Safety of inhaled nitric oxide withdrawal in severe chronic pulmonary hypertension.

Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is a potent and selective pulmonary vasodilator with a safety concern due to rebound pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with its withdrawal. We report short-term pulsed iNO in patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and nonoperable chronic thromboembolic PH (nCTEPH). This is a retrospective analysis of 33 patients: 22 with PAH and 11 with nCTEPH. We assessed hemodynamic, echocardiographic, and other noninvasive variables to evaluate safety and efficacy of iNO. We performed an iNO withdrawal test during right heart catheterization and after 3 days of iNO treatment. iNO significantly improved all variables examined in 22 patients with PAH and 11 with nCTEPH. Two patterns of response were observed after sudden iNO withdrawal. Twenty-nine patients (88%) showed minimal hemodynamic, oxygenation and clinical changes. Four patients (12%) had a reduction in cardiac index ≥20% and PaO2 ≥ 5%, three patients did not show clinical deterioration, and one patient developed hemodynamic collapse that needed iNO administration. This retrospective study suggests that short-term iNO improves hemodynamics and clinical conditions in some patients with PAH an nCTPEH. However, pulsed iNO withdrawal PH rebound could be a serious concern in these patients. Given the lack of evidence, we do not recommend the use of pulsed iNO in the treatment of patients with chronic PH.

Tratamiento efectivo en ortodeoxia e hipoxemia grave / Effective Treatment of Platypnea-Orthodeoxia and Severe Hypoxemia

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[Atrial functional mitral regurgitation. Three-dimensional echocardiographic study]. / Insuficiencia mitral funcional auricular. Estudio ecocardiográfico tridimensional.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Atrial fibrillation can lead to left atrium remodelling and induce functional mitral regurgitation. The aim of this study is to establish those features of the mitral annulus that are related to atrial functional mitral regurgitation. METHODS: A total of 29 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation and 36 controls in sinus rhythm were retrospectively enrolled. The characteristics of the mitral annulus were analysed by three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography in both groups. The 2D and 3D echocardiographic parameters were correlated with the effective regurgitant orifice. RESULTS: Patients with atrial fibrillation had a larger left atrium volume, anteroposterior diameter at end-diastole, and lower percentage of change in this diameter (P=.015, P=.019 and P<.001, respectively). In the multiple regression analysis, the ellipticity index (ß: -0.756, P=.004) and height-anterolateral-posteromedial diameter ratio (ß: -0704, P=.003) were independent parameters that correlated with the effective regurgitant orifice (R2: 0.699, P=.019) in patients with atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Atrial fibrillation leads to atrial dilation and alterations in the size and dynamics of the anteroposterior diameter, producing a circular mitral annulus. The independent determining factors of atrial functional mitral regurgitation in the atrial fibrillation group were the ellipticity index and the height-anterolateral-posteromedial diameter ratio.

Insuficiencia mitral funcional auricular. Estudio ecocardiográfico tridimensional / Atrial functional mitral regurgitation. Three-dimensional echocardiographic study

Resumen Introducción y objetivos: La fibrilación auricular puede producir remodelado de la aurícula izquierda e inducir insuficiencia mitral funcional. El objetivo de este estudio es establecer qué características del anillo mitral están relacionadas con la regurgitación mitral funcional auricular. Método: Restrospectivamente se reclutaron 29 pacientes en fibrilación auricular persistente y 36 en ritmo sinusal. Las características del anillo mitral mediante ecocardiografía transesofágica tridimensional fueron analizadas en ambos grupos. Los parámetros ecocardiográficos 2D y 3D fueron correlacionados con el orificio regurgitante efectivo. Resultados: Los pacientes con fibrilación auricular presentaron mayor volumen de aurícula izquierda, diámetro anteroposterior al final de la diástole y disminución de su porcentaje de cambio (p: 0.015, 0.019 y < 0.001 respectivamente). En el análisis de regresión multivariante el índice de elipticidad (ˇ: −0.756, p: 0.004) y el ratio altura/diámetro anterolateral posteromedial (ˇ: −0.704, p: 0.003) fueron parámetros independientes correlacionados con el orificio regurgitante efectivo (R2: 0.699, p: 0.019) en pacientes con fibrilación auricular. Conclusiones: La fibrilación auricular produce cambios en el tamaño y dinámica del diámetro anteroposterior, lo que provoca un anillo mitral circular. Los mayores determinantes de la insuficiencia mitral funcional auricular en el grupo de fibrilación auricular resultaron el índice de elipticidad y el ratio altura/diámetro anterolateral-posteromedial.

Abstract Introduction and objectives: Atrial fibrillation can lead to left atrium remodelling and induce functional mitral regurgitation. The aim of this study is to establish those features of the mitral annulus that are related to atrial functional mitral regurgitation. Methods: A total of 29 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation and 36 controls in sinus rhythm were retrospectively enrolled. The characteristics of the mitral annulus were analysed by three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography in both groups. The 2D and 3D echocardiographic parameters were correlated with the effective regurgitant orifice. Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation had a larger left atrium volume, anteroposterior diameter at end-diastole, and lower percentage of change in this diameter (P = .015, P = .019 and P < .001, respectively). In the multiple regression analysis, the ellipticity index (ˇ: −0.756, P = .004) and height-anterolateral-posteromedial diameter ratio (ˇ: −0704, P = .003) were independent parameters that correlated with the effective regurgitant orifice (R2: 0.699, P = .019) in patients with atrial fibrillation. Conclusions: Atrial fibrillation leads to atrial dilation and alterations in the size and dynamics of the anteroposterior diameter, producing a circular mitral annulus. The independent determining factors of atrial functional mitral regurgitation in the atrial fibrillation group were the ellipticity index and the height-anterolateral-posteromedial diameter ratio.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Prevalence and Predictors.

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) prevalence has been reported to be between 0.5% and 17% in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study assessed PAH prevalence and predictors in an SLE cohort. METHODS: The Borg dyspnea scale, DLCO, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and Doppler echocardiographic (DE) were performed. An echocardiographic Doppler exercise test was conducted in selected patients. When DE systolic pulmonary arterial pressure was ≥ 45 mmHg or increased during exercise > 20 mmHg, a right heart catheterization was performed. Hemodynamic during exercise was measured if rest mean pulmonary arterial pressure was < 25 mmHg. RESULTS: Of the 203 patients with SLE, 152 were included. The mean age was 44.9 ± 12.3 years, and 94% were women. Three patients had known PAH. The algorithm diagnosed 1 patient with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and 5 with exercise-induced pulmonary artery pressure increase (4 with occult left diastolic dysfunction). These patients had significantly more dyspnea, higher NT-proBNP, and lower DLCO. CONCLUSION: These data confirm the low prevalence of PAH in SLE. In our cohort, occult left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was a frequent diagnosis of unexplained dyspnea. Dyspnea, DLCO, and NT-proBNP could be predictors of pulmonary hypertension in patients with SLE.