Cardiogenic Shock Intravascular Cooling Trial (CHILL-SHOCK).

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is complicated by high mortality rates. Targeted temperature control (TTC) has been proposed as an adjunct therapy in CS. This study aims to examine the safety of TTC in patients presenting with CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this open-label, randomized controlled pilot trial, 20 patients with hemodynamic criteria for CS were assigned to standard of care plus TTC vs standard of care alone. The primary outcome was a composite safety outcome, including well-described complications of TTC. Secondary outcomes included mortality at 90 days, invasive hemodynamic and echocardiographic parameters, electrocardiographic measurements, and inotrope dosing. There were no significant differences in the composite analysis of prespecified safety outcomes (3 events in the TTC group vs 0 events in the control group; P = 0.24). Patients randomized to TTC demonstrated a statistically significant increase in cardiac index and cardiac power index compared to the control group at 48-96 hours after randomization (3.6 [3.1, 3.9] L/min/m2 vs 2.6 [2.5, 3.15] L/min/m2; P = 0.029 and 0.61 [0.55, 0.7] W/m2 vs 0.53 [0.435, 0.565] W/m2; P = 0.029, respectively). CONCLUSION: TTC may be a safe adjunct therapy for patients presenting with CS and may yield improvement in specific hemodynamic parameters.

Two-year follow-up of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds in severe infra-popliteal arterial disease.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the safety, efficacy, and durability of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold in predominantly complex, infra-popliteal lesions for the management of chronic limb ischemia at two-year clinical follow-up. Bioresorbable vascular scaffold are biodegradable scaffolds that provide short-term vascular support before undergoing intravascular degradation. A recent trial reported excellent 36-month vessel patency rates in simple infrapopliteal arterial lesions treated with Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective study evaluated the use of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (everolimus impregnated poly-L-lactic scaffold) in patients with infra-popliteal peripheral arterial disease (PAD) with respect to safety (thrombosis and TIMI bleeding), technical success, and freedom from clinically driven target vessel failure at 24 months. RESULTS: 31 patients (51.6% male) with a median age of 67 years with predominantly advanced infra-popliteal disease were treated with 49 bioresorbable vascular scaffold in 41 vessels. The mean stenosis was 94% (80-100), with 49% of lesions being chronic thrombotic occlusions. No scaffold thrombosis or peri-procedural bleeding was observed. Procedural success was achieved in all patients; 93.5% of patients experienced freedom from clinically driven target vessel failure at 24 months, driven by one revascularization and one amputation. Primary patency was 96.7% at 12 months and 87.1% at 24 months. All patients were alive at 12 and 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: At 24 months, our study found that patients with predominantly advanced infra-popliteal PAD who were treated with Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold reported improved clinical status and a low and durable rate of clinically driven target vessel failure extending out to 24 months.

Discordance Between Clinical Assessment and Invasive Hemodynamics in Patients With Advanced Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Historically, invasive hemodynamic guidance was not superior compared to clinical assessment in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). This study assessed the accuracy of clinical assessment vs invasive hemodynamics in patients with ADHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients admitted with ADHF. Prior to right-heart catheterization (RHC), physicians categorically predicted right atrial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac index and hemodynamic profile (wet/dry, warm/cold) based on physical examination and clinical data evaluation (warm = cardiac index > 2.2 L/min/m2; wet = pulmonary capillary wedge pressure > 18 mmHg). We collected 218 surveys (of 83 cardiology fellows, 55 attending cardiologists, 45 residents, 35 interns) evaluating 97 patients. Of those patients, 46% were receiving inotropes prior to RHC. The positive and negative predictive values of clinical assessment compared to RHC for the cold and wet subgroups were 74.7% and 50.4%. The accuracy of categorical prediction was 43.6% for right atrial pressure, 34.4% for pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and 49.1% for cardiac index, and accuracy did not differ by clinician (P > 0.05 for all). Interprovider agreement was 44.4%. Therapeutic changes following RHC occurred in 71.1% overall (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical assessment of patients with advanced heart failure presenting with ADHF has low accuracy across all training levels, with exaggerated rates of misrecognition of the most high-risk patients.

Cardiac Index Declines During Long-Term Left Ventricular Device Support.

To investigate longitudinal trends in valvular and ventricular function with long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy, we analyzed hemodynamic and echocardiographic data of patients with at least 2 years of continuous LVAD support. All 130 patients who underwent HeartMate II implantation at our institution between 2005 and 2012 were reviewed. Twenty patients had hemodynamic and echocardiographic evaluations in both the early (0-6 months) and late (2-3 years) postoperative period. Patients on inotropic therapy or temporary mechanical support were excluded. The average times of early and late hemodynamic evaluations were 59 ± 41 days and 889 ± 160 days, respectively. Cardiac index (CI) declined by an average of 0.4 L/min/m2 (P = 0.04) with concomitant increase in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP; P = 0.02). The right atrial pressure to PCWP (RAP:PCWP) ratio decreased during LVAD support suggesting improvement in right ventricular function. While there was an increase in degree of aortic insufficiency (AI) at the late follow-up period (P = 0.008), dichotomization by median decline in CI (-0.4 L/min/m2 ) indicated no difference in prevalence of AI among the groups. CI declined in patients with HeartMate II after 2 years of continuous support. An increase in preload and afterload was observed in those with the greatest decline in CI.

Pneumonectomy for non-small cell lung cancer: outcomes analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the morbidity and mortality of 100 consecutive patients with pneumonectomy for non-small cell lung cancer at the University of Kentucky. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 100 consecutive pneumonectomy patients, 1998-2009. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 59 years, with a range of 27 to 79 years. Sixty-eight patients (68%) were men. Fifty-four patients (54%) received left pneumonectomy. Major postoperative complication rate was 39%, with atrial fibrillation being the most common complication, occurring in 26 patients. The overall postoperative mortality rate was 11% (11/100 patients). The mortality rate among right pneumonectomy patients was 17.4% (8/46 patients) compared with 5.6% (3/54 patients) for left pneumonectomy. The postoperative mortality rate among patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy was 14.3% (4/28 patients). In addition, among patients who received neoadjuvant therapy, the mortality rate for right and left pneumonectomy was 21.4% (3/14 patients) and 7.1% (1/14 patients), respectively. The mortality rate among patients older than 70 years at the time of pneumonectomy was 18.2% (2/11 patients). CONCLUSIONS: With a postoperative mortality rate of 11% and a major postoperative complication rate of 39%, pneumonectomy for non-small cell lung cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality. The factors associated with the increased mortality rate include right pneumonectomy, patient age older than 70 years at the time of procedure, and neoadjuvant therapy before pneumonectomy.

Transient complete heart block: a case report of a rare complication of tricuspid valve infective endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Right-sided tricuspid valve (TV) endocarditis can be difficult to identify and may be under-recognized in the absence of traditional risk factors. While generally identified with aortic valve pathology, infective endocarditis that extends beyond the leaflets of the TV have been reported to cause conduction disease. CASE SUMMARY: We present the case of a 63-year-old patient who presented with haemodynamically unstable complete heart block requiring temporary venous pacemaker support. Despite the absence of traditional risk factors or significant valvular disease on transthoracic echocardiogram, she was found to be persistently bacteraemic and subsequent transoesophageal echocardiogram identified large vegetation on the septal leaflet of the TV. Conduction disease was noted to reverse with antibiotic therapy and resolution of bacteraemia. DISCUSSION: Although rare, right-sided endocarditis involving the triangle of Koch may present with conduction disease due to local inflammation and mechanical compression. Conduction disease associated with right-sided disease appears to be readily reversible with medical therapy and temporary device support may be appropriate in the acute setting.

Percutaneous Transcatheter Therapies for the Management of Left Ventricular Assist Device Complications.

Heart failure is a growing epidemic in the United States and throughout the world. The utilization of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) has greatly increased over the last decade. In addition, a limited supply of organ donors has led to a rise in the use, and duration, of LVADs for destination therapy. The increased use of LVAD therapy has led to the observation of mechanical complications such as device thrombosis, de novo aortic insufficiency, and outflow graft stenosis, all of which are associated with prolonged LVAD support. Surgical repair for these complications remains the therapy of choice; however, surgery may be associated with high operative risk in some patients. The purpose of this article is to discuss mechanical complications associated with LVAD therapy and interventional transcatheter therapies that have been used to solve these increasingly complex problems.

Right ventricular afterload sensitivity dramatically increases after left ventricular assist device implantation: A multi-center hemodynamic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) failure is a source of morbidity and mortality after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. In this study we sought to define hemodynamic changes in afterload and RV adaptation to afterload both early after implantation and with prolonged LVAD support. METHODS: We reviewed right heart catheterization (RHC) data from participants who underwent continuous-flow LVAD implantation at our institutions (n = 244), excluding those on inotropic or vasopressor agents, pulmonary vasodilators or additional mechanical support at any RHC assessment. Hemodynamic data were assessed at 5 time intervals: (1) pre-LVAD (within 6 months); (2) early post-LVAD (0 to 6 months); (3) 7 to 12 months; (4) 13 to 18 months; and (5) very late post-LVAD (18 to 36 months). RESULTS: Sixty participants met the inclusion criteria. All measures of right ventricular load (effective arterial elastance, pulmonary vascular compliance and pulmonary vascular resistance) improved between the pre- and early post-LVAD time periods. Despite decreasing load and pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP), RAP remained unchanged and the RAP:PAWP ratio worsened early post-LVAD (0.44 [0.38, 0.63] vs 0.77 [0.59, 1.0], p < 0.001), suggesting a worsening of RV adaptation to load. With continued LVAD support, both RV load and RAP:PAWP decreased in a steep, linear and dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Despite reducing RV load, LVAD implantation leads to worsened RV adaptation. With continued LVAD support, both RV afterload and RV adaptation improve, and their relationship remains constant over time post-LVAD. These findings suggest the RV afterload sensitivity increases after LVAD implantation, which has major clinical implications for patients struggling with RV failure.

Volume Overload in Heart Failure: An Evidence-Based Review of Strategies for Treatment and Prevention.

Acute decompensated heart failure is the leading cause of hospital admission in the United States, with a high risk of readmission within 30 days. Most acute decompensated heart failure admissions are driven by congestive signs and symptoms resulting from fluid and sodium overload. We reviewed the evidence base addressing the management and prevention of fluid overload in heart failure, focusing on recent clinical trials. All the references in this review were obtained through PubMed and had at least 1 of the following key words: heart failure and volume overload, congestion, loop diuretics, thiazide diuretics, aldosterone antagonists, dopamine, cardiorenal syndrome, nesiritide, vasopressin antagonists, ultrafiltration, sodium restriction, fluid restriction, telemonitoring, and invasive hemodynamic monitoring. We also reviewed relevant references cited in the obtained articles, especially articles addressing methods of treating or preventing volume overload in patients with heart failure.

Survival after Pneumonectomy for Stage III Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a poor prognosis. Reports suggest that five-year survival after current treatment is between 14 to 24 percent. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the morbidity and mortality of patients diagnosed with stage III NSCLC and treated with pneumonectomy at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, KY. METHODS: We reviewed the medical record and tumor registry follow-up data on 100 consecutive patients who underwent pneumonectomy for lung cancer at the University of Kentucky. RESULTS: We identified thirty-six patients in stage III who underwent pneumonectomy. Ten patients had surgery only, eight patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, and eighteen patients received neoadjuvant therapy. There was one surgical death in this series. Mean follow-up was 2.9 years. One-, three-, and five-year survival was 66%, 38%, and 38%, respectively. Five-year survival for the group with adjuvant therapy was 60%. CONCLUSION: Most lung cancer patients present with advanced disease and the prognosis remains poor. Our experience indicates resection offers an above average chance of long-term survival when supplemented with neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant therapy.

Long-term survival after pneumonectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate long-term survival in patients who underwent pneumonectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. METHODS: we retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive pneumonectomy cases from 1998 to 2009 at the University of Kentucky. We were able to obtain follow-up data on 99 of 100 patients. RESULTS: overall 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival was 66%, 48%, and 32%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 5- survival for left pneumonectomy was 76%, 55%, and 40%, respectively, compared to 56%, 44%, and 22%, respectively, for right pneumonectomy. The median survival for left pneumonectomy was 2.4 years compared to 1.2 years for right pneumonectomy (p = 0.056). The 5-year survival for patients diagnosed with stage I disease was 34%, compared to 19% for stage II disease, and 38% for stage III disease. The 5-year survival for patients who underwent neoadjuvant therapy was 31% compared to 39% for patients who received adjuvant therapy and 29% for patients who received surgery alone. These results were also not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: neoadjuvant therapy did not adversely affect long-term survival in our study. When compared to left pneumonectomy, right pneumonectomy for non-small-cell lung cancer is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes as well as poorer long-term survival.