Incidence, Risk Factors, and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism after a Serious Disaster: The Kumamoto Twin Earthquakes.

Objective: On April 16, 2016, earthquakes struck Kumamoto. In this report, the incidence and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients presenting to our hospital are summarized. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the details of 22 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with VTE at our hospital during the 2 weeks after the earthquakes. Results: Nineteen of the 22 patients stayed in their cars overnight after the earthquakes. Particularly, during the first 4 days, seven consecutive patients were hospitalized for pulmonary thromboembolism. All seven patients had sheltered in their cars after the earthquakes. The two patients transported on days 2.42 and 3.54 were the most severe cases. One patient was admitted after emergency initiation of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for treatment of hemodynamic collapse, whereas the other patient was admitted after resuscitation. By contrast, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) alone occurred within 5-9 days of the earthquakes. Bilateral DVT was the most common, which was followed by DVT on the right side only. Conclusion: The incidence of VTE might be higher after an earthquake, and an overnight stay in a car might be a risk factor for VTE. Stable patients based on the D-dimer concentration can be managed with nonwarfarin oral anticoagulants.

Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation by Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography/Fluoroscopy Fusion Imaging Guidance in a Patient With Right-Sided Aortic Arch and Chronic Aortic Dissection.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) represents the standard of care for relieving aortic stenosis in high-risk patients for surgery. The transfemoral approach is preferable with respect to invasiveness, but is often difficult in patients with complex vascular structures. Recently, the clinical application of advanced visualization and guidance technology with three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) during TAVI has received considerable attention. Herein we report successful transfemoral TAVI in a patient with a right-sided aortic arch and chronic aortic dissection without vascular complications by 3D-CT/fluoroscopy fusion imaging guidance.

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy with severe functional mitral regurgitation and successful treatment with ivabradine.

Ivabradine increases stroke volume, but does not have a negative impact on blood pressure (BP). Thus, a patient with low BP can benefit from treatment with ivabradine. A 72-year-old Japanese woman with asthma and chronic bronchitis presented with dyspnea. Her heart rate (HR) was 126 beats per minute and an electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia. The chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly and pulmonary congestion. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showed reduced left ventricular ejection function (LVEF) and severe functional mitral regurgitation (MR). We diagnosed her with inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) and heart failure (HF) due to tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. After resolving the pulmonary congestion with diuretics, we administered a minimum dose of bisoprolol, which resulted in re-exacerbation of the HF. Because IST was persistent, we initiated treatment with ivabradine. As soon as ivabradine was started, the HR decreased, the BP gradually increased, and HF compensation was achieved. Bisoprolol was continued and losartan was started. In summary, we used ivabradine for a patient with tachycardia, low BP, a low LVEF, and severe MR. By optimizing the medical therapy, exercise tolerance improved and she was discharged. The serum brain natriuretic peptide was significantly reduced and TTE showed an improved LVEF and reduced MR. .

Comparison of left ventricular pacing performance among pre-shaped guidewires designed for transfemoral-approach transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

TAVI is an established therapy for patients with severe aortic stenosis. Rapid or control pacing is necessary for TAVI, and most centers are familiar with right ventricular (RV) pacing. Although there are several reports on the efficacy and safety of LV pacing, they are still few. In addition, LV pacing has not been studied for different LV guidewires. Our aim is to study the effectiveness of left ventricular (LV) pacing and the thresholds of LV guidewires in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We retrospectively analyzed 252 consecutive patients who underwent trans-femoral TAVI (TF-TAVI) with LV pacing in our institute between December 2017 and November 2020. We excluded 48 patients from the total cohort due to TAVI with RV pacing, and the remaining 204 patients were analyzed (52 males, mean age 85 ± 5 years). Among them, 202 patients (99.0%) had successful LV pacing. In the two patients with failed LV pacing, SAFARI2™ Small was used. The CONFIDA™ group (n = 34) showed a significantly lower threshold than the SAFARI2™ group (n = 163) (median 3.0 vs. 5.0 V; P = 1.1 × 10-7). LV pacing with Lunderquist® was successful in all patients (n = 7). LV pacing in TAVI was an effective and safe strategy. CONFIDA™ wire may be particularly well suited for LV pacing in TAVI.

Increased and continuous coronary arterial flow was induced by LV uncoupling condition using combined treatment of a microaxial heart pump and venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

An emerging therapeutic modality, ECPELLA, which combines a transvalvular microaxial left ventricular (LV) assist device, Impella, and venoarterial membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO), has been applied for patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. During ECPELLA support, VA-ECMO increases the LV load, whereas the Impella reduces the LV load. Studies reported that coronary perfusion is influenced by LV unloading conditions, and the effective degree of LV unloading to increase the coronary perfusion on ECPELLA support remains to be determined. Here, we reported a cardiogenic shock case whose coronary arterial flow was assessed by transesophageal echocardiography during ECPELLA support. The left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) peak blood flow velocity and the velocity time integral (VTI) were not significantly increased when blood was ejected from the LV (partial LV unloading). When the LV blood ejection was completely bypassed by Impella confirmed by non-pulsatile aortic pressure with significantly reduced LV pressure with no aortic valve opening (LV uncoupling: no blood ejection from the LV), both peak velocity and VTI of the LAD were markedly increased and the blood flow became continuous throughout the cardiac cycle. Our case suggests that the coronary arterial flow in the injured myocardium is sensitive to degrees of LV unloading on ECPELLA support.

The first described case of late infective endocarditis after implantation of Figulla Flex â ¡ ASD occluder.

Infective endocarditis is one of the complications following the percutaneous occlusion of an atrial septal defect (ASD) with a closure device. To the best of our knowledge, no case reports have been published of infective endocarditis associated with the Figulla Flex Ⅱ ASD occluder (FSO; Occlutech GmbH, Jena, Germany). We present the case of a 50-year-old woman who underwent a transcatheter closure of an ASD with FSO almost 2 years prior to presentation to our institution. Echocardiography showed a mobile vegetation (20 × 10 mm), and her blood culture grew ß-hemolytic streptococci. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed acute cerebral infarction. Those findings were diagnosed as late infective endocarditis associated with the ASD closure device. The patient was treated with antibiotics and underwent surgical removal of the FSO, which showed incomplete endothelialization, and surgical repair of ASD. After surgery, the patient made a complete recovery without complications or residual shunts. This case highlights the risk of late infective endocarditis in patients after closure of ASD with an FSO with incomplete endothelialization. .

Early vascular aging in adult patients with congenital heart disease.

Many studies have reported that adults with congenital heart disease suffer from hypertension and cardiovascular disease even at younger ages. Therefore, we analyzed early vascular aging, which is defined as pulse wave velocity values higher than the 95th percentile for age and sex, and clarified the relationship between early vascular aging and many parameters related to cardiovascular disorders in adults with congenital heart disease. We enrolled 72 adult patients with congenital heart disease and measured their brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. Comparing the data between age- and sex-matched controls, patients with a pulse wave velocity higher than the 95th percentile for age and sex were defined as exhibiting early vascular aging. The parameters of patients with and without early vascular aging were compared. Early vascular aging was observed in 15.6% of the patients. Age, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, uric acid, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were positive determinants of early vascular aging. Logistic regression analysis proved that systolic blood pressure was a significant determinant of early vascular aging (odds ratio, 1.128, 95% confidence interval, 1.049-1.214; p = 0.001). The prevalence of early vascular aging is high in adult patients with congenital heart disease. Because early vascular aging can damage a patient's vulnerable heart, careful follow-up of blood pressure and pulse wave velocity is essential.

Relationship between non-osmotic arginine vasopressin secretion and hemoglobin A1c levels in adult patients with congenital heart disease.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP), which induces vasoconstriction and conserves solute-free water when released during high plasma osmolality, is secreted through 2 mechanisms: osmoregulation and baroregulation. This study aims to clarify the mechanisms and influencing factors for non-osmotic AVP secretion in adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). AVP levels were measured in 74 adults with CHD. Non-osmotic AVP secretion was defined as excessive AVP secretion relative to the AVP level inferred from plasma osmolality. Accordingly, 10 patients (13.5%) demonstrated non-osmotic AVP secretion, with AVP levels higher than those in patients without non-osmotic AVP secretion (6.4 ± 3.1 vs. 1.6 ± 0.9 pg/ml; p < 0.0001). Non-osmotic AVP secretion was significantly correlated with diuretic use [odds ratio (OR) 7.227; confidence interval (CI) 1.743-29.962; p = 0.0006], HbA1c level (OR 11.812; CI 1.732-80.548; p = 0.012), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level (OR 1.007; CI 1.001-1.012; p = 0.022). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that there was a significant association between non-osmotic AVP secretion and HbA1c level (OR 9.958; 1.127-87.979; p = 0.0039), and a nearly significant relationship between non-osmotic AVP secretion and BNP (OR 1.006; CI 1.000-1.012; p = 0.056). In conclusion, this study showed that 13.5% of adult patients with CHD demonstrated non-osmotic AVP secretion, which could be correlated with heart failure and insulin resistance. The AVP system might be one of the mechanisms linking heart failure and the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults with CHD.

An autopsy case of aortic root rupture with thin porcelain aorta during balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

A 92-year-old woman was transferred to our institute due to drug-resistant heart failure from severe aortic stenosis. She seemed to be a candidate for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) because of her frailty and porcelain aorta. There were no severe calcified nodules in the left-ventricular outflow tract area. Because three-dimensional computed tomography analysis showed that her basal annulus area was 419 mm2, a 26-mm SAPIEN XT (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) was selected for implantation. After deployment of the valve with 10% reduced volume, aortic root rupture occurred and her blood pressure fell due to acute cardiac tamponade. Emergent cardiac pericardial fenestration was done and drained blood was continuously returned to the circulation through percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass. Despite strenuous efforts to save her life, she died 13 h after the event. An autopsy revealed a thin porcelain aorta and aortic root rupture with a fragile aortic wall. .

Effect of the oral vasopressin receptor antagonist tolvaptan on congestive cardiac failure in a child with restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Tolvaptan, an oral vasopressin receptor antagonist, was administered to a 6-year-old boy with advanced congestive cardiac failure due to restrictive cardiomyopathy. Slow up-titration of the tolvaptan improved the loop diuretic-resistant congestive cardiac failure without hypernatraemia, deterioration of vital signs, and significant complications. Tolvaptan could be useful and safe for children with severe congestive cardiac failure. It is necessary to accumulate clinical data on tolvaptan administration in children in order to determine the optimal method of administration.

Syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor administration.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI's) are an important medication in the treatment of congestive heart failure. However, ACEIs may cause harmful side effects, such as the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), which is a rare but important side effect. We describe here a case of SIADH associated with ACEI administration in a 6-year-old boy with restrictive cardiomyopathy. After recovery from acute exacerbation of congestive heart failure by tolvaptan administration, an ACEI (cilazapril) was started to decrease the production of angiotensin II, which upregulates serum antidiuretic hormone secretion. The patient's heart failure symptoms worsened, including accumulation of right pleural effusion and ascites, after the initiation of ACEI administration. Cessation of ACEI administration dramatically improved his symptoms. Because it is difficult to distinguish SIADH associated with ACEI from worsening congestive heart failure, the possibility of fluid retention due to ACEI administration should always be considered when this agent is administered to patients with heart failure.

Incremental prognostic significance of peripheral endothelial dysfunction in patients with heart failure with normal left ventricular ejection fraction.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether peripheral endothelial dysfunction could predict the occurrence of cardiovascular events in patients with heart failure (HF) with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (HFNEF). BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction plays an important role in HF, but the relation between peripheral endothelial dysfunction and prognosis in HFNEF remains unknown. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 321 patients with HFNEF. We evaluated cardiac function by echocardiography measuring the ratio of early transmitral flow velocity to tissue Doppler early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/e'), noninvasively assessed peripheral endothelial function by reactive hyperemia-peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) as the RH-PAT index (RHI), and followed cardiovascular events. RESULTS: A total of 59 patients had a cardiovascular event. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significantly higher probability of cardiovascular events in the low RHI group than in the high RHI group (mean follow-up: 20 months; log-rank test: p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox hazard analysis identified RHI (per 0.1) (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67 to 0.94; p = 0.007), E/e' (Ln[E/e'] [per 0.1]) (HR: 1.15; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.26; p = 0.006), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) (Ln[BNP] [per picogram/milliliter]) (HR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.44 to 2.28; p < 0.001) as independent predictors of cardiovascular events. The C-statistics for cardiovascular events substantially increased when the RHI was added to the HFNEF prognostic 5 factors (PF5)-age, diabetes, New York Heart Association classification, HF hospitalization history, and left ventricular ejection fraction-which were identified in the I-PRESERVE (Irbesartan in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction Study) (PF5 alone: 0.671; PF5 + RHI: 0.712). The net reclassification index was significant after addition of the RHI (19.0%, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral endothelial dysfunction independently correlated with future cardiovascular events, adding incremental clinical significance for risk stratification in patients with HFNEF. (Endothelial Dysfunction Assessed by Reactive Hyperemia Peripheral Arterial Tonometry and Heart Failure with Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction; UMIN000002640).

Clinicopathological features of senile systemic amyloidosis: an ante- and post-mortem study.

Senile systemic amyloidosis is a common age-related amyloidosis that involves accumulation of wild-type transthyretin, with cardiac dysfunction being a predominant result. The importance of obtaining an accurate diagnosis of senile systemic amyloidosis has been increasingly recognized, so that novel treatments are being developed. However, the clinicopathological features of senile systemic amyloidosis remain to be completely understood. Here, we evaluated cardiac specimens from 181 consecutive post-mortem cases older than 40 years, including 6 cases of senile systemic amyloidosis, and 5 cases of familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, which is a hereditary systemic amyloidosis caused by mutant forms of transthyretin. Furthermore, we studied ante-mortem clinicopathological findings of 11 senile systemic amyloidosis cases, in which 9 cases underwent gastrointestinal tract biopsy and/or subcutaneous tissue biopsy, at Kumamoto University Hospital. Of the autopsied cases of elderly Japanese (older than 80 years), 12% had senile systemic amyloidosis, with the percentage increasing with age. The occurrence of senile systemic amyloidosis in elderly Japanese patients was lower than that in previous reports, which suggests that a genetic background and/or environmental factor(s) may have important roles in the occurrence of senile systemic amyloidosis. Transthyretin amyloid deposits in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy cases developed mainly in the pericardium and the surrounding muscle fascicles, whereas in cases with senile systemic amyloidosis the transthyretin amyloid deposits had a patchy plaque-like shape and developed mainly inside the ventricular wall. Biopsies from senile systemic amyloidosis patients evidenced amyloid deposits in 44% (4/9) of gastrointestinal tract and subcutaneous tissue samples combined. As myocardial biopsy may be dangerous for elderly people, the use of a combination of gastrointestinal tract and subcutaneous tissue biopsies may make diagnosis of senile systemic amyloidosis easier.

Waveform of ophthalmic artery Doppler flow predicts the severity of systemic atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Doppler imaging of ophthalmic artery (OA), the first major branch of the internal carotid artery, provides anatomical advantages due to the vertical angle to the body surface and absence of ultrasonic obstacles. It was hypothesized that the Doppler waveform indices of OA correlate with severity of systemic atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study subjects were 180 patients who underwent cardiac catheterization and OA Doppler imaging (90 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 90 control patients). The ratio of stroke volume to pulse pressure, an index of arterial compliance, was closely associated with the ratio of systolic to diastolic mean velocity (Sm/Dm) in OA. The level of Sm/Dm increased in proportion with the increase in number of stenosed coronary arteries (0-vessel disease 2.1+/-0.3, 1-vessel disease 2.3+/-0.3, multi-vessel disease 2.6+/-0.5, P<0.0001). The Sm/Dm level in OA correlated positively with age, pulse pressure, pulse wave velocity, resistive index and pulsatility index in OA. The best Sm/Dm cut-off to predict CAD was 2.3, and patients with Sm/Dm >2.3 had 8.0-fold risk for CAD. CONCLUSIONS: The waveform indices of OA are clinically useful for evaluating the severity of CAD and may help explain the missing link between OA circulation and systemic arterial compliance.

Cannabinoid 1 receptor blockade reduces atherosclerosis with enhances reverse cholesterol transport.

AIM: A recent clinical study using coronary intravascular ultrasound showed that rimonabant, a cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor antagonist, significantly reduced total atheroma volume, suggesting that CB1 receptor blockade could be beneficial in anti-atherogenic therapy. The reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) system plays important roles in atherogenesis. We investigated whether CB1 receptor blockade could modulate atherogenesis in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Oral administration of rimonabant (8 mg/kg/day) to apolipoprotein E-deficient mice for 3 months significantly reduced the relative area of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta (vehicle; 12.6+/-4.0% vs. rimonabant; 9.7+/-2.3, n=12 each, p<0.05) with an increase in serum adiponectin levels (15.6+/-2.3 microg/mL vs. 12.2+/-2.1, n=12 each, p<0.001), without affecting body weight or serum cholesterol levels. Rimonabant tended to increase serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p=0.05). The relative area of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta correlated inversely with serum HDL-C levels (r=-0.45, n=24, p<0.05). Rimonabant upregulated the mRNA expression levels of various components of the RCT system on THP-1 cell-derived macrophages (scavenger receptor B1: 1.15+/-0.12 fold, n=6; p<0.05, ATP-binding cassette [ABC] transporter G1: 1.23+/-0.11 fold, n=6; p<0.01), but not ABCA1 (1.13+/-0.20 fold, n=6; p=0.13). CONCLUSION: CB1 receptor blockade reduced atherosclerosis in apoE-deficient mice through an increase in serum adiponectin levels and activation of the RCT system. CB1 receptor blockade may be therapeutically beneficial for atherogenesis by increasing the serum adiponectin level and enhancing of the RCT system.