Effect of variable left ventricular ejection fraction assessed by equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography using different software packages on the diagnosis of cardiotoxicity in patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND: The equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography (ERNA) scan is an established imaging modality for assessing left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in oncology patients. This study aimed to explore the interchangeability of two commercially available software packages (MIM and JS) for LVEF measurement for a cancer-therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) diagnosis. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective study among 322 patients who underwent ERNA scans. A total of 582 scans were re-processed using MIM and JS for cross-sectional and longitudinal LVEF measurements. RESULTS: The median LVEF for MIM and JS were 56% and 66%, respectively (P < 0.001). LVEF processed by JS was 9.91% higher than by MIM. In 87 patients with longitudinal ERNA scans, serial studies processed by MIM were classified as having CTRCD in a higher proportion than serial studies processed by JS (26.4% vs 11.4%, P = 0.020). There were no significant differences in intra- or inter-observer LVEF measurement variability (R = 0.99, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Software packages for processing ERNA studies are not interchangeable; thus, reports of ERNA studies should include details on the post-processing software. Serial ERNA studies should be processed on the same software when feasible to avoid discrepancies in the diagnosis and management of CTRCD.

Ablation of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly encountered arrhythmia in the clinical setting affecting nearly 6 million people in United States and the numbers are only expected to rise as the population continues to age. Broadly it is classified into paroxysmal, persistent and longstanding persistent AF. Electrical, structural and autonomic remodeling are some of the diverse pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to the persistence of AF. Our review article emphasizes particularly on long standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF) aspect of the disease which poses a great challenge for electrophysiologists. While pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has been established as a successful ablation strategy for paroxysmal AF, same cannot be said for LSPAF owing to its long duration, complexity of mechanisms, multiple triggers and substrate sites that are responsible for its perpetuation. The article explains different approaches currently being adopted to achieve freedom from atrial arrhythmias. These mainly include ablation techniques chiefly targeting complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAE), rotors, linear lesions, scars and even considering hybrid approaches in a few cases while exploring the role of delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (deMRI) in the pre-procedural planning to improve the overall short and long term outcomes of catheter ablation.

Ambulatory pulmonary artery pressure monitoring in advanced heart failure patients.

Heart failure (HF) is an emerging epidemic associate with significant morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure. Although there were major advances in pharmacologic and device based therapies for the management of HF, mortality of this condition remains high. Accurate monitoring of HF patients for exacerbations is very important to reduce recurrent hospitalizations and its associated complications. With the failure of clinical signs, tele-monitoring, and laboratory bio-markers to function as early markers of HF exacerbations, more sophisticated techniques were sought to accurately predict the circulatory status in HF patients in order to execute timely pharmacological intervention to reduce frequent hospitalizations. CardioMEMSTM (St. Jude Medical, Inc., Saint Paul, Minnesota) is an implantable, wireless pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) monitoring system which transmits the patient's continuous PAPs to the treating health care provider in the ambulatory setting. PAP-guided medical therapy modification has been shown to significantly reduce HF-related hospitalization and overall mortality. In advanced stages of HF, wireless access to hemodynamic information correlated with earlier left ventricular assist device implantation and shorter time to heart transplantation.

Enhanced External Counterpulsation Therapy: Past, Present, and Future.

External counterpulsation therapy was first developed over half a century ago as a resuscitative tool to support the failing heart and was based on hemodynamic principles of the intraaortic balloon pump. Over the course of last few decades, it has evolved into the modern enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) therapy, which has proven to be a safe, effective, and low-cost noninvasive treatment for patients with debilitating angina and chronic heart failure who are poor candidates for revascularization procedures and have suboptimal results from other therapies. Numerous studies have shown EECP to be efficacious in patients with chronic angina, with its effects lasting for several years after completion of therapy. Besides being safe in patients with coexisting left ventricular dysfunction, there is emerging evidence that EECP therapy may result in improvement in exercise capacity and oxygen consumption in heart failure patients. Several mechanisms have been postulated to explain the therapeutic effects of EECP, including improvement in endothelial function, promotion of angiogenesis and new collaterals, reduction in atherosclerotic burden, improvement in ventricular function, and peripheral training effects analogous to that of exercise. With greater understanding of these complex mechanisms, possible applications of EECP have broadened in recent years, with its use being studied in conditions like hepatorenal syndrome, erectile dysfunction, and restless leg syndrome. This review article offers a historical perspective on the origins of EECP, an overview of our current understanding of its physiological effects, and a glimpse at its future utilization in clinical practice.