Heart Asia最新文献

Introduction: Oesophageal varices (EV) are one of the complications of liver cirrhosis that carries a risk of rupture and bleeding. The safety of performing transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with pre-existing EV is not well described in literature. Therefore, this retrospective study has been conducted to evaluate the safety of preforming TEE in this group of patients.

Methods: The study population was extracted from the 2016 Nationwide Readmissions Data using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification/Procedure Coding System for EV, TEE and in-hospital outcomes. Study endpoints included in-hospital all-cause mortality, hospital length of stay, postprocedural gastrointestinal bleeding and oesophageal perforation.

Results: A total of 81 328 discharges with a diagnosis of EV were identified, among which 242 had a TEE performed during the index hospitalisation. Mean age was 58.3 years, 36.6% female. In comparison to the no-TEE group, the TEE group was associated with comparable in-hospital all-cause mortality (7.0% vs 6.7%, p=0.86) and bleeding (0.9% vs 1.1%, p=0.75); however, TEE group was associated with longer hospital stay (14.9 days vs 6.9 days, p<0.01). There were no reported oesophageal perforations.

Conclusions: TEE is not a common procedure performed in patients with pre-existing EV. TEE seems to be a safe diagnostic tool for evaluation of heart diseases in this group of patients.

Background: The benefit of an early coronary intervention after streptokinase (SK) therapy in low to intermediate-risk patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) still remains uncertain. The current study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular outcomes of early versus delayed coronary intervention in low to intermediate-risk patients with STEMI after successful therapy with SK.

Methods: We randomly assigned low to intermediate Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk score to patients with STEMI who had successful treatment with full-dose SK at Lampang Hospital and Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital into early and delayed coronary intervention groups. The primary endpoints were 30-day and 6-month composite cardiovascular outcomes (death, rehospitalised with acute coronary syndrome, rehospitalised with heart failure and stroke).

Results: One hundred and sixty-two patients were included in our study. At the 30 days, composite cardiovascular outcomes were 4.9% in the early coronary intervention group and 2.5% in the delayed group (p=0.682). At the 6 months, the composite cardiovascular outcomes were 16.1% in the early group and 6.2% in the delayed group (p=0.054).

Conclusions: The delayed coronary intervention (>24 hours) in low to intermediate STEMI after successful therapy with SK did not increase in short and long-term cardiovascular events compared with an early coronary intervention.

Trial registration number: NCT02131103.

Case presentation: A 59-year-old man with hypertension, dyslipidemia and a current smoking history had presented with bilateral painful finger ulcers (figure 1A). The patient was referred to our hospital for the diagnosis and treatment. On his arrival, his fingers showed the development from ulcer to necrosis during the 3 weeks (figure 1B). Diagnostic angiography at the previous hospital had revealed symmetrical occlusions of the forearm and crural arteries (figure 2). Laboratory blood tests demonstrated an eosinophilia (21 %, 1743 cells/µL) with marked elevation of IgE (4200 mg/dL) as well as inflammatory reaction such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate 84 mm/h and C-reactive protein 0.85 mg/dL. There was no evidence of thrombophilia, and autoantibodies were negative. A skin biopsy from the border of the necrosis demonstrated perivascular considerable infiltration of inflammatory cells including eosinophils (figure 3).Figure 1(A) Initial manifestation at the previous hospital. Note the ulcers in the bilateral fingers. (B) Development to finger necrosis on his admission in our hospital.Figure 2(A) Upper extremity angiography revealed extensive occlusions in the bilateral radial and ulnar arteries (arrow). (B) Lower extremity angiography revealed multiple occlusions in the right anterior tibial artery, the left anterior tibial artery and the left posterior tibial artery (arrow).Figure 3(A) Skin biopsy from the border of the finger necrosis demonstrated nodular inflammatory cell infiltration in dermis and subcutaneous tissue (H&E stain). (B) Magnified histopathological examination of the skin biopsy found eosinophilic infiltration (arrows) in granulomatous inflammation of upper dermis (H&E stain). Immunohistochemistry (inset) showing major basic protein of eosinophils (immunostaining).

Question: What is the most likely diagnosis?Buerger's diseaseEosinophilic vasculitisDrug abuseCholesterol embolisation syndromeParaneoplastic syndrome.

Objective: ECG markers of heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are lacking. We hypothesised that the Cornell product (CP) is a risk marker of HFpEF and has prognostic utility in HFpEF.

Methods: CP =[(amplitude of R wave in aVL+depth of S wave in V3)×QRS] was measured on baseline 12-lead ECG in a prospective Asian population-based study of 606 healthy controls (aged 55±10 years, 45% men), 221 hypertensive controls (62±9 years, 58% men) and 242 HFpEF (68±12 years, 49% men); all with EF ≥50% and followed for 2 years for all-cause mortality and HF hospitalisations.

Results: CP increased across groups from healthy controls to hypertensive controls to HFpEF, and distinguished between HFpEF and hypertension with an optimal cut-off of ≥1800 mm*ms (sensitivity 40%, specificity 85%). Age, male sex, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate were independent predictors of CP ≥1800 mm*ms, and CP was associated with echocardiographic E/e' (r=0.27, p<0.01) and left ventricular mass index (r=0.46, p<0.01). Adjusting for clinical and echocardiographic variables and log N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), CP ≥1800 mm*ms was significantly associated with HFpEF (adjusted OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.0 to 7.0). At 2-year follow-up, there were 29 deaths and 61 HF hospitalisations, all within the HFpEF group. Even after adjusting for log NT-proBNP, clinical and echocardiographic variables, CP ≥1800 mm*ms remained strongly associated with a higher composite endpoint of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalisations (adjusted HR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 3.5).

Conclusion: The Cornell product is an easily applicable ECG marker of HFpEF and predicts poor prognosis by reflecting the severity of diastolic dysfunction and LV hypertrophy.

Background: Efficient transportation of blood through the left ventricle (LV) during diastole depends on vortex formation. Vortex formation time (VFT) can be measured by echocardiography as a dimensionless index. As elite athletes have supranormal diastolic LV function, we aim to assess resting and post-exercise VFT in these athletes and hypothesised that VFT may predict myocardial performance immediately post-exercise.

Method: Subjects were world class speedskaters training for the Winter Olympic Games. Echocardiographic measurements were obtained before and immediately after 3000 m of racing. VFT was computed as 4×(1-β)/π×α³×left ventricle ejection fraction where β is the fraction of diastolic stroke volume contributed by atrial contraction, α is the biplane end diastolic volume (EDV)^1/3 divided by mitral annular diameter during early diastole.

Results: Baseline VFT was 2.6±0.7 (n=24, age 22±3 years, 67% males). Post-exercise, heart rates increased (64±10 vs 89±12 beats/min, p<0.01); however, VFT was unchanged (2.9±1.0, p>0.05). VFT at rest correlated modestly with post-exertion early diastolic mitral in-flow velocity (E; r=0.59, p=0.01), tissue Doppler-derived early mitral annular velocity (E'; septal and lateral, both r=0.59, p=0.01) and systolic annular velocity (S'; septal: r=0.46, p=0.02 and lateral: r=0.48, p=0.02) but not late diastolic mitral in-flow velocity (A; r=0.06, p>0.05) or annular velocity (A'; septal: r=0.34, p=NS and lateral: r=0.35, p>0.05).

Conclusion: There was no significant difference between VFT at rest and immediately post-exercise. However, VFT at rest correlated with immediate post-exercise augmented systolic and early diastolic tissue Doppler indicators of myocardial performance in elite athletes.

Background: Poor patient understanding of atrial fibrillation (AF) may contribute to underuse of anticoagulation. There are no validated instruments to measure patient knowledge in Asian cohorts. This study aims to validate a disease-specific questionnaire measuring the level of understanding of AF and its treatment among patients with AF in Singapore.

Methods: A 10-item interviewer-administered questionnaire was created based on previously published questionnaires. Face and content validity were assessed. 165 participants were identified by convenience sampling at cardiology clinics of a tertiary hospital. The questionnaire was administered in either English (n = 53) or Mandarin (n = 112). Exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal component method. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.

Results: Face validity was tested by surveying 10 cardiologists who could all identify what the questionnaire was designed to measure. Mean content validity ratio across items was 0.9. Participants were 68.7 (SD 10.5) years old. 55.8% were male. 95.2% were on oral anticoagulation. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was 0.67 and Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (p < 0.01). Four factors were retained based on the eigenvalue > 1. These were knowledge of the following: disease characteristics, disease-specific treatment, role of treatment in symptom management and treatment mechanisms. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.71).

Conclusions: A questionnaire on the knowledge of AF and its treatment was validated in a cohort of Asian patients in English and Mandarin. It allows quantification of patient knowledge and may be useful in Asian populations to assess the efficacy of interventions to improve patient understanding of AF.

Objective: We aimed to examine the impact of heart failure (HF) on stroke mortality (in-hospital and postdischarge) and recurrence in a national stroke cohort from Thailand.

Methods: We used a large, insurance-based database including all stroke admissions in the public health sector in Thailand between 2004 and 2015. Logistic and Royston-Parmar regressions were used to quantify the effect of HF on in-hospital and long-term outcomes, respectively. All models were adjusted for age, sex and comorbidities and stratified by stroke type: acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) or intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). Multistate models were constructed using flexible survival techniques to predict the impact of HF on the disease course of a patient with stroke (baseline-[recurrence]-death). Only first-ever cases of AIS or ICH were included in the multistate analysis.

Results: 608 890 patients (mean age 64.29±13.72 years, 55.07% men) were hospitalised (370 527 AIS, 173 236 ICH and 65 127 undetermined pathology). There were 398 663 patients with first-ever AIS and ICH. Patients were followed up for a median (95% CI) of 4.47 years (4.45 to 4.49). HF was associated with an increase in postdischarge mortality in AIS (HR [99% CI] 1.69 [1.64 to 1.74]) and ICH (2.59 [2.07 to 3.26]). HF was not associated with AIS recurrence, while ICH recurrence was only significantly increased within the first 3 years after discharge (1.79 [1.18 to 2.73]).

Conclusions: HF increases the risk of mortality in both AIS and ICH. We are the first to report on high-risk periods of stroke recurrence in patients with HF with ICH. Specific targeted risk reduction strategies may have significant clinical impact for mortality and recurrence in stroke.