Efecto de los fármacos en la prolongación del QT y la aparición de muerte súbita en la COVID-19 / Effect of Drugs on QT Prolongation and Sudden Death in COVID-19

Introducción: Las evidencias científicas han demostrado que durante el período pandémico por la COVID-19 ha existido un incremento de la incidencia de muerte súbita cardiovascular, proporcional al incremento de los casos y a la letalidad por la enfermedad. Objetivos: Compilar información sobre los fármacos empleados en el tratamiento de la COVID-19 y sus posibles efectos en la prolongación del intervalo QT y la aparición de muerte súbita. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda de información a partir de las bases de datos PubMed, Medline y SciELO, en los idiomas español e inglés en el período de enero de 2020 a enero de 2023. Resultados: Los hallazgos más recientes sugieren que los factores relacionados con el tratamiento médico del paciente para sus enfermedades cardiovasculares previas, el empleo concomitante de drogas para otras comorbilidades, el ensayo de nuevas drogas que se investigan en la actualidad para el tratamiento de la enfermedad y el uso inadecuado de fármacos en complicaciones graves por la COVID-19, pueden ocasionar prolongación del intervalo QT y arritmias ventriculares tipo torsades de pointes, lo que puede conllevar a la aparición de muerte súbita. Conclusiones: Ha sido demostrado el efecto deletéreo de los fármacos en el tratamiento de la COVID-19 y sus posibles asociaciones a la terapéutica del paciente, en la prolongación del tiempo de repolarización ventricular cardíaca, cuya traducción eléctrica es un intervalo QT prolongado y su contribución a la génesis de arritmias malignas potencialmente fatales capaces de desencadenar un paro cardíaco y evolucionar a la muerte súbita(AU)

Scientific evidence has shown an increase in the incidence of sudden cardiovascular death during the COVID-19 pandemic period. This has been proportional to the increase in cases and mortality from the disease. Direct and indirect injury to the myocardium and vascular system allow to partially explain the statistics. Among the factors related to the medical treatment of the patient for previous cardiovascular diseases, it is the concomitant use of drugs for other comorbidities. The trial of new drugs for the treatment of this condition and the inappropriate use of drugs in serious complications from COVID-19 are currently being investigated. These can cause QT prolongation and torsades de pointes ventricular arrhythmias, which can lead to sudden death. Monitoring the QT interval is recommended, before and during treatment, in patients who come to the emergency room with a clinical condition suggestive of COVID-19. Additionally, modifiable factors favoring its prolongation should be evaluated. Decision-making in the application of therapeutic protocols in patients with COVID-19 with prolonged QTc at baseline, or with increased QTc after starting treatment, must go through the analysis of the risk/benefit ratio defined by a multi- and interdisciplinary team(AU)

Commotio cordis (conmoción cardíaca) en un niño. Reporte de un caso / Commotio cordis (cardiac concussion) in a child. A case report

Commotio cordis o conmoción cardíaca es un síndrome arritmogénico mecano-eléctrico raro y mortal. Es la segunda causa de muerte súbita en atletas jóvenes. Se asocia con una lesión que se produce durante la práctica deportiva, en la que un proyectil impacta a alta velocidad en el precordio y provoca una arritmia que conduce a la muerte inmediata del individuo sin una reanimación cardíaca. En las autopsias, los corazones son estructuralmente sanos. Con el conocimiento de este síndrome y las capacitaciones de reanimación cardiorrespiratoria a la comunidad, las tasas de supervivencia han mejorado. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir un paciente que llegó a nuestro hospital con conmotio cordis y su evolución, enfatizando la importancia de medidas de prevención y capacitación de la población en técnicas de reanimación cardiopulmonar y uso del desfibrilador externo automático para la supervivencia de los pacientes que sufren esta entidad.

Commotio cordis or cardiac concussion is a rare and fatal mechano-electric arrhythmogenic syndrome. It is the second most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. It is most commonly associated with a sports-related injury, wherein, there is a high-velocity impact between a projectile and the precordium, causing arrhythmia that leads to the immediate death of the individual without cardiac resuscitation. On autopsy, the heart is structurally normal. With increasing awareness of this condition and community training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, survival rates have been improving. The objective of this study is to describe the case of a patient who arrived at our hospital with commotio cordis and his course, emphasizing the importance of prevention and training of the population in cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques and the use of the automated external defibrillator for the survival of patients suffering from commotio cordis.

Survey on the application of external cardiopulmonary resuscitation in Chinese children with sudden cardiac arrest / 中华儿科杂志

Objectives: To investigate the current application status and implementation difficulties of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in children with sudden cardiac arrest. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in 35 hospitals. A Children's ECPR Information Questionnaire on the implementation status of ECPR technology (abbreviated as the questionnaire) was designed, to collect the data of 385 children treated with ECPR in the 35 hospitals. The survey extracted the information about development of ECPR, the maintenance of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, the indication of ECPR, and the difficulties of implementation in China. These ECPR patients were grouped based on their age, the hospital location and level, to compare the survival rates after weaning and discharge. The statistical analysis used Chi-square test and one-way analysis of variance for the comparison between the groups, LSD method for post hoc testing, and Bonferroni method for pairwise comparison. Results: Of the 385 ECPR cases, 224 were males and 161 females. There were 185 (48.1%) survival cases after weaning and 157 (40.8%) after discharge. There were 324 children (84.2%) receiving ECPR for cardiac disease and 27 children (7.0%) for respiratory failure. The primary cause of death in ECPR patients was circulatory failure (82 cases, 35.9%), followed by brain failure (80 cases, 35.0%). The most common place of ECPR was intensive care unit (ICU) (278 cases, 72.2%); ECPR catheters were mostly inserted through incision (327 cases, 84.9%). There were 32 hospitals (91.4%) had established ECMO emergency teams, holding 125 ECMO machines in total. ECMO machines mainly located in ICU (89 pieces, 71.2%), and the majority of hospitals (32 units, 91.4%) did not have pre-charged loops. There were no statistically significant differences in the post-withdrawal and post-discharge survival rates of ECPR patients among different age groups, regions, and hospitals (all P>0.05). The top 5 difficulties in implementing ECPR in non-ICU environments were lack of ECMO machines (16 times), difficulty in placing CPR pipes (15 times), long time intervals between CPR and ECMO transfer (13 times), lack of conventional backup ECMO loops (10 times), and inability of ECMO emergency teams to quickly arrive at the site (5 times). Conclusion: ECPR has been gradually developed in the field of pediatric critical care in China, and needs to be further standardized. ECPR in non-ICU environment remains a challenge.

Investigación medicolegal de la muerte súbita en Honduras. Análisis crítico de las autopsias realizadas en el período 2015-2019 / Medicolegal investigation of sudden death in Honduras. Critical analysis of autopsies carried out in the period 2015-2019

Justificación: La muerte súbita constituye un problema de salud pública a nivel global. Su presentación súbita e inesperada tiene implicaciones médico-legales por lo que su abordaje diagnóstico en el ámbito forense es de gran importancia.Objetivo: Analizar la muerte súbita y su abordaje diagnóstico en la Dirección de Medicina Forense de Honduras. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo de autopsias por muerte súbita en población de 10 a 55 años, realizadas en la sede de Tegucigalpa durante un período de cinco años (2015-2019). Los cálculos estadísticos fueron realizados con el programa R. Resultados: Se analizaron 165 casos de muerte súbita, 56% fueron de origen no cardiovascular y 44% de origen cardiovascular, 67% varones, con una media de edad de 39 años, DS+/-9,75. Las causas más frecuentes de muerte súbita no cardiovascular fueron digestivas (36%), respiratorias (34%), eventos cerebrovasculares hemorrágicos (14%) y muerte súbita en epilepsia (9%). Entre las muertes súbitas cardiovasculares las causas más frecuentes fueron la enfermedad coronaria aterosclerótica (67%), miocarditis (12%) y la muerte arrítmica con corazón estructuralmente normal (10%). Desde el punto de vista toxicológico destaca en ambas la asociación con el consumo de etanol (19%). Conclusiones: La muerte súbita de origen no cardiovascular fue la más frecuente, resultado condicionado por las limitantes del estudio. El abordaje actual de los casos de muerte súbita presenta importantes limitaciones por lo que se recomienda fortalecerlo implementando mejoras en la investigación medicolegal de la escena de la muerte, de los antecedentes familiares y el uso adecuado de los estudios complementarios toxicológicos e histopatológicos...(AU)

Muerte súbita y secuenciación de siguiente generación. Revisión bibliográfica / Sudden death and next generation sequencing. A review

Introducción: la muerte súbita se trata de un evento fatal e imprevisible. Realizada la autopsia y estudios complementarios, en ausencia de otros hallazgos que expliquen la causa de muerte, se clasifica como muerte súbita inexplicada. Siendo recomendable en estos casos realizar análisis genéticos, especialmente con metodologías de secuenciación de siguiente generación, las que permiten explicar un porcentaje importante de estos casos. Objetivo: analizar las publicaciones más relevantes sobre secuenciación de siguiente generación, aplicada a la autopsia molecular, para determinar aquellas muertes súbitas inexplicables relacionadas a cardiomiopatías y canalopatías. Metodología: se realizó la búsqueda en PubMed del Instituto Nacional de Salud usando palabras clave en inglés y español: NGS, muerte súbita, autopsia molecular y sus combinaciones. Además, se realizaron búsquedas en OMIN y ClinVar relacionada a las diferentes afecciones cardiacas relacionadas a muerte súbita. Los criterios de inclusión: artículos completos en español e inglés de libre acceso, con antigüedad máxima de diez años, realizados en cualquier área geográfica y que trataran sobre la temática. Resultados: para secuenciación de siguiente generación, muerte súbita se encontraron más de 22000 y 65000 publicaciones, respectivamente. En cambio, al combinar las palabras clave se recuperaron 74 trabajos, según los criterios de inclusión y objetivo del trabajo se revisaron 67 artículos. La aplicación de las plataformas de secuenciación en la investigación de casos de muerte súbita tomo auge en el 2014 y en poco tiempo, demostraron su versatilidad para el análisis de una gran cantidad de genes simultáneamente, de forma rápida y a bajo costo. Conclusiones: las patologías asociadas a muerte súbita son múltiples, complejas y pueden generar fenotipos variables que dificultan el análisis genético de las mismas. Las plataformas de secuenciación de siguiente generación son sumamente útiles en los casos de muerte súbita inexplicada, además permiten la identificación de variantes genéticas en familiares para la implementación de medidas preventivas...(AU)

The value of cardiac MRI in the risk stratification in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To explore the value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in the risk stratification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Methods: HCM patients who underwent CMR examination in Fuwai Hospital between March 2012 and May 2013 were retrospectively enrolled. Baseline clinical and CMR data were collected and patient follow-up was performed using telephone contact and medical record. The primary composite endpoint was sudden cardiac death (SCD) or and equivalent event. The secondary composite endpoint was all-cause death and heart transplant. Patients were divided into SCD and non-SCD groups. Cox regression was used to explore risk factors of adverse events. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the performance and the optimal cut-off of late gadolinium enhancement percentage (LGE%) for the prediction of endpoints. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were used to compare survival differences between groups. Results: A total of 442 patients were enrolled. Mean age was (48.5±12.4) years and 143(32.4%) were female. At (7.6±2.5) years of follow-up, 30 (6.8%) patients met the primary endpoint including 23 SCD and 7 SCD equivalent events, and 36 (8.1%) patients met the secondary endpoint including 33 all-cause death and 3 heart transplant. In multivariate Cox regression, syncope(HR=4.531, 95%CI 2.033-10.099, P<0.001), LGE% (HR=1.075, 95%CI 1.032-1.120, P=0.001) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HR=0.956, 95%CI 0.923-0.991, P=0.013) were independent risk factors for primary endpoint; Age (HR=1.032, 95%CI 1.001-1.064, P=0.046), atrial fibrillation (HR=2.977, 95%CI 1.446-6.131, P=0.003),LGE% (HR=1.075, 95%CI 1.035-1.116, P<0.001) and LVEF (HR=0.968, 95%CI 0.937-1.000, P=0.047) were independent risk factors for secondary endpoint. ROC curve showed the optimal LGE% cut-offs were 5.1% and 5.8% for the prediction of primary and secondary endpoint, respectively. Patients were further divided into LGE%=0, 0<LGE%<5%, 5%≤LGE%<15% and LGE%≥15% groups. There were significant survival differences between these 4 groups whether for primary endpoint or secondary endpoint (all P<0.001) and the accumulated incidence of primary endpoint was 1.2% (2/161), 2.2% (2/89), 10.5% (16/152) and 25.0% (10/40), respectively. Conclusion: LGE is an independent risk factor for SCD events as well as all-cause death and heart transplant. LGE is of important value in the risk stratification in patients with HCM.

Report on Cardiac Gross Pathologic Measurements of Sudden Cardiac Death in Adults / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To analyze the gross pathological data of sudden cardiac death (SCD) with different causes, to provide data support for the identification of sudden cardiac death with unknown causes.@*METHODS@#A total of 167 adult SCD cases in the archive of the Forensic Expertise Institute of Nanjing Medical University from 2010 to 2020 were collected. The gross pathological data of SCD cases were summarized and the characteristics of different causes of death were statistically analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The ratio of male to female SCD cases was 3.4∶1. Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of SCD, and mainly distributed in people over 40 years old. SCD caused by myocarditis was mainly distributed in young people and the mean age of death was (34.00±9.55) years. By analyzing the differences in cardiac pathological parameters of SCD with different causes, it was found that the aortic valve circumference was significantly dilated in the SCD caused by aortic aneurysm or dissection (P<0.05). The heart weight of SCD caused by aortic aneurysm or dissection and combined factors was greater, and both pulmonary and tricuspid valvular rings were dilated in the SCD caused by combined factors in adult males (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Various gross pathological measures of SCD with different causes are different, which has reference value in the cause of death identification of SCD.

Application of Targeted Coronary Angiography in the Diagnosis of Sudden Cardiac Death / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To diagnose coronary artery stenosis by using the postmortem computed tomography angiography (PMCTA), and to explore the diagnostic value of PMCTA in sudden cardiac death.@*METHODS@#Six death cases were selected, and the contrast medium iohexol was injected under high pressure through femoral artery approach with 5F pigtail catheter to obtain coronary image data and then the data was analyzed. The results of targeted coronary imaging and coronary artery calcium score (CaS) were compared with the results of conventional autopsy and histopathological examination.@*RESULTS@#The autopsy and histopathological examination of cases with coronary artery stenosis obtained similar results in targeted coronary angiography, with a diagnostic concordance rate of 83.3%. Targeted coronary angiography could effectively show coronary artery diseases, and the CaS was consistent with the results of conventional autopsy and histopathological examination.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Targeted coronary angiography can be used as an effective auxiliary method for conventional autopsy in cases of sudden cardiac death.

Forensic Pathological Diagnosis of Acute and Old Myocardial Infarction Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyze myocardial infarction tissues at different stages of pathological change to achieve the forensic pathology diagnosis of acute and old myocardial infarction.@*METHODS@#FTIR spectra data of early ischemic myocardium, necrotic myocardium, and myocardial fibrous tissue in the left ventricular anterior wall of the sudden death group of atherosclerotic heart disease and the myocardium of the normal control group were collected using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining as a reference, and the data were analyzed using multivariate statistical analysis.@*RESULTS@#The mean normalized spectra of control myocardium, early ischemic myocardium and necrotic myocardium were relatively similar, but the mean second derivative spectra were significantly different. The peak intensity of secondary structure of proteins in early ischemic myocardium was significantly higher than in other types of myocardium, and the peak intensity of the α-helix in necrotic myocardium was the lowest. The peaks of amide Ⅰ and amide Ⅱ in the mean normalized spectra of myocardial fibrous tissue significantly shifted towards higher wave numbers, the peak intensities of amide Ⅱ and amide Ⅲ were higher than those of other types of myocardium, and the peak intensities at 1 338, 1 284, 1 238 and 1 204 cm-1 in the mean second derivative spectra were significantly enhanced. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed that FTIR could distinguish different types of myocardium.@*CONCLUSIONS@#FTIR technique has the potential to diagnose acute and old myocardial infarction, and provides a new basis for the analysis of the causes of sudden cardiac death.

Muerte Súbita Post Infarto: ¿Cuándo Implantar un Desfibrilador Automático? Breve revisión a propósito de un caso / Sudden Death After Infarction: when To Implant An Automatic Defibrillator? Brief review about a case

Sudden death is the most serious complication of acute coronary syndromes. The highest percentage occurs at home with a very low survival rate. The highest risk group are patients with ejection fraction under 40% after an acute myocardial infarction. So far the indication of the clinical practice guides are the implantation of ICD as a secondary prevention, and as a primary prevention when the systolic function is severely diminished, however there is an interval of 40 days in which the implant has not managed to demonstrate benefits. In this critical period patients should be managed with beta-blockers. So far, the absolute benefit of using portable cardioverter-defibrillators as a prophylactic bridge to the ICD implant has not been demonstrated. The following revision is based on the most relevant clinical practice guides in the field carried out in relation to a clinical case

Recomendaciones conjuntas sobre la evaluación cardiovascular para la realización de ejercicio y deporte en personas menores de 35 años / Joint recommendations on cardiovascular assessment regarding exercise and sports in people under 35 / Recomendações conjuntas sobre avaliação cardiovascular para exercícios e esportes em pessoas com menos de 35 anos de idade

Se presentan, en un trabajo conjunto, las recomendaciones para la evaluación cardiovascular de personas menores de 35 años que realizan ejercicio y deportes. Se establecen pautas en cuanto a la valoración y la habilitación que tendrá dicha evaluación, quiénes estarán a cargo de su realización y cuáles son los componentes fundamentales de una correcta valoración cardiovascular. Se toman en cuenta los antecedentes familiares y personales, el examen físico exhaustivo y se considera conveniente la realización del ECG como parte integrante obligatorio. Se hacen referencia a otros estudios funcionales como opcionales, así como la posible derivación a los especialistas cuando se considere necesario.

We hereby present joint recommendations for cardiovascular assessment of people under 35 years of age who do exercise and sports. We set the guidelines regarding evaluation and score of such assessment, the agents in charge of implementing it and the main components of a correct cardiovascular assessment. We take into account the family and personal history and perform a comprehensive physical examination as well as an ECG as a mandatory part of this comprehensive approach. We mention other optional functional studies as well as reference to specialists whenever necessary.

Apresentamos através dum paper conjunto recomendações para a avaliação cardiovascular de pessoas de 35 anos de idade que praticam exercício e esportes. Estabelecem-se as diretrizes quanto à qualificação dessa avaliação, quem a realizará e quais são os componentes fundamentais de uma correta avaliação cardiovascular. Consideramos obrigatório incluir a história familiar e pessoal, o exame físico exaustivo e o ECG opcional. Referimo-nos a outros estudos funcionais opcionais, assim como ao possível encaminhamento para especialistas quando for necessário.

Prediction of sudden cardiac death for chagasic patients / Predição de morte súbita cardíaca em pacientes chagásicos / Predicción de muerte súbita cardíaca en pacientes chagásicos federados

Objective: Identify the risk of patients with Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy (CCC) to prevent them from having Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). Methods: We developed an SCD prediction system using a heterogeneous dataset of chagasic patients evaluated in 9 state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to select the most critical clinical variables and predict SCD in chagasic patients even when the interval between the most recent exams and the SCD event is months or years. Results: 310 patients were analyzed, being 81 (14,7%) suffering from SCD. In the study, Balanced Random Forest showed the best performance, with AUC:80.03 and F1:75.12. Due to their high weights in the machine learning classifiers, we suggest Holter - Non-Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia, Total Ventricular Extrasystoles, Left Ventricular Systolic Diameter, Syncope, and Left Ventricular Diastolic Diameter as essential features to identify SCD. Conclusion: The high-risk pattern of SCD in patients with CCC can be identified and prevented based on clinical and laboratory variables.

Objetivo: Identificar o risco de pacientes com Cardiomiopatia Chagásica Crônica (CCC) para prevenir a Morte Súbita Cardíaca (MSC). Métodos: Desenvolvemos um sistema de MSC usando um conjunto de dados heterogêneo de pacientes chagásicos avaliados em 9 algoritmos de aprendizado de máquina de última geração para selecionar as variáveis clínicas mais críticas e prever MSC em pacientes chagásicos mesmo quando o intervalo mais recente entre os mais recentes exames e o evento MSC é meses ou anos. Resultados: Foram analisados 310 pacientes, sendo 81 (14,7%) portadores de CCC. No estudo, o algoritmo Balanced Random Forest apresentou o melhor desempenho, com AUC:80,03 e F1:75,12. Devido ao seu alto peso nos classificadores de aprendizado de máquina, sugerimos Holter - Taquicardia Ventricular Não Sustentada, Extrassístoles Ventriculares Totais, Diâmetro Sistólico do Ventrículo Esquerdo, Síncope e Diâmetro Diastólico do Ventrículo Esquerdo como características essenciais para identificar a CCC. Conclusão: O padrão de alto risco de MSC em pacientes com CCC pode ser identificado e prevenido com base em variáveis clínicas e laboratoriais.

Objetivo: Identificar el riesgo de los pacientes con Miocardiopatía Chagásica Crónica (MCC) para evitar que presenten Muerte Cardíaca Súbita (MCS). Métodos: Desarrollamos un sistema MCS utilizando un conjunto de datos heterogéneo de pacientes chagásicos evaluados en 9 algoritmos de aprendizaje automático de última generación para seleccionar las variables clínicas más críticas y predecir MCS en pacientes chagásicos incluso cuando el intervalo más reciente entre los más recientes exámenes y el evento MCS es meses o años. Resultados: Se analizaron 310 pacientes, siendo 81 (14,7%) con MSC. En el estudio, Balanced Random Forest mostró el mejor desempeño, con AUC:80.03 y F1:75.12. Debido a su alto peso en los clasificadores de aprendizaje automático, sugerimos Holter - Taquicardia ventricular no sostenida, Extrasístoles ventriculares totales, Diámetro sistólico del ventrículo izquierdo, Síncope y Diámetro diastólico del ventrículo izquierdo como características esenciales para identificar la MSC. Conclusión: El patrón de alto riesgo de MSC en pacientes con MCC se puede identificar y prevenir con base en variables clínicas y de laboratorio.

Cardiovascular Risk Assessment after COVID-19 Infection before Resuming Sports Activities - Practical Flowchart and Meta-Analysis

Abstract Background: The risk of sports-related sudden cardiac arrest after COVID-19 infection can be a serious problem. There is an urgent need for evidence-based criteria to ensure patient safety before resuming exercise. Objective: To estimate the pooled prevalence of acute myocardial injury caused by COVID-19 and to provide an easy-to-use cardiovascular risk assessment toolkit prior to resuming sports activities after COVID-19 infection. Methods: We searched the Medline and Cochrane databases for articles on the prevalence of acute myocardial injury associated with COVID-19 infection. The pooled prevalence of acute myocardial injury was calculated for hospitalized patients treated in different settings (non-intensive care unit [ICU], ICU, overall hospitalization, and non-survivors). Statistical significance was accepted for p values <0.05. We propose a practical flowchart to assess the cardiovascular risk of individuals who recovered from COVID-19 before resuming sports activities. Results: A total of 20 studies (6,573 patients) were included. The overall pooled prevalence of acute myocardial injury in hospitalized patients was 21.7% (95% CI 17.3-26.5%). The non-ICU setting had the lowest prevalence (9.5%, 95% CI 1.5-23.4%), followed by the ICU setting (44.9%, 95% CI 27.7-62.8%), and the cohort of non-survivors (57.7% with 95% CI 38.5-75.7%). We provide an approach to assess cardiovascular risk based on the prevalence of acute myocardial injury in each setting. Conclusions: Acute myocardial injury is frequent and associated with more severe disease and hospital admissions. Cardiac involvement could be a potential trigger for exercise-induced clinical complications after COVID-19 infection. We created a toolkit to assist with clinical decision-making prior to resuming sports activities after COVID-19 infection.

Submammary placement of implantable cardioverter defibrillators: a Singapore plastic surgeon experience

The use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in young women has been increasing in recent years owing to greater awareness about inherited cardiac conditions that increase the risk of sudden death. Traditional placement of ICDs in the infraclavicular region among young women often leads to visible scars, a constant prominence that causes irritation from purse or bra straps and can result in body image concerns and device-related emotional distress. In this case series, two women with long QT syndrome required placement of ICDs for prevention of sudden cardiac death. Submammary placement of ICDs was performed in collaboration with electrophysiologists. We describe our local experience and technique in submammary placement of ICDs as well as the challenges faced.

Disjunção do anel mitral: modalidades diagnósticas, implicações clínicas e evolução prognóstica / Mitral annulus disjunction: diagnostic modalities, clinical implications, and prognostic progression

A disjunção do anel mitral (DAM) é uma inserção anormal da linha de flexão do anel mitral na parede atrial. O anel mostra uma separação (disjunção) entre a junção folheto posterior-parede atrial e a crista miocárdica ventricular esquerda.1 A DAM foi descrita pela primeira vez há mais de 30 anos em estudo de autópsia, estando relacionada com prolapso da valva mitral (PVM) em 92% dos casos.2 Desde então, foram realizados diversos estudos, sendo a prevalência de DAM em pacientes com PVM reportada de forma variável, podendo ou não estar associada à insuficiência mitral. O ecocardiograma transtorácico (ETT) faz parte da avaliação inicial do prolapso valvar mitral, permitindo o diagnóstico e a avaliação de complicações relacionadas. Com a evolução de novos métodos diagnósticos, a ressonância magnética cardíaca (RMC) e o ecocardiograma transesofágico (ETE) passaram a aprimorar a avaliação dessa patologia, bem como de sua extensão e localização. Contudo, as características fenotípicas do PVM que estão mais associadas a DAM permanecem incertas, sobretudo devido ao número limitado de pacientes, nos estudos clássicos sobre o tema. Portadores de DAM podem desenvolver sintomas relacionados a arritmias ventriculares, configurando a síndrome arrítmica da DAM (SDAM), podendo evoluir para morte súbita. Na literatura, os dados prognósticos ainda são conflitantes entre os diversos estudos acerca do tema, indo desde critérios claros de diagnóstico, o melhor método de imagem a ser aplicado, o tratamento e o prognóstico. Esta revisão descreve as características da DAM associada ou não ao prolapso valvar, auxiliando no diagnóstico e na conduta dessa importante patologia. (AU)

Mitral annulus disjunction (MAD) is an abnormal insertion of the flexion line of the mitral annulus into the atrial wall. The annulus presents a separation (disjunction) between the posterior leaflet­atrial wall junction and the left ventricular myocardial crest.1 MAD was first described more than 30 years ago in an autopsy study and is reportedly related to mitral valve prolapse (MVP) in 92% of cases.2 Since then, several studies have been conducted, and reports on the prevalence of MAD in patients with MVP have varied. Ultimately, it may or may not be associated with mitral regurgitation. Transthoracic echocardiography is part of initial MVP assessment, allowing its diagnosis and the assessment of related complications. As new diagnostic methods emerged, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and transesophageal echocardiography improved the assessment of this pathology in terms of its diagnosis, extension, and location. However, the phenotypic characteristics of MVP that are more closely associated with MAD remain uncertain mainly due to the limited number of patients in classic studies on the subject. Patients with MAD may develop symptoms related to ventricular arrhythmias, configuring the MAD arrhythmic syndrome, which may progress to sudden death. The literature presents conflicting prognostic data among several studies on the subject from clear diagnostic criteria and best imaging method to be used to treatment and prognosis. This review describes MAD characteristics associated (or not) with valve prolapse to improve the diagnosis and management of this important pathology. (AU)

Acompanhamento a longo prazo de paciente do sexo masculino com fibroma cardíaco assintomático / Long-Term follow-up of an asymptomatic man with a cardiac fibroma

Descreve-se o caso de um homem de 19 anos assintomático com fibroma de ventrículo esquerdo em acompanhamento por 15 anos, sem tratamento.(AU)

Here we describe a case of a 19-year-old asymptomatic man with a left ventricular fibroma on follow-up for 15 years with no treatment required.(AU)

Análisis clínico e histopatológico de la prevalencia de enfermedades cardiacas en muerte súbita. Estudio en autopsias / Clinical and histopathological analysis of the prevalence of cardiac diseases in sudden death: a study based on autopsies

Introducción: un evento de muerte súbita supone un gran impacto para la sociedad, siendo importante su estudio para aportar conocimiento y fortalecer estrategias de promoción y prevención. Objetivo: determinar la prevalencia de los diagnósticos anatomopatológicos cardiacos definitivos y los hallazgos histopatológicos asociados con la muerte súbita de origen cardíaco en los pacientes sometidos a autopsias clínicas realizadas en el Hospital de San José de Bogotá DC, Colombia, durante el período 2015 a 2018. Métodos: estudio descriptivo de corte transversal retrospectivo en pacientes a quienes se les realizó autopsia con diagnóstico de muerte súbita de origen cardiovascular en el servicio de patología del Hospital de SanJosé, Bogotá DC, Colombia. Resultados: se incluyeron 178 autopsias con diagnóstico de muerte súbita cardíaca. El promedio global de edad fue 56.1 años (DE: 15.06) con una relación hombre-mujer de 3:1. El hallazgo macroscópico más frecuente fue cardiomegalia (promedio 428.1 g (DE 112.8), acompañado de la presencia de coronariopatía esclerótica (p=0.000) con obstrucción de la luz de las arterias coronarias mayores de 80% (p=0.037). Conclusiones: los diagnósticos anatomopatológicos definitivos prevalentes en la muerte súbita cardiaca fueron cardiopatía isquémica crónica complicada (65%) e infarto agudo de miocardio (16%), datos similares a los reportados a nivel mundial. La cardiomegalia es un hallazgo frecuente que debe valorarse en forma cuidadosa.

Introduction: a sudden death incident has a great impact on society and its study is important to provide understanding for strengthening promotion and prevention strategies. Objective: to determine the prevalence of definitive anatomopathological cardiac diagnoses and histopathological findings associated with sudden death due to a cardiovascular cause based on autopsies performed at Hospital de San José in Bogotá DC, Colombia, during the period between 2015 and 2018. Methods: retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study of cases of sudden cardiac death of cardiovascular origin diagnosed in autopsies performed at the pathology service of Hospital de San José, Bogotá DC, Colombia. Results: 178 autopsies with a diagnosis of sudden cardiac death were included. The overall mean age was 56.1 years (SD: 15.06). Male/female ratio was 3:1. The most frequent macroscopic finding was cardiomegaly (average 428.1 g (SD 112.8), with the presence of sclerotic coronary artery disease (p=0.000) with a blockage greater than 80% (p=0.037) in the major coronary arteries. Conclusions: the prevalent definitive anatomopathological diagnoses in SCD were complicated chronic ischemic heart disease (65%) and acute myocardial infarction (16%). Data obtained in this study is similar to that reported worldwide. Cardiomegaly is a frequent finding that should be carefully evaluated.