Determinants and prognostic value of echocardiographic first-phase ejection fraction in aortic stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: First-phase ejection fraction (EF1) is a novel measure of early left ventricular systolic dysfunction. We investigated determinants of EF1 and its prognostic value in aortic stenosis. METHODS: EF1 was measured retrospectively in participants of an echocardiography/cardiovascular magnetic resonance cohort study which recruited patients with aortic stenosis (peak aortic velocity of ≥2 m/s) between 2012 and 2014. Linear regression models were constructed to examine variables associated with EF1. Cox proportional hazards were used to determine the prognostic power of EF1 for aortic valve replacement (AVR, performed as part of clinical care in accordance with international guidelines) or death. RESULTS: Total follow-up of the 149 participants (69.8% male, 70 (65-76) years, mean gradient 33 (21-42) mm Hg) was 238 029 person-days. Sixty-seven participants (45%) had a low baseline EF1 (<25%) despite normal ejection fraction (67% (62%-71%)). Patients with low EF1 had more severe aortic stenosis (mean gradient 39 (34-45) mm Hg vs 24 (16-35) mm Hg, p<0.001) and more myocardial fibrosis (indexed extracellular volume (iECV) (24.2 (19.6-28.7) mL/m2 vs 20.6 (16.8-24.3) mL/m2, p=0.002; late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) prevalence 52% vs 20%, p<0.001). Zva, iECV and infarct LGE were independent predictors of EF1. EF1 improved post-AVR (n=57 with post-AVR EF1 available, baseline 16 (12-24) vs follow-up 27% (22%-31%); p<0.001). Low baseline EF1 was an independent predictor of AVR/death (HR 5.6, 95% CI 3.4 to 9.4), driven by AVR. CONCLUSION: EF1 quantifies early, potentially reversible systolic dysfunction in aortic stenosis, is associated with global afterload and myocardial fibrosis, and is an independent predictor of AVR.

Global Longitudinal Strain Analysis Using Cardiac MRI in Aortic Stenosis: Comparison with Left Ventricular Remodeling, Myocardial Fibrosis, and 2-year Clinical Outcomes.

PURPOSE: To use global longitudinal strain (GLS) as a marker of left ventricular decompensation in aortic stenosis and to investigate the relationship of GLS measured with cardiac MRI with markers of myocardial fibrosis, symptom development, remodeling, and clinical outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with aortic stenosis and healthy control subjects were assessed. GLS was assessed by using cardiac MRI feature tracking, diffuse fibrosis by T1 mapping, and replacement fibrosis using late gadolinium enhancement. Follow-up was prospective for the primary endpoint of all-cause mortality. RESULTS: GLS was reduced in aortic stenosis (n = 159) compared with control subjects (n = 41) (-17.6% ± 3.1 [standard deviation] vs -18.9% ± 2.6, P = .02). GLS demonstrated weak associations with aortic stenosis severity (Vmax; r = 0.24, P = .0005) but showed moderate correlation with T1 mapping measures of myocardial fibrosis (eg, indexed extracellular volume [iECV]; r = 0.43, P < .0001). Moreover, GLS was reduced in patients with midwall fibrosis compared with control subjects (P < .001), although values were similar to those of patients with myocardial infarction (P = .25). In adjusted analyses, GLS was associated with total myocardial fibrosis burden (iECV) and ejection fraction (both P < .001). GLS offered poor discrimination between disease states, inability to distinguish between control subjects and patients (area under the curve [AUC], 0.60), presence or absence of fibrosis (AUC, 0.63), or symptomatic severity (left ventricular decompensation AUC, 0.64). At follow-up (median, 1466 days), 21 patients died. GLS did not independently predict clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: GLS correlates with established markers of myocardial fibrosis. However, widespread utility of single GLS measurements may be limited by overlap between disease states and its inability to predict clinical outcomes beyond current established markers.© RSNA, 2019Supplemental material is available for this article.

Novel cardioprotective and regenerative therapies in acute myocardial infarction: a review of recent and ongoing clinical trials.

Following the original large-scale randomized trials of aspirin and ß-blockade, there have been a number of major advances in pharmacological and mechanical treatments for acute myocardial infarction. Despite this progress, myocardial infarction remains a major global cause of mortality and morbidity, driving a quest for novel treatments in this area. As the understanding of mitochondrial dynamics and the pathophysiology of reperfusion injury has evolved, the last three decades have seen advances in ischemic conditioning, pharmacological and metabolic cardioprotection, as well as biological and stem-cell therapies. The aim of this review is to provide a synopsis of adjunctive cardioprotective and regenerative therapies currently undergoing or entering early clinical trials in the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction.