Practical aspects of endomyocardial left ventricular biopsy - own experience.

INTRODUCTION: Left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy (LV-EMB) is the only procedure that allows a direct assessment of the left ventricular myocardium, thus enabling the diagnosis of myocarditis or other myocardial diseases. AIM: To describe the characteristics of a population that underwent LV-EMB, as well as to address the periprocedural and technical aspects of the LV-EMB. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Since its initiation in our center in 2016, a total of 43 patients have undergone LV-EMB. In the manuscript, the indications for LV-EMB and the detailed technical aspects of its safe performance, including the equipment used, are described. A large part of the text is also devoted to the possible complications of LV-EMB. RESULTS: The results of the initial population that underwent LV-EMB in our center are presented. The patients who were qualified for LV-EMB were predominantly male (85.7%), with a mean age of 38.8 years. Of those, 38 (88.3%) had acute heart failure. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 19.6%. The primary indications for LV-EMB were unexplained heart failure with a left ventricular ejection fraction < 35% and (1) hemodynamic abnormalities or electrical instability of the heart and/or (2) recent worsening of heart failure (NYHA class II, III, or IV) with no response to standard therapy for 2 weeks. The mean fluoroscopy time was 5.4 min, and the mean radiation dose was 87 mGy. No periprocedural complications were found. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the analysis indicate that LV-EMB can be performed safely by skilled physicians in an experienced center.

Clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of patients with ischemic and nonischemic acute severe heart failure. Analysis of data from the COMMIT­AHF registry.

INTRODUCTION There are limited data on the impact of ischemic etiology on the clinical status and long­term prognosis of patients with acute severe heart failure (HF) not associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the clinical characteristics, treatment, and 12­month mortality of patients with acute severe HF not associated with ACS, according to the etiology of HF.  PATIENTS AND METHODS Data from 112 patients with acute severe HF not associated with ACS were analyzed: 61 patients with ischemic HF and 51 patients with nonischemic HF. Acute severe HF was defined as acute HF on admission with at least one of the following characteristics: pulmonary congestion, cardiogenic shock, catecholamine or intraaortic balloon pump support, ultrafiltration, mechanical ventilation, prolonged use of intravenous diuretics, fluid in the body cavities requiring decompression, or multiorgan failure. RESULTS Patients with ischemic HF were older (62 vs 54 years, P = 0.001), predominately male (84% vs 65%, P = 0.02), had more comorbidities, and had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (21% vs 27%, P = 0.02). There were no significant differences in treatment modalities (ie, mechanical ventilation, hemodiafiltration, intraaortic balloon pump, left ventricular assist device, heart transplantation), except for 14 percutaneous coronary interventions in the ischemic group. In­hospital adverse events were similar between the groups. Among 83 discharged patients with available follow­up, death was reported for 15 patients with ischemic and 11 patients with nonischemic HF (34% vs 28%, P = 0.42).  CONCLUSIONS Ischemic HF, accounting for approximately half of the cases of acute severe HF not related to ACS, was not associated with a significantly worse prognosis than nonischemic HF.

COnteMporary Modalities In Treatment of Heart Failure: a report from the COMMIT-HF registry.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Heart failure (HF) has become a global health problem and is a significant burden for health-care systems worldwide. It is reported as the reason for 1-4% of all hospital admissions in developed countries. The prognosis in HF remains unfavourable. Having at our disposal a large group of patients with systolic HF at a high-volume reference cardiovascular centre with the possibility to implement complete diagnostics and therapy we decided to analyse the clinical data, administered therapies, and prognosis in HF patients. METHODS: The COMMIT-HF is a single-centre observational study that is underway in the Third Chair and Department of Cardiology of the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases in Zabrze. The study population is a cohort of adult HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35%. Patients with acute coronary syndromes are excluded from the analysis. Complete patient demographics: medical history, hospitalisation data (diagnostic and therapeutic), and in-hospital results are collected. Twelve-month follow-up is based on the information acquired from the national health-care provider. RESULTS: As of 31 December 2013 a group of 1798 patients have been enrolled (mean age 60.9 ± 12.8 years, 20.3% of subjects female, mean LVEF 26.06 ± 6.09, ischaemic aetiology 64.5%, atrial fibrillation 33.2%, diabetes mellitus 41.2%, chronic kidney disease stage ≥ III 29%). A significant proportion of patients underwent invasive procedures (ICD/CRT-D implantation 61.1%, coronary angiography 56.2%, PCI 19.6%, CABG 5.1%, heart transplantation qualification 5.5%, IABP 2.5%). All-cause 12-month morality was 12.5%. HF-related rehospitalisation rate was 28.9%. CONCLUSIONS: The COMMIT-HF study will provide valuable information on the HF patient population. Initial analyses show that in this difficult patient population satisfactory long-term results can be achieved.

Mortality of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock treated by PCI is correlated to the infarct-related artery--results from the PL-ACS Registry.

BACKGROUND: Mortality of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with cardiogenic shock (CS) on admission remains high despite invasive treatment. The aim of this analysis was to assess the relationship between the infarct-related artery (IRA) and the early and 12-month outcomes of patients with STEMI and CS treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Two thousand ninety patients with STEMI and CS registered in the prospective Polish Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes from October 2003 to November 2009 were included. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality in the left main (LM), left anterior descending artery (LAD), circumflex artery (Cx), and right coronary artery (RCA) groups was 64.7%, 41.0%, 36.0%, and 30.8%, respectively, with p<0.0001. The 12-month mortality in the LM, LAD, Cx, and RCA groups was 77.7%, 58.2%, 55.1%, and 45.0%, respectively, with p<0.0001. After multivariate adjustment, LM as the IRA was significantly associated with higher 12-month mortality (hazard ratio=1.71, 95% confidence interval=1.28-2.27, p=0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital and long-term mortality of patients with STEMI and CS treated by PCI are significantly correlated to the IRA, being highest for LM and lowest for RCA.

The influence of diabetes on in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients with myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: results from the PL-ACS registry.

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) affects the prognosis in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). An additional factor affecting the prognosis is diabetes mellitus (DM). AIM: To evaluate the impact of DM on in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients with MI complicated by CS, who were included in the Polish Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes (PL-ACS). We also sought to demonstrate a relationship between treatment method and mortality in this group. METHODS: 71,290 consecutive patients with non-ST elevation MI (NSTEMI; 33,392) and ST elevation MI (STEMI; 37,898) were included in the PL-ACS register. CS was diagnosed on admission in 4,144 patients. This group included 1,159 patients with DM. RESULTS: The patients with DM were older, more frequently female and more frequently presented with hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, obesity, suffered from multivessel coronary disease significantly more frequently (76.4% vs. 64.6%; p = 0.00003) and had lower coronary angioplasty efficacy (TIMI 3 flow) (67% vs. 75.8%; p = 0.001) compared to patients without DM. The mortality rate comparisons for patients with DM vs. those without DM, respectively, were as follows: inhospital mortality, 61.4% vs. 55.9%; p = 0.001 (revascularisation treatment: 45.7% vs. 39.5%; p = 0.03, conservative treatment: 69.3% vs. 64.6%; p = 0.02) and 3-year mortality 78.6% vs. 70.7%; p 〈 0.0001 (revascularisation treatment: 64.7% vs. 55.0%; p = 0.001, conservative treatment: 85.5% vs. 79.2%; p = 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, DM was, with borderline statistical significance, an independent predictor of higher in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.16; 95% CI 1.00-1.35; p = 0.054] and 3-year mortality (HR = 1.11; 95% CI 1.02-1.20; p = 0.01). Interestingly, after excluding patients who died in the hospital, DM was still associated with significantly higher 3-year mortality (50.1% vs. 40.0%; p 〈 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that DM was still an independent risk factor for higher 3-year mortality (HR = 1.21; 95% CI 1.04-1.41; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes is associated with higher in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients with MI complicated by CS. Revascularisation treatment, compared to conservative treatment, reduces mortality in this group of patients.

Comparison of invasive and non-invasive treatment strategies in older patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (from the Polish Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes - PL-ACS).

Cardiogenic shock (CS) continues to be the most important factor affecting the mortality rate of patients with acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs). However, controversy regarding the optimal treatment of older patients with AMIs complicated by CS still exists. The aim of this study was to compare the results of invasive (coronary angiography during index hospitalization) and noninvasive treatment strategies in patients aged ≥ 75 years with AMIs complicated by CS, defined as systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg or need for hemodynamic support and end-organ hypoperfusion. A multicenter Polish registry that included data on patients with acute coronary syndromes was examined to identify patients with AMIs treated from October 2003 to May 2007. A total of 97,531 patients with AMIs were hospitalized, and 5.5% of those patients (n = 5,390) had CS on admission, including 1,976 patients aged ≥ 75 years (509 treated invasively and 1,467 treated noninvasively). In-hospital mortality was 55.4% in patients treated invasively and 69.9% in patients treated noninvasively (p <0.0001). After 6 months, the mortality rate was 65.8% in the invasive group and 80.5% in the noninvasive group (p <0.0001). Propensity score analysis, in which 499 patients of each group were analyzed after being matched for demographic and clinical data, confirmed the early and long-term benefits of the invasive strategy. In conclusion, applying the invasive strategy to patients with AMIs complicated by CS reduced in-hospital and 6-month mortality in patients aged ≥ 75 years.

Relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level on admission and in-hospital mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, with or without diabetes, treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the independent risk factor for coronary artery disease. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with poor outcome in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The relationship between LDL-C and mortality in patients with STEMI has not been well established. AIM: To assess whether the LDL-C level on admission can predict in-hospital mortality in patients with or without DM treated with PCI for STEMI. METHODS: 1808 consecutive patients with STEMI (378 with DM) treated with PCI were included in the analysis. Patients were divided according to the presence of DM and LDL-C level on admission with a threshold of 3.7 mmol/L (143 mg/dL). In the diabetic group there were 208 patients with LDL-C〈 3.7 mmol/L (143 mg/dL) and 170 with LDL-C ≥ 3.7 mmol/L (143 mg/dL), whereas in the non-diabetic group 726 and 704 patients, respectively. We analysed the effects of LDL-C level and various risk factors on in-hospital mortality separately for patients with or without DM. RESULTS: The mean total cholesterol (5.6 ± 1.4 vs 5.7 ± 1.5 mmol/L; 216.6 ± 54.1 vs 220.4 ± 58 mg/dL, p = 0.21), LDL-C (3.6 ± 1.3 vs 3.7 ± 1.5 mmol/L; 139.2 ± 50.3 vs 143.0 ± 58 mg/dL, p = 0.11) and triglyceride level (1.7 ± 0.6 vs 1.6 ± 0.5 mmol/L; 150 ± 52.9 vs 141.2 ± 44.1 mg/dL, p = 0.30) were similar in patients with or without DM, whereas HDL-C level was lower in diabetic patients (1.4 ± 0.6 vs 1.8 ± 0.5 mmol/L; 53.7 ± 23.0 vs 69 ± 19.2 mg/dL, p = 0.049). The in-hospital mortality was 6.1% and 3.2%, for patients with or without DM, respectively (p = 0.008). In the diabetic group in-hospital mortality was higher in patients with LDL-C level on admission ≥ 3.7 mmol/L (143 mg/dL) in comparison to the patients with LDL-C〈 3.7 mmol/L (143 mg/dL; 7.1% vs 4.8%; p = 0.03). The multivariate analysis revealed that in diabetics an increase in LDL-C level on admission by 1 mmol/L (38.67 mg/dL) was related to a 45% increase in in-hospital mortality (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.10-2.00, p = 0.023). In the non-diabetic group in-hospital mortality was similar in patients with LDL-C level on admission ≥ 3.7 mmol/L (143 mg/dL) and〈 3.7 mmol/L (143 mg/dL); 2.6% vs 3.7%; p = 0.21. In multivariate analysis LDL-C level was not related with in-hospital mortality in patients without DM (per 1 mmol/L; 38.67 mg/dL); OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.70-1.27, p = 0.71. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated LDL-C level on admission is associated with increased in-hospital mortality in diabetic but not in non-diabetic patients treated with PCI for STEMI.

Comparison of early and long-term results of percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction, complicated or not by cardiogenic shock.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiogenic shock (CS) still remains one of the most important factors affecting the mortality rate of patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the data with follow-up longer than 1 year are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the early and long-term treatment results of patients with STEMI, complicated or not by CS, who underwent percutaneus coronary interventions. METHODS: A retrospective registry included data of all patients with STEMI admitted to our centre from January 1999 to December 2001. RESULTS: One thousand three hundred and eighty-five patients with STEMI were hospitalized and 1237 of them were treated with immediate percutaneus coronary interventions. Among this subpopulation, 117 (9.5%) patients were with STEMI complicated with CS on admission (group I) and 1120 (90.5%) patients were with STEMI without complications from CS on admission (group II). The groups differed significantly with regard to baseline clinical characteristics, angiographic picture, and in-hospital course. A total of 38.5% of patients with myocardial infarction complicated by CS and 2.5% of patients without shock (P<0.001) died during hospitalization. At the 5-year follow-up, 58.1% of group I patients and 14.8% of group II patients (P<0.001) died. A significant difference in the 5-year mortality rate was also observed in patients who survived the in-hospital period (31.9 vs. 12.6%; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: CS continues to be closely connected with a very high mortality rate both in the hospital and in the long-term, also among patients who survived the in-hospital period.

Comparison of primary balloon angioplasty with bailout stenting strategy to primary coronary stenting strategy in the treatment of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

BACKGROUND: In recent years significant progress has been made in invasive treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Primary coronary stenting is currently a routine strategy which replaced primary balloon angioplasty with bailout stenting preferred in the past. Studies comparing these two strategies of stenting in AMI are scarce. AIM: To compare the immediate and long-term outcomes after primary angioplasty strategy and bailout stenting versus primary stent placement strategy in patients with AMI. METHODS: We analysed data from a single-centre registry of consecutive patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction admitted between January 1998 and October 2003. In our centre in years 1998-2000 stenting was used only after failed or suboptimal balloon angioplasty. Starting from year 2001 we used routine primary stenting strategy. We compared these two angioplasty strategies applied in different time intervals with regard to in-hospital outcome and long-term mortality. Patients with cardiogenic shock at admission were excluded. RESULTS: Out of a total of 1602 patients treated invasively for AMI (cardiogenic shock excluded) 479 underwent primary balloon angioplasty strategy with bailout stenting - group 1 (years 1998-2000) and 1123 were treated with primary stenting strategy - group 2 (years 2001-2003). In group 1 bailout stenting occurred in 34.4% of patients whereas in group 2 stents were implanted in 83% of patients. Patients in the balloon angioplasty group were younger, had shorter time from the onset of symptom to hospital arrival and more frequently underwent rescue coronary intervention after failed thrombolysis. In-hospital mortality was 2.9 vs. 2.4% in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p=NS). Twenty-four month mortality rate was 9.8% in group 1 and 10.06% in group 2 (p=NS). CONCLUSIONS: 1. Effectiveness of coronary angioplasty is high and comparable in both groups. 2. In-hospital and long-term mortality and procedure-related complication rate are all low and comparable with both stenting strategies. 3. Independent factors increasing long-term mortality include: culprit vessel reocclusion, multivessel coronary disease, older age and hypertension. 4. Patients with complete patency of culprit vessel restored and with higher left ventricular ejection fraction presented lower 2-year mortality rate. 5. Bailout stenting did not increase 2-year mortality.

Comparison of results of percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction during routine working hours or off-hours.

BACKGROUND: Data on the efficacy of coronary angioplasty in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated during off-shift hours are limited, but some publications suggest a worse outcome in this group of patients. AIM: To compare the results of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in STEMI patients admitted to hospital during the daytime and off-shift hours and to identify factors which influence prognosis. METHODS: From January 1998 to October 2003, 1992 patients with STEMI were hospitalised and 1778 of them were treated with immediate PCI, including 482 admitted in the daytime (weekdays 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.; group I) and 1296 during off-shift hours (weekdays 3 p.m. - 8 a.m., weekends and holidays; group II). The clinical characteristics of both groups were similar, except for less frequent hypercholesterolaemia in the daytime group (52.1 vs. 59.7%; p=0.0041). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the groups regarding time from admission to angiography (30 vs. 25 minutes), rates of reocclusion (5.2 vs. 4.9%), stroke (1.4 vs. 1.6%), haemorrhagic complications (8.1 vs. 6.9%), in-hospital mortality (6.8 vs. 6.2%) and long-term (24 months) mortality (13.7 vs. 13.6%) (p >0.05 for all parameters). The rate of stent implantation was significantly higher in the daytime group (71.2 vs. 66.2%; p=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: The proper organisation of duties of the division of cardiology and the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, with focus on providing onsite staffing of the cardiac catheterisation laboratory around the clock, enables similar results of PCI in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated during off-shift hours as compared with patients treated during the daytime.