Heart最新文献

Background: The relationship between objectively measured hearing ability and the risk of incident heart failure (HF) remains unclear. This study aimed to assess this association, explore potential modifying factors, and examine whether psychological factors mediate this relationship.

Methods: We included 164 431 participants from the UK Biobank without HF at baseline. Speech-in-noise hearing ability was measured using the Digit Triplets Test and quantified by the speech-reception-threshold (SRT). Incident HF was identified through hospital admission and death records. Mediation analyses assessed the role of social isolation, psychological distress, and neuroticism.

Results: Over a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 4449 (2.7%) participants developed incident HF. Higher SRT levels were associated with an increased risk of HF (adjusted HR per SD increment 1.05, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.08). Compared with those with normal hearing, participants with insufficient hearing, poor hearing, or hearing aid use had higher HF risks (adjusted HRs 1.15, 1.28, and 1.26, respectively). Psychological distress mediated 16.9% of the association between SRT levels and HF, while social isolation and neuroticism mediated 3.0% and 3.1%, respectively. The association was stronger in participants without coronary heart disease or stroke at baseline.

Conclusions: Poor hearing ability is associated with an increased risk of incident HF, with psychological distress playing a notable mediating role. These findings suggest that hearing health and psychological well-being should be considered in cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention strategies.

Background: Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a rare variant of HCM, often considered to have a benign prognosis. This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and genetic predisposition of apical HCM with non-apical HCM.

Methods: We included 195 patients with HCM who underwent next-generation sequencing at two tertiary centres in South Korea (2017-2024). The primary outcome was a composite of lethal arrhythmic events (LAE), including death, ventricular arrhythmia, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation and appropriate ICD shock. Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as new-onset atrial fibrillation, ischaemic stroke, heart failure hospitalisation, septal reduction therapy or heart transplant.

Results: Of the 195 patients, 67 (34.4%) had apical HCM. Patients with apical HCM were older at diagnosis and had lower maximal left ventricular wall thickness compared with non-apical HCM. Disease-causing variants were less frequent in apical HCM (20.9% vs 46.9%, p<0.001). MYBPC3 and MYH7 variants were less common in apical HCM (50.0%) than in non-apical HCM (75.0%). MACE occurred less frequently in apical HCM (HR 0.38, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.75), but no difference was observed in LAE (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.08). The presence of disease-causing variants was independently associated with LAE (adjusted HR 2.50, 95% CI 1.44 to 4.35).

Conclusions: Although apical HCM is associated with less hypertrophy and lower genetic yield, it is not entirely benign. The presence of disease-causing variants is an important predictor of arrhythmic risk, underscoring the value of genetic testing in all HCM patients, regardless of phenotype.

Background: Early repolarisation (ER) is commonly observed during cardiovascular screenings of young athletes and can present with various morphologies. However, its prevalence and clinical significance in male Brazilian soccer players have not been characterised. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of different ER patterns and assess their potential clinical significance in this population.

Methods: In this multicentre observational study, we analysed ECG data from male Brazilian soccer players who underwent preparticipation evaluations at 83 professional clubs across Brazil's five geographic regions between February 2002 and August 2024. Our analysis included white, mixed-race and black athletes, as well as seven distinct ER morphologies. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to derive age-adjusted prevalence ratios for the different ER morphologies.

Results: We included 6353 athletes (median (IQR) age: 19 (16-23) years; 2556 white, 2071 mixed-race and 1726 black individuals). ER patterns appeared in 2552 (40.2%) players. The most common ER morphologies with ST-segment elevation (STE) were a classic J-wave with ascending ST-segment (1275; 20.1%) and a discrete J-point with ascending ST-segment (735; 11.6%) in leads V4-V6. Without STE, the most frequent patterns were a slur on the downslope of the R-wave with ascending ST- segment (760; 12%), a slur with horizontal ST-segment (335; 5.3%) and a J-wave (199; 3.1%) in leads II, III and aVF. ER was more prevalent in black (48.1%) than in white (34.4%) or mixed-race (40.6%) athletes. Over a mean follow-up period of 4.4±3.1 years, no cases of sudden cardiac death were identified.

Conclusions: Our findings do not suggest that ER patterns observed in male Brazilian soccer players are associated with sudden cardiac death. Given the role of Brazil in exporting soccer talent, our results may help guide athlete assessments of ER worldwide.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (VEGFIs) are effective anticancer agents, but are associated with cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) and hypertension. The timing, frequency and magnitude of these toxicities are poorly defined. The objective of this study is therefore to investigate the incidence, time course and mechanisms of VEGFI-associated CTRCD and hypertension.

Methods: Patients commencing VEGFI underwent blood pressure (BP) monitoring, echocardiography and cardiac biomarker measurement at baseline and prospectively over 24 weeks. Serial adenosine stress perfusion cardiovascular MRI (CMR) was performed in a substudy. CTRCD was defined as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decline by ≥10 percentage points from baseline to a value <50%.

Results: 78 patients participated (68% men; age 63±11 years). 15 patients (19%) developed CTRCD, and it was evident at 4 weeks in 93% of cases. Overall, LVEF was 4.2% (95% CI: -6.2% to -2.3%, p<0.001) lower than baseline at 4 weeks. At 4 weeks, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, but not troponin, was higher in patients with CTRCD. 62 (77%) patients developed hypertension. Home systolic and diastolic BP increased by 7.2 mm Hg (4.7-9.8, p<0.001) and 4.8 mm Hg (3.1-6.5, p<0.001), respectively, at 1 week. There was no association between change in LVEF and BP.CMR-derived LVEF, T1 relaxation times and resting myocardial blood flow (n=46) were 5.2% (-7.3% to -3.1%, p<0.001), 27 ms (-40 to -14, p<0.001) and 14.7 mL/100mL/min (-24.2 to -5.1, p=0.004), respectively, lower at 4 weeks.

Conclusion: VEGFI-associated CTRCD is frequent and occurs early. This finding has implications for prioritising early cardiac imaging follow-up after commencing treatment. Underlying mechanisms include myocardial and microvascular effects that are at least partly independent of hypertension.

Background: Cardiac surgery carries a heightened risk of bradyarrhythmias, but current permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation estimates rely on non-contemporary studies. This study primarily aimed to explore the incidence and indications for PPM implantation at 30 days and 1 year after different cardiac surgical procedures in a modern cohort. Secondary outcomes were PPM incidence at 10 years and time from cardiac surgery to PPM implantation.

Methods: This nationwide population-based study included all patients in Sweden who from 2006 to 2020 underwent first-time coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valvular surgery. Patients with previous PPM, previous or later implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and those who underwent heart transplantation were excluded.

Results: Overall, 76 447 patients were included, out of which 8.2% (n=6271) received a PPM. The cumulative incidence of PPM implantation was 2.9%, 3.8% and 9.5% at 30 days, 1 year and 10 years following cardiac surgery, respectively. The main PPM indication was atrioventricular block. Tricuspid valve surgery exhibited the highest cumulative incidence for PPM both at 30 days (6.8%, 95% CI 4.3% to 10.0%) and 1 year (8.8%, 95% CI 6.0% to 12.0%) surpassing mitral valve surgery (30 day 5.3%, 95% CI 4.7% to 6.0%; 1 year 6.5%, 95% CI 5.8% to 7.3%), aortic valve surgery (30 day 4.8%, 95% CI 4.5% to 5.1%; 1 year 6.0%, 95% CI 5.6% to 6.3%) and CABG (30 day 0.74%, 95% CI 0.6% to 0.8%; 1 year 1.3%, 95% CI 1.2% to 1.3%). The incidence following combined operations (multiple valves and/or CABG) was 6.5% (95% CI 6.0% to 6.9%) and 8.1% (95% CI 7.7% to 8.6%) at 30 days and 1 year, respectively. Concomitant ablation surgery increased the risk even further (adjusted HR 9.2, 95% CI 7.9 to 10.6; p<0.001).

Conclusions: The need for PPM after cardiac surgery is substantial, primarily due to atrioventricular block. Tricuspid valve surgery is associated with the highest risk for PPM among isolated procedures. Combined procedures and concomitant surgical ablation further increase that risk.

Background: Identifying significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (rLVEF) is essential for guiding therapeutic decisions, including medical management, device implantation and potential revascularisation. Prior studies suggested that rest cardiac MRI (CMR) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) could reliably detect significant CAD. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of rest LGE-CMR for predicting significant CAD in rLVEF patients.

Methods: In this prospective, multicentre cohort study across 10 centres, adults with new-onset rLVEF≤45% without obvious cause were included. All patients underwent rest CMR and coronary angiography. Independent, blinded committees reviewed images. Significant CAD was defined as ≥70% stenosis in major coronary arteries. Ischaemic scars were identified on CMR as subendocardial LGE. The primary outcome was the sensitivity of CMR in detecting significant CAD.

Results: Among 380 patients (median age 63 years, 68% male), significant CAD was present in 49 (13%). CMR identified ischaemic scars in 106 (28%). The sensitivity of CMR for detecting significant CAD was 57% (95% CI: 43% to 71%), specificity 76% (95% CI: 72% to 81%), positive predictive value 26% (95% CI: 18% to 35%) and negative predictive value 92% (95% CI: 89% to 95%). A CMR-first strategy would have missed 43% of significant CAD cases, many requiring revascularisation (86% of missed cases).

Conclusions: In this large, prospective multicentre study with independent image review, rest LGE-CMR demonstrated limited sensitivity for detecting significant CAD in patients with rLVEF. Relying solely on CMR could lead to missed diagnoses and undertreatment. CMR should be integrated with other diagnostic tools to optimise care in this population.

Trial registration number: NCT03231189.