ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the prognostic role of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI). BACKGROUND: T2MI is an increasingly common diagnosis in clinical practice. The management of this condition is controversial and the prognostic value of MPI has not been established in this setting. METHODS: We retrospectively studied T2MI patients who underwent vasodilator gated MPI within 90 days of T2MI at a single tertiary care institution in 2013. Abnormal myocardial perfusion was defined as the perfusion defect involving ≥ 5% of left ventricular (LV) myocardium. Abnormal LV ejection fraction (EF) was defined as < 50% by gated images. The primary outcome was a composite of death, myocardial infarction (other than index event) or coronary revascularization (CR). RESULTS: There were 234 patients (62 ± 14 years, 57% men) with T2MI (peak troponin 0.2 ng/ml, interquartile 0.1-1.4), of whom 136 (58%) had an abnormal MPI. During a median follow-up of 20 months, 155 patients (66%) had the primary outcome (39% death, 42% MI, 5% CR). An abnormal MPI was associated with an increased risk of the primary outcome with a hazard ratio of 1.56, 95%CI (1.12-2.18, P = .008) that remained statistically significant after multivariate adjustment (1.45, 95%CI (1.02-2.06, P = .04))). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with T2MI are at high risk for death or cardiac events in the intermediate term. More than one-half of patients with T2MI have an abnormal MPI and this is associated with the increased risk of cardiac events during follow-up. Risk stratification with MPI after T2MI may identify patients who would benefit from aggressive risk reduction.
Subject(s)
Myocardial Infarction/diagnostic imaging , Myocardial Infarction/mortality , Myocardial Perfusion Imaging , Aged , Cardiac-Gated Imaging Techniques , Female , Hospitalization , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Myocardial Infarction/complications , Predictive Value of Tests , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , Stroke Volume , Survival RateABSTRACT
Right heart failure (RHF) after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is associated with poor outcomes. Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (Intermacs) defines RHF as elevated right atrial pressure (RAP) plus venous congestion. The purpose of this study was to examine the diagnostic performance of the noninvasive Intermacs criteria using RAP as the gold standard. We analyzed 108 patients with LVAD who underwent 341 right heart catheterizations (RHC) between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2013. Physical exam, echocardiography, and laboratory data at the time of RHC were collected. Conventional two-by-two tables were used and missing data were excluded. The noninvasive Intermacs definition of RHF is 32% sensitive (95% cardiac index (CI), 0.21-0.44) and 97% specific (95% CI, 0.95-0.99) for identifying elevated RAP. Clinical assessment failed to identify two-thirds of LVAD patients with RAP > 16 mm Hg. More than half of patients with elevated RAP did not have venous congestion, which may represent a physiologic opportunity to mitigate the progression of disease before end-organ damage occurs. One-quarter of patients who met the noninvasive definition of RHF did not actually have elevated RAP, potentially exposing patients to unnecessary therapies. In practice, if any component of the Intermacs definition is present or equivocal, our data suggest RHC is warranted to establish the diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Cardiac Catheterization/methods , Central Venous Pressure , Heart Failure/diagnosis , Heart-Assist Devices/adverse effects , Hyperemia/diagnosis , Adult , Aged , Female , Heart Failure/etiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) remains a major morbid event during continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. This study investigated whether a common hemodynamic profile is associated with GIB in patients with LVADs. METHODS AND RESULTS: A single institution analysis reviewed all patients who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) following LVAD implant between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2013, with follow-up through June 2015. Kaplan-Meier and multiphase hazard statistical methods were employed. Among 108 patients with 341 RHC, 55 hospitalizations for GIB occurred within 1 year of RHC. Freedom from GIB at 6 months was 92% in patients with pulse pressure ≥35 mmHg, compared with 76% with pulse pressure <35 mmHg. By multivariable analysis, the significant predictors of GIB were: older age at implant, number of prior GIB, lower pulse pressure, lower mean arterial pressure, and higher right atrial pressure (all P < .05). The magnitude of effect is influenced by pulse pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Greater pulsatility and less venous congestion, along with other factors, are associated with a lower risk for GIB. It is reasonable to adjust therapeutic strategies to target this hemodynamic profile in patients with a propensity for GIB.
