The "via dialysis circuit" external bypass technique: External femoral to femoral bypass via dialysis circuit for antegrade perfusion of the ischemic limb.

A 71-year-old woman with no relevant previous medical history presented to the emergency department with cardiopulmonary arrest due to extensive myocardial infarction. Veno-arterial extracorporeal life support (ECLS) was passed through the right common femoral artery (CFA), and an Impella CP® (16-F introduction sheath, Abiomed Inc., Danvers, MA, USA) was inserted from the left CFA. Although these mechanical devices provide powerful cardiac and organ support, an occlusive large-bore sheath may induce ischemic limb complications. Antegrade flow from the contralateral sheath was circulated through the ECLS circuit, showing the improvement of antegrade left SFA. Cardiac function improved after primary percutaneous coronary intervention, but when the ECLS was terminated, antegrade left limb flow declined. Hence, we bypassed the contralateral flow via the dialysis circuit and prevented limb ischemia. Learning objective: Although an Impella® (Abiomed Inc., Danvers, MA, USA) is useful for assisting left ventricular cardiac function, its large-bore sheath sometimes disturbs the antegrade flow, resulting in ischemic limb complications. A novel yet simple technique that involves an external bypass through the superficial femoral artery to provide antegrade perfusion to the ipsilateral limb is hereby described.

Association Between Catheter Ablation for Nonparoxysmal Atrial Fibrillation and Functional Mitral Regurgitation in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) often coexists with atrial fibrillation (AF) and may have a causal relation with AF persistence and exacerbation of heart failure (HF). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of FMR on AF catheter ablation (AFCA) outcomes and improvement in FMR after AFCA in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and nonparoxysmal AF. Excluding patients with primary valve disease or post-mitral valve repair, 280 patients with HFpEF who underwent CA for nonparoxysmal AF were retrospectively included. All patients completed 1-year follow-up and were assessed for FMR, AF recurrence and HF parameters, including echocardiography. At baseline, FMR was present in 153 (54.6%) patients (mild, n = 112; moderate, n = 40; severe, n = 1), and these were decreased to 70 (25%) significantly 1 year after AFCA (mild, n = 64; moderate, n = 6), 119 patients (78%) had improvement in MR (a decrease of ≥1 level in the severity from baseline to 1 year on echocardiography). Overall, 274 patients (97.9%) had sinus rhythm at the 1-year examination, and recurrent AF-free survival did not differ in patients with and without MR improvement (83.2% vs 82.4%, p = 0.908). However, the MR improvement group had a significantly lower cardiothoracic ratio, left atrial diameter, E/e', and B-type natriuretic peptide levels after 1 year than those in the MR nonimprovement group. In conclusion, the majority of the HFpEF patients with nonparoxysmal AF had improvement of FMR after AFCA with the high maintenance of sinus rhythm, leading to a virtuous cycle of cardiac function.

Dynamic chest radiography as a novel minimally invasive hemodynamic imaging method in patients with heart failure.

PURPOSE: Dynamic chest radiography allows for non-invasive cardiopulmonary blood flow assessment. However, data on its use for heart failure hemodynamic assessment are scarce. We utilized dynamic chest radiography to estimate heart failure hemodynamics. METHOD: Twenty heart failure patients (median age, 67 years; 17 men) underwent dynamic chest radiography and right heart catheterization. The analyzed images were 16-bit images (grayscale range: 0-65,535). Right atrial, right pulmonary artery, and left ventricular apex pixel values (average of the grayscale values of all pixels within a region of interest) were measured. The correlations of the minimum, maximum, mean, amount of change, and rate of change in pixel values with right atrial pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary artery wedge pressure, and cardiac index were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean right atrial pixel value and mean right atrial pressure (R = -0.576, P = 0.008), mean right pulmonary artery pixel value and mean pulmonary artery pressure (R = -0.546, P = 0.013), and left ventricular apex pixel value change rate and mean pulmonary artery wedge pressure (R = -0.664, P = 0.001) or cardiac index (R = 0.606, P = 0.005) were correlated. The left ventricular apex pixel value change rate identified low cardiac index (area under the curve, 0.792; 95% confidence interval, 0.590-0.993; P = 0.031) and low cardiac index with high pulmonary artery wedge pressure (area under the curve, 0.902; 95% confidence interval, 0.000-1.000; P = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic chest radiography is a minimally invasive tool for heart failure hemodynamic assessment.

Excimer laser coronary angioplasty versus manual aspiration thrombectomy in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: analyzed by nuclear scintigraphy.

Clinical outcomes concerning the efficacy of excimer laser coronary angioplasty (ELCA) in real-world cases of acute myocardial infarction (MI) are limited. We evaluated and compared the impact of ELCA with manual aspiration thrombectomy on myocardial salvage and left ventricular (LV) systolic/diastolic function in patients with ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) using nuclear scintigraphy.  We enrolled 143 consecutive patients with STEMI treated with ELCA (63 patients) or manual aspiration thrombectomy (80 patients) between September 2016 and December 2020 in a single-center hospital. We evaluated the peak creatine kinase (CK)/ creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) levels and performed single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) analyses with Quantitative Gated SPECT and Quantitative Perfusion SPECT (Auto QUANT 7.2) at 3-10 days using 123I-BMIPP and 3 months following percutaneous coronary intervention using 99mTc-tetrofosmin to evaluate myocardial salvage and LV systolic/diastolic function. No significant difference was observed in the patient and periprocedural characteristics. Peak CK-MB level was significantly different between the groups (ELCA group, 190.0 [70.5-342.0] IU/L vs. aspiration group, 256.5 [157.0-354.8] IU/L, p = 0.047). Although no significant difference was observed in myocardial salvage, significant improvement in the LV ejection fraction (14.1 [6.2-19.8]% vs. 9.5 [3.9-15.3]%, respectively, p = 0.018) and peak emptying rate (-0.54 [-1.02- (-0.27)] mL/s vs. -0.38 [-0.76- (-0.05)] mL/s, respectively, p = 0.017) were detected. ELCA could suppress the myocardial deviation enzymes and potentially improve systolic function compared to manual aspiration thrombectomy in patients with STEMI.

High Internal Atrial Defibrillation Threshold Is Related to a High Risk of Recurrence After Catheter Ablation for Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation But Not for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: The atrial defibrillation threshold (ADFT) for internal cardioversion is theoretically related to the critical mass for sustaining atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association of ADFT for internal cardioversion with the outcome of catheter ablation for non-paroxysmal AF (non-PAF). METHODS: We included 368 consecutive patients who underwent first-time catheter ablation for non-PAF. Based on the degree of ADFT recorded by the internal cardioversion before pulmonary vein isolation, we divided the patients into low ADFT (<20 J) and high ADFT (≥20 J) groups and analysed the association between ADFT and atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence. RESULTS: There were 234 and 134 patients in the low and high ADFT groups, respectively. Of these, 39 patients (16.7%) and 41 (30.6%) patients, respectively, had atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence during the 2.6±1.0 year follow-up. The high ADFT group showed a significantly higher atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence than the low ADFT group (p=0.002). This finding was also noted in patients with long-standing persistent AF (p=0.032) but not in patients with persistent AF (p=0.159). The significant predictors of arrhythmia recurrence on multivariate analysis were high ADFT (p=0.004) and long-standing persistent AF (p=0.011). In multivariate analysis within the long-standing persistent AF group, only ADFT remained a significant risk factor for AF recurrence (p=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: The high ADFT of internal cardioversion was found to be a risk factor for post-catheter ablation recurrence in patients with long-standing persistent AF but not in those with persistent AF.

Prevalence and prognosis of isolated posterior ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction using synthesized-V7-9 lead.

Limited data exist on the prevalence and prognosis of isolated posterior ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), revealed with a posterior chest lead. Furthermore, the utility of a synthesized-V7-9 lead in the diagnosis of STEMI is unclear; therefore, we aimed to evaluate its usefulness. We enrolled 142 consecutive patients with STEMI with the culprit lesion on the left circumflex artery (STEMI-LCx) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between January 2009 and December 2019. We retrospectively checked the ST-segment change of both standard 12-lead and synthesized-V7-9 lead in all patients with STEMI-LCx. Based on electrocardiogram (ECG) findings, isolated posterior STEMI that was only revealed in synthesized-V7-9 lead was classified as "STEMI-LCx-synV7-9" and the remaining as "STEMI-LCx-12ECG." The prevalence of STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 in patients with STEMI-LCx was assessed. The incidence of all-cause death, cardiac death, and mechanical complications within 30 days, 3 months, and 1 year was also assessed according to each STEMI-LCx. STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 and STEMI-LCx-12ECG occurred in 10 (7.0%) and 132 (93.0%) patients, respectively. No significant difference was found in patients' characteristics between the two groups. The patients with STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 had significantly higher incidences of cardiac death within 3 months and 1 year (30.0% vs. 6.1%, P = 0.031, 30.0% vs. 7.6%, P = 0.050, respectively) and mechanical complications in each follow-up period (20.0% vs. 1.5%, P = 0.025) than those with STEMI-LCx-12ECG. STEMI-LCx-synV7-9 was observed in 7.0% of the patients with STEMI-LCx. Our findings suggest that the synthesized-V7-9 lead helps diagnose isolated posterior STEMI and might improve prognosis in patients with STEMI-LCx.

Assessment of appropriate body mass index cut-off points for long-term mortality among ST-elevation myocardial infarction survivors in Asian population using machine learning algorithm.

Low body mass index (BMI) is a predictor of adverse events in patients with ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Western countries. Because the average BMI of Asians is significantly lower than that of the Western population, the appropriate cut-off BMI value and its role in long-term mortality are unclear in Asian patients. Between January 2006 and December 2017, 1215 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute STEMI and were alive at discharge (mean age, 67.7 years; male, 75.4%) were evaluated. The cut-off BMI value, which could predict all-cause mortality within 10 years, was detected using a survival classification and regression tree (CART) model. The causes of death according to the BMI value were evaluated in each group. Based on the CART model, the patients were divided into three groups (BMI < 18 kg/m2: 54 patients, 18 kg/m2 ≤ BMI ≤ 20 kg/m2: 109 patients, and BMI > 20 kg/m2: 1052 patients). The BMI decreased with age; with an increased BMI, patients with dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and smoking habit increased. During the study period (median, 4.9 years), 194 patients (26.8%) died (cardiac death, 59 patients; non-cardiac death, 135 patients). All-cause mortality was more frequent as the BMI decreased (BMI < 18 kg/m2; 72.8%, 18 kg/m2 ≤ BMI ≤ 20 kg/m2; 40.5%, and BMI > 20 kg/m2; 22.8%; log-rank p < 0.001). Non-cardiac deaths were more frequent than cardiac deaths in all groups, and the dominance of non-cardiac death was highest in the lowest BMI group. Cut-off BMI values of 18 kg/m2 and 20 kg/m2 can predict long-term mortality after PCI in Asian STEMI survivors, whose cut-off value is lower than that in the Western populations. The main causes of death in this cohort differed according to the BMI values.

Fifteen-Year Mortality and Cardiac, Thrombotic, and Bleeding Events in Survivors of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Although short-term mortality in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has improved, data is limited regarding very long-term mortality and concomitant clinical events in STEMI survivors who undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI). This study aimed to evaluate these parameters at 15 years and to determine the predictors of 15-year mortality in these patients. METHODS: The study endpoints were all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality at 15 years. Independent predictors of all-cause mortality were also analyzed. Furthermore, each thrombotic and bleeding event was evaluated. RESULTS: Between January 2004 and December 2006, 260 STEMI survivors who underwent p-PCI (median follow-up period: 3970 days) were evaluated from the Ogaki Municipal hospital registry. The rates of all-cause mortality (cardiac mortality) at 5, 10, and 15 years were 12.1% (4.9%), 23.4% (9.5%), and 34.9% (12.4%), respectively. The cumulative incidences of recurrent myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic bleeding, and gastric bleeding at 15 years were 11.3%, 43.6%, 14.3%, 6.9%, and 10.9%, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that age ≥ 75 years [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 7.074, p < 0.001], chronic kidney disease (aHR, 2.320, p = 0.001), left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (aHR, 2.930, p = 0.001), Killip class ≥II at admission (aHR, 2.639, p = 0.003), untreated chronic total occlusion (aHR, 2.090, p = 0.042), and final TIMI grade ≤ 2 (aHR, 1.736, p = 0.048) were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that all-cause and cardiac mortality at 15 years were 34.9% and 12.4%, respectively, in all-comers STEMI survivors after p-PCI, indicating that STEMI survivors might have a benign prognosis.

In-hospital mortality among consecutive patients with ST-Elevation myocardial infarction in modern primary percutaneous intervention era ~ Insights from 15-year data of single-center hospital-based registry ~.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the association of detailed angiographic findings with in-hospital outcome after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Japan. BACKGROUND: Data regarding the association of detailed angiographic findings with in-hospital outcome after STEMI are limited in the p-PCI era. METHODS: Between January-2004 and December-2018, 1735 patients with STEMI (mean age, 68.5 years; female, 24.6%) who presented to the hospital in the 24-hours after symptom onset and underwent p-PCI were evaluated using the disease registries. The registry is an ongoing, retrospective, single-center hospital-based registry. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality rate and in-hospital mortality rate were 7.7% and 9.2%, respectively. Independent predictors of in-hospital mortality were ejection fraction (EF) < 40% [adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR), 4.446, p < 0.001], culprit lesions in the left coronary artery (LCA) (aOR, 2.940, p < 0.001) compared with those in the right coronary artery, Killip class > II (aOR, 7.438; p < 0.001), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (aOR, 4.056; p < 0.001), final thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grades 0/1/2 (aOR, 1.809; p = 0.03), absence of robust collaterals (aOR, 17.309; p = 0.01) and hypertension (aOR, 0.449; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Among the consecutive patients with STEMI, the in-hospital mortality rate after p-PCI significantly improved in the second half. Not only CKD, Killip class > II, and EF < 40%, but also the angiographic findings such as culprit lesions in the LCA, absence of very robust collaterals, and final TIMI grades <3 were associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality.

Ten-Year Mortality in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Knowledge of the long-term prognosis (>10 years) and mortality predictors of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who have undergone primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) is scarce. Therefore, this study evaluated the long-term prognosis and determined the predictors of long-term outcomes for STEMI patients after p-PCI. Between January, 2006 and December, 2010, we collected data and analyzed 459 consecutive patients with acute STEMI who underwent p-PCI and were discharged from the hospital (mean age, 66.8 years; male, 75.2%; peak creatine phosphokinase level, 2,292.5 IU/L). The primary endpoint was 10-year all-cause mortality. The cumulative 10-year incidence of all-cause death was 23.8%. The Cox multivariate regression analysis identified age ≥ 65 years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], p <0.001), body mass index (aHR, 0.93, p = 0.033), presence of atrial fibrillation (aHR, 1.69, p = 0.038), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use (aHR, 1.95, p = 0.008), ejection fraction <40% (aHR, 2.14, p = 0.005), and albumin <3.5 g/dL (aHR, 2.01, p = 0.005) as independent predictors of all-cause mortality. In conclusion, a post-discharge 10-year survival rate of 76.2% was identified for STEMI patients who underwent p-PCI.

Catheter ablation for non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation accompanied by heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: feasibility and benefits in functions and B-type natriuretic peptide.

AIMS: We aimed to examine the benefits of catheter ablation in patients with non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) accompanied by heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), in comparison with the benefits in patients with AF accompanied by HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or patients with no HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 1173 consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation, 502 with non-paroxysmal AF were divided into three groups: no history of HF [plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) <100 pg/mL and no HF hospitalization; n = 125], HFpEF [left ventricular (LV) EF ≥50%; n = 293], and HF with midrange EF (HFmrEF) + HFrEF (LVEF <50%; n = 84) groups. The endpoints were AF recurrence at 1 year, changes in symptomatic and image-based functional status, and changes in BNP levels from baseline to 1 year. In the HFpEF group, AF recurred in 48 patients (16.4%) and 278 patients (94.8%) had sinus rhythm at 1 year; these values were comparable with those in the other groups. Significant improvement was observed in the left atrial diameter, LVEF, and New York Heart Association functional class in the HFpEF and HFmrEF + HFrEF groups. The BNP level significantly decreased irrespective of the index rate control status, and freedom from AF recurrence was an independent predictor of HF remission, defined as BNP <100 pg/mL at 1 year, in the HFpEF group. CONCLUSION: Catheter ablation is highly feasible for restoring sinus rhythm in non-paroxysmal AF with coexisting HFpEF, thereby improving cardiac function and BNP levels. Catheter ablation for AF may be an optional management strategy.

The Mid-term Mortality and Mode of Death in Survivors with ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Objective The popularity of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has increased over the past decades. Despite improvements in in-hospital mortality rates, it is clinically important to investigate the prognoses after discharge. However, data on the mode of death and prognostic factors are limited. We analyzed these factors in a Japanese cohort in the modern p-PCI era. Methods Between January 2004 and December 2017, a total of 1,222 patients who underwent p-PCI within 24 hours from the onset of STEMI and were alive at discharge (mean age, 67.7 years old; men, 75.5%), were evaluated. The two-year mortality was analyzed using a Cox regression model, and the mode of death was evaluated. Results The rate of mortality at 2 years was 5.7%. Non-cardiac death was more frequent than cardiac death (62.6% vs. 37.4%). A Cox multivariate analysis identified the following as independent predictors of the 2-year mortality: hemoglobin (log-transformed) [adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.048; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.008-0.29; p<0.001], age above 80 years old (adjusted HR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.30-3.91; p=0.004), Killip class ≥II (adjusted HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.17-3.39; p=0.011), brain natriuretic peptide level (log-transformed) (adjusted HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.09-2.01; p=0.013), and body mass index (log-transformed) (adjusted HR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.030-0.84; p=0.030). Conclusion This study demonstrated that the 2-year mortality was 5.7% in STEMI survivors after p-PCI. Non-cardiac death was more frequent than cardiac death. Compared to well-known clinical variables, angiographic findings did not have a significant influence on the mid-term mortality.

Maternal separation as a risk factor for aggravation of neuropathic pain in later life in mice.

Psychological stresses such as social loss and separation during childhood induce hardship, referred to as emotional pain. These experiences are well-documented risk factors for the development of physical pain in adulthood. However, the underlying neuronal mechanisms of this exacerbation of pain are largely unknown, and consequently there is no effective pharmacotherapy. In this study, we sought to determine whether infant maternal separation (MS) contributes to aggravation of neuropathic pain in adult mice. MS increased anxiety- and depression-like behavioral responses to adult stress. In MS animals, chronic constriction injury (CCI) heightened the sensory dimension of chronic pain relative to that of control mice. However, MS mice treated with fluoxetine for 4 weeks after MS did not exhibit augmentation of allodynia, and their emotional response was attenuated. Microglia were more abundant in the spinal cord in MS/CCI mice than in control/CCI mice. These results suggest that emotional impairment is related to augmentation of neuropathic pain, and that dysfunction of microglial activation contributes to heightened pain sensitivity.