The Third Nationwide Korean Heart Failure III Registry (KorHF III): The Study Design Paper.

With advancements in both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, significant changes have occurred in heart failure (HF) management. The previous Korean HF registries, namely the Korea Heart Failure Registry (KorHF-registry) and Korean Acute Heart Failure Registry (KorAHF-registry), no longer accurately reflect contemporary acute heart failure (AHF) patients. Our objective is to assess contemporary AHF patients through a nationwide registry encompassing various aspects, such as clinical characteristics, management approaches, hospital course, and long-term outcomes of individuals hospitalized for AHF in Korea. This prospective observational multicenter cohort study (KorHF III) is organized by the Korean Society of Heart Failure. We aim to prospectively enroll 7,000 or more patients hospitalized for AHF at 47 tertiary hospitals in Korea starting from March 2018. Eligible patients exhibit signs and symptoms of HF and demonstrate either lung congestion or objective evidence of structural or functional cardiac abnormalities in echocardiography, or isolated right-sided HF. Patients will be followed up for up to 5 years after enrollment in the registry to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes. KorHF III represents the nationwide AHF registry that will elucidate the clinical characteristics, management strategies, and outcomes of contemporary AHF patients in Korea. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04329234.

Prediction of longitudinal clinical outcomes after acute myocardial infarction using a dynamic machine learning algorithm.

Several regression-based models for predicting outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been developed. However, prediction models that encompass diverse patient-related factors over time are limited. This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based model to predict longitudinal outcomes after AMI. This study was based on a nationwide prospective registry of AMI in Korea (n = 13,104). Seventy-seven predictor candidates from prehospitalization to 1 year of follow-up were included, and six machine learning approaches were analyzed. Primary outcome was defined as 1-year all-cause death. Secondary outcomes included all-cause deaths, cardiovascular deaths, and major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) at the 1-year and 3-year follow-ups. Random forest resulted best performance in predicting the primary outcome, exhibiting a 99.6% accuracy along with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.874. Top 10 predictors for the primary outcome included peak troponin-I (variable importance value = 0.048), in-hospital duration (0.047), total cholesterol (0.047), maintenance of antiplatelet at 1 year (0.045), coronary lesion classification (0.043), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels (0.039), body mass index (BMI) (0.037), door-to-balloon time (0.035), vascular approach (0.033), and use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (0.032). Notably, BMI was identified as one of the most important predictors of major outcomes after AMI. BMI revealed distinct effects on each outcome, highlighting a U-shaped influence on 1-year and 3-year MACE and 3-year all-cause death. Diverse time-dependent variables from prehospitalization to the postdischarge period influenced the major outcomes after AMI. Understanding the complexity and dynamic associations of risk factors may facilitate clinical interventions in patients with AMI.

Early menopause is associated with abnormal diastolic function and poor clinical outcomes in women with suspected angina.

Early identification of women at high risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), with subsequent monitoring, will allow for improved clinical outcomes and generally better quality of life. This study aimed to identify the associations between early menopause, abnormal diastolic function, and clinical outcomes. This retrospective study included 795 menopausal women from is a nationwide, multicenter, registry of patients with suspected angina visiting outpatient clinic. The patients into two groups: early and normal menopause (menopausal age ≤ 45 and > 45 years, respectively). If participants met > 50% of the diastolic function criteria, they were classified as having normal diastolic function. Multivariable-adjusted Cox models were used to test associations between menopausal age and clinical outcomes including the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), over a median follow-up period of 771 days. Early menopause was associated with increased waist circumference (p = 0.001), diabetes prevalence (p = 0.003), obstructive coronary artery disease (p = 0.005), abnormal diastolic function (p = 0.003) and greater incidences of MACE, acute coronary syndrome, and hospitalization for heart failure. In patients with abnormal diastolic function, early menopause increased MACE risk significantly, with no significant difference in normal diastolic function. These findings highlight early menopause and abnormal diastolic function as being potential risk markers in women for midlife CVD events.

Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality for Ischemic Cardiogenic Shock Requiring Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

BACKGROUND: Clinical outcome of ischemic cardiogenic shock (CS) requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is highly variable, necessitating appropriate assessment of prognosis. However, a systemic predictive model estimating the mortality of refractory ischemic CS is lacking. The PRECISE (Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality for Patients With Refractory Ischemic Cardiogenic Shock Requiring Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support) score was developed to predict the prognosis of refractory ischemic CS due to acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were obtained from the multicenter CS registry RESCUE (Retrospective and Prospective Observational Study to Investigate Clinical Outcomes and Efficacy of Left Ventricular Assist Device for Korean Patients With Cardiogenic Shock) that consists of 322 patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by refractory ischemic CS requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Fifteen parameters were selected to assess in-hospital mortality. The developed model was validated internally and externally using an independent external cohort (n=138). Among 322 patients, 138 (42.9%) survived postdischarge. Fifteen predictors were included for model development: age, diastolic blood pressure, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, peak lactic acid, serum creatinine, lowest left ventricular ejection fraction, vasoactive inotropic score, shock to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation insertion time, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of intra-aortic balloon pump, continuous renal replacement therapy, mechanical ventilator, successful coronary revascularization, and staged percutaneous coronary intervention. The PRECISE score yielded a high area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (0.894 [95% CI, 0.860-0.927]). External validation and calibration resulted in competent sensitivity (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, 0.895 [95% CI, 0.853-0.930]). CONCLUSIONS: The PRECISE score demonstrated high predictive performance and directly translates into the expected in-hospital mortality rate. The PRECISE score may be used to support clinical decision-making in ischemic CS (www.theprecisescore.com). REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02985008.

Differences in coronary angiographic findings and outcomes between men and postmenopausal women with stable chest pain.

BACKGROUND: Despite the significant increase in cardiovascular events in women after menopause, studies comparing postmenopausal women and men are scarce. METHODS: We analyzed data from a nationwide, multicenter, prospective registry and enrolled 2412 patients with stable chest pain who underwent elective coronary angiography. Binary coronary artery disease (b-CAD) was defined as the ≥50% stenosis of epicardial coronary arteries, including the left main coronary artery. RESULTS: Compared with the men, postmenopausal women were older (66.6 ±â€…8.5 vs. 59.5 ±â€…11.4 years) and had higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (49.0 ±â€…12.8 vs. 43.6 ±â€…11.6 mg/dl, P  < 0.01). The prevalence of diabetes did not differ significantly ( P  = 0.40), and smoking was more common in men than in postmenopausal women ( P  ≤ 0.01). At enrollment, b-CAD and revascularization were more common in men than in postmenopausal women (50.3% vs. 41.0% and 14.4% vs. 9.7%, respectively; both P  < 0.01). However, multivariate analyses revealed that revascularization [odds ratio (OR): 0.72; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49-1.08] was not significantly related to sex and a similar result was found in age propensity-matched population (OR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.52-1.24). During the follow-up period, the secondary composite cardiovascular outcomes were lower in postmenopausal women than in men (OR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.31-0.98), also consistent with the result using the age propensity-mated population (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.13-0.85). CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women experienced coronary revascularization comparable to those in men at enrollment, despite the average age of postmenopausal women was 7 years older than that of men.Postmenopausal women exhibit better clinical outcomes than those of men if optimal treatment is provided.

Epicardial Adipose Tissue and Heart Failure, Friend or Foe?

Heart failure (HF) management guidelines recommend individualized assessments based on HF phenotypes. Adiposity is a known risk factor for HF. Recently, there has been an increased interest in organ-specific adiposity, specifically the role of the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), in HF risk. EAT is easily assessable through various imaging modalities and is anatomically and functionally connected to the myocardium. In pathological conditions, EAT secretes inflammatory cytokines, releases excessive fatty acids, and increases mechanical load on the myocardium, resulting in myocardial remodeling. EAT plays a pathophysiological role in characterizing both HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In HFrEF, EAT volume is reduced, reflecting an impaired metabolic reservoir, whereas in HFpEF, the amount of EAT is associated with worse biomarker and hemodynamic profiles, indicating increased EAT activity. Studies have examined the possibility of therapeutically targeting EAT, and recent studies using sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors have shown potential in reducing EAT volume. However, further research is required to determine the clinical implications of reducing EAT activity in patients with HF.

Effects of intensive blood pressure control on left ventricular hypertrophy in aortic valve disease.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension adds to the pressure overload on the left ventricle (LV) in combination with aortic valve (AV) disease, but the optimal blood pressure (BP) targets for patients with AV disease remain unclear. We tried to investigate whether intensive BP control reduces LV hypertrophy in asymptomatic patients with aortic stenosis (AS) or aortic regurgitation (AR). METHODS: A total of 128 hypertensive patients with mild to moderate AS (n = 93) or AR (n = 35) were randomly assigned to intensive therapy, targeting a systolic BP <130 mm Hg, or standard therapy, targeting a systolic BP <140 mm Hg. The primary end point was the change in LV mass from baseline to the 24-month follow-up. Secondary end points included changes in severity of AV disease, LV volumes, ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain (GLS). RESULTS: The treatment groups were generally well balanced regarding the baseline characteristics. The mean (±SD) age of the patients was 68 ± 8 years and 48% were men. The mean BP was 145 ± 12/81 ± 10 mm Hg at baseline. Medication at baseline was similar between the 2 groups. The 2 treatment strategies resulted in a rapid and sustained difference in systolic BP (P < .05). At 24-month, the mean systolic BP was 129 ± 12 mm Hg in the intensive therapy group and 135 ± 14 mm Hg in the standard therapy group. No patient died or underwent AV surgery during follow-up in either of the groups. LV mass was changed from 189.5 ± 41.3 to 185.6 ± 41.5 g in the intensive therapy group (P = .19) and from 183.8 ± 38.3 to 194.0 ± 46.4 g in the standard therapy group (P < .01). The primary end point of change in LV mass was significantly different between the intensive therapy and the standard therapy group (-3.9 ± 20.2 g vs 10.3 ± 20.4 g; P = .0007). The increase in LV mass index was also significantly greater in the standard therapy group (P = .01). No significant differences in secondary end points (changes in severity of AV disease, LV volumes, ejection fraction and GLS) were observed between the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among hypertensive patients with AV disease, intensive hypertensive therapy resulted in a significant reduction in LV hypertrophy, although progression of AV disease was similar between the treatment groups. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://ClinicalTrials.gov (Number NCT03666351).

Sex differences of sequential changes in coronary blood flow and microvascular function in patients with suspected angina.

AIMS: This study evaluated the sex differences of sequential changes in coronary blood flows and microvascular function in patients with suspected angina but with no obstructed coronary arteries. METHODS: A total of 202 consecutive patients who experienced chest pain but had no significant coronary artery stenosis and who underwent adenosine stress echocardiography were included in the study. Coronary blood flow (CBF) velocities were measured at 1, 2, and 3 min after adenosine infusion. RESULTS: The mean age was 61 years, and 138 (68%) were women. Approximately 40% of patients had coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD, coronary flow velocity reserve < 2.3), with women exhibiting higher CMD prevalence. The left ventricular (LV) mass index was similar between men and women, while women exhibited higher baseline rate pressure products (RPP). At baseline, coronary blood flow velocities were similar between the sexes. However, CBF velocities in women gradually increased during the examination; and in men, the increase was abrupt and steep during the early stages of examination (p = 0.015 for interaction between time and sex), even with similar RPP in stress. Coronary flow velocity reserve was steadily lower in women compared to men (1 min, 2.09 ± 0.86 vs 2.44 ± 0.87; 2 min, 2.39 ± 0.72 vs 2.63 ± 0.85; 3 min, 2.45 ± 0.70 vs 2.68 ± 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with suspected angina but with no obstructed coronary arteries, CMD was especially prevalent among women. Women exhibited higher oxygen consumption, while exhibiting slower and gradual increases in CBF velocities. Conversely, men exhibited faster and steeper increases in CBF velocities even with similar RPP in stress.

Predictors of in-hospital mortality after successful weaning of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in cardiogenic shock.

Limited knowledge exists regarding the predictors of mortality after successful weaning of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We aimed to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) after successful weaning from ECMO. Data were obtained from a multicenter registry of CS. Successful ECMO weaning was defined as survival with minimal mean arterial pressure (> 65 mmHg) for > 24 h after ECMO removal. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality after successful ECMO weaning. Among 1247 patients with CS, 485 received ECMO, and 262 were successfully weaned from ECMO. In-hospital mortality occurred in 48 patients (18.3%). Survivors at discharge differed significantly from non-survivors in age, cardiovascular comorbidities, cause of CS, left ventricular ejection fraction, and use of adjunctive therapy. Five independent predictors for in-hospital mortality were identified: use of continuous renal replacement therapy (odds ratio 5.429, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.468-11.940; p < 0.001), use of intra-aortic balloon pump (3.204, 1.105-9.287; p = 0.032), diabetes mellitus (3.152, 1.414-7.023; p = 0.005), age (1.050, 1.016-1.084; p = 0.003), and left ventricular ejection fraction after ECMO insertion (0.957, 0.927-0.987; p = 0.006). Even after successful weaning of ECMO, patients with irreversible risk factors should be recognized, and careful monitoring should be done for sign of deconditioning.

Efficacy and Safety of a Single-Pill Triple Combination of Olmesartan, Amlodipine, and Rosuvastatin in Hypertensive Patients with Low-to-Moderate Cardiovascular Risk: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label, Active-Control, Phase IV Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a single-pill triple-combination of olmesartan/amlodipine/rosuvastatin (Olme/Amlo/Rosu) in comparison with a single-pill dual-combination of olmesartan/amlodipine (Olme/Amlo) in hypertensive patients with low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk. METHODS: This multicenter, active-control, randomized study included 106 hypertensive patients at low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk who were randomly assigned to receive either Olme/Amlo/Rosu 20/5/5 mg (Treatment 1), Olme/Amlo/Rosu 20/5/10 mg (Treatment 2), or Amlo/Olme 20/5 mg (Control) once daily for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was the difference of the percent change in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level at 8 weeks from baseline in the 3 groups. RESULTS: The difference in the least square mean percent change (standard deviation) of LDL-C in the Treatment 1 and 2 groups compared with the Control group at 8 weeks was -32.6 (3.7) % and -45.9 (3.3) %, respectively (P < .001). The achievement rates of LDL-C level <100 mg/dL at 8 weeks were significantly different between the 3 groups (65.8%, 86.7%, and 6.3% for Treatment 1, 2, and Control groups, respectively, P < .001). The results of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 were superior in the Treatment 1 and 2 groups compared with the Control group. Serious adverse drug reaction did not occur in the 3 groups. Medication adherence rates were excellent in the 3 groups (98.0% for Treatment 1 group, 99.7% for Treatment 2 group, and 96.3% for the Control group, P > .05). CONCLUSION: Single-pill triple-combination of olmesartan/amlodipine/rosuvastatin was superior to the single-pill dual-combination of amlodipine/olmesartan in LDLC-lowering effects, with excellent safety profiles and adherence rates, in hypertensive patients at low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk.Trial Registration: CLinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04120753.

Impact of pulmonary artery pressure on recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: The pulmonary veins play a major role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF) and may be affected by cardiac remodeling due to pulmonary vascular dysfunction. It remains to be determined whether pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) is associated with the recurrence of AF after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). Methods: Consecutive patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF who underwent RFCA, including wide circumferential pulmonary vein isolation, were analyzed. Systolic PAP was measured using transthoracic echocardiography, and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with PAP <35 mmHg and those with PAP ≥35 mmHg. Results: Among 2,379 patients (mean age 56.7 ± 10.6 years, 77% men), 1,893 (79.6%) had PAP <35 mmHg and 486 (20.4%) had PAP ≥35 mmHg. During the median follow-up of 25.4 months, in patients with paroxysmal AF (n = 1,294), the recurrence rate was significantly greater in the PAP ≥35 mmHg group than in the PAP <35 mmHg group (35.1% vs. 23.8%, log-rank p = 0.008). However, in patients with persistent AF (n = 1,085), the recurrence rate was not significantly different between the two groups (52.2% vs. 49.7%, log-rank p = 0.409). Multivariate analysis using Cox regression showed that PAP ≥35 mmHg was significantly associated with clinical recurrence (hazard ratio 1.19, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.40, p = 0.027). Conclusion: This study showed that a higher PAP was associated with an increased risk of recurrence after RFCA in patients with paroxysmal AF, suggesting a mechanism by which a pulmonary vascular pathology may cause impairment of the pulmonary veins and remodeling of the left atrium.

Aortic Annulus Detection Based on Deep Learning for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Using Cardiac Computed Tomography.

BACKGROUND: To propose a deep learning architecture for automatically detecting the complex structure of the aortic annulus plane using cardiac computed tomography (CT) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent TAVR between January 2017 and July 2020 at a tertiary medical center. Annulus Detection Permuted AdaIN network (ADPANet) based on a three-dimensional (3D) U-net architecture was developed to detect and localize the aortic annulus plane using cardiac CT. Patients (N = 72) who underwent TAVR between January 2017 and July 2020 at a tertiary medical center were enrolled. Ground truth using a limited dataset was delineated manually by three cardiac radiologists. Training, tuning, and testing sets (70:10:20) were used to build the deep learning model. The performance of ADPANet for detecting the aortic annulus plane was analyzed using the root mean square error (RMSE) and dice similarity coefficient (DSC). RESULTS: In this study, the total dataset consisted of 72 selected scans from patients who underwent TAVR. The RMSE and DSC values for the aortic annulus plane using ADPANet were 55.078 ± 35.794 and 0.496 ± 0.217, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our deep learning framework was feasible to detect the 3D complex structure of the aortic annulus plane using cardiac CT for TAVR. The performance of our algorithms was higher than other convolutional neural networks.

Korean Society of Heart Failure Guidelines for the Management of Heart Failure: Advanced and Acute Heart Failure.

The Korean Society of Heart Failure (KSHF) Guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations based on Korean and international data to guide adequate diagnosis and management of heart failure (HF). Since introduction of 2017 edition of the guidelines, management of advanced HF has considerably improved, especially with advances in mechanical circulatory support and devices. The current guidelines addressed these improvements. In addition, we have included recently updated evidence-based recommendations regarding acute HF in these guidelines. In summary, Part IV of the KSHF Guidelines covers the appropriate diagnosis and optimized management of advanced and acute HF.

Korean Society of Heart Failure Guidelines for the Management of Heart Failure: Management of the Underlying Etiologies and Comorbidities of Heart Failure.

Most patients with heart failure (HF) have multiple comorbidities, which impact their quality of life, aggravate HF, and increase mortality. Cardiovascular comorbidities include systemic and pulmonary hypertension, ischemic and valvular heart diseases, and atrial fibrillation. Non-cardiovascular comorbidities include diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic kidney and pulmonary diseases, iron deficiency and anemia, and sleep apnea. In patients with HF with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy, renin-angiotensin system inhibitors combined with calcium channel blockers and/or diuretics is an effective treatment regimen. Measurement of pulmonary vascular resistance via right heart catheterization is recommended for patients with HF considered suitable for implantation of mechanical circulatory support devices or as heart transplantation candidates. Coronary angiography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and reperfusion in patients with HF and angina pectoris refractory to antianginal medications. In patients with HF and atrial fibrillation, long-term anticoagulants are recommended according to the CHA2DS2-VASc scores. Valvular heart diseases should be treated medically and/or surgically. In patients with HF and DM, metformin is relatively safer; thiazolidinediones cause fluid retention and should be avoided in patients with HF and dyspnea. In renal insufficiency, both volume status and cardiac performance are important for therapy guidance. In patients with HF and pulmonary disease, beta-blockers are underused, which may be related to increased mortality. In patients with HF and anemia, iron supplementation can help improve symptoms. In obstructive sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure therapy helps avoid severe nocturnal hypoxia. Appropriate management of comorbidities is important for improving clinical outcomes in patients with HF.

Korean Society of Heart Failure Guidelines for the Management of Heart Failure: Advanced and Acute Heart Failure.

The Korean Society of Heart Failure (KSHF) Guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations based on Korean and international data to guide adequate diagnosis and management of heart failure (HF). Since introduction of 2017 edition of the guidelines, management of advanced HF has considerably improved, especially with advances in mechanical circulatory support and devices. The current guidelines addressed these improvements. In addition, we have included recently updated evidence-based recommendations regarding acute HF in these guidelines. In summary, Part IV of the KSHF Guidelines covers the appropriate diagnosis and optimized management of advanced and acute HF.

Korean Society of Heart Failure Guidelines for the Management of Heart Failure: Management of the Underlying Etiologies and Comorbidities of Heart Failure.

Most patients with heart failure (HF) have multiple comorbidities, which impact their quality of life, aggravate HF, and increase mortality. Cardiovascular comorbidities include systemic and pulmonary hypertension, ischemic and valvular heart diseases, and atrial fibrillation. Non-cardiovascular comorbidities include diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic kidney and pulmonary diseases, iron deficiency and anemia, and sleep apnea. In patients with HF with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy, renin-angiotensin system inhibitors combined with calcium channel blockers and/or diuretics is an effective treatment regimen. Measurement of pulmonary vascular resistance via right heart catheterization is recommended for patients with HF considered suitable for implantation of mechanical circulatory support devices or as heart transplantation candidates. Coronary angiography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and reperfusion in patients with HF and angina pectoris refractory to antianginal medications. In patients with HF and atrial fibrillation, long-term anticoagulants are recommended according to the CHA2DS2-VASc scores. Valvular heart diseases should be treated medically and/or surgically. In patients with HF and DM, metformin is relatively safer; thiazolidinediones cause fluid retention and should be avoided in patients with HF and dyspnea. In renal insufficiency, both volume status and cardiac performance are important for therapy guidance. In patients with HF and pulmonary disease, beta-blockers are underused, which may be related to increased mortality. In patients with HF and anemia, iron supplementation can help improve symptoms. In obstructive sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure therapy helps avoid severe nocturnal hypoxia. Appropriate management of comorbidities is important for improving clinical outcomes in patients with HF.

Role of cardiac imaging in management of heart failure.

The significant advancement in cardiac imaging in recent years led to improved diagnostic accuracy in identifying the specific causes of heart failure and also provided physicians with guidelines for appropriately managing patients with heart failure. Diseases that were once considered rare are now more easily detected with the aid of cardiac imaging. Various cardiac imaging techniques are used to evaluate patients with heart failure, and each technique plays a distinct yet complementary role. This review aimed to discuss the comprehensive role of different types of cardiac imaging in the management of heart failure.

Association between the number of pregnancies and cardiac target organ damages: a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Korean women's chest pain registry (KoROSE).

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy increases long-term cardiovascular risk after childbirth, but the mechanisms are unclear. This study was performed to investigate the association between the number of pregnancies and several cardiac target organ damage (TOD) in middle-aged and elderly women. METHODS: Using the database of the nation-wide registry, a total of 1,137 women (mean age 63.0 ± 10.9 years) with stable chest pain undergoing invasive coronary angiography (CAG) were analyzed. Information on the number of pregnancies was obtained through a questionnaire. Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), left ventricular (LV) mass index (LVMI) and LV septal annular (e') velocity were assessed as indicators of cardiac TOD. RESULTS: Women with higher number of pregnancies (≥ 3) were older (66.3 ± 9.6 vs. 57.4 ± 10.7 years; P < 0.001), had more cardiovascular risk factors, and took more cardiovascular medications than those with lower number of pregnancies (< 3). In multivariable analyses, higher number of pregnancies (≥ 3) was associated with obstructive CAD (odds ratio [OR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-2.17; P = 0.001), a higher LVMI (> 95 g/m2) (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.08-1.98; P = 0.013) and a lower septal e' velocity (< 7 cm/s) (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.12-2.14; P = 0.007) even after controlling for potential confounders. As the number of pregnancies increased, the prevalence of CAD and LVMI increased, and the septal e' velocity gradually decreased (P < 0.001 for each). CONCLUSIONS: In women with chest pain undergoing invasive CAG, higher number of pregnancies was associated with multiple cardiac TOD. Parity information should be checked when assessing a woman's cardiovascular risk.

Korean Society of Heart Failure Guidelines for the Management of Heart Failure: Definition and Diagnosis.

The Korean Society of Heart Failure guidelines aim to provide physicians with evidence-based recommendations for diagnosing and managing patients with heart failure (HF). In Korea, the prevalence of HF has been rapidly increasing in the last 10 years. HF has recently been classified into HF with reduced ejection fraction (EF), HF with mildly reduced EF, and HF with preserved EF (HFpEF). Moreover, the availability of newer therapeutic agents has led to an increased emphasis on the appropriate diagnosis of HFpEF. Accordingly, this part of the guidelines will mainly cover the definition, epidemiology, and diagnosis of HF.