A Novel Percutaneous Technique for Left Ventricular Assist Device Deactivation Using a Left Atrial Appendage Occluder in the Outflow Cannula.

Reverse cardiac remodeling may occur in some left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients. Although considered the standard therapy, surgical device explantation with repeat sternotomy might be undesirable or very high risk. On the other hand, there are few data reporting minimally invasive percutaneous LVAD deactivation. We describe a case of a man with LVAD malfunction due to driveline fracture and left ventricular (LV) function recovery who had a Heart Mate II deactivated with a percutaneous technique using a left atrial appendage occluder (LAAO) positioned inside the outflow cannula. To the best of our knowledge, this the first report of LVAD deactivation with the fully recapturable LAAO device. We propose that the use of a LAA occluder to obstruct HM II outflow cannula is feasible and safe.

Beta-blocker therapy and mortality of patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy: a subanalysis of the REMADHE prospective trial.

BACKGROUND: Peculiar aspects of Chagas cardiomyopathy raise concerns about efficacy and safety of sympathetic blockade. We studied the influence of beta-blockers in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined REMADHE trial and grouped patients according to etiology (Chagas versus non-Chagas) and beta-blocker therapy. Primary end point was all-cause mortality or heart transplantation. Altogether 456 patients were studied; 27 (5.9%) were submitted to heart transplantation and 202 (44.3%) died. Chagas etiology was present in 68 (14.9%) patients; they had lower body mass index (24.1+/-4.1 versus 26.3+/-5.1, P=0.001), smaller end-diastolic left ventricle diameter (6.7+/-1.0 mm versus 7.0+/-0.9 mm, P=0.001), smaller proportion of beta-blocker therapy (35.8% versus 68%, P<0.001), and higher proportion of spironolactone therapy (74.6% versus 57.8%, P=0.003). Twenty-four (35.8%) patients with Chagas disease were under beta-blocker therapy and had lower serum sodium (136.6+/-3.1 versus 138.4+/-3.1 mEqs, P=0.05) and lower body mass index (22.5+/-3.3 versus 24.9+/-4.3, P=0.03) compared with those who received beta-blockers. Survival was lower in patients with Chagas heart disease as compared with other etiologies. When only patients under beta-blockers were considered, the survival of patients with Chagas disease was similar to that of other etiologies. The survival of patients with beta-blockers was higher than that of patients without beta-blockers. In Cox regression model, left ventricle end-diastolic diameter (hazard ratio, 1.78; CI, 1.15 to 2.76; P=0.009) and beta-blockers (hazard ratio, 0.37; CI, 0.14 to 0.97; P=0.044) were associated with better survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that beta-blockers may have beneficial effects on survival of patients with heart failure and Chagas heart disease and warrants further investigation in a prospective, randomized trial. Clinical Trial Registration- clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT00505050.

Anemia and renal failure as predictors of risk in a mainly non-ischemic heart failure population.

Anemia and renal failure (RF) are related to poor prognosis in chronic heart failure (HF). Anemia appear early in the course of RF and its value as predictor of risk in HF may be overlap by the value of RF. We aimed to establish the prognostic value of anemia and RF in a Brazilian HF population.