Contemporary Data on the Status and Medical Management of Acute Heart Failure.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Acute heart failure (AHF) is among the leading causes for unplanned hospital admission. Despite advancements in the management of chronic heart failure, the prognosis of AHF remains poor with high in-hospital mortality and increased rates of unfavorable post-discharge outcomes. With this review, we aim to summarize current data on AHF epidemiology, focus on the different patient profiles and classifications, and discuss management, including novel therapeutic options in this area. RECENT FINDINGS: There is significant heterogeneity among patients admitted for AHF in their baseline characteristics, heart failure (HF) aetiology and precipitating factors leading to decompensation. A novel classification scheme based on four distinct clinical scenarios has been included in the most recent ESC guidelines, in an effort to better risk stratify patients and guide treatment. Intravenous diuretics, vasodilators, and inotropes remain the cornerstone of management in the acute phase, and expansion of use of mechanical circulatory support has been noted in recent years. Meanwhile, many treatments that have proved their value in chronic heart failure demonstrate promising results in the setting of AHF and research in this field is currently ongoing. Acute heart failure remains a major health challenge with high in-hospital mortality and unfavorable post-discharge outcomes. Admission for acute HF represents a window of opportunity for patients to initiate appropriate treatment as soon as possible after stabilization. Future studies are needed to elucidate which patients will benefit the most by available therapies and define the optimal timing for treatment implementation.

Funny coronary arteriole perforation causes tamponade post-primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

An emergency transradial coronary angiography in a 68-year-old woman demonstrated sub-total occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery.

The Role of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Assessment of Mitral Regurgitation.

Mitral regurgitation (MR), a primary cause of valvular disease in adults, affects millions and is growing due to an ageing population. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as an essential tool, offering insights into valvular and myocardial pathology when compared to the primary imaging modality, echocardiography. This review highlights CMR's superiority in high-resolution volumetric assessment and tissue characterization, including also advanced techniques like late gadolinium enhancement imaging, parametric mapping, feature tracking and 4D flow analysis. These techniques provide a deeper understanding of MR's pathophysiology and its effect on cardiac chambers, enabling CMR to surpass echocardiography in predicting hard clinical outcomes and left ventricular (LV) remodelling post mitral valve surgery. Despite its advantages, CMR's application faces limitations like cost, lack of standardization, and susceptibility to arrhythmia artifacts. Nonetheless, as technological advancements continue and new evidence emerges, CMR's role in MR assessment is set to expand, offering a more nuanced and personalized approach to cardiac care. This review emphasizes the need for further research and standardized protocols to maximize CMR's potential in MR management.

Moving from left ventricular ejection fraction to deformation imaging in mitral valve regurgitation.

The increasing prevalence of valvular heart diseases, specifically mitral regurgitation (MR), underscores the need for a careful and timely approach to intervention. Severe MR, whether primary or secondary, when left untreated leads to adverse outcomes, emphasizing the critical role of a timely surgical or transcatheter intervention. While left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remains the guideline-recommended measure for assessing left ventricle damage, emerging evidence raises concerns regarding its reliability in MR due to its volume-dependent nature. This review summarizes the existing literature on the role of LVEF and deformation imaging techniques, emphasizing the latter's potential in providing a more accurate evaluation of intrinsic myocardial function. Moreover, it advocates the need for an integrated approach that combines traditional with emerging measures, aiming to optimize the management of patients with MR. It attempts to highlight the need for future research to validate the clinical application of deformation imaging techniques through large-scale studies.

Cardiac magnetic resonance for ventricular arrhythmias: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) allows comprehensive myocardial tissue characterisation, revealing areas of myocardial inflammation or fibrosis that may predispose to ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). With this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of structural heart disease (SHD) and decipher the prognostic implications of CMR in selected patients presenting with significant VAs. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for studies enrolling adult patients that underwent CMR for diagnostic or prognostic purposes in the setting of significant VAs. A random effects model meta-analysis of proportions was performed to estimate the prevalence of SHD. HRs were pooled together in order to evaluate the prognostic value of CMR. RESULTS: The prevalence of SHD was reported in 18 studies. In all-comers with significant VAs, the pooled rate of SHD post-CMR evaluation was 39% (24% in the subgroup of premature ventricular contractions and/or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia vs 63% in the subgroup of more complex VAs). A change in diagnosis after use of CMR ranged from 21% to 66% with a pooled average of 35% (29%-41%). A non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy was the most frequently identified SHD (56%), followed by ischaemic heart disease (21%) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (5%). After pooling together data from six studies, we found that the presence of late gadolinium enhancement was associated with increased risk of major adverse outcomes in patients with significant VAs (pooled HR: 1.79; 95% CI 1.33 to 2.42). CONCLUSION: CMR is a valuable tool in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of patients with VAs. CMR should be considered early after initial evaluation in the diagnostic algorithm for VAs of unclear aetiology as this strategy may also define prognosis and improve risk stratification.

Clinical Value of Novel Echocardiographic Biomarkers Assessing Myocardial Work in Acute Heart Failure-Rationale and Design of the "Beyond Myo-HF Study".

BACKGROUND: Despite ongoing treatment advancements in chronic heart failure (HF), mortality and readmission rates remain high for patients hospitalized for decompensated acute HF. These patients represent a distinct HF group, which requires emergent echocardiographic evaluation in an attempt to provide optimal and individualized acute care. The role of serial advanced echocardiographic assessment in acute HF for risk stratification and treatment guidance has not been thoroughly explored. METHODS: The "Beyond Myo-HF Study" is a prospective, non-interventional cohort trial designed to enroll acutely admitted patients with symptoms and/or signs of HF. The aim of this study is to investigate whether intrahospital changes of conventional and novel echocardiographic indices of myocardial function and congestion-related markers can predict early mortality, late mortality, and HF rehospitalization. As per the protocol, all patients undergo a pair of state-of-the-art echocardiographic assessments, with a rigorous protocol including speckle tracking analysis of all cardiac chambers and myocardial work analysis for the left and right ventricle, upon admission and pre-discharge. Their laboratory profile is captured at those two time-points, and their therapeutic management is recorded. Patients will be followed-up for a median period of 12 months after enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: The "Beyond Myo-HF" study is an ongoing, prospective trial aspiring to provide deep insight into the pathophysiology of acute HF, to enlighten the reverse cardiac functional and anatomical remodeling during hospitalization, and to recognize echocardiographic patterns capable of predicting adverse outcomes during and post decompensation of acute HF.

Unmet Needs in the Assessment of Right Ventricular Function for Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a highly prevalent valvular heart disease that has been long overlooked, but lately its independent association with adverse cardiovascular outcomes was recognized. The time point to intervene and repair the tricuspid valve is defined by the right ventricular (RV) dilation and dysfunction that comes up at a later stage. While guidelines favor tricuspid valve repair before severe RV dysfunction ensues, the definition of RV dysfunction in a universal manner remains vague. As a result, the candidates for transcatheter or surgical TR procedures are often referred late, when advanced RV dysfunction is established, and any derived procedural survival benefit is attenuated. Thus, it is of paramount importance to establish a universal means of RV function assessment in patients with TR. Conventional echocardiographic indices of RV function routinely applied have fundamental flaws that limit the precise characterization of RV performance. More recently, novel echocardiographic indices such as strain via speckle-tracking have emerged, demonstrating promising results in the identification of early RV damage. Additionally, evidence of the role of alternative imaging modalities such as cardiac computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance, for RV functional assessment in TR, has recently arisen. This review provides a systematic appraisal of traditional and novel multimodality indices of RV function in severe TR and aims to refine RV function assessment, designate future directions, and ultimately, to improve the outcome of patients suffering from severe TR.

Shifting from Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction to Strain Imaging in Aortic Stenosis.

Adverse ventricular remodeling is an inflexion point of disease progression in aortic stenosis (AS) and a major determinant of prognosis. Intervention before irreversible myocardial damage is of paramount importance to sustain favorable post-operative outcomes. Current guidelines recommend a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)-based strategy to determine the threshold for intervention in AS. However, LVEF has several pitfalls: it denotes the left ventricular cavity volumetric changes and it is not suited to detecting subtle signs of myocardial damage. Strain has emerged as a contemporary imaging biomarker that describes intramyocardial contractile force, providing information on subclinical myocardial dysfunction due to fibrosis. A large body of evidence advocates its use to determine the switch from adaptive to maladaptive myocardial changes in AS, and to refine thresholds for intervention. Although mainly studied in echocardiography, studies exploring the role of strain in multi-detector row computed tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance are emerging. This review, therefore, summarizes contemporary evidence on the role of LVEF and strain imaging in AS prognosis, aiming to move from an LVEF-based to a strain-based approach for risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making in AS.

Differences in Demographics, in-Hospital Management and Short-Term Prognosis in Admissions for Acutely Decompensated Heart Failure to Cardiology vs. Internal Medicine Departments: A Prospective Study.

Heart failure (HF) is among the leading causes of unplanned hospital admissions worldwide. Patients with HF carry a high burden of comorbidities; hence, they are frequently admitted for non-cardiac conditions and managed in Internal Medicine Departments (IMD). The aim of our study was to investigate differences in demographics, in-hospital management, and short-term outcomes of HF patients admitted to IMD vs. cardiology departments (CD). A prospective cohort study enrolling consecutive patients with acutely decompensated HF either as primary or as secondary diagnosis during the index hospitalization was conducted. Our primary endpoint was a combined endpoint of in-hospital mortality and 30-day rehospitalization for HF. A total of 302 patients participated in the study, with 45% of them admitted to IMD. Patients managed by internists were older with less pronounced HF symptoms on admission. In-hospital mortality was higher for patients admitted to IMD vs. CD (21% vs. 6%, p < 0.001). The composite endpoint of in-hospital death and heart failure hospitalizations at 30 days post-discharge was higher for patients admitted to IMD both in univariate [OR: 3.2, 95% CI (1.8-5.7); p < 0.001] and in multivariate analysis [OR 3.74, 95% CI (1.72-8.12); p = 0.001]. In addition, the HF rehospitalization rate at 6 months after discharge was higher in IMD patients [HR 1.65, 95% CI (1.1, 2.4), p = 0.01]. Overall, HF patients admitted to IMD have worse short-term outcomes compared to patients admitted to CD.

Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Parametric Mapping Techniques for the Assessment of Chronic Coronary Syndromes.

The term chronic coronary syndromes encompasses a variety of clinical presentations of coronary artery disease (CAD), ranging from stable angina due to epicardial coronary artery disease to microvascular coronary dysfunction. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has an established role in the diagnosis, prognostication and treatment planning of patients with CAD. Recent advances in parametric mapping CMR techniques have added value in the assessment of patients with chronic coronary syndromes, even without the need for gadolinium contrast administration. Furthermore, quantitative perfusion CMR techniques have enabled the non-invasive assessment of myocardial blood flow and myocardial perfusion reserve and can reliably identify multivessel coronary artery disease and microvascular dysfunction. This review summarizes the clinical applications and the prognostic value of the novel CMR parametric mapping techniques in the setting of chronic coronary syndromes and discusses their strengths, pitfalls and future directions.

Magnesium Disorders and Prognosis in Heart Failure: A Systematic Review.

Magnesium is an essential mineral for the human body and plays an important role in cardiovascular health. Hypomagnesaemia has been linked with increased cardiovascular mortality in heart failure; however, previous studies have yielded conflicting results. Even fewer studies have addressed the association between hypermagnesemia and prognosis in heart failure. The aim of the present systematic review was to investigate the association of serum magnesium levels with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Cardiovascular morbidity, referring to heart failure rehospitalizations and ventricular arrhythmias, was also investigated. Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and Scopus. The Quality in Prognosis (QUIPS) tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. Eight studies (total of 13,539 patients with HFrEF) that assessed the effects of serum magnesium levels on cardiovascular mortality, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular morbidity met inclusion criteria. In half of the studies, hypomagnesemia was found to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality, including sudden cardiac death. Only 1 study reported that hypermagnesemia (serum magnesium levels above 2.4 mg/dL) is a prognostic factor for noncardiac mortality suggesting that hypermagnesemia is more likely an indicator of comorbidities rather than a true independent prognostic marker. Finally, low serum magnesium levels were not associated with readmissions for heart failure or ventricular arrhythmias in patients with HFrEF.

The prognostic value of right ventricular ejection fraction by cardiovascular magnetic resonance in heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is considered the gold standard for the assessment of right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF). Previous studies have suggested that RVEF may be a predictor of adverse outcomes in heart failure (HF). In this study, we aimed to systematically review the prognostic value of RVEF, evaluated by CMR, across the spectrum of left ventricular systolic function in patients with HF. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for studies investigating the prognostic value of RVEF in HF, irrespective of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted for mortality and HF hospitalization. Subgroup analyses were also performed based on the presence of reduced (<50%) or preserved LVEF (≥50%). RESULTS: In total, 46 studies enrolling 14,344 patients were included. In the pooled analyses, impaired RVEF was a powerful predictor of mortality (HR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.18-1.33, I2: 13%, per 10% decrease in RVEF) and death or HF hospitalization (HR: 1.31, 95% Cl: 1.2-1.42, I2: 27%, per 10% decrease in RVEF). A decrease in RVEF was strongly associated with increased risk of mortality or hospitalization both in HF with reduced EF (HR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.13-1.36, I2: 2%, per 10% decrease in RVEF) and in HF with preserved EF (HR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09-1.40, I2: 0%, per 10% decrease in RVEF). CONCLUSION: Impaired RVEF on CMR strongly predicts adverse outcomes in patients with HF regardless of LVEF. RV systolic function should be carefully evaluated in these patients. Prospero Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021256967.

Compound heterozygous MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) variants and anterior STEMI: cause or bystander?

We present the case of a 40-year-old female patient with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction successfully treated with a primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Thrombophilia testing revealed compound heterozygous MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) variants. We searched the literature for myocardial infarction in the setting of MTHFR polymorphisms and the possible pathophysiologic mechanisms. In young patients presenting with a thrombotic event, screening for thrombophilia could be beneficial for identification of etiology.

Prognostic value of cardiovascular magnetic resonance T1 mapping techniques in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance T1 mapping is a non-invasive tool for quantifying tissue alterations in the myocardium. Its prognostic value in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to synthetize available data and explore the prognostic value of T1 mapping in DCM. METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Scopus for cohort studies up to 28 March 2020 that reported prognostic data for cardiovascular magnetic resonance T1 mapping in patients with DCM. Hazard ratios (HRs) were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Values were expressed as standard deviation (SD) of normal controls. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 statistic. RESULTS: Eight studies were included in the meta-analysis, with a total of 1242 patients. Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) had high prognostic value for a composite outcome of mortality and morbidity with HR 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-1.61). Native T1 was also shown to have high prognostic value for a composite outcome of mortality and morbidity with HR 1.20 (95% confidence interval, 1.14-1.27). Heterogeneity was moderate for the ECV analysis (I2 = 64%). CONCLUSIONS: ECV and native T1 could potentially be used to improve risk stratification in DCM. Future studies should investigate the prognostic value of T1 mapping by separating mortality and morbidity as primary outcomes and evaluate its incremental value in addition to standard risk stratification criteria.

Pregnancy outcome in women with congenital heart disease: A single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: Pregnancies in patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) are often complicated. We aimed to highlight the nature and the rate of these complications in a single-center patient population. METHODS: We retrospectively studied all the pregnancies of women who presented on an outpatient basis, and all pregnancies were reviewed for maternal and fetal outcomes. RESULTS: Of 117 pregnancies from 52 ACHD patients (age at pregnancy 28.3 ± 6.6 years), 10 were therapeutically aborted. A proportion of 41.1% of the remaining 107 pregnancies were complicated either with cardiac (3.7%), obstetric (15.0%), or fetal/neonatal (11.2%) adverse events or with spontaneous abortion (17.8%). Hospitalization during pregnancy was required in 10 patients. Elective cesarean sections were initially planned for 31% of the 87 pregnancies, which were finally completed, while 8% required an emergency cesarean section, mostly for obstetric reasons. NYHA class deterioration after pregnancy was detected in 9.3% of our cohort. Modified WHO class III/IV, prior medication use, and higher body mass index (BMI) were related to cardiac complications during pregnancy or NYHA deterioration. CONCLUSION: Pregnancies in ACHD patients are at high risk for complications. Advanced modified WHO class, prior medication use, and high BMI were related to adverse cardiac events.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Acute Myocarditis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the diagnostic accuracy of various cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) index tests for the diagnosis of acute myocarditis in adult patients. BACKGROUND: Acute myocarditis remains one of the most challenging diagnoses in cardiology. CMR has emerged as the diagnostic tool of choice to detect acute myocardial injury and necrosis in patients with suspected myocarditis. METHODS: We considered all diagnostic cohort and case-control studies. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, and Web of Science up to April 21, 2017. We used the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool to assess the quality of included studies. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017055778 was used. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were included in the systematic review. Because significant heterogeneity exists among the studies, we only present hierarchical receiver operator curves. The areas under the curve (AUC) for each index test were for T1 mapping 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93 to 0.97), for T2 mapping 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.91), for extracellular volume fraction (ECV) 0.81 (95% CI: 0.78 to 0.85), for increased T2 ratio/signal 0.80 (95% CI: 0.76 to 0.83), for late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) 0.87 (95% CI: 0.84 to 0.90), for early gadolinium enhancement (EGE) 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74 to 0.81), and for the Lake Louise criteria (LLC) 0.81 (95% CI: 0.77 to 0.84). Native T1 mapping had superior diagnostic accuracy across all index tests. The AUC of T2 mapping was greater than the AUC of increased T2 ratio/signal and EGE, whereas ECV showed no superiority compared with other index tests. LGE had better diagnostic accuracy compared with the classic CMR index tests, similar accuracy with T2 mapping and ECV, and only T1 mapping surpassed it. CONCLUSIONS: Novel CMR mapping techniques provide high diagnostic accuracies for the diagnosis of acute myocarditis and constitute promising successors of the classic elements of the LLC for routine diagnostic protocols.

A case of sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension masquerading as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Occlusive vasculopathy due to the development and accumulation of granulomas at the level of intima of large vessels, as well as mediastinal lymph nodes and fibrosing mediastinitis secondary to sarcoidosis, causing extrinsic compression of mediastinal vascular structure are uncommon mechanisms of sarcoidosis-associated pulmonary hypertension. We present a case of a 62-year-old woman with a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis, which was misclassified and treated as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension for a long period. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography played a major role in accessing final diagnosis. Mechanisms that lead to development of pulmonary hypertension, the contribution of novel imaging modalities, and treatment options are discussed.

Epidemiology and management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: experience from two expert centers.

OBJECTIVES: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare, distinct pulmonary vascular disease, and therefore, there is a lack of data regarding its clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management at a national basis. We aimed to describe the demographics and management of patients with CTEPH in Northern Greece. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, observational study by a joint collaboration between two pulmonary hypertension expert centers in Greece, and the study included patients diagnosed with CTEPH. The patient population was divided into two groups depending on their operability. RESULTS: Overall, 27 consecutive patients were included (59% female, mean age 59.3±15.1 years). Dyspnea and fatigue were the most common presenting symptoms. History of pulmonary embolism was present in 82%. Of patients, 18 (67%) were assessed as operable, of whom 10 (55%) finally underwent pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). There were no differences in symptoms, WHO functional class, 6-min walking test distance, and hemodynamics between the operable and nonoperable groups. At the end of follow-up, all non-operable and operable patients who did not receive surgical treatment were treated with at least one pulmonary hypertension-specific drug. CONCLUSION: This is the first report that presents data of patients diagnosed with CTEPH in Greece. The percentage of patients who underwent surgical treatment is lower but approaches the reported rates in large registries. Considering that PEA is a relatively safe and potentially curative surgical procedure, we emphasize the need for establishing a designated PEA center in Greece.