional care (CC, n = 173). The MC group was followed prospectively in an integrated clinic setting by a team of subspecialists from the heart failure, electrophysiology, and echocardiography service at 1-, 3-, and 6-months post-implant. All patients had echocardiographic-guided optimization at their 1-month visit. The proportional hazards model (adjusting for all covariates) and Kaplan-Meier time to first event curves were compared between the two groups, over a 2-year follow-up. The long-term outcome was measured as a combined endpoint of heart failure hospitalization, cardiac transplantation, or all-cause mortality. The clinical characteristics between the MC and CC groups at baseline were comparable (age, 68 ± 13 vs. 69 ± 12; NYHA III, 90 vs. 82%; ischaemic cardiomyopathy 55 vs. 64%, P = NS, respectively). The event-free survival was significantly higher in the multidisciplinary vs. the CC group (P = 0.0015). A significant reduction in clinical events was noted in the MC group vs. the CC group (hazard ratio: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.46-0.83, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Integrated MC may improve 2-year event-free survival in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy. Prospective randomized studies are needed to validate our findings.

Neurointerventional Therapies for Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation: Illustrated Cases.

Approximately 800,000 strokes occur in the United States every year, resulting in 200,000 deaths. Strokes may be ischemic (80%) or hemorrhagic (20%). Strokes caused by atrial fibrillation (AF) are thromboembolic, and AF is the leading cause of ischemic stroke. Rapid distinction between these forms of strokes is critical because approaches to treatment are different. The goal for acute ischemic stroke is reperfusion of ischemic brain tissue, whereas the treatment of hemorrhagic stroke is supportive therapy and correction of the underlying conditions. The treatment of acute ischemic strokes is similar to treatment of acute myocardial infarction, which requires timely reperfusion for optimal results.

Sinus arrest following right coronary artery stent implantation.

Sinus arrest rarely occurs during acute myocardial infarction involving the right coronary artery (RCA) and sinus node (SN) artery. We report a rare case of sinus arrest caused by SN artery occlusion following RCA stenting. A 56-year-old woman with a significant history of RCA stenosis with prior bare metal stenting, presented to the emergency department with anginal chest pain. Initial work up showed significant elevation of cardiac troponin T with T-wave inversion in the inferior leads on electrocardiogram (ECG). Coronary angiography revealed a 90% stenosis of midportion of the RCA, mild occlusion in the left anterior descending coronary and left circumflex coronary arteries. Stenting was performed on the RCA lesion. Immediately after undergoing those interventions, thrombosis developed and occluded SN artery. Electrocardiogram showed junctional escape rhythm without P waves at a heart rate of 30 beats per minute, suggesting sinus arrest. The clot in the SN artery was identified and thrombectomy was performed. Neither symptoms nor hypotension were identified during this arrhythmia. Six days later, normal sinus rhythm began to appear on EKG with improving heart rate, and patient still remained completely hemodynamically stable. Pre-discharge exercise stress test had shown 50% predicted heart rate without ST segment change. Sinus node dysfunction is commonly related to degenerative processes, and rarely caused by thrombosis in the SN artery. In our case, we emphasize the potential complication of sinus arrest after RCA stent implantation.