Prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea in acute coronary syndrome: Routine screening in intensive coronary care units.

INTRODUCTION: Increased evidence has shown that, despite the maximum care afforded to patients admitted with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), a residual risk of mortality remains, in which obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) appears to be a largely undiagnosed factor, particularly in the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU). The purpose of this study is to determine whether the systematic screening for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is feasible and may be recommended. The aims of our study are to determine: (1) The estimated prevalence of OSA in patients admitted to the ICCU for ACS determined by a validated, user-friendly portable screening device; (2) The feasibility of the screening in this context; (3) To assess any negative impact of OSA on the severity of ACS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is an observational study of 101 patients admitted to the ICCU for ACS showing no clinical evidence of heart failure (HF). In the 24-72hours following admission, they underwent an overnight sleep study using a 3-channel portable screening device with automatic analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-two out of the 101 patients proved positive to the screening test, and its feasibility was acceptable. OSA patients tended to have greater peak levels of hs-cTnT (3685±3576ng/L versus 2830±3333ng/L, P=0.08) than the non-OSA group. Compared with the non-OSA group, OSA patients presented more severe ACS, with a greater average GRACE score at admission of 112.2±26.3 (versus 98.4±19.2, P<0.001). In the OSA group, we found a statistically significant inverse correlation between the apnoea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the linear regression analysis (r=-0.26; P=0.037). CONCLUSIONS: A systematic screening of patients in the ICCU is acceptable. OSA is frequently found in the acute phase of ischaemic heart disease and its presence is associated with more severe ACS and a poorer left ventricle systolic function.

Adaptive servo-ventilation: How does it fit into the treatment of central sleep apnoea syndrome? Expert opinions.

The preliminary results of the SERVE-HF study have led to the release of safety information with subsequent contraindication to the use of adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) for the treatment of central sleep apnoeas in patients with chronic symptomatic systolic heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 45%. The aim of this article is to review these results, and to provide more detailed arguments based on data from the literature advocating the continued use of ASV in different indications, including heart failure with preserved LVEF, complex sleep apnoea syndrome, opioid-induced central sleep apnea syndrome, idiopathic central SAS, and central SAS due to a stroke. Based on these findings, we propose to set up registers dedicated to patients in whom ASV has been stopped and in the context of the next setting up of ASV in these specific indications to ensure patient safety and allow reasoned decisions on the use of ASV.

[Appropriate medication prescribing in older people]. / Bon usage des médicaments chez le sujet âgé.

Drug-induced adverse effects are one of the main avoidable causes of hospitalization in older people. Numerous lists of potentially inappropriate medications for older people have been published, as national and international guidelines for appropriate prescribing in numerous diseases and for different age categories. The present review describes the general rules for an appropriate prescribing in older people and summarizes, for the main conditions encountered in older people, medications that are too often under-prescribed, the precautions of use of the main drugs that induce adverse effects, and drugs for which the benefit to risk ratio is unfavourable in older people. All these data are assembled in educational tables designed to be printed in a practical pocket format and used in daily practice by prescribers, whether physicians, surgeons or pharmacists.

Prevalence, characteristics, and prognosis role of type 1 ST elevation in the peripheral ECG leads in patients with Brugada syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Despite isolated reports of Brugada syndrome (BrS) in the inferior or lateral leads, the prevalence and prognostic value of ST elevation in the peripheral electrocardiographic (ECG) leads in patients with BrS remain poorly known. OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence, characteristics, and prognostic value of type 1 ST elevation and ST depression in the peripheral ECG leads in a large cohort of patients with BrS. METHODS: ECGs from 323 patients with BrS (age 47 ± 13 years; 257 men) with spontaneous (n = 141) or drug-induced (n = 182) type 1 ECG were retrospectively reviewed. Two hundred twenty-five (70%) patients were asymptomatic, 72 (22%) patients presented with unexplained syncope, and 26 (8%) patients presented with sudden death (12 patients) or appropriated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapies (14 patients) at diagnosis or over a mean follow-up of 48 ± 34 months. RESULTS: Thirty (9%) patients presented with type 1 ST elevation in at least 1 peripheral lead (22 patients in the aVR leads, 2 in the inferior leads, 5 in both aVR and inferior leads, and 1 in the aVR and VL leads). Patients with type 1 ST elevation in the peripheral leads more often had mutations in the SCN5A gene, were more often inducible, had slower heart rate, and higher J-wave amplitude in the right precordial leads. Twenty-seven percent (8 of 30) of the patients with type 1 ST elevation in the peripheral leads experimented sudden death/appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy, whereas it occurred in only 6% (18 of 293) of other patients (P < .0001). In multivariate analysis, type 1 ECG in the peripheral leads was independently associated with malignant arrhythmic events (odds ratio 4.58; 95% confidence interval 1.7-12.32; P = .0025). CONCLUSIONS: Type 1 ST elevation in the peripheral ECG leads can be seen in 10% of the patients with BrS and is an independent predictor for a malignant arrhythmic event.

[Are patients undergoing coronary angiography well-informed? Prospective evaluation of the effectiveness of written information]. / Les patients bénéficiant d'une coronarographie sont-ils bien informés ? Évaluation de l'efficacité de l'information écrite. Étude prospective unicentrique.

INTRODUCTION: Prior information in the realization of an invasive intervention is crucial. Indeed, the patient has to know theoretically his disease, diagnostic and therapeutic means, but also the risks of the used technique. The habits of information vary many from one center to another, in spite of the proposition of an information leaflet written by the French Society of Cardiology. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of written information for patients hospitalized for coronary arteriography. METHODS: Among patients hospitalized for realization of a programmed coronarography, a questionnaire was delivered before the information leaflet. The knowledge of the patients was so tested (27 items) before and after the reading of the information sheet (not limited time). The knowledge of the patients concerning coronarography indication, modalities, benefits, possible complications or still later possibilities was informed. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were included: all knew hospitalization reason, 86% were men, middle-aged 65 (IC 95% 60-70). Thirty-four percent (15-54) had studied in higher education. Ninety-seven percent had had information before. Only 56% (38-74) were informed about the mode of anesthesia, 36% (19-53) duration, 69% (53-86) the injection of iodine, 44% the risk of allergy, 53% the risk of bruise, 15% of the cardiac risks, 21% the renal risks. Seventy-one percent knew the diagnostic benefits, 44% the possible coronary angioplasty, 17% the eventuality of a bypass surgery. The delivery of the information leaflet did not modify the knowledge on most of these items, in particular the modalities and the profits. The risks were known significantly better for the allergy (P=0.019), the bruise (P=0.018), the cardiac risks (0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The population benefiting from a coronarography considers to be enough informed. However, knowledge of the modalities, profits and risks is very low. The delivery of the consensual leaflet does not allow improving the situation, except as far as concerned the complications. Better information is so indispensable, not only to obtain a better support of the patient in the treatment, but also to prevent the forensic implications. The improvement of the information must be multifactorial, but usually used means could be not sufficient.

Routinely-feasible multiple biomarkers score to predict prognosis after revascularized STEMI.

INTRODUCTION: We assessed the long-term prognostic value of an easy-to-do multiple cardiac biomarkers score after a revascularized acute myocardial infarction (MI) in order to evaluate a multimarker approach to risk stratification, based on routine biomarkers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Blood samples from 138 patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction and successfully treated by primary coronary intervention (with TIMI 3 flow) were subsequently tested for creatinin level at admittance and then BNP, hsCRP, troponin I from Day 0 to day 7. The primary endpoint was a clinical evaluation comprising: new hospitalization for cardiac reasons, acute coronary events (acute coronary syndrome), and death. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 11.01 months [9.44-12.59], 47 events were recorded. All the following markers were able to predict events: creatinemia on admission (p=0.0057), CRP on day 3 (p, troponin I on day 1 (p<0.001), BNP (p<0.0001) and biological multimarker score (p<0.0001). Clinical events were predicted with a hazard ratio (HR) of respectively 3.30 [2.88-12.30] in BNP Q4 as compared to the three lower quartiles (Q1-3), and 3.15 [2.75-21.00] for the Multimarker approach. The multimarker score was not significantly better than BNP on day 1 alone (p=0.77), troponin on day 1 alone (p=0.43), creatininemia on admission (p=0.19) or CRPhs on day 3 alone (p=0.054). Nevertheless, the Multimarker approach leads to the selection of a smaller, hence more manageable, high-risk population (13% versus 25%). CONCLUSION: Among 138 subjects admitted for acute MI, and all successfully revascularized, a routinely multimarker approach with BNP, hsCRP, creatininemia, troponin I, is feasible. BNP is the most powerful marker, and this multimarker approach renders additional prognostic information helping to identify patients with high-risk to clinical events.

[Atrial fibrillation in 2010: an increasing morbidity and mortality burden]. / La fibrillation atriale en 2010: un poids croissant sur la morbidité et la mortalité cardiovasculaires.

AF, a frequent and banal arrhythmia, is a debilitating and costly disease. The majority of patients with AF are aged 60 to 80 years, but the prevalence is as high as 10% after 80 years and the incidence increases in recent years in an "epidemic" way. AF is responsible for an excess of mortality with an relative risk between 2 and 4 depending of age and sex, especially as cardiovascular risk factors are associated. The morbidity is also important, with cerebral systemic embolism (2-3% per year), heart failure (1 patient for 3), and a total risk of hospitalization from 20 to 30% per year for AF patients with high cardiovascular risks. Whatever be the reasons for hospitalization, cardiovascular or not, in connection with AF or not, these reasons must be well analyzed, so that the risk of occurrence of hospitalization should reflect the efficacy of anti-arrhythmic drugs, or of their complications, or of the comorbidities associated with AF, so common in these older subjects. This morbidity-mortality composite endpoint should now be used in AF randomized trials, as occurring more frequently than mortality (4% per year) or embolic or hemorrhagic usual endpoints. Medico-economic consequences are significant and AF cost is almost 1% of total health spending, with 20% to 30% of the cost for anti-arrhythmic or anti-thrombotic drugs, and 50 to 60% for hospitalizations. Prevention of hospitalizations related to atrial fibrillation may represent a therapeutic target priority on the medico-economic ground.

Can troponin elevation predict worse prognosis in patients with acute pericarditis?

INTRODUCTION: Myopericarditis are common in clinical practice: up to 15% of acute pericarditis have a significant myocardial involvement as assessed by biological markers. This prospective, bicentric study is aimed at describing a myopericarditis population, the clinical and MRI follow-up, and search for prognosis markers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between May 2005 and September 2007, 103 patients hospitalised for acute pericarditis were prospectively enrolled. Physical examination, ECG, echocardiography, biological screening and cardiac MRI, in case of myopericarditis defined as acute pericarditis with troponin I elevation, were performed. Between December 2007 and July 2008, patients were contacted for new clinical and MRI evaluation. RESULTS: Among the initial population of 103 patients admitted for acute pericarditis, 14 myopericarditis and 38 pericarditis were included. Compared with pericarditis, the myopericarditis group was associated with the following features: younger age (34.9 years [95% CI 28.3-41.2]; p=0.01), ST-segment elevation (nine patients between 14; p=0.03), higher troponin I (7.3 microg/L [95% CI 4.4-10.2]; p<10(-4)) and lower systemic inflammation (CRP peak 38.1mg/L [95% CI 7-69.2]; p=0.01). In the case of myopericarditis, infectious etiologies were predominant (12 patients among 14; p=0.002) and patients stayed longer in hospital (5.8 days [95% CI 4.7-6.8]; p=0.01). Follow-up showed no difference in terms of functional status (p=0.3) and global complications (p=0.9) between paired myopericarditis and pericarditis. Nevertheless, cardiac mortality was higher for myopericarditis (p=0.04). MRI follow-up showed myocardial sequelae without clinical impact. CONCLUSION: Myopericarditis significantly distinguished from pericarditis. Three years follow-up showed no difference in terms of global complications but a higher cardiac mortality for myopericarditis. MRI myocardial lesions did not develop into symptomatic sequelae.

Recurrent severe acute apical-sparing left ventricular dysfunction in a young woman: don't forget pheochromocytoma.

A 35-year-old woman was admitted for second cardiogenic shock. She had no cardiovascular risk factors. Recurrent acute myocarditis was suggested. Recurrent acute myocardial dysfunctions in a young patient suggested pheochromocytoma. Initial trans-thoracic echocardiography showed a typical severe basal and mid-ventricular left ventricular dysfunction but preserved apical contractility. Total CT-scan evidenced a right suprarenal mass advocating for a pheochromocytoma. Biology confirmed the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. These images illustrate the rare but acute and typical clinical outcomes, and echocardiography findings.

[Daily management of acute pericarditis: clinical and paraclinical outcomes, etiological diagnosis]. / Prise en charge au quotidien des péricardites aiguës: présentation clinique, paraclinique, diagnostic étiologique.

INTRODUCTION: Acute pericarditis is a frequent hospitalization cause. A prospective, bicentric study aimed at different goals: population description, aetiologies screening, and evaluation of the interest of a coordinated and combined management between cardiologists and internists. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between May 2005 and September 2007, all patients admitted for acute pericarditis were prospectively enrolled. Physical examination, ECG, echocardiography, biological screening were performed. Patients were asked to consult both cardiologist and internist, one month later. RESULTS: Hundred and three patients were enrolled (mean age 43 years). Clinical outcome was classical in 60% of cases. ECG was typical in 59%. Troponin elevation was noted in 30% of patients. CRP was normal at diagnosis in 27% of patients, and increased significantly at first day (P=0.002). Possible cause was identified in 44 patients. In 26 patients (24.3%), precise diagnosis was performed: six cancers, one hemopathy, three connectivities, one EBV and one parvovirus B19 seroconversions, two untreated HIV patients, four inflammatory diseases, three endocrinology troubles, one oesophagitis, one dental sepsis, one amyloidosis, one acute pancreatitis, one declined dialysis indication. Eighteen de novo diagnoses (16.5%) were performed, out of them at least 12 benefited from specific management. CONCLUSION: Population of patients admitted for acute pericarditis are very heterogeneous. Our co-management between internists and cardiologists aims to diagnose earlier and easier curable diseases. Long-term follow-up remains of great interest, in order to diagnose later other disorders, which remained hidden, and to follow evolution of the population.

[Rhythm disorders and cardiac crypto-malformations]. / Troubles du rythme et crypto-malformations cardiaques.

Faced with a cardiac arrhythmia occuring in an apparently healthy heart, it is necessary to perform an anatomical investigation to detect any unsuspected anomalies. Congenital cardiopathy must certainly be excluded, as this is often responsible for rhythm disorders and/or cardiac conduction defects. Similarly, any acquired conditions, cardiomyopathy, or cardiac tumour must be sought. However, the possibility should always be considered of a minimal congenital malformation, which could be repsonsible for: any type of cardiac arrhythmia: rhythm disorder or conduction defect at the atrial, junctional or ventricular level, with a benign or serious prognosis. Unexpected therapeutic difficulties during radiofrequency ablation procedures or at implantation of pacemakers or defibrillators. Together with rhythm studies, the investigation of choice is high quality imaging, either the classic left or right angiography or the more modern cardiac CT or intracardiac mapping.

[Pharmacological treatment of atrial fibrillation]. / Traitement médicamenteux de la fibrillation atriale.

Although anticoagulant treatment of atrial fibrillation is now well codified, the medical treatment of the fibrillation remains controversial. Two types of medication can be proposed: drugs to slow the rhythm (digitalis, betablockers and calcium inhibitors) and anti-arrhythmic mainly Class I or Class III drugs. Some doubt was raised in the 1990's about the pertinence of antiarrhythmic therapy and four recent trials (AFFIRM, RACE, PIAF and STAF) compared the two attitudes of "rhythm control" or "rate control" in atrial fibrillation. The four trials all showed that the results of these two options were equivalent with respect to the therapeutic objectives: reduction of mortality, thromboembolic or haemodynamic risk, and regression of symptoms and improvement of the quality of life. However, these trials have not closed the debate on these two therapeutic attitudes. In fact, analysis shows that the comparison was biased because anticoagulant treatment was inadequate and, though the treatment for rate control was appropriate, the antiarrhythmic treatment was far from being satisfactory and effective. Moreover, many patients in the "rhythm control" group were in atrial fibrillation whereas a certain number of patients in the "rate control" group were, in fact, in sinus rhythm throughout the study period. In addition, the comparison was incomplete because it did not include two other particularly common populations in clinical practice: multi-relapsing paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in healthy hearts and atrial fibrillation associated with severe left ventricular dysfunction, patients with cardiac failure. Until the results of trials currently under way (AF-CHF) become available, the authors discuss the use of drugs for rate control and antiarrhythmic therapy in everyday practice.

[Mechanisms of action of antiarrhythmics in cardioversion of atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter]. / Mécanismes d'action des antiarythmiques dans la cardioversion de la fibrillation et du flutter auriculaires.

The mechanisms of action of antiarrhythmic drugs at atrial level are multiple. Antiarrhythmics may act at three levels in the prevention of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: on the arrhythmogenic atrial substrate, the initiating extrasystoles including those of the pulmonary veins, and in the modulation of the autonomic nervous system. However, there are many modes of initiation which are not well understood so that the preventive role of the antiarrhythmic drugs remains imprecise. Cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation has been better analysed in healthy hearts: Class I antiarrhythmics in particular, despite their depressive effects on the conduction which are potentially arrhythmogenic, are beneficial by decreasing the number of reentry circuits, prolonging the atrial refractory period on short cycles and, paradoxically, by increasing the period of excitability in AF. All have a preferential action on anisotropic conduction, especially at the pivotal point of reentry. On the other hand, their role in electrophysiological remodelling in the prevention of immediate recurrences and in pathological atria, remains poorly understood. As for atrial flutter, despite many clinical and experimental studies with antiarrhythmics, the current predominant role of radiofrequency ablation greatly limits the value of these pharmacological studies.

[Hypertensive encephalopathy as revealing symptom of Takayasu's arteritis]. / Encéphalopathie hypertensive révélatrice d'une maladie de Takayasu.

A 29-year-old patient presented with Takayasu's arteritis which was revealed by heart failure, epilepsy, right hemiparesis and fever. Transient abnormalities of MRI and CSF (raised protein and cell content) were initially observed. The hypothesis of a hypertensive encephalopathy is suggested.

[Arrhythmogenic effects of non cardiovascular drugs]. / Effets arythmogènes des médicaments non cardiovasculaires.

Among the unwanted effects of drugs, arrhythmogenic effects are particularly fearsome. Although rare they are serious, and responsible for syncope or sudden death, often linked with torsades de pointe on established long QT. For non cardiovascular drugs, detection is difficult because patients do not undergo systematic cardiological surveillance. Nevertheless understanding the risk, identification of predisposing factors, and consideration of the contra-indications are the rules of prescription, which are even more indispensable when the pathology being treated is benign. In effect, the implicated drugs are mainly anti-histamines, antibiotics, neuroleptics and antidepressants. The pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies, and pharmacological surveillance services must recognise the greatest possible risk of a drug, thanks to pre-clinical data, experimental electrophysiology both in vivo (measurement of the QT interval) and in vitro (action potential duration) or even in the elementary channel (essentially analysis of the iKr current). Correlated with clinical data (QT changes, pharmacokinetic interactions), a risk/benefit profile can therefore be established, which is even more demanding when the pathology is benign or when alternative drugs are available.

[Continuous nodal reciprocal rhythm and Steinert's disease: treatment by double chamber stimulation. A case report]. / Rythme réciproque nodal incessant et maladie de Steinert: traitement par stimulation double chambre. A propos d'un cas.

We report a case of continuous supraventricular tachycardia in a patient affected by Steinert's myotonic dystrophy. The investigation of this tachycardia showed that there was a "slow-fast" common nodal re-entry, rendered continuous by the existence of significant conduction defects in the fast pathway and the slow anterograde pathway. Implantation of a double chamber cardiac stimulator, necessary for conduction defects present in the basal state in this patient allowed, with the evolution of the conduction defects, the complete eradication of reciprocal rhythm entry, without resorting to ablation.

[Efficacy and tolerance of propafenone after correction of atrial fibrillation: PEPS pharmaco-epidemiologic study]. / Efficacité et tolérance de la propafénone après régularisation de la fibrillation auriculaire: étude pharmaco-épidémiologique PEPS.

The PEPS study had the objective of documenting the acceptability and efficacy of propafenone in 1366 treated patients, after correction of chronic or paroxysmal AF, and followed up over one year. All the cases were validated by quality controls performed by the 196 participating cardiologists. All the events during follow up were validated by a committee of independent experts. The patients, aged 67 +/- 11 years, were in sinus rhythm on inclusion. Propafenone was prescribed at the initial dose of 600 mg/day in 65% of patients. The proportion of patients without relapse of AF was 64 +/- 1% at 12 months. After adjustment, the significant predictors of AF relapse were male sex, previous history of chronic AF and prescription of associated drugs. Neither patient age nor propafenone dose significantly influenced AF relapse. Seven deaths (0.5%) occurred during the study of which 3 were of unknown cause. A pro-arrhythmic effect was observed in 8 patients (0.59%) of which 6 had underlying heart disease. The overall frequency of pro-arrhythmic effects, including the 3 deaths of unknown cause, was therefore 0.81%. Tolerance of treatment with propafenone after correction of AF is therefore satisfactory and the frequency of pro-arrhythmic effects is less than 1%. The efficacy of the treatment for the maintenance of sinus rhythm is in accordance with previously published results.

[Monophasic action potentials: considerations and limits]. / Potentiels d'action monophasiques: intérêts et limites.

Monophasic action potentials are currents recorded in vivo in the extracellular milieu which can reproduce the repolarisation signal of intracellular action potentials. For a long time unstable and complex to record, they now require simply a firm myocardial contact with a bipolar electrophysiological catheter and modification with recording filters, without a high-pass filter (DC). They have been widely used in recent years to study in vivo modifications of the action potential durations with frequency, epi-, endo-, or intramyocardial cellular topography, endocavity pressure modifications, or antiarrhythmic medication. They allow a unique means of continuous analysis in animals or in patients of the action potentials during polymorphic arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation and torsades de pointes, although in these cases the refractory periods can not be measured precisely and continuously, beat after beat. In contrast, their clinical or experimental use in the study of arrhythmias dependent on premature post-depolarisations has without doubt been excessive and disputable, because it appears improbable that authentic premature post-depolarisations could ever be obtained on a monophasic action potential, which always represents the summation of the action potentials of dozens of cells.

Effects of spironolactone and fosinopril on the spontaneous and chronic ventricular arrhythmias in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

We documented chronic ventricular arrhythmias in a first group of 58 rats after myocardial infarction (MI), then assessed the effects of spironolactone and fosinopril on morphological indexes and arrhythmias in a second group (n = 33). Rats underwent Holter monitoring at 2 months after MI. Treatment was randomly given from 1 until 4 months after MI: placebo in 12 rats (P), fosinopril in 9 (F) and spironolactone + fosinopril in 12 (SF). The score of ventricular premature beats (VPBs) was related to the MI size and the delay from MI (p < 0.01). VPB's reduction/increase required to demonstrate anti/pro-arrhythmic effects were 55 and 59%. Mass indexes were lower in F and SF (p = 0.01). VPB's difference (4 months vs. 1) was positive in P, significantly lower in F and negative in SF (p = 0.04). In this relevant model of spontaneous and chronic ventricular arrhythmias, SF association did not increase mortality but lowered the arrhythmic score.