Coronary sinus reducer for the treatment of refractory angina (ORBITA-COSMIC): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The coronary sinus reducer (CSR) is proposed to reduce angina in patients with stable coronary artery disease by improving myocardial perfusion. We aimed to measure its efficacy, compared with placebo, on myocardial ischaemia reduction and symptom improvement. METHODS: ORBITA-COSMIC was a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial conducted at six UK hospitals. Patients aged 18 years or older with angina, stable coronary artery disease, ischaemia, and no further options for treatment were eligible. All patients completed a quantitative adenosine-stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance scan, symptom and quality-of-life questionnaires, and a treadmill exercise test before entering a 2-week symptom assessment phase, in which patients reported their angina symptoms using a smartphone application (ORBITA-app). Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either CSR or placebo. Both participants and investigators were masked to study assignment. After the CSR implantation or placebo procedure, patients entered a 6-month blinded follow-up phase in which they reported their daily symptoms in the ORBITA-app. At 6 months, all assessments were repeated. The primary outcome was myocardial blood flow in segments designated ischaemic at enrolment during the adenosine-stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance scan. The primary symptom outcome was the number of daily angina episodes. Analysis was done by intention-to-treat and followed Bayesian methodology. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04892537, and completed. FINDINGS: Between May 26, 2021, and June 28, 2023, 61 patients were enrolled, of whom 51 (44 [86%] male; seven [14%] female) were randomly assigned to either the CSR group (n=25) or the placebo group (n=26). Of these, 50 patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (24 in the CSR group and 26 in the placebo group). 454 (57%) of 800 imaged cardiac segments were ischaemic at enrolment, with a median stress myocardial blood flow of 1·08 mL/min per g (IQR 0·77-1·41). Myocardial blood flow in ischaemic segments did not improve with CSR compared with placebo (difference 0·06 mL/min per g [95% CrI -0·09 to 0·20]; Pr(Benefit)=78·8%). The number of daily angina episodes was reduced with CSR compared with placebo (OR 1·40 [95% CrI 1·08 to 1·83]; Pr(Benefit)=99·4%). There were two CSR embolisation events in the CSR group, and no acute coronary syndrome events or deaths in either group. INTERPRETATION: ORBITA-COSMIC found no evidence that the CSR improved transmural myocardial perfusion, but the CSR did improve angina compared with placebo. These findings provide evidence for the use of CSR as a further antianginal option for patients with stable coronary artery disease. FUNDING: Medical Research Council, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, St Mary's Coronary Flow Trust, British Heart Foundation.

Multiorgan Dysfunction and Associated Prognosis in Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) is a progressive and ultimately fatal cardiomyopathy. Biomarkers reflecting multiorgan dysfunction are of increasing importance in patients with heart failure; however, their significance in ATTR-CA remains largely unknown. The aims of this study were to characterize the multifaceted nature of ATTR-CA using blood biomarkers and assess the association between blood biomarkers and prognosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 2566 consecutive patients diagnosed with ATTR-CA between 2007 and 2023. Anemia (39%), high urea (52%), hyperbilirubinemia (18%), increased alkaline phosphatase (16%), increased CRP (C-reactive protein; 27%), and increased troponin (98.2%) were common findings in the overall population, whereas hyponatremia (6%) and hypoalbuminemia (2%) were less common. These abnormalities were most common in patients with p.(V142I) hereditary ATTR-CA, and became more prevalent as the severity of cardiac disease increased. Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that anemia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.19 [95% CI, 1.04-1.37]; P=0.01), high urea (HR, 1.23 [95% CI, 1.04-1.45]; P=0.01), hyperbilirubinemia (HR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.13-1.57; P=0.001), increased alkaline phosphatase (HR, 1.20 [95% CI, 1.01-1.42; P=0.04), hyponatremia (HR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.28-2.11]; P<0.001), and troponin-T >56 ng/L (HR, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.46-2.03]; P<0.001) were all independently associated with mortality in the overall population. The association between biomarkers and mortality varied across the spectrum of genotypes and left ventricular ejection fraction, with anemia remining independently associated with mortality in p.(V142I) hereditary ATTR-CA (HR, 1.58 [95% CI, 1.17-2.12]; P=0.003) and in a subgroup of the overall population with a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40% (HR, 1.39 [95% CI, 1.08-1.81]; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac and noncardiac biomarker abnormalities were common and reflect the complex and multifaceted nature of ATTR-CA, with a wide range of biomarkers remaining independently associated with mortality. Clinical trials are needed to investigate whether biomarker abnormalities represent modifiable risk factors that if specifically targeted could improve outcomes.

Myocardial perfusion in cardiac amyloidosis.

AIMS: Cardiac involvement is the main driver of clinical outcomes in systemic amyloidosis and preliminary studies support the hypothesis that myocardial ischaemia contributes to cellular damage. The aims of this study were to assess the presence and mechanisms of myocardial ischaemia using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with multiparametric mapping and histopathological assessment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ninety-three patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA) (light-chain amyloidosis n = 42, transthyretin amyloidosis n = 51) and 97 without CA (three-vessel coronary disease [3VD] n = 47, unobstructed coronary arteries n = 26, healthy volunteers [HV] n = 24) underwent quantitative stress perfusion CMR with myocardial blood flow (MBF) mapping. Twenty-four myocardial biopsies and three explanted hearts with CA were analysed histopathologically. Stress MBF was severely reduced in patients with CA with lower values than patients with 3VD, unobstructed coronary arteries and HV (CA: 1.04 ± 0.51 ml/min/g, 3VD: 1.35 ± 0.50 ml/min/g, unobstructed coronary arteries: 2.92 ± 0.52 ml/min/g, HV: 2.91 ± 0.73 ml/min/g; CA vs. 3VD p = 0.011, CA vs. unobstructed coronary arteries p < 0.001, CA vs. HV p < 0.001). Myocardial perfusion abnormalities correlated with amyloid burden, systolic and diastolic function, structural parameters and blood biomarkers (p < 0.05). Biopsies demonstrated abnormal vascular endothelial growth factor staining in cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells, which may be related to hypoxia conditions. Amyloid infiltration in intramural arteries was associated with severe lumen reduction and severe reduction in capillary density. CONCLUSION: Cardiac amyloidosis is associated with severe inducible myocardial ischaemia demonstrable by histology and CMR stress perfusion mapping. Histological evaluation indicates a complex pathophysiology, where in addition to systolic and diastolic dysfunction, amyloid infiltration of the epicardial arteries and disruption and rarefaction of the capillaries play a role in contributing to myocardial ischaemia.

Deep phenotyping of p.(V142I)-associated variant transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy: Distinct from wild-type transthyretin amyloidosis?

AIMS: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is an increasingly recognized cause of heart failure. A total of 3-4% of individuals of African descent carry a TTR gene mutation encoding the p.(V142I) variant, a powerful risk factor for development of variant ATTR-CM (ATTRv-CM); this equates to 1.6 million carriers in the United States. We undertook deep phenotyping of p.(V142I)-ATTRv-CM and comparison with wild-type ATTR-CM (ATTRwt-CM). METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective study of 413 patients with p.(V142I) ATTRv-CM who attended the UK National Amyloidosis Centre (NAC) was conducted. Patients underwent evaluation at time of diagnosis, including clinical, echocardiography, and biomarker analysis; a subgroup had cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. A total of 413 patients with ATTRwt-CM, matched for independent predictors of prognosis (age, NAC Stage, decade of first presentation), were used as a comparator group. At time of diagnosis, patients with ATTRv-CM had significant functional impairment by New York Heart Association classification (NHYA class ≥ III; 38%) and 6-min walk test distance (median 276 m). Median 5-year survival in ATTRv-CM patients was 31 versus 59 months in matched patients with ATTRwt-CM (p < 0.001). Patients with ATTRv-CM had significant impairment of functional parameters by echocardiography including biventricular impairment, high burden of regurgitant valvular disease and low cardiac output. Multivariable analysis revealed the prognostic importance of right ventricular dysfunction. CMR and histological analysis revealed myocyte atrophy and widespread myocardial infiltration in ATTRv-CM. CONCLUSION: p.(V142I)-ATTRv-CM has an aggressive phenotype characterized by myocyte loss and widespread myocardial infiltration which may account for frequent biventricular failure and poor prognosis in this ATTR-CM genotypic subgroup.

Albuminuria in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis: Prevalence, progression and prognostic importance.

AIMS: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) is an infiltrative cardiomyopathy that commonly presents with concomitant chronic kidney disease. Albuminuria is common in heart failure and associated with worse outcomes, but its prevalence and relationship to outcome in ATTR-CA remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1181 patients with ATTR-CA were studied (mean age 78.1 ± 7.9 years; 1022 [86.5%] male; median estimated glomerular filtration rate 59 ml/min/1.73m2 [interquartile range: 47-74]). Albuminuria was present in 563 (47.7%) patients (499 [88.6%] with microalbuminuria and 64 [11.4%] with macroalbuminuria). Patients with albuminuria had a more severe cardiac phenotype evidenced by higher serum cardiac biomarkers (median N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP]: 4027 ng/L [2173-6889] vs. 1851 ng/L [997-3209], p < 0.001; median troponin T: 69 ng/L [46-101] vs. 48 ng/L [34-68], p < 0.001) and worse echocardiographic indices of systolic (longitudinal strain: -10.0 ± 3.6% vs. -11.6 ± 3.8%, p < 0.001) and diastolic function (E/e': 17.5 ± 6.4 vs. 16.4 ± 6.7, p < 0.001) than those with a normal urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR). Microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria were independently associated with mortality in the overall population (hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-1.92, p = 0.005 and HR 1.87, 95% CI 1.15-3.05, p = 0.012, respectively). In a subgroup of patients (n = 349) without concomitant hypertension, diabetes mellitus or chronic kidney disease, albuminuria was also associated with mortality (HR 2.98, 95% CI 1.72-5.17, p < 0.001). At 12 months, 330 patients had a repeat UACR measurement; those in whom UACR increased by 30% or more (n = 148, 44.8%) had an increased risk of mortality (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.06-3.19, p = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: Albuminuria is common in patients with ATTR-CA, and more prevalent in those with a more severe cardiac phenotype. Albuminuria at diagnosis and a significant increase in UACR during follow-up are associated with mortality.

A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Stable Angina.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is frequently performed to reduce the symptoms of stable angina. Whether PCI relieves angina more than a placebo procedure in patients who are not receiving antianginal medication remains unknown. METHODS: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of PCI in patients with stable angina. Patients stopped all antianginal medications and underwent a 2-week symptom assessment phase before randomization. Patients were then randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to undergo PCI or a placebo procedure and were followed for 12 weeks. The primary end point was the angina symptom score, which was calculated daily on the basis of the number of angina episodes that occurred on a given day, the number of antianginal medications prescribed on that day, and clinical events, including the occurrence of unblinding owing to unacceptable angina or acute coronary syndrome or death. Scores range from 0 to 79, with higher scores indicating worse health status with respect to angina. RESULTS: A total of 301 patients underwent randomization: 151 to the PCI group and 150 to the placebo group. The mean (±SD) age was 64±9 years, and 79% were men. Ischemia was present in one cardiac territory in 242 patients (80%), in two territories in 52 patients (17%), and in three territories in 7 patients (2%). In the target vessels, the median fractional flow reserve was 0.63 (interquartile range, 0.49 to 0.75), and the median instantaneous wave-free ratio was 0.78 (interquartile range, 0.55 to 0.87). At the 12-week follow-up, the mean angina symptom score was 2.9 in the PCI group and 5.6 in the placebo group (odds ratio, 2.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.41 to 3.47; P<0.001). One patient in the placebo group had unacceptable angina leading to unblinding. Acute coronary syndromes occurred in 4 patients in the PCI group and in 6 patients in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with stable angina who were receiving little or no antianginal medication and had objective evidence of ischemia, PCI resulted in a lower angina symptom score than a placebo procedure, indicating a better health status with respect to angina. (Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and others; ORBITA-2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03742050.).

Pulmonary hypertension - the latest updates for physicians.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is common, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 1% that increases with age. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is key to institute timely and appropriate therapy to improve symptoms and prognosis. The international guidelines for the diagnosis and management of PH have recently been updated, with a lowering of the haemodynamic threshold for diagnosis to a mean pulmonary artery pressure >20 mmHg. New diagnostic algorithms and revised indications for screening in at-risk groups have been developed to facilitate early referral to specialist PH centres. This includes fast-track referral pathways for patients who are either clinically high-risk or are at-risk for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). This review summarises key changes in the PH guidelines for general physicians who are, most often, the first healthcare professionals to encounter these patients and consequently have a key role as referrers into specialist PH services.

Tracking Treatment Response in Cardiac Light-Chain Amyloidosis With Native T1 Mapping.

Importance: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging-derived extracellular volume (ECV) mapping, generated from precontrast and postcontrast T1, accurately determines treatment response in cardiac light-chain amyloidosis. Native T1 mapping, which can be derived without the need for contrast, has demonstrated accuracy in diagnosis and prognostication, but it is unclear whether serial native T1 measurements could also track the cardiac treatment response. Objective: To assess whether native T1 mapping can measure the cardiac treatment response and the association between changes in native T1 and prognosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: This single-center cohort study evaluated patients diagnosed with cardiac light-chain amyloidosis (January 2016 to December 2020) who underwent CMR scans at diagnosis and a repeat scan following chemotherapy. Analysis took place between January 2016 and October 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures: Comparison of biomarkers and cardiac imaging parameters between patients with a reduced, stable, or increased native T1 and association between changes in native T1 and mortality. Results: The study comprised 221 patients (mean [SD] age, 64.7 [10.6] years; 130 male [59%]). At 6 months, 183 patients (mean [SD] age, 64.8 [10.5] years; 110 male [60%]) underwent repeat CMR imaging. Reduced native T1 of 50 milliseconds or more occurred in 8 patients (4%), all of whom had a good hematological response; by contrast, an increased native T1 of 50 milliseconds or more occurred in 42 patients (23%), most of whom had a poor hematological response (27 [68%]). At 12 months, 160 patients (mean [SD] age, 63.8 [11.1] years; 94 male [59%]) had a repeat CMR scan. A reduced native T1 occurred in 24 patients (15%), all of whom had a good hematological response, and was associated with a reduction in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (median [IQR], 2638 [913-5767] vs 423 [128-1777] ng/L; P < .001), maximal wall thickness (mean [SD], 14.8 [3.6] vs 13.6 [3.9] mm; P = .009), and E/e' (mean [SD], 14.9 [6.8] vs 12.0 [4.0]; P = .007), improved longitudinal strain (mean [SD], -14.8% [4.0%] vs -16.7% [4.0%]; P = .004), and reduction in both myocardial T2 (mean [SD], 52.3 [2.9] vs 49.4 [2.0] milliseconds; P < .001) and ECV (mean [SD], 0.47 [0.07] vs 0.42 [0.08]; P < .001). At 12 months, an increased native T1 occurred in 24 patients (15%), most of whom had a poor hematological response (17 [71%]), and was associated with an increased N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (median [IQR], 1622 [554-5487] vs 3150 [1161-8745] ng/L; P = .007), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (mean [SD], 65.8% [11.4%] vs 61.5% [12.4%]; P = .009), and an increase in both myocardial T2 (mean [SD], 52.5 [2.7] vs 55.3 [4.2] milliseconds; P < .001) and ECV (mean [SD], 0.48 [0.09] vs 0.56 [0.09]; P < .001). Change in myocardial native T1 at 6 months was independently associated with mortality (hazard ratio, 2.41 [95% CI, 1.36-4.27]; P = .003). Conclusions and Relevance: Changes in native T1 in response to treatment, reflecting a composite of changes in T2 and ECV, are associated with in changes in traditional markers of cardiac response and associated with mortality. However, as a single-center study, these results require external validation in a larger cohort.

Tracking Multiorgan Treatment Response in Systemic AL-Amyloidosis With Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Derived Extracellular Volume Mapping.

BACKGROUND: Systemic light chain amyloidosis is a multisystem disorder that commonly involves the heart, liver, and spleen. Cardiac magnetic resonance with extracellular volume (ECV) mapping provides a surrogate measure of the myocardial, liver, and spleen amyloid burden. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess multiorgan response to treatment using ECV mapping, and assess the association between multiorgan treatment response and prognosis. METHODS: The authors identified 351 patients who underwent baseline serum amyloid-P-component (SAP) scintigraphy and cardiac magnetic resonance at diagnosis, of which 171 had follow-up imaging. RESULTS: At diagnosis, ECV mapping demonstrated that 304 (87%) had cardiac involvement, 114 (33%) significant hepatic involvement, and 147 (42%) significant splenic involvement. Baseline myocardial and liver ECV independently predict mortality (myocardial HR: 1.03 [95% CI: 1.01-1.06]; P = 0.009; liver HR: 1.03; [95% CI: 1.01-1.05]; P = 0.001). Liver and spleen ECV correlated with amyloid load assessed by SAP scintigraphy (R = 0.751; P < 0.001; R = 0.765; P < 0.001, respectively). Serial measurements demonstrated ECV correctly identified changes in liver and spleen amyloid load derived from SAP scintigraphy in 85% and 82% of cases, respectively. At 6 months, more patients with a good hematologic response had liver (30%) and spleen (36%) ECV regression than myocardial regression (5%). By 12 months, more patients with a good response demonstrated myocardial regression (heart 32%, liver 30%, spleen 36%). Myocardial regression was associated with reduced median N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (P < 0.001), and liver regression with reduced median alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.001). Changes in myocardial and liver ECV, 6 months after initiating chemotherapy, independently predict mortality (myocardial HR: 1.11 [95% CI: 1.02-1.20]; P = 0.011; liver HR: 1.07 [95% CI: 1.01-1.13]; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Multiorgan ECV quantification accurately tracks treatment response and demonstrates different rates of organ regression, with the liver and spleen regressing more rapidly than the heart. Baseline myocardial and liver ECV and changes at 6 months independently predict mortality, even after adjusting for traditional predictors of prognosis.

Conventional heart failure therapy in cardiac ATTR amyloidosis.

AIMS: The aims of this study were to assess prescription patterns, dosages, discontinuation rates, and association with prognosis of conventional heart failure medications in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA). METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients diagnosed with ATTR-CA at the National Amyloidosis Centre between 2000 and 2022 identified 2371 patients with ATTR-CA. Prescription of heart failure medications was greater among patients with a more severe cardiac phenotype, comprising beta-blockers in 55.4%, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis)/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in 57.4%, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) in 39.0% of cases. During a median follow-up of 27.8 months (interquartile range 10.6-51.3), 21.7% had beta-blockers discontinued, and 32.9% had ACEi/ARBs discontinued. In contrast, only 7.5% had MRAs discontinued. A propensity score-matched analysis demonstrated that treatment with MRAs was independently associated with a reduced risk of mortality in the overall population [hazard ratio (HR) 0.77 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66-0.89), P < .001] and in a pre-specified subgroup of patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >40% [HR 0.75 (95% CI 0.63-0.90), P = .002]; and treatment with low-dose beta-blockers was independently associated with a reduced risk of mortality in a pre-specified subgroup of patients with a LVEF ≤40% [HR 0.61 (95% CI 0.45-0.83), P = .002]. No convincing differences were found for treatment with ACEi/ARBs. CONCLUSION: Conventional heart failure medications are currently not widely prescribed in ATTR-CA, and those that received medication had more severe cardiac disease. Beta-blockers and ACEi/ARBs were often discontinued, but low-dose beta-blockers were associated with reduced risk of mortality in patients with a LVEF ≤40%. In contrast, MRAs were rarely discontinued and were associated with reduced risk of mortality in the overall population; but these findings require confirmation in prospective randomized controlled trials.

Multi-Imaging Characterization of Cardiac Phenotype in Different Types of Amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND: Bone scintigraphy is extremely valuable when assessing patients with suspected cardiac amyloidosis (CA), but the clinical significance and associated phenotype of different degrees of cardiac uptake across different types is yet to be defined. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to define the phenotypes of patients with varying degrees of cardiac uptake on bone scintigraphy, across multiple types of systemic amyloidosis, using extensive characterization comprising biomarkers as well as echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. METHODS: A total of 296 patients (117 with immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis [AL], 165 with transthyretin amyloidosis [ATTR], 7 with apolipoprotein AI amyloidosis [AApoAI], and 7 with apolipoprotein AIV amyloidosis [AApoAIV]) underwent deep characterization of their cardiac phenotype. RESULTS: AL patients with grade 0 myocardial radiotracer uptake spanned the spectrum of CMR findings from no CA to characteristic CA, whereas AL patients with grades 1 to 3 always produced characteristic CMR features. In ATTR, the CA burden strongly correlated with myocardial tracer uptake, except in Ser77Tyr. AApoAI presented with grade 0 or 1 and disproportionate right-sided involvement. AApoAIV always presented with grade 0 and characteristic CA. AL grade 1 patients (n = 48; 100%) had characteristic CA, whereas only ATTR grade 1 patients with Ser77Tyr had characteristic CA on CMR (n = 5; 11.4%). After exclusion of Ser77Tyr, AApoAI, and AApoAIV, CMR showing characteristic CA or an extracellular volume of >0.40 in patients with grade 0 to 1 cardiac uptake had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% for AL. CONCLUSIONS: There is a wide variation in cardiac phenotype between different amyloidosis types across different degrees of cardiac uptake. The combination of CMR and bone scintigraphy can help to define the diagnostic differentials and the clinical phenotype in each individual patient.

Distinct cardiovascular phenotypes are associated with prognosis in systemic sclerosis: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study.

AIMS: Cardiovascular involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is heterogeneous and ill-defined. This study aimed to: (i) discover cardiac phenotypes in SSc by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR); (ii) provide a CMR-based algorithm for phenotypic classification; and (iii) examine for associations between phenotypes and mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective, single-centre, observational study of 260 SSc patients who underwent clinically indicated CMR including native myocardial T1 and T2 mapping from 2016 to 2019 was performed. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering using only CMR variables revealed five clusters of SSc patients with shared CMR characteristics: dilated right hearts with right ventricular failure (RVF); biventricular failure dilatation and dysfunction (BVF); and normal function with average cavity (NF-AC), normal function with small cavity (NF-SC), and normal function with large cavity (NF-LC) sizes. Phenotypes did not co-segregate with clinical or antibody classifications. A CMR-based decision tree for phenotype classification was created. Sixty-three (24%) patients died during a median follow-up period of 3.4 years. After adjustment for age and presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH), independent CMR predictors of all-cause mortality were native T1 (P < 0.001) and right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) (P = 0.0032). NF-SC and NF-AC groups had more favourable prognoses (P≤0.036) than the other three groups which had no differences in prognoses between them (P > 0.14). Hazard ratios (HR) were statistically significant for RVF (HR = 8.9, P < 0.001), BVF (HR = 5.2, P = 0.006), and NF-LC (HR = 4.9, P = 0.002) groups. The NF-LC group remained significantly predictive of mortality after adjusting for RVEF, native T1, and PH diagnosis (P = 0.0046). CONCLUSION: We identified five CMR-defined cardiac SSc phenotypes that did not co-segregate with clinical data and had distinct outcomes, offering opportunities for a more precision-medicine based management approach.

Sex differences among patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy - from diagnosis to prognosis.

AIMS: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is predominantly diagnosed in men. The few available studies suggest affected women have a more favourable cardiac phenotype. We aimed to characterize sex differences among consecutive patients with non-hereditary and two prevalent forms of hereditary (h)ATTR-CM diagnosed over a 20-year period. METHODS AND RESULTS: Analysis of deep phenotyping at presentation, changes on serial echocardiography and overall prognosis were evaluated. In total, 1732 consecutive patients were studied, comprising: 1095 with wild-type (wt)ATTR-CM; 206 with T60A-hATTR-CM; and 431 with V122I-hATTR-CM. Female prevalence was greater in T60A-hATTR-CM (29.6%) and V122I-hATTR-CM (27.8%) compared to wtATTR-CM (6%). At presentation, females were 3.3 years older than males (wtATTR-CM: 81.9 vs. 77.8 years; T60A-hATTR-CM: 68.7 vs. 65.1 years; V122I-hATTR-CM: 77.1 vs. 74.9 years). Body size significantly influenced measures of disease severity; when indexed, overall structural and functional phenotype was similar between sexes, the few significant differences suggested a mildly worse phenotype in females. No significant differences were observed in both disease progression on serial echocardiography and mortality across the overall population (p = 0.459) and when divided by genotype (wtATTR-CM: p = 0.730; T60A-hATTR-CM: p = 0.161; V122I-hATTR-CM: p = 0.056). CONCLUSION: This study of a well-characterized large cohort of ATTR-CM patients did not demonstrate overall differences between sexes in either clinical phenotype, when indexed, or with respect to disease progression and prognosis. Non-indexed wall thickness measurements may have contributed to both under-representation and delays in diagnosis for affected females and highlights the potential role of utilizing indexed echocardiographic parameters for a more accurate assessment of patients at diagnosis and for disease prognostication.

Impact of Earlier Diagnosis in Cardiac ATTR Amyloidosis Over the Course of 20 Years.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic and therapeutic advances have led to much greater awareness of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA). We aimed to characterize changes in the clinical phenotype of patients diagnosed with ATTR-CA over the past 20 years. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational cohort study of all patients referred to the National Amyloidosis Centre (2002-2021) in whom ATTR-CA was a differential diagnosis. RESULTS: We identified 2995 patients referred with suspected ATTR-CA, of whom 1967 had a diagnosis of ATTR-CA confirmed. Analysis by 5-year periods revealed an incremental increase in referrals, with higher proportions of patients having been referred after bone scintigraphy and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (2% versus 34% versus 51% versus 55%, chi-square P<0.001). This was accompanied by a greater number of ATTR-CA diagnoses, predominantly of the wild-type nonhereditary form, which is now the most commonly diagnosed form of ATTR-CA (0% versus 54% versus 67% versus 66%, chi-square P<0.001). Over time, the median duration of associated symptoms before diagnosis fell from 36 months between 2002 and 2006 to 12 months between 2017 and 2021 (Mann-Whitney P<0.001), and a greater proportion of patients had early-stage disease at diagnosis across the 5-year periods (National Amyloidosis Centre stage 1: 34% versus 42% versus 44% versus 53%, chi-square P<0.001). This was associated with more favorable echocardiographic parameters of structure and function, including lesser interventricular septal thickness (18.0±3.8 mm versus 17.2±2.6 mm versus 16.9±2.3 mm versus 16.6±2.4 mm, P=0.01) and higher left ventricular ejection fraction (46.0%±8.9% versus 46.8%±11.0% versus 47.8%±11.0% versus 49.5%±11.1%, P<0.001). Mortality decreased progressively during the study period (2007-2011 versus 2012-2016: hazard ratio, 1.57 [95% CI, 1.31-1.89], P<0.001; and 2012-2016 versus 2017-2021: hazard ratio, 1.89 [95% CI, 1.55-2.30], P<0.001). The proportion of patients enrolled into clinical trials and prescribed disease-modifying therapy increased over the 20-year period, but even when censoring at the trial or medication start date, year of diagnosis remained a significant predictor of mortality (2012-2016 versus 2017-2021: hazard ratio, 1.05 [95% CI, 1.03-1.07], P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There has been a substantial increase in ATTR-CA diagnoses, with more patients being referred after local advanced cardiac imaging. Patients are now more often diagnosed at an earlier stage of the disease, with substantially lower mortality. These changes may have important implications for initiation and outcome of therapy and urgently need to be factored into clinical trial design.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance in light-chain amyloidosis to guide treatment.

AIMS: To assess the ability of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to (i) measure changes in response to chemotherapy; (ii) assess the correlation between haematological response and changes in extracellular volume (ECV); and (iii) assess the association between changes in ECV and prognosis over and above existing predictors. METHODS AND RESULTS: In total, 176 patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis were assessed using serial N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), echocardiography, free light chains and CMR with T1 and ECV mapping at diagnosis and subsequently 6, 12, and 24 months after starting chemotherapy. Haematological response was graded as complete response (CR), very good partial response (VGPR), partial response (PR), or no response (NR). CMR response was graded by changes in ECV as progression (≥0.05 increase), stable (<0.05 change), or regression (≥0.05 decrease). At 6 months, CMR regression was observed in 3% (all CR/VGPR) and CMR progression in 32% (61% in PR/NR; 39% CR/VGPR). After 1 year, 22% had regression (all CR/VGPR), and 22% had progression (63% in PR/NR; 37% CR/VGPR). At 2 years, 38% had regression (all CR/VGPR), and 14% had progression (80% in PR/NR; 20% CR/VGPR). Thirty-six (25%) patients died during follow-up (40 ± 15 months); CMR response at 6 months predicted death (progression hazard ratio 3.82; 95% confidence interval 1.95-7.49; P < 0.001) and remained prognostic after adjusting for haematological response, NT-proBNP and longitudinal strain (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac amyloid deposits frequently regress following chemotherapy, but only in patients who achieve CR or VGPR. Changes in ECV predict outcome after adjusting for known predictors.

Ongoing Exercise Intolerance Following COVID-19: A Magnetic Resonance-Augmented Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test Study.

Background Ongoing exercise intolerance of unclear cause following COVID-19 infection is well recognized but poorly understood. We investigated exercise capacity in patients previously hospitalized with COVID-19 with and without self-reported exercise intolerance using magnetic resonance-augmented cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Methods and Results Sixty subjects were enrolled in this single-center prospective observational case-control study, split into 3 equally sized groups: 2 groups of age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched previously hospitalized patients following COVID-19 without clearly identifiable postviral complications and with either self-reported reduced (COVIDreduced) or fully recovered (COVIDnormal) exercise capacity; a group of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The COVIDreducedgroup had the lowest peak workload (79W [Interquartile range (IQR), 65-100] versus controls 104W [IQR, 86-148]; P=0.01) and shortest exercise duration (13.3±2.8 minutes versus controls 16.6±3.5 minutes; P=0.008), with no differences in these parameters between COVIDnormal patients and controls. The COVIDreduced group had: (1) the lowest peak indexed oxygen uptake (14.9 mL/minper kg [IQR, 13.1-16.2]) versus controls (22.3 mL/min per kg [IQR, 16.9-27.6]; P=0.003) and COVIDnormal patients (19.1 mL/min per kg [IQR, 15.4-23.7]; P=0.04); (2) the lowest peak indexed cardiac output (4.7±1.2 L/min per m2) versus controls (6.0±1.2 L/min per m2; P=0.004) and COVIDnormal patients (5.7±1.5 L/min per m2; P=0.02), associated with lower indexed stroke volume (SVi:COVIDreduced 39±10 mL/min per m2 versus COVIDnormal 43±7 mL/min per m2 versus controls 48±10 mL/min per m2; P=0.02). There were no differences in peak tissue oxygen extraction or biventricular ejection fractions between groups. There were no associations between COVID-19 illness severity and peak magnetic resonance-augmented cardiopulmonary exercise testing metrics. Peak indexed oxygen uptake, indexed cardiac output, and indexed stroke volume all correlated with duration from discharge to magnetic resonance-augmented cardiopulmonary exercise testing (P<0.05). Conclusions Magnetic resonance-augmented cardiopulmonary exercise testing suggests failure to augment stroke volume as a potential mechanism of exercise intolerance in previously hospitalized patients with COVID-19. This is unrelated to disease severity and, reassuringly, improves with time from acute illness.

Myocardial Perfusion Imaging After Severe COVID-19 Infection Demonstrates Regional Ischemia Rather Than Global Blood Flow Reduction.

Background: Acute myocardial damage is common in severe COVID-19. Post-mortem studies have implicated microvascular thrombosis, with cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) demonstrating a high prevalence of myocardial infarction and myocarditis-like scar. The microcirculatory sequelae are incompletely characterized. Perfusion CMR can quantify the stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) and identify its association with infarction and myocarditis. Objectives: To determine the impact of the severe hospitalized COVID-19 on global and regional myocardial perfusion in recovered patients. Methods: A case-control study of previously hospitalized, troponin-positive COVID-19 patients was undertaken. The results were compared with a propensity-matched, pre-COVID chest pain cohort (referred for clinical CMR; angiography subsequently demonstrating unobstructed coronary arteries) and 27 healthy volunteers (HV). The analysis used visual assessment for the regional perfusion defects and AI-based segmentation to derive the global and regional stress and rest MBF. Results: Ninety recovered post-COVID patients {median age 64 [interquartile range (IQR) 54-71] years, 83% male, 44% requiring the intensive care unit (ICU)} underwent adenosine-stress perfusion CMR at a median of 61 (IQR 29-146) days post-discharge. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 67 ± 10%; 10 (11%) with impaired LVEF. Fifty patients (56%) had late gadolinium enhancement (LGE); 15 (17%) had infarct-pattern, 31 (34%) had non-ischemic, and 4 (4.4%) had mixed pattern LGE. Thirty-two patients (36%) had adenosine-induced regional perfusion defects, 26 out of 32 with at least one segment without prior infarction. The global stress MBF in post-COVID patients was similar to the age-, sex- and co-morbidities of the matched controls (2.53 ± 0.77 vs. 2.52 ± 0.79 ml/g/min, p = 0.10), though lower than HV (3.00 ± 0.76 ml/g/min, p< 0.01). Conclusions: After severe hospitalized COVID-19 infection, patients who attended clinical ischemia testing had little evidence of significant microvascular disease at 2 months post-discharge. The high prevalence of regional inducible ischemia and/or infarction (nearly 40%) may suggest that occult coronary disease is an important putative mechanism for troponin elevation in this cohort. This should be considered hypothesis-generating for future studies which combine ischemia and anatomical assessment.

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on infarct size and remodelling in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients: the CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI CMR substudy.

The effect of limb remote ischaemic conditioning (RIC) on myocardial infarct (MI) size and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was investigated in a pre-planned cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) substudy of the CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI trial. This single-blind multi-centre trial (7 sites in UK and Denmark) included 169 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who were already randomised to either control (n = 89) or limb RIC (n = 80) (4 × 5 min cycles of arm cuff inflations/deflations) prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention. CMR was performed acutely and at 6 months. The primary endpoint was MI size on the 6 month CMR scan, expressed as median and interquartile range. In 110 patients with 6-month CMR data, limb RIC did not reduce MI size [RIC: 13.0 (5.1-17.1)% of LV mass; control: 11.1 (7.0-17.8)% of LV mass, P = 0.39], or LVEF, when compared to control. In 162 patients with acute CMR data, limb RIC had no effect on acute MI size, microvascular obstruction and LVEF when compared to control. In a subgroup of anterior STEMI patients, RIC was associated with lower incidence of microvascular obstruction and higher LVEF on the acute scan when compared with control, but this was not associated with an improvement in LVEF at 6 months. In summary, in this pre-planned CMR substudy of the CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI trial, there was no evidence that limb RIC reduced MI size or improved LVEF at 6 months by CMR, findings which are consistent with the neutral effects of limb RIC on clinical outcomes reported in the main CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI trial.

Reduced exercise capacity in patients with systemic sclerosis is associated with lower peak tissue oxygen extraction: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance-augmented cardiopulmonary exercise study.

BACKGROUND: Exercise intolerance in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is typically attributed to cardiopulmonary limitations. However, problems with skeletal muscle oxygen extraction have not been fully investigated. This study used cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-augmented cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CMR-CPET) to simultaneously measure oxygen consumption and cardiac output. This allowed calculation of arteriovenous oxygen content gradient, a recognized marker of oxygen extraction. We performed CMR-CPET in 4 groups: systemic sclerosis (SSc); systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (SSc-PAH); non-connective tissue disease pulmonary hypertension (NC-PAH); and healthy controls. METHODS: We performed CMR-CPET in 60 subjects (15 in each group) using a supine ergometer following a ramped exercise protocol until exhaustion. Values for oxygen consumption, cardiac output and oxygen content gradient, as well as ventricular volumes, were obtained at rest and peak-exercise for all subjects. In addition, T1 and T2 maps were acquired at rest, and the most recent clinical measures (hemoglobin, lung function, 6-min walk, cardiac and catheterization) were collected. RESULTS: All patient groups had reduced peak oxygen consumption compared to healthy controls (p < 0.022). The SSc and SSc-PAH groups had reduced peak oxygen content gradient compared to healthy controls (p < 0.03). Conversely, the SSc-PAH and NC-PH patients had reduced peak cardiac output compared to healthy controls and SSc patients (p < 0.006). Higher hemoglobin was associated with higher peak oxygen content gradient (p = 0.025) and higher myocardial T1 was associated with lower peak stroke volume (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced peak oxygen consumption in SSc patients is predominantly driven by reduced oxygen content gradient and in SSc-PAH patients this was amplified by reduced peak cardiac output. Trial registration The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: 100358).