Automated quantification of mitral valve tenting volume in functional mitral regurgitation by three-dimensional echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Tenting of the mitral leaflets is a major pathophysiological factor contributing to functional mitral regurgitation (FMR). A novel software tool allows automated quantification of the tenting volume (TnV) by 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The aims of this study are to investigate the correlations of biometric patient characteristics with the TnV and whether a threshold value for the diagnosis of a moderate or severe FMR can be calculated for the TnV. METHODS: This explorative and hypothesis-generating study analyzed the TnV of the mitral valve obtained by clinically indicated TEE. The mid-systolic, threefold calculated and averaged TnV from 80 patients with no or mild FMR and 27 patients with moderate or severe FMR was determined using the TomTec 4D MV Assessment tool. RESULTS: The TnV correlated significantly with the body size (r = 0.341), the weight (r = 0.272), and the body surface area (r = 0.320). After the adjustment to the body size, a threshold value of 1.25 cm3 /m was determined for the TnV by using a receiver-operating characteristic curve. This value distinguished moderate to severe from none to mild FMR with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 71%. The intra-observer variability and inter-observer variability were determined to be 0.96 and 0.85, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Automated assessment of TnV has the potential to support the diagnostic evaluation of FMR. Further studies are needed to validate this result, detect additional factors influencing the size of the TnV, and determine further thresholds for any degree of FMR.

Prevalence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in a typical outpatient pacemaker cohort.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) pacing is the standard treatment for symptomatic bradycardia. RV pacing is known to cause dyssyncrony. New treatment options like His bundle pacing enhance the focus on left ventricular dysfunction in patients with pacemakers. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to obtain a real-life picture of the patients in a representative cohort of outpatients with permanent pacemakers. The prevalence and causes of left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) were explored. METHODS: In total, 1869 patients of a pacemaker outpatient clinic were screened for left ventricular systolic dysfunction by transthoracic echocardiography. All patients were interviewed for symptoms and cardiologist care. Percentages of RV pacing and underlying cardiac disease were recorded. RESULTS: A left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) under 45% was found in 207 (11.1%) of all patients. Predictive factors for a reduced LVEF were a high pacing rate and long-term pacing. LVD due to RV pacing was diagnosed in 3.4% of all patients. Only 845 patients (45%) reported that they regularly visited a cardiologist. CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of unknown LVD in a typical pacemaker cohort. Therefore, regular echocardiographic examinations should be performed in outpatients of pacemaker clinics.

Valve in valve implantation of the CoreValve Evolut R in degenerated surgical aortic valves.

BACKGROUND: The new CoreValve Evolut R has an improved design to minimize paravalvular leak-age and allows repositioning of the valve. For patients with degenerated bioprosthetic aortic valves, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) represents a less invasive option. Herein reported are valve-in-valve (ViV) implantations of this new valve. METHODS: A total of 26 patients (mean age 79.4 ± 6.1 years, 17 males and 9 females) were treated for severe prosthesis stenosis (n = 9), severe regurgitation (n = 8) or severe combination of stenosis and regurgitation (n = 9). All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography before and after ViV implantation. RESULTS: Valve-in-valve implantation of a CoreValve Evolut R was performed successfully in all pa-tients. The mean transaortic gradient for stenotic valves determined by transthoracic echocardiography was reduced significantly from 37.5 ± 15.3 mmHg in patients with prosthesis stenosis to 16.3 ± 8.2 mmHg (p < 0.001). In all cases with severe prosthesis regurgitation, regurgitation was reduced to none or mild. All-cause mortality after 30 days was 0%. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that CoreValve Evolut R is well suited for ViV implantation.

Biomarker response and therapy prediction in renal denervation therapy - the role of MR-proadrenomedullin in a multicenter approach.

BACKGROUND: Renal denervation has been proposed as a therapeutic option in patients with resistant hypertension. Circulating blood borne biomarkers might be helpful to identify individuals responding to RDN therapy. MR-proADM is a strong prognostic marker in patients with cardiovascular disease. The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the effect of RDN on MR-proADM concentrations. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured MR-proADM, BNP, and MR-proANP in 110 patients before and after RDN in a multicenter setting. All patients were followed up after 1 and 6 months by office and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) measurements. The mean office BP decreased from 165/89 to 152/87 mmHg 6 months after RDN (systolic: p < 0.001; diastolic: ns), the responder-rate was 74%. Intriguingly MR-proADM concentrations increased from 0.66 to 0.69 nmol/L (p < 0.001) and were significantly associated with reduction of systolic office BP after 6 months in multivariate analyses (coefficient -0.0018, p < 0.001). In therapy-responders MR-proADM concentrations showed a significantly higher increase over time (coefficient 0.0105, p < 0.05), as compared to non-responders. There were no significant differences in BP change for individuals with low and high baseline MR-proADM (BP-Delta low MR-proADM -23/-4 mmHg vs. high MR-proADM -24/-5 mmHg). The natriuretic biomarkers BNP and MR-proANP did not change significantly after 6 months. Biomarkers at baseline were not able to predict for therapy-responder. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing RDN, baseline measurements of various biomarkers had no prognostic use for therapy success in this short time follow-up period in a multicenter approach. Intriguingly, MR-proADM showed a significant association with BP reduction after 6 months.

Copeptin, resistant hypertension and renal sympathetic denervation.

BACKGROUND: Renal denervation is used as a treatment option for patients with resistant hypertension. But only a subgroup of patients benefits from renal sympathetic denervation (RDN). Biomarkers might be helpful to identify patients who respond to RDN. Copeptin as a surrogate for vasopressin levels is increased in hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to evaluate the effect of RDN on Copeptin and its prognostic value for response to RDN. METHOD AND RESULTS: A total of 40 patients have been included in the study. The responder rate was 47.5% on 24 h ambulatory blood pressure measurements. The mean systolic 24 h blood pressure dropped from 152 ± 10 mmHg to 147 ± 17 mmHg (p = .044) in the six month follow up. The mean baseline level of Copeptin was 7.4 pmol/l (interquartile range 3.7-11.6) for responders and 8.4 pmol/l (interquartile range 5.7-11-8) for non-responders (p = .53). The Copeptin levels did not change over time after renal denervation. CONCLUSION: Baseline measurements of Copeptin in patients undergoing RDN for resistant hypertension have no predictive value for response to RDN. Despite lowering the blood pressure RDN has no influence on Copeptin levels in this short time follow up period.

Optimized Implantation Height of the Edwards SAPIEN 3 Valve to Minimize Pacemaker Implantation After TAVI.

AIM: The transcatheter aortic valve SAPIEN 3 aims at reducing paravalvular leakage (PVL). The new design with outer sealing cuff may increase the risk of permanent pacemaker implantation (PPM). The aim of our study was to evaluate the optimal implantation height of the SAPIEN 3. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed the correlation between the implantation height of the valve and the need for PPM in 131 patients. The PPM rate for the entire group after TAVI was 18% (n = 24). In patients with a marker distance <2 mm ("low implantation"), the PPM rate was 32%, whereas in patients with a distance ≥2 mm ("high implantation"), the rate was only 4.7% (OR of 0.1 (0.03-0.37, P < 0.001)). CONCLUSION: The risk of periprocedural PPM with the Edwards SAPIEN 3 depends on implantation height; it is increased when using conventional implantation techniques. This risk can be minimized below 5% PPM by choosing a higher implantation technique with the central marker 2 mm or more over the annulus plane.

Galectin-3 and prediction of therapeutic response to renal sympathetic denervation.

The profibrotic mediator Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been associated with aldosterone-mediated vascular inflammation, fibrosis, and stiffness. We evaluated whether the Gal-3 levels and change in Gal-3 as associated with renal denervation can serve as prediction of therapeutic response to renal denervation. A total of 42 patients with resistant hypertension undergoing renal sympathetic denervation (RDN) were included. Blood pressure was evaluated by 24-h ambulatory measurement before RDN and 1, 3 and 6 months after RDN. Treatment response was defined as a drop in systolic ambulatory blood pressure of >5 mm Hg after 6 months. Blood samples were assessed for Gal-3 levels. For the entire group, a significant drop in mean systolic ambulatory blood pressure of 5.2 ± 18.6 mm Hg was observed (p = 0.032). The responder rate was 50% (n = 21). At baseline, Gal-3 levels were significantly higher in responders (14.5 ± 6.0 vs. 10.95 ± 4.6 ng/ml, p = 0.017). There were no significant changes of Gal-3 levels during the follow-up period. The profibrotic biomarker may help to identify patients suitable for RDN.

Efficacy of optimal medical therapy and cardiac resynchronization therapy upgrade in patients with pacemaker-induced cardiomyopathy.

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of pacemaker-induced cardiomyopathy (PMiCMP) and its response to biventricular stimulation and optimal medical therapy. METHODS: To identify patients with PMiCMP, we screened all patients that presented for pacemaker interrogation in our outpatient clinic in 2012 and 2013 (n = 615). Left ventricular (LV) function was assessed by transthoracic echocardiography. PMiCMP was defined as deterioration of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <45% unexplained by other cardiac disease under a right ventricular (RV) pacing percentage ≥90%. If symptoms and LV dysfunction persisted under heart failure medication, patients were offered to receive an upgrade to biventricular stimulation (cardiac resynchronization therapy, CRT). CRT response was defined as a decrease of the LV end-systolic volume (LVESV) of ≥15%. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were found to have a PMiCMP. The prevalence of PMiCMP in our total cohort was 6.0%. In 20 PMiCMP patients, an upgrade to a CRT device was performed after a minimum of 3 months of optimal medical therapy. The remaining PMiCMP patients either refused an upgrade or were in good functional status. The LVEF before CRT upgrade was 33.3 ± 5.2% and improved to 47.6 ± 9.3% (P < 0.001) within 6 months. Positive response to CRT was observed in 17 patients (85%). In the group without device upgrade, LVEF was 40.5 ± 5% and did not change during the follow-up period of 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal medical therapy lacks efficacy in PMiCMP patients. The response rate to CRT was significantly higher in PMiCMP patients compared to average CRT patients.

Prevalence of E/A wave fusion and A wave truncation in DDD pacemaker patients with complete AV block under nominal AV intervals.

AIMS: Optimization of the AV-interval (AVI) in DDD pacemakers improves cardiac hemodynamics and reduces pacemaker syndromes. Manual optimization is typically not performed in clinical routine. In the present study we analyze the prevalence of E/A wave fusion and A wave truncation under resting conditions in 160 patients with complete AV block (AVB) under the pre-programmed AVI. We manually optimized sub-optimal AVI. METHODS: We analyzed 160 pacemaker patients with complete AVB, both in sinus rhythm (AV-sense; n = 129) and under atrial pacing (AV-pace; n = 31). Using Doppler analyses of the transmitral inflow we classified the nominal AVI as: a) normal, b) too long (E/A wave fusion) or c) too short (A wave truncation). In patients with a sub-optimal AVI, we performed manual optimization according to the recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography. RESULTS: All AVB patients with atrial pacing exhibited a normal transmitral inflow under the nominal AV-pace intervals (100%). In contrast, 25 AVB patients in sinus rhythm showed E/A wave fusion under the pre-programmed AV-sense intervals (19.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 12.6-26.2%). A wave truncations were not observed in any patient. All patients with a complete E/A wave fusion achieved a normal transmitral inflow after AV-sense interval reduction (mean optimized AVI: 79.4 ± 13.6 ms). CONCLUSIONS: Given the rate of 19.4% (CI 12.6-26.2%) of patients with a too long nominal AV-sense interval, automatic algorithms may prove useful in improving cardiac hemodynamics, especially in the subgroup of atrially triggered pacemaker patients with AV node diseases.

Clinical, anatomical, and technical risk factors for postoperative pacemaker or defibrillator lead perforation with particular focus on myocardial thickness.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative lead perforation is a life-threatening complication of cardiac pacing. Identification of precipitating factors for this serious complication may help to anticipate a specific risk profile and to minimize the incidence. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective tertiary referral center analysis to clarify clinical, anatomical, and technical characteristics related to pacemaker (PM) and cardioverter/defibrillator lead perforation. We examined the baseline characteristics and the symptoms. In a subgroup, we investigated the myocardial thickness on contrast-enhanced cardiac computed tomography. RESULTS: We enrolled 26 patients. Female gender appears to put patients at slightly increased risk for lead perforation. In a majority active fixation leads were used. Symptoms occurred in 72%. Pericardial effusion and tamponade were present in 38% and 19%, respectively. Sensing was compromised in 65%. A high pacing threshold or exit block occurred in 92%. Myocardial thickness did not differ between patients with or without perforation. In 96%, the perforation was treated by transvenous withdrawal. CONCLUSION: Chest pain, phrenic stimulation, bad sensing, or exit block early after PM implantation must prompt radiological and echocardiographic evaluation. A missing pericardial effusion particularly late after implantation does not rule out a perforation. Especially active fixating leads have a higher risk of perforation. With cardiac surgery in standby transvenous withdrawal is a safe way to treat lead perforation.

Renal sympathetic denervation: early impact on ambulatory resistant hypertension.

Although guidelines recommend ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring (ABPM), few data are available regarding the effects of renal denervation (RDN) on 24-hour ABPM values. A total of 44 patients with mean systolic BP ≥135 mm Hg on ABPM despite adequate therapy were included. Basal systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were 154±11 mm Hg and 86±12 mm Hg, respectively. At 1 month, SBP and DBP were reduced to 146±18 mm Hg (P=.01) and 82±14 mm Hg and showed no further decrease up to 6 months. Only 55% of the patients responded to RDN (≥-5 mm Hg SBP), with a mean responder rate drop of 21/11 mm Hg. Neither the number of ablation points nor the amount of impedance drop was predictive of response. Only approximately half of patients with resistant hypertension responded to RDN. However, in these responders, a remarkable reduction of 24-hour BP occurred as early as 1 month after RDN.

Not left ventricular lead position, but the extent of immediate asynchrony reduction predicts long-term response to cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective treatment for a large subgroup of chronic heart failure patients. Various attempts to improve the high non-responder rate of 30 % by preoperative asynchrony assessment have failed. We hypothesized that superior response to CRT is correlated with greater acute reduction of asynchrony and that a concordant left ventricular (LV) lead is beneficial compared to a discordant lead. Hundred and eight consecutive CRT patients from our center were prospectively included. Clinical status and asynchrony parameters were assessed before, 1 day and 6 months after CRT implantation. Super-response was defined as an increase of the LV ejection fraction by ≥15 % and a decrease in LV end systolic volume (LVESV) by ≥30 %. When the criteria for super-response were not met, average response was given with a decrease of baseline LVESV ≥15 %. Sixty eight patients were classified as responders (63 %). Comparing super- (n = 19) and average (n = 49) responders, we found that greater acute reduction of LV asynchrony (change of asynchronous segments under CRT: -1.3 vs. -0.4, p < 0.05; decrease of LV intraventricular delay: -34 ms vs. -16 ms, p < 0.05) is associated with superior reverse remodeling after 6 months. Importantly, asynchrony parameters of super-, average and non-responders were almost identical at baseline. A concordant LV lead (n = 63) was not associated with improved LV reverse remodeling compared to a discordant lead (n = 28): LVEF: +8.6 % vs. +7.8 %, p = 0.91; LVESV: -30.5 ml vs. -23.8 mL, p = 0.84. A greater immediate reduction of LV asynchrony predicts superior response. Preoperative asynchrony parameters do not correlate with outcome. A concordant LV lead is not superior to a discordant lead.

Complete atrioventricular block after TAVI: when is pacemaker implantation safe?

INTRODUCTION: Atrioventricular (AV) block is a frequent complication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). TAVI is routinely performed under anticoagulation using heparin, which potentially may lead to an increased bleeding rate in patients who undergo permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation immediately after TAVI. As the number of TAVI procedures continues to rise, data on the optimal management of TAVI-related AV block are needed. Therefore, the aim of our study was to analyze PPM implantation-related complications after TAVI. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data on PPM implantations after TAVI in our center from January 2010 to December 2012. In total, we included 30 patients who received a PPM for TAVI-related AV block. Twelve patients (group A) underwent PPM implantation on the day of TAVI. In 18 patients (group B), PPM implantation was performed at least 1 day after TAVI (3.8 ± 4.5 days). Since all patients undergoing TAVI receive dual antiplatelet therapy (DA-therapy), we compared all implantations after TAVI with a historic patient cohort that underwent PPM implantation under DA-therapy. RESULTS: Procedure times, fluid loss via drainage systems, and drainage times were neither significantly different between groups A and B nor between all PPM implantations after TAVI compared to the historic control group. CONCLUSION: PPM implantation immediately after TAVI is safe and can be performed without increased rate of complications.

Therapy of cardiac device pocket infections with vacuum-assisted wound closure-long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac device infections are serious complications that require aggressive treatment strategies, including interventional or surgical lead extraction. METHODS: Here we describe the long-time follow-up of vacuum-assisted closure (V.A.C.) treatment in five patients with local cardiac device infection (LDI). In these patients the device was removed, the electrodes were shortened, and a V.A.C. treatment was applied. The primary endpoint was defined as time to re-LDI. RESULTS: Three patients had LDI of a pacemaker pocket, whereas two presented with an infection of their ICD pocket. The V.A.C. treatment was applied for 34.4 ± 17.9 days. The mean hospitalization time was 38.6 ± 19.2 days. The follow-up period was assessed for 34.6 ± 19.2 months. Only one patient developed re-LDI, 69 days after removal of the device. The other four patients did not show any signs of reinfection during the follow-up period. None of the five patients sustained serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: V.A.C. treatment may be an option for selected patients with LDI who refuse a laser-guided lead extraction or surgical removal of the electrodes as the primary therapy.