Routine Antenatal Echocardiography in High-Prevalence Areas of Rheumatic Heart Disease: A WHO-Guideline Systematic Review.

Background: Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is the most common cause of valvular heart disease worldwide. Undiagnosed or untreated RHD can complicate pregnancy and lead to poor maternal and fetal outcomes and is a significant factor in non-obstetric morbidity. Echocardiography has an emerging role in screening for RHD. We aimed to critically analyse the evidence on the use of echocardiography for screening pregnant women for RHD in high-prevalence areas. Methods: We searched MEDLINE and Embase to identify the relevant reports. Two independent reviewers assessed the reports against the eligibility criteria in a double-blind process. Results: The searches (date: 4 April 2023) identified 432 records for screening. Ten non-controlled observational studies were identified, five using portable or handheld echocardiography, comprising data from 23,166 women. Prevalence of RHD varied across the studies, ranging from 0.4 to 6.6% (I2, heterogeneity >90%). Other cardiac abnormalities (e.g., congenital heart disease and left ventricular systolic dysfunction) were also detected <1% to 2% of cases. Certainty of evidence was very low. Conclusion: Echocardiography as part of antenatal care in high-prevalence areas may detect RHD or other cardiac abnormalities in asymptomatic pregnant women, potentially reducing the rates of disease progression and adverse labor-associated outcomes. However, this evidence is affected by the low certainty of evidence, and lack of studies comparing echocardiography versus standard antenatal care. Prospective Registration: PROSPERO 2022 July 4; CRD42022344081 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=344081. Research question: 'In areas with a high prevalence of rheumatic heart disease, should handheld echocardiography be added to routine antenatal care?'

Medical Emergencies in Pulmonary Hypertension.

The management of acute medical emergencies in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) can be challenging. Patients with preexisting PH can rapidly deteriorate due to right ventricular decompensation when faced with acute physiological challenges that would usually be considered low-risk scenarios. This review considers the assessment and management of acute medical emergencies in patients with PH, encompassing both pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), acknowledging these comprise the more severe groups of PH. Management protocols are described in a systems-based approach. Respiratory emergencies include pulmonary embolism, airways disease, and pneumonia; cardiac emergencies including arrhythmia and chest pain with acute myocardial infarction are discussed, alongside PH-specific emergencies such as pulmonary artery dissection and extrinsic coronary artery compression by a dilated proximal pulmonary artery. Other emergencies including sepsis, severe gastroenteritis with dehydration, syncope, and liver failure are also considered. We propose management recommendations for medical emergencies based on available evidence, international guidelines, and expert consensus. We aim to provide advice to the specialist alongside the generalist, and emergency doctors, nurses, and acute physicians in nonspecialist centers. A multidisciplinary team approach is essential in the management of patients with PH, and communication with local and specialist PH centers is paramount. Close hemodynamic monitoring during medical emergencies in patients with preexisting PH is vital, with early referral to critical care recommended given the frequent deterioration and high mortality in this setting.

Systolic anterior motion of the anterior mitral valve leaflet begins in subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: Anterior mitral valve leaflet (AMVL) elongation is detectable in overt and subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We sought to investigate the dynamic motion of the aorto-mitral apparatus to understand the behaviour of the AMVL and the mechanisms of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) predisposition in HCM. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging using a 1.5 Tesla scanner was performed on 36 HCM sarcomere gene mutation carriers without left ventricular hypertrophy (G+LVH-), 31 HCM patients with preserved ejection fraction carrying a pathogenic sarcomere gene mutation (G+LVH+), and 53 age-, sex-, and body surface area-matched healthy volunteers. Dynamic excursion of the aorto-mitral apparatus was assessed semi-automatically on breath-held three-chamber cine steady-state free precession images. Four pre-defined regions of interest (ROIs) were tracked: ROIPMVL: hinge point of the posterior mitral valve leaflet; ROITRIG: intertrigonal mitral annulus; ROIAMVL: AMVL tip; and ROIAAO: anterior aortic annulus. Compared with controls, normalized two-dimensional displacement-vs.-time plots in G+LVH- revealed subtle but significant systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the AMVL (P < 0.0001) and reduced longitudinal excursion of ROIAAO (P = 0.014) and ROIPMVL (P = 0.048). In overt and subclinical HCM, excursion of the ROITRIG/AMVL/PMVL was positively associated with the burden of left ventricular fibrosis (P < 0.028). As expected, SAM was observed in G+LVH+ together with reduced longitudinal excursion of ROITRIG (P = 0.049) and ROIAAO (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Dyskinesia of the aorto-mitral apparatus, including SAM of the elongated AMVL, is detectable in subclinical HCM before the development of LVH or left atrial enlargement. These data have the potential to improve our understanding of early phenotype development and LVOTO predisposition in HCM.

Cardiac imaging in rheumatic heart disease and future developments.

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the most common cause of valvular heart disease worldwide, affecting millions, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Multiple imaging modalities such as cardiac CT, cardiac MRI, and three-dimensional echocardiography may be utilized in diagnosing, screening, and managing RHD. However, two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography remains the cornerstone of imaging in RHD. Criteria developed by the World Heart Foundation in 2012 sought to unify the diagnostic imaging criteria for RHD, but concerns remain regarding their complexity and reproducibility. In the intervening years, further measures have been developed to find a balance between simplicity and accuracy. Nonetheless, there remain significant unresolved problems within imaging in RHD, including the development of a practical and sensitive screening tool to identify patients with RHD. The emergence of handheld echocardiography has the potential to revolutionize RHD management in resource-poor settings, but its role as a screening or diagnostic tool is yet to be fully established. The dramatic evolution of imaging modalities over the last few decades has not addressed RHD compared to other forms of structural heart disease. In this review, we examine the current and latest developments concerning cardiac imaging and RHD.

Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor treatment and survival in interstitial lung disease pulmonary hypertension: A Bayesian retrospective observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary hypertension is a life-limiting complication of interstitial lung disease (ILD-PH). We investigated whether treatment with phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) in patients with ILD-PH was associated with improved survival. METHODS: Consecutive incident patients with ILD-PH and right heart catheterisation, echocardiography and spirometry data were followed from diagnosis to death, transplantation or censoring with all follow-up and survival data modelled by Bayesian methods. RESULTS: The diagnoses in 128 patients were idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n = 74, 58%), hypersensitivity pneumonitis (n = 17, 13%), non-specific interstitial pneumonia (n = 12, 9%), undifferentiated ILD (n = 8, 6%) and other lung diseases (n = 17, 13%). Final outcomes were death (n = 106, 83%), transplantation (n = 9, 7%) and censoring (n = 13, 10%). Patients treated with PDE5i (n = 50, 39%) had higher mean pulmonary artery pressure (median 38 mm Hg [interquartile range, IQR: 34, 43] vs. 35 mm Hg [IQR: 31, 38], p = 0.07) and percentage predicted forced vital capacity (FVC; median 57% [IQR: 51, 73] vs. 52% [IQR: 45, 66], p=0.08) though differences did not reach significance. Patients treated with PDE5i survived longer than untreated patients (median 2.18 years [95% CI: 1.43, 3.04] vs. 0.94 years [0.69, 1.51], p = 0.003) independent of all other prognostic markers by Bayesian joint-modelling (HR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.59, p < 0.001) and propensity-matched analyses (HR 0.38, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.58, p < 0.001). Survival difference with treatment was significantly larger if right ventricular function was normal, rather than abnormal, at presentation (+2.55 years, 95% CI: -0.03, +3.97 vs. +0.98 years, 95% CI: +0.47, +2.00, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: PDE5i treatment in ILD-PH should be investigated by a prospective randomized trial.

Follow the Lead: The Challenges of Cardiogenic Shock in Device-Related Infective Endocarditis.

We present the challenging case of a young man with congenital heart disease who survived severe device-related infective endocarditis and new pulmonary hypertension. He required prolonged mechanical circulatory support and had multiple significant complications. His case posed a management dilemma that was successfully resolved by effective multidisciplinary, tertiary center care. (Level of Difficulty: Beginner.).

Don't Stop Beleafing: A Unique Case of Fungal Infective Endocarditis.

We present the case of a 60-year-old man who was successfully treated for obstructive fungal infective endocarditis of the ascending aorta caused by Geotrichum capitatum. This extremely rare cause of fungal infective endocarditis required surgical and prolonged medical management, facilitated by effective multidisciplinary cooperation. (Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.).

Back to basics: a rare and aggressive case of Aggregatibacter aphrophilus endocarditis.

We present the case of a 25-year-old with a history of bicuspid aortic valve and ascending aortopathy who was successfully treated for infective endocarditis (IE) due to Aggregatibacter aphrophilus. His clinical course was complicated by a large aortic root abscess not initially visualised on transthoracic echocardiography or computerised tomography. The cardinal feature of progressive prolongation of the PR interval on serial electrocardiograms was the only sign associated with clinical deterioration and was the trigger for rapid investigation and urgent management. Our case emphasises the importance of simple bedside tests to identify dynamic clinical scenarios and the requirement for early further imaging in the management of IE.