Ventricular septal rupture: insights into an old disease.

Ventricular septal rupture (VSR) is a serious complication of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and surgery is the reference treatment. We aimed at describing trends in management and mortality during the last four decades and reporting mortality predictors in these patients. We conducted a single-center retrospective study of patients sustaining a VSR from 1981 to 2020. We screened 274 patients and included 265 for analysis. The number of patients decreased over the years: 80, 88, 56, and 50 in each 10-year time span. In-hospital mortality decreased significantly since 1990 (logrank 0.007). The median age was 72.0 years IQR [66-78] and 188 patients (70.9%) were operated on. IABP was used more routinely (p < 0.0001). In-hospital mortality was assessed at 66.8% (177 patients) and main predictors of death were a time from MI to surgery < 8 days HR 2.7 IC95% [1.9-3.8] p < 0.0001, a Killip class > 2 HR 2.5 IC [1.9-3.4] p < 0.0001 and Euroscore 2 > 20 HR 2.4 IC [1.8-3.2] p < 0.0001. A "time from MI to surgery" of 8 days offers the best ability to discriminate between patients with or without mortality. The ability of "Euroscore 2 and Killip" to detect the patients most likely to wait 8 days for surgery was at 0.81 [0.73-0.89] p < 0.0001. Mortality remains high over the years. Euroscore 2, Killip class, and time from MI to surgery are the main mortality predictors. Patients with a Killip < 3 and a Euroscore < 20 should be monitored at least 8 days since MI before being referred to surgery.

One-year outcomes in cardiogenic shock triggered by ventricular arrhythmia: An analysis of the FRENSHOCK multicenter prospective registry.

Background: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening condition carrying poor prognosis, potentially triggered by ventricular arrhythmia (VA). Whether the occurrence of VA as trigger of CS worsens the prognosis compared to non-VA triggers  remains  unclear.  The  aim  of  this  study  was  to  evaluate  1-year  outcomes [mortality, heart transplantation, ventricular assist devices (VAD)] between VA-triggered and non-VA-triggered CS. Methods: FRENSHOCK is a prospective multicenter registry including 772 CS patients from 49 centers. One to three triggers can be identified in the registry (ischemic, mechanical complications, ventricular/supraventricular arrhythmia, bradycardia, iatrogenesis, infection, non-compliance). Baseline characteristics, management and 1-year outcomes were analyzed according to the VA-trigger in the CS population. Results: Within 769 CS patients included, 94 were VA-triggered (12.2%) and were compared to others. At 1 year, although there was no mortality difference [42.6 vs. 45.3%, HR 0.94 (0.67-1.30), p = 0.7], VA-triggered CS resulted in more heart transplantations and VAD (17 vs. 9%, p = 0.02). Into VA-triggered CS group, though there was no 1-year mortality difference between ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies [42.5 vs. 42.6%, HR 0.97 (0.52-1.81), p = 0.92], non-ischemic cardiomyopathy led to more heart transplantations and VAD (25.9 vs. 5%, p = 0.02). Conclusion: VA-triggered CS did not show higher mortality compared to other triggers but resulted in more heart transplantation and VAD at 1 year, especially in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, suggesting the need for earlier evaluation by advanced heart failure specialized team for a possible indication of mechanical circulatory support or heart transplantation. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT02703038.

Baseline characteristics, management, and predictors of early mortality in cardiogenic shock: insights from the FRENSHOCK registry.

AIMS: Published data on cardiogenic shock (CS) are scarce and are mostly focused on small registries of selected populations. The aim of this study was to examine the current CS picture and define the independent correlates of 30 day mortality in a large non-selected cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: FRENSHOCK is a prospective multicentre observational survey conducted in metropolitan French intensive care units and intensive cardiac care units between April and October 2016. There were 772 patients enrolled (mean age 65.7 ± 14.9 years; 71.5% male). Of these patients, 280 (36.3%) had ischaemic CS. Organ replacement therapies (respiratory support, circulatory support or renal replacement therapy) were used in 58.3% of patients. Mortality at 30 days was 26.0% in the overall population (16.7% to 48.0% depending on the main cause and first place of admission). Multivariate analysis showed that six independent factors were associated with a higher 30 day mortality: age [per year, odds ratio (OR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.08], diuretics (OR 1.74, 95% CI: 1.05-2.88), circulatory support (OR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.12-3.29), left ventricular ejection fraction <30% (OR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.40-3.29), norepinephrine (OR 2.55, 95% CI: 1.69-3.84), and renal replacement therapy (OR 2.72, 95% CI: 1.65-4-49). CONCLUSIONS: Non-ischaemic CS accounted for more than 60% of all cases of CS. CS is still associated with significant but variable short-term mortality according to the cause and first place of admission, despite frequent use of haemodynamic support, and organ replacement therapies.

Outcome Predictors and Safety of Home Dobutamine Intravenous Infusion in End Stage Heart Failure Patients.

Patients in end-stage heart failure can experiment cardiogenic shock and may not be weanable from dobutamine. The fate of these patients is a challenge for doctors, patients, family, and the institution. Dobutamine use at home can be a solution. The aim of the present study was to assess the outcome, biological predictors, and safety of dobutamine use at home in dobutamine-dependent patients. All consecutive dobutamine-dependent patients discharged with continuous home intravenous dobutamine, from a single tertiary center between February 2014 and November 2019, were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 19 patients (age 65 ± 10 years) were followed for one year. At one-year, the survival rate was 32%, (6/19). Five (26%) patients had an adverse event related to the intravenous catheter. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the combination of a glomerular filtration rate >60 mL/min and a brain natriuretic peptide level <1000 ng/L, were highly predictive of one-year survival (HR = 10.87, IC95% (5.78-36.44), p < 0.001). Management of dobutamine-unweanable patients after cardiogenic shock may involve dobutamine at home to permit a home return. This strategy allows a significant survival and few readmissions, and, if eligible, access to surgical strategies, such as heart transplantation. Simple biological markers at discharge can identify severe patients to refer to palliative care and good responders.

Diagnostic Performance of Extracellular Volume Quantified by Dual-Layer Dual-Energy CT for Detection of Acute Myocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) is a marker of the myocarditis inflammation burden and can be used for acute myocarditis diagnosis. Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) enables its quantification with high concordance with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). PURPOSE: To investigate the diagnostic performance of myocardial ECV quantified on a cardiac dual-layer DECT in a population of patients with suspected myocarditis, in comparison to CMR. METHODS: 78 patients were included in this retrospective monocenter study, 60 were diagnosed with acute myocarditis and 18 patients were considered as a control population, based on the 2009 Lake and Louise criteria. All subjects underwent a cardiac DECT in acute phase consisted in an arterial phase followed by a late iodine enhancement phase at 10 min after injection (1.2 mL/kg, iodinated contrast agent). ECV was calculated using the hematocrit level measured the day of DECT examinations. Non-parametric analyses have been used to test the differences between groups and the correlations between the variables. A ROC curve has been used to identify the optimal ECV cut-off discriminating value allowing the detection of acute myocarditis cases. A p value < 0.05 has been considered as significant. RESULTS: The mean ECV was significantly higher (p < 0.001) for the myocarditis group compared to the control (34.18 ± 0.43 vs. 30.04 ± 0.53%). A cut-off value of ECV = 31.60% (ROC AUC = 0.835, p < 0.001) allows to discriminate the myocarditis with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 78% (positive predictive value = 92.3%, negative predictive value = 53.8% and accuracy = 79.5%). CONCLUSION: Myocardial ECV enabled by DECT allows to diagnose the acute myocarditis with a cut-off at 31.60% for a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 78%.

Serum Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptors 1 and 2 Are Early Prognosis Markers After ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background: As inflammation following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is both beneficial and deleterious, there is a need to find new biomarkers of STEMI severity. Objective: We hypothesized that the circulating concentration of the soluble tumor necrosis factor α receptors 1 and 2 (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) might predict clinical outcomes in STEMI patients. Methods: We enrolled into a prospective cohort 251 consecutive STEMI patients referred to our hospital for percutaneous coronary intervention revascularization. Blood samples were collected at five time points: admission and 4, 24, 48 h, and 1 month after admission to assess sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 serum concentrations. Patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 1 month. Results: sTNFR1 concentration increased at 24 h with a median of 580.5 pg/ml [95% confidence interval (CI): 534.4-645.6]. sTNFR2 increased at 48 h with a median of 2,244.0 pg/ml [95% CI: 2090.0-2,399.0]. Both sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 peak levels were correlated with infarct size and left ventricular end-diastolic volume and inversely correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction. Patients with sTNFR1 or sTNFR2 concentration above the median value were more likely to experience an adverse clinical event within 24 months after STEMI [hazards ratio (HR): 8.8, 95% CI: 4.2-18.6, p < 0.0001 for sTNFR1; HR: 6.1, 95% CI: 2.5 -10.5, p = 0.0003 for sTNFR2]. Soluble TNFR1 was an independent predictor of major adverse cardiovascular events and was more powerful than troponin I (p = 0.04 as compared to the troponin AUC). Conclusion: The circulating sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 are inflammatory markers of morphological and functional injury after STEMI. sTNFR1 appears as an early independent predictor of clinical outcomes in STEMI patients.

Kinetics and prognostic value of soluble VCAM-1 in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients.

BACKGROUND: Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) is a biomarker of endothelial activation and inflammation. There is still controversy as to whether it can predict clinical outcome after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Our aim was to assess the sVCAM-1 kinetics and to evaluate its prognostic predictive value. METHOD: We prospectively enrolled 251 consecutive STEMI patients who underwent coronary revascularization in our university hospital. Blood samples were collected at admission, 4, 24, 48 h and 1 month after admission. sVCAM-1 serum level was assessed using ELISA assay. All patients had cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 1-month for infarct size (IS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessment. Clinical outcomes were recorded over 12 months after STEMI. RESULTS: sVCAM-1 levels significantly increased from admission up to 1 month and were significantly correlated with IS, LVEF, and LV end-systolic and diastolic volume. (H48 area under curve (AUC) ≥ H48 median) were associated with an increased risk of adverse clinical events during the 12-month follow-up period with a hazard ratio (HR) = 2.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] of ratio = 1.2-5.6, p = .02). The ability of H48 AUC for sVCAM-1 to discriminate between patients with or without the composite endpoint was evaluated using receiver operating characteristics with an AUC at 0.67 (0.57-0.78, p = .004). This ability was significantly superior to H48 AUC creatine kinase (p = .03). CONCLUSIONS: In STEMI patients, high sVCAM-1 levels are associated with a poor clinical outcome. sVCAM-1 is an early postmyocardial infarction biomarker and might be an interesting target for the development of future therapeutic strategies.

Effect of Optimal Medical Therapy at Discharge in Patients With Reperfused ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction on 1-Year Mortality (from the Regional RESCUe Registry).

Several classes of medication improve survival in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We sought to assess the frequency and effect of an optimal therapy upon discharge according to current international guidelines on 1-year all-cause mortality in a prospective cohort of reperfused patients with STEMI. Using data from the French Reseau Cardiologie Urgence (RESCUe) Network, we studied all patients with STEMI admitted and discharged alive from hospital between 2009 and 2013. Class I and II level guidelines were used to define the optimal therapy (OT) group. The undertreatment (UT) group comprised patients in whom at least 1 drug with a class I recommendation was missing. Multivariable Cox regression analysis with propensity score for the prescription of OT was used. Of the 5,161 patients discharged alive, 2,991 (58%) had OT. The 1-year overall survival rate was 0.99 in the OT group (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99 to 1.00) versus 0.90 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.92) in the UT group. Patient characteristics in the UT group were worse than those in the OT group. After multivariable adjustment, the association between the OT group and mortality remained significant, with a hazard ratio of 0.12 (95% CI 0.07 to 0.22; p<0.001). Optimal secondary prevention therapy in patients with STEMI discharged alive from hospital remains independently associated with lower 1-year mortality.

Five-year evolution of reperfusion strategies and early mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in France.

AIM: To assess 5-year evolutions in reperfusion strategies and early mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using data from the French RESCUe network, we studied patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated in mobile intensive care units between 2009 and 2013. Among 2418 patients (median age 62 years; 78.5% male), 2119 (87.6%) underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention and 299 (12.4%) pre-hospital thrombolysis (94.0% of whom went on to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention). Use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention increased from 78.4% in 2009 to 95.9% in 2013 ( Ptrend<0.001). Median delays included: first medical contact to percutaneous coronary intervention centre 48 minutes; first medical contact to balloon inflation 94 minutes; and percutaneous coronary intervention centre to balloon inflation 43 minutes. Times from symptom onset to first medical contact and first medical contact to thrombolysis remained stable during 2009-2013, but times from symptom onset to first balloon inflation, and first medical contact to percutaneous coronary intervention centre to first balloon inflation decreased ( P<0.001). Among patients with known timings, 2146 (89.2%) had a first medical contact to percutaneous coronary intervention centre delay ⩽90 minutes, while 260 (10.8%) had a longer delay, with no significant variation over time. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention use increased over time in both delay groups, but was consistently higher in the ⩽90 versus >90 minutes delay group (83.0% in 2009 to 97.7% in 2013; Ptrend<0.001 versus 34.1% in 2009 to 79.2% in 2013; Ptrend<0.001). In-hospital (4-6%) and 30-day (6-8%) mortalities remained stable from 2009 to 2013. CONCLUSION: In the RESCUe network, the use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention increased from 2009 to 2013, in line with guidelines, but there was no evolution in early mortality.