Early improvement of global longitudinal strain after iron deficiency correction in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency correction with ferric carboxymaltose improves symptoms and reduces rehospitalization in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. The mechanisms underlying these improvements are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine changes in left ventricular contractility after iron treatment as reflected in global longitudinal strain. METHODS: Prospective single-center study including 43 adults with reduced ejection fraction, non-anemic iron deficiency, and functional class II-III heart failure despite optimal medical treatment. Global longitudinal strain through speckle-tracking echocardiography was measured at baseline and 4 weeks after ferric carboxymaltose. RESULTS: A significant improvement in global longitudinal strain was detected (from -12.3% ± 4.0% at baseline to -15.6% ± 4.1%, p < .001); ferritin and transferrin saturation index had increased, but ejection fraction presented no significant changes (baseline 35.7% ± 4.6%, follow-up 37.2% ± 6.6%, p = .073). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, the correction of iron deficiency with ferric carboxymaltose is associated with an early improvement in global longitudinal strain, possibly suggesting a direct effect of iron correction on myocardial contractility.

Case 270: Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Associated with Fibromuscular Dysplasia.

HistoryA 54-year-old woman presented with typical chest pain during physical training at the gym. She had a history of hypertension controlled with hydrochlorothiazide, without any other cardiovascular risk factor and with neither personal nor family history of ischemic heart disease. She was postmenopausal and had a long-standing history of migraine headaches without hormonal or drug therapy. The patient had no history of clinically important thoracic trauma or invasive chest interventions. Initial electrocardiography (ECG) showed signs of ongoing anterior ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, and emergent coronary angiography with angioplasty and intravascular US were performed. Maximal level of high-sensitive T troponins was 820 ng/L (normal, <13 ng/L), while echocardiography showed a normal left ventricular ejection fraction, with no apparent regional wall motion abnormalities. General physical examination findings were unremarkable, excluding ligamentous hyperlaxity and joint instability. C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, cytoplasmic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, and angiotensin-converting enzyme blood test results were negative. For further evaluation, arterial phase ECG-synchronized CT angiography from the skull base to the pubis symphysis was performed.

Case 270.

History A 54-year-old woman presented with typical chest pain during physical training at the gym. She had a history of hypertension controlled with hydrochlorothiazide, without any other cardiovascular risk factor and with neither personal nor family history of ischemic heart disease. She was postmenopausal and had a long-standing history of migraine headaches without hormonal or drug therapy. The patient had no history of clinically important thoracic trauma or invasive chest interventions. Initial electrocardiography (ECG) showed signs of ongoing anterior ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, and emergent coronary angiography with angioplasty and intravascular US were performed ( Fig 1 ). Maximal level of high-sensitive T troponins was 820 ng/L (normal, <13 ng/L), while echocardiography showed a normal left ventricular ejection fraction, with no apparent regional wall motion abnormalities. General physical examination findings were unremarkable, excluding ligamentous hyperlaxity and joint instability. C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, cytoplasmic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, and angiotensin-converting enzyme blood test results were negative. For further evaluation, arterial phase ECG-synchronized CT angiography from the skull base to the pubis symphysis was performed ( Fig 2 ). Figure 1a: Coronary angiography of the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) arteries (30° right anterior oblique and 20° caudally angulated projection) and intravascular US of the LCX artery were performed. (a) Initial coronary angiography projection. (b) Coronary angiography projection after LAD stent placement. (c, d) Intravenous US images of the distal (c) and proximal (d) LCX artery obtained after b. Figure 1b: Coronary angiography of the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) arteries (30° right anterior oblique and 20° caudally angulated projection) and intravascular US of the LCX artery were performed. (a) Initial coronary angiography projection. (b) Coronary angiography projection after LAD stent placement. (c, d) Intravenous US images of the distal (c) and proximal (d) LCX artery obtained after b. Figure 1c: Coronary angiography of the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) arteries (30° right anterior oblique and 20° caudally angulated projection) and intravascular US of the LCX artery were performed. (a) Initial coronary angiography projection. (b) Coronary angiography projection after LAD stent placement. (c, d) Intravenous US images of the distal (c) and proximal (d) LCX artery obtained after b. Figure 1d: Coronary angiography of the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex (LCX) arteries (30° right anterior oblique and 20° caudally angulated projection) and intravascular US of the LCX artery were performed. (a) Initial coronary angiography projection. (b) Coronary angiography projection after LAD stent placement. (c, d) Intravenous US images of the distal (c) and proximal (d) LCX artery obtained after b. Figure 2a: Arterial phase electrocardiography-synchronized CT angiography from the skull base to the pubis symphysis was performed after coronary angiography, subsequent interventional procedures, and intravenous US. (a, b) Axial oblique slab maximum intensity projection image at the level of the left (a) and right (b) renal arteries. (c) Coronal volume-rendering image shows an anterior view of the renal arteries. Figure 2b: Arterial phase electrocardiography-synchronized CT angiography from the skull base to the pubis symphysis was performed after coronary angiography, subsequent interventional procedures, and intravenous US. (a, b) Axial oblique slab maximum intensity projection image at the level of the left (a) and right (b) renal arteries. (c) Coronal volume-rendering image shows an anterior view of the renal arteries. Figure 2c: Arterial phase electrocardiography-synchronized CT angiography from the skull base to the pubis symphysis was performed after coronary angiography, subsequent interventional procedures, and intravenous US. (a, b) Axial oblique slab maximum intensity projection image at the level of the left (a) and right (b) renal arteries. (c) Coronal volume-rendering image shows an anterior view of the renal arteries.

Anemia and iron deficiency in heart failure: a review of echocardiographic features.

Anemia and iron deficiency are often associated with heart failure, influencing the symptoms and prognosis. Correction of anemia and iron deficiency improves functional capacity and decreases hospitalizations. Many studies have analyzed echocardiographic parameters in iron deficiency and anemia and their evolution after iron treatment; however, the heterogeneity of the results makes it difficult to draw conclusions. The aim of this paper is to review the echocardiographic parameters during anemia and iron deficiency, and their evolution after treatment. Available data suggest that they lead to ventricular and atrial remodeling, a decrease in ventricular contractility, and an alteration of ventricular relaxation, although in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction these changes are not significant. Anemia and iron deficiency also increase systolic pulmonary artery pressure. There is consistent evidence that correction of these comorbidities leads to a reduction in preload and left ventricular cavity dimensions, an improvement in diastolic and load-independent ventricular systolic function parameters, and a decrease in systolic pulmonary artery pressure. However, the evidence is less consistent about the changes produced in ventricular hypertrophy, load-dependent systolic function parameters, and E-wave. Generally, anemia and iron deficiency affect the echocardiographic findings, and correcting these conditions often results in improvement in the affected echocardiographic parameters.

Validation of the usefulness of 2-dimensional strain parameters to exclude acute rejection after heart transplantation: a multicenter study.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography has emerged as a promising alternative to endomyocardial biopsy to rule out acute cellular rejection after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) in single center studies. In an original cohort, 15.5% and 17% of cutoff points for left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) and free-wall right ventricular longitudinal strain, respectively, achieved 100% negative predictive value to exclude moderate or severe acute cellular rejection (ACR ≥ 2R). Our objective was to demonstrate the usefulness of speckle-tracking and validate these cutoff points in an external cohort. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter study that included patients who were monitored during their first year after OHT was conducted. Echocardiographic studies analyzed by local investigators were compared with simultaneous paired endomyocardial biopsies samples. RESULTS: A total of 501 endomyocardial biopsy-echocardiographic studies were included in 99 patients. ACR≥2R was present in 7.4% of samples. LVGLS and free-wall right ventricular longitudinal strain were significantly reduced during ACR≥2R on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, LVGLS was independently associated with the presence of ACR≥2R. The original cutoff points demonstrated a negative predictive value of 94.3% to exclude ACR≥2R. CONCLUSIONS: This study maintained a strong negative predictive value to exclude ACR≥2R after OHT and LVGLS was independently associated with the presence of ACR≥2R. We propose the use of speckle-tracking, especially LVGLS, as part of the noninvasive diagnosis and management of ACR.

Management of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction after ESC 2016 Heart Failure Guidelines: The Linx Registry.

AIMS: In May 2016, a new version of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines for the management of heart failure (HF) was released. The aim of this study was to describe the management of HF with reduced ejection fraction after the publication of ESC Guidelines. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Linx registry is a multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study from 14 Catalan hospitals that enrolled 1056 patients with HF and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (≤40%) from 1 February to 30 April 2017 in outpatient cardiology clinics. Results were compared between hospitals according to their level of complexity in our own registry and compared with previously published registries similar to ours. Sacubitril/valsartan was prescribed to 23.9% of patients in our population, as a consequence, use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blockers in monotherapy decreased to 48.1% and 16.9%, respectively, and prescription of beta-blockers (91.8%), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (72.7%), and ivabradine (21.4%) remained similar to previous registries. Target doses of beta-blockers (25.4%), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (24.9%), angiotensin receptor blockers (7.7%), sacubitril/valsartan (8.1%), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (19.7%) were accomplished in a low proportion of patients. Our results also suggest that prescription and up-titration of class I HF drugs were greater in hospitals with higher level of complexity. CONCLUSIONS: The Linx registry shows an appropriate adherence to pharmacological recommendations from ESC HF Guidelines despite a low proportion of patients reached target doses. Almost one-quarter of patients were under treatment with sacubitril/valsartan a few months after ESC HF Guidelines recommendations.