Circulation Journal最新文献

Background: Transcatheter closure of paravalvular leak (PVL) has become an established treatment for patients at prohibitive surgical risk. However, few studies have examined the feasibility of transcatheter closure using Amplatzer occluders in Japanese patients with mitral PVL.

Methods and results: Twelve patients (mean [±SD] age 78±7 years) with heart failure, hemolytic anemia, or both after surgical mitral prosthetic valve replacement (mechanical valve, 75%) underwent transcatheter PVL closure with Amplatzer Vascular Plug II (AVP-II)/Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (ADO-II) between 2014 and 2021 at Toho University Ohashi Medical Center. We examined procedural, in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year outcomes. All procedures were performed under general anesthesia using an antegrade transseptal approach, and the procedures were successful in all cases. The mean (±SD) number of Amplatzer occluders deployment per patient was 2.9±1.1, and in 2 patients the combined use of ADO-II was required. The mitral PVL grade decreased notably from 3+ to 1+, with residual PVL being mild or absent in 9 patients. There were no all-cause mortalities, major adverse events, or device-related complications at the 30-day follow-up. At 1 year, all-cause mortality was 16.7% and 3 (25%) patients required reintervention because of the recurrence of clinical symptoms.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that transcatheter PVL closure with AVP-II/ADO-II can be feasible and safe in Japanese patients with mitral PVL, leading to satisfactory early clinical outcomes.

Background: There are no sex-specific guidelines for chronic aortic regurgitation (AR). This retrospective study examined sex-specific differences and propose treatment criteria from an Asian AR cohort.

Methods and results: Consecutive 1,305 patients with moderate-severe AR or greater at 3 tertiary centers in Taiwan and Japan (2008-2022) were identified. Study endpoints were aortic valve surgery (AVS), all-cause death (ACD), and cardiovascular death (CVD). The median follow up was 3.9 years (interquartile range 1.3-7.1 years). Compared with men (n=968), women (n=337) were older, had more advanced symptoms, more comorbidities, larger indexed aorta size (iAorta_max) and indexed left ventricular (LV) end-systolic dimension (LVESDi; P<0.001 for all). Symptomatic status was poorly correlated with the degree of LV remodeling in women (P≥0.18). Women received fewer AVS (P≤0.001) and men had better overall 10-year survival (P<0.01). Ten-year post-AVS survival (P=0.9) and the progression of LV remodeling were similar between sexes (P≥0.16). Multivariable determinants of ACD and CVD were age, advanced symptoms, iAorta_max, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), LVESDi, LV end-systolic volume index (LVESVi), and Taiwanese ethnicity (all P<0.05), but not female sex (P≥0.05). AVS was associated with better survival (P<0.01). Adjusted LVEF, LVESDi, LVESVi, and iAorta_maxcut-off values for ACD were 53%, 24.8 mm/m², 44 mL/m², and 25.5 mm/m², respectively, in women and 52%, 23.4 mm/m², 52 mL/m², and 23.2 mm/m², respectively, in men.

Conclusions: Early detection and intervention using sex-specific cut-off values may improve survival in women with AR.

Background: There is concern about the durability of mitral valve repair (MVr) for mitral regurgitation (MR) in Marfan patients due to limited long-term data. Furthermore, a detailed time course of changes in cardiac function after MVr in Marfan patients has not been reported. We examined repair techniques, postoperative cardiac function, and outcomes of MVr in Marfan patients.

Methods and results: We retrospectively reviewed 29 Marfan patients (mean [±SD] age 27.4±14.8 years) who underwent MVr at The University of Tokyo Hospital from 2010 to 2022. The mean follow-up period was 5.2±3.2 years. The causes of MR were isolated anterior leaflet prolapse in 25% of patients, isolated posterior leaflet prolapse in 11%, and bileaflet prolapse in 64%. Echocardiographic findings showed significant decreases in left ventricular (LV) diastolic and left atrial diameters 1 week after MVr. LV systolic diameter was significantly decreased 3 years after MVr, and LV ejection fraction initially declined before subsequently increasing. The in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were 0%. At 5 years, the overall survival rate was 94% and the rate of freedom from MR was 84%.

Conclusions: The mid- to long-term outcomes after MVr in Marfan patients were satisfactory, supporting the durability of MVr in these patients. Postoperative cardiac reverse remodeling occurred in a phased manner in Marfan patients, similar to that in patients with degenerative MR.

Background: Based on the results of a clinical trial in Japan, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for hemodialysis (HD) patients gained approval; however, mid-term TAVR outcomes and transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) durability in HD patients remain unexplored.

Methods and results: We analyzed background, procedural, in-hospital outcome, and follow-up data for 101 HD patients and 494 non-HD patients who underwent TAVR using balloon-expandable valves (SAPIEN XT or SAPIEN 3) retrieved from Osaka University Hospital TAVR database. Periprocedural mortality and TAVR-related complications were comparable between HD and non-HD patients. However, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that HD patients had significantly lower survival rates (log-rank test, P<0.001). In addition, HD patients had significantly higher rates of severe structural valve deterioration (SVD) than non-HD patients (Gray test, P=0.038).

Conclusions: TAVR in HD patients had comparable periprocedural mortality but inferior mid-term survival and TAV durability than in non-HD patients. Indications for TAVR in younger HD patients should be carefully determined, considering the possibility of a TAV-in-TAV procedure when early SVD occurs.

Background: We determined the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) cut-off value for the risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic regurgitation (AR) and investigated the effect of preoperative left ventricular remodeling on long-term outcomes postoperatively.

Methods and results: Of the 1,580 patients who underwent surgical AVR at Shiga University of Medical Science between January 2002 and December 2022, we retrospectively analyzed data for 263 patients who underwent surgery for AR. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the cut-off value of preoperative LVMI for the incidence of MACCE was 200 g/m²(area under the curve=0.692). We compared postoperative outcomes between patients with preoperative LVMI >200 g/m²(n=92) and those with preoperative LVMI ≤200 g/m²(n=171) after adjusting for preoperative characteristics using inverse probability of treatment weighting. The mean (±SD) follow-up period was 6.9±5.1 years. The rate of MACCE at 10 years was significantly higher in patients with preoperative LVMI >200 g/m²than in those with preoperative LVMI ≤200 g/m²(25.6% vs. 13.5%; P=0.020). In multivariable Cox models, preoperative LVMI >200 g/m²was significantly associated with a higher risk of MACCE (hazard ratio 2.356, P=0.006).

Conclusions: Preoperative LVMI >200 g/m²was associated with a higher rate of MACCE in patients undergoing AVR for AR.

Background: The effect of a narrow chest on minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) is unclear.

Methods and results: We enrolled 206 MIMVS patients and measured anteroposterior diameter (APD) between the sternum and vertebra, transverse thoracic diameter (TD), right and left APD of the hemithorax (RD and LD, respectively), and the Haller index (HI; TD/APD ratio) on computed tomography. Preoperative characteristics and operative outcomes were compared between patients with a narrow chest (Group N; HI >2.5; n=53) and those with a normal chest (control [C]; HI ≤2.5; n=153), and the correlations of these measurements with operation time were evaluated in 133 patients undergoing an isolated mitral procedure. Groups N and C differed significantly in APD (89.4 vs. 114.3 mm, respectively; P<0.001), TD (251.5 vs. 240.3 mm, respectively; P=0.002), RD (152.5 vs. 172.5 mm, respectively; P<0.001), LD (155.0 vs. 172.4 mm, respectively; P<0.001), and HI (2.84 vs. 2.12, respectively; P<0.001). Procedural characteristics were comparable, except for a longer aortic cross-clamp time (ACCT) in Group N (118.7 vs. 105.8 min; P=0.047). Rates of surgical death, re-exploration, cerebral infarction, and prolonged ventilation were comparable between the 2 groups. TD was significantly correlated with ACCT (R²=0.037, P=0.028) in patients undergoing an isolated mitral procedure.

Conclusions: Early MIMVS outcomes in patients with narrow chests are satisfactory. TD prolongs ACCT during MIMVS.