Hellenic Journal of Cardiology最新文献

Background: Epicardial stenosis and coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) may coexist in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). Microvascular resistance reserve (MRR) has been demonstrated to be a valid cross-modality metric using continuous saline infusion thermodilution and intracoronary Doppler flow velocity methods. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and diagnostic concordance of CMD defined by MRR using two methods-stress transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (S-TDE) and the invasive bolus thermodilution method (B-Thermo)-in patients with functionally significant epicardial stenosis.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated 204 left anterior descending artery (LAD) territories in CCS. All patients underwent physiological assessment using a pressure-temperature wire and S-TDE before elective fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention. The concordance rate was evaluated using κ values.

Results: In the final analysis, the median age was 72 years, and 72.5% of patients were male. The median FFR value was 0.69. MRR_S-TDE and MRR_B-Thermo were similar (3.41 vs. 3.48, P=0.877), whereas only a weak, albeit significant relationship was observed between these two metrics (r=0.167, P=0.017). CMD was diagnosed in 20.6% and 32.8% of patients using S-TDE and B-Thermo, respectively, when a cutoff MRR value of 2.7 was applied. The concordance rate of CMD diagnosis between the two methods was low (κ=0.079).

Conclusions: MRR_S-TDE and MRR_B-Thermo showed a very weak correlation in the LAD territory with functionally significant stenosis in patients with CCS. The prevalence of CMD diagnosed using MRR_S-TDE and MRR_B-Thermo was not comparable, and the diagnostic concordance of CMD using these two methods was very low.

The integration of computational technologies into cardiology has significantly advanced the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases. Computational cardiology, particularly, through cardiovascular imaging and informatics, enables a precise diagnosis of myocardial diseases utilizing techniques such as echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography. Early-stage disease classification, especially in asymptomatic patients, benefits from these advancements, potentially altering disease progression and improving patient outcomes. Automatic segmentation of myocardial tissue using deep learning (DL) algorithms improves efficiency and consistency in analyzing large patient populations. Radiomic analysis can reveal subtle disease characteristics from medical images and can enhance disease detection, enable patient stratification, and facilitate monitoring of disease progression and treatment response. Radiomic biomarkers have already demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing myocardial pathologies and promise treatment individualization in cardiology, earlier disease detection, and disease monitoring. In this context, this narrative review explores the current state of the art in DL applications in medical imaging (CT, CMR, echocardiography, and SPECT), focusing on automatic segmentation, radiomic feature phenotyping, and prediction of myocardial diseases, while also discussing challenges in integration of DL models in clinical practice.

Objectives: Uric acid (UA) concentration is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation, but few studies have investigated this association after cardiac surgery. This study investigated the statistical association between postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) and preoperative UA concentration according to the type of cardiac surgery.

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery at a tertiary center from January to May 2019 were eligible. Patients were separated into two groups according to POAF occurrence. Subgroup analyses were performed in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or valve surgery. Binary logistic regression models were used to assess independent factors of POAF. Principal component analyses (PCA) were performed to investigate whether CABG or valve surgeries were associated with different biological profiles for POAF.

Results: The study included 221 patients, of whom 76 experienced at least one POAF episode. The UA concentration was higher in the POAF group compared with the POAF-free group (352 μmol/l [295-420] vs. 321 μmol/l [249-380], p = 0.004). This association persisted in multivariable analysis (for 10 μmol, odds ratio = 1.04 [1.34-8,7], p = 0.014) and in patients undergoing isolated CABG. In patients undergoing valve surgery, despite a high incidence of POAF, no association was found. PCA identified different blood biological profiles associated with POAF after CABG vs. valve surgery.

Conclusion: The preoperative UA concentration was independently associated with the occurrence of POAF after CABG but not after valve surgery. PCA results indicate that different biological profiles contribute to POAF occurrence according to the type of cardiac surgery, thus suggesting different strategies for prevention/intervention.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the risk factors of microvascular obstruction (MVO) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 165 patients with STEMI who successfully underwent emergency PCI and completed cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) within 1 week after PCI. Total ischemia time (symptom onset to wire, S2W), first medical contact to wire (FMC2W), and door to wire (D2W) were compared with the recommended critical time nodes for STEMI treatment. Left ventricular function was evaluated by CMR cine, and myocardial infarction characteristics and MVO were evaluated by late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of delay in treatment of STEMI on the occurrence of MVO after PCI.

Results: In this study, 89 (53.9%) patients with STEMI presented with MVO after emergency PCI. The FMC2W time and S2W time in the MVO (+) group were significantly longer than those in the MVO (-) group (P < 0.05). Compared with the MVO (-) group, the MVO (+) group had larger myocardial infarction size (IS) and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (P < 0.05). Patients with FMC2W time >120 min and S2W time >300 min had greater myocardial IS and MVO than the FMC2W ≤ 120 min and S2W time ≤300 min group, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that S2W time >300 min (P = 0.039, OR = 2.756, 95% CI = 1.053-7.213) was an independent predictor of MVO after PCI in patients with STEMI.

Conclusion: Shortening the total time of myocardial ischemia and increasing the proportion of early reperfusion therapy can prevent or reduce MVO after PCI.

Objective: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with a significantly increased risk of various cardiovascular and thromboembolic events. Existing studies suggest an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in GCA, but results vary. This meta-analysis aims to quantify the association between GCA and the risk of various cardiovascular outcomes, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the cardiovascular burden in patients with GCA.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was carried out using several databases. Studies were included based on predefined eligibility criteria. Using random effect models, Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals were produced to report the overall effect size. Funnel plots, Egger regression tests, and Begg-Mazumdar's rank correlation test were used to assess publication bias. The endpoint included any cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery disease (CAD), aortic aneurysm/dissection, peripheral artery disease (PAD), stroke, and venous thromboembolism.

Results: The meta-analysis included 14 studies with a combined sample size of 609,954 patients, where the mean age was 73.8 years and 72.2% were female. Patients with GCA had significantly higher odds of experiencing any cardiovascular event (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.55-2.15), acute myocardial infarction (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.34-1.97), coronary artery disease (OR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.09-2.08), aortic aneurysm/dissection (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.55-2.46), peripheral artery disease (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.69-2.41), stroke (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.25-1.84), venous thromboembolism (OR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.73-2.12), deep vein thrombosis (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.50-2.91) and pulmonary embolism (OR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.38-4.36). The heterogeneity of the outcomes ranged from low to high across different analyses. No publication bias was evident in the analysis.

Conclusion: The meta-analysis highlights the critical need for vigilant cardiovascular monitoring and proactive management strategies in GCA patients. Further research is needed to identify specific factors that contribute to cardiovascular complications in these patients.

Objective: Transcatheter mitral valve interventions (TMVI) have been proven to reduce symptom burden and improve outcomes in patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR). However, the impact of right ventricular function (RVF) on exercise capacity in MR patients is less well understood.

Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is the most comprehensive approach to assess maximum exercise capacity. Submaximal exercise capacity (SEC), assessed by constant work rate exercise time testing (CWRET), is presumed to be relevant in daily life activities and gives a more differentiated physiological insight into the nature of exercise intolerance. Thus, 28 MR patients underwent CPET and CWRET (at 75% of the maximum work rate in the initial incremental exercise test) prior to TMVI and 3 months post-procedurally.

Results: Patients' mean age was 75.0 ± 8.7 years and 32.1% were female. One patient presented with an MR reduction of less than two grades. RVF was at least moderately impaired in 25% of the patients. SEC of these patients was lower but did not significantly differ (416.4s ± 359.6 vs. 296.1 ± 216.5s; p=) from patients without RVF-deterioration. At follow-up, the SEC improved significantly (from 337.4 ± 262.2s to 517.4 ± 393.5s; p = 0.006). Maximum oxygen uptake (peakVO₂) showed a positive trend, but no statistically significant difference (10.3 ± 3.1 ml/min/kg vs. 11.3 ± 3.4 ml/min/kg; p = 0.06). RVF improved in 35.7% of the patients and these patients showed a significantly higher SEC increase (471.7 ± 153.9s vs. 82.7 ± 47.0s, p = 0.003).

Conclusion: SEC is significantly increased in MR patients undergoing TMVI, reflecting an improvement, especially regarding daily life activities. This may be related to TMVIś beneficial effect on right ventricular remodeling.