Improvement of myocardial contractility with leadless endocardial single-lead atrial sensing ventricular pacing in patients with prolonged PQ interval.

Aim: Micra AV represents a leadless endocardial pacing system able to detect atrial contractions providing atrioventricular synchrony. A reduction of myocardial contractility may be detected in case of first-degree atrioventricular block (AVB). Materials & methods: In six patients with first-degree AVB (PQ interval ≥220 msec) was evaluated the left ventricle global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) by speckle tracking (ST) echocardiography during single-lead atrial sensing ventricular pacing (VDD) stimulation as compared with spontaneous rhythm (SR), 24-48 h after Micra AV implantation. Results: A statistically significant difference between the two modalities was observed (LV GLS during SR: -14.7% [interquartile range (IQR) 5.5], LV GLS during VDD pacing: -16.1% [IQR 5.2]; p value = 0.041). Conclusion: Our preliminary results suggest an improvement of myocardial contractility with VDD pacing as compared with SR.

What is this article about? The Micra AV is an electronic device placed in the heart chambers capable to supply the electrical activity of the heart. A reduction of cardiac contractility may be observed in patients with electrical disorders of the heart. What were the results? In six patients affected by electrical cardiac disorders, we observed an improvement of cardiac contractility using Micra AV as compared with the spontaneous electrical activity of the heart. What do the results of the study mean? The results of this study suggest that in patients carrying this electronic device should be preferred a specific modality of activation of the device as compared with the spontaneous electrical activity of the heart in order to improve the contractility of the cardiac walls.

A comparison of intracardiac echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography for guiding device closure of ostium secundum atrial septal defect: A 15-year experience.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Our aim was to evaluate the fluoroscopy time (FT), procedure time (PT) safety and efficacy when using intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) in comparison to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance for transcatheter closure of Ostium Secundum Atrial Septal Defect (OS-ASD). METHOD: Ninety patients (n = 90) diagnosed with OS-ASD underwent transcatheter closure between March 2006 and October 2021. Fifty-seven patients were treated under ICE guidance, while 33 patients were treated under TEE guidance. RESULTS: Mean age was 43 ± 15 years and 42 ± 10 years in the ICE and TEE groups, respectively. The majority of patients had a centrally placed defect. Median FT was 8.40 min versus 11.70 min (p < .001) in the ICE group compared to the TEE group, respectively. Median PT was 43 min versus 94 min (p < .001) in the ICE group compared to the TEE group, respectively. Both ICE and TEE provided high quality images. All interventions were completed successfully, except for one patient in the ICE group who experienced a device migration, the development of atrial tachycardia in one patient and atrial fibrillation in two patients in the ICE group which spontaneously cardioverted. There were no other complications. CONCLUSION: This study on a consistent cohort of patients with OS-ASD undergoing percutaneous closure suggests that use of ICE is safe and efficacious. Compared to TEE, ICE demonstrated significantly shorter FT and PT, decreasing the entire duration of the procedure and x-ray exposure. No relevant differences were observed in terms of success rate and complications.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance as Risk Stratification Tool in Non-Ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Referred for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Therapy-State of Art and Perspectives.

Non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease characterized by left ventricular dilation and systolic dysfunction. Patients with DCM are at higher risk for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). According to current international guidelines, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35% represents the main indication for prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation in patients with DCM. However, LVEF lacks sensitivity and specificity as a risk marker for SCD. It has been seen that the majority of patients with DCM do not actually benefit from the ICD implantation and, on the contrary, that many patients at risk of SCD are not identified as they have preserved or mildly depressed LVEF. Therefore, the use of LVEF as unique decision parameter does not maximize the benefit of ICD therapy. Multiple risk factors used in combination could likely predict SCD risk better than any single risk parameter. Several predictors have been proposed including genetic variants, electric indexes, and volumetric parameters of LV. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can improve risk stratification thanks to tissue characterization sequences such as LGE sequence, parametric mapping, and feature tracking. This review evaluates the role of CMR as a risk stratification tool in DCM patients referred for ICD.

Giant left atrial myxoma causing acute ischemic stroke.

Atrial myxomas are primary cardiac tumors which may cause ischemic stroke. The authors present a case of a 51-year-old man admitted to the emergency department with right-sided hemiplegia and aphasia caused by ischemic stroke. 2D and 3D transesophageal echocardiography showed an atrial myxoma described as a large mass in the left atrium attached to the interatrial septum. In the end, surgical excision of the myxoma was performed 48 h after diagnosis. Nowadays, specific guidelines concerning the correct time for surgical excision of the myxoma are lacking. The authors highlight the utmost role of echocardiography to promptly characterize a cardiac mass and the importance of discuss about the timing of cardiac surgery.

Atrial myxoma is a rare cardiac tumor that is often located in the left atrium of the heart. Patients with myxoma can have no symptoms, or they can present signs of systemic embolization, where fragments of the tumor have been released into the blood stream and are circulating to different areas of the body. Indeed, if a fragment reaches the brain, it can cause a cerebral acute ischemic stroke, which is a sudden loss of blood circulation to an area of the brain, resulting in a loss of neurologic function. Transesophageal echocardiography, an ultrasound test that produces real-time and detailed images of the heart, is a useful tool that allows physicians to diagnose the presence of an atrial myxoma. In this case report, the authors stress the role of echocardiography in diagnosing patients presenting with sudden neurological symptoms, because it can show a potential mass inside the heart. Once identified, the tumor can be removed surgically as soon as possible to avoid further complications, such as a new stroke.

Coronary-specific quantification of myocardial deformation by strain echocardiography may disclose the culprit vessel in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Aims: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of speckle tracking echocardiography technique using territorial longitudinal strain (TLS) for the detection of culprit vessel vs. vessel-specific wall motion score index (WMSI) in non-ST-segment elevation-acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients scheduled for invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Methods and results: One hundred and eighty-three patients (mean age: 66 ± 12 years, male: 71%) diagnosed with NSTE-ACS underwent echocardiography evaluation at hospital admission and ICA within 24 h. Culprit vessels were left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (CX), and right coronary arteries (RCAs) in 38.5%, 39.6%, and 21.4%, respectively. An increase of affected vessels [1-, 2-, and 3-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD)] was associated with increased WMSI and TLS values. There was a statistically significant difference of both WMSI-LAD, WMSI-CX, WMSI-RCA and TLS-LAD, TLS-CX, TLS-RCA of myocardial segments with underlying severe CAD compared to no CAD (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Moreover, a significant difference of TLS-LAD, TLS-CX, TLS-RCA, and WMSI-CX of myocardial segments with an underlying culprit vessel compared to non-culprit vessels (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.022, and P < 0.001, respectively) was identified. WMSI-LAD and WMSI-RCA did not show statistical significant differences. A regression model revealed that the combination of WMSI + TLS was more accurate compared to WMSI alone in detecting the culprit vessel (LAD, P = 0.001; CX, P < 0.001; and RCA, P = 0.019). Conclusion: Territorial longitudinal strain allows an accurate identification of the culprit vessel in NSTE-ACS patients. In addition to WMSI, TLS may be considered as part of routine echocardiography for better clinical assessment in this subset of patients.

The Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance-A Comprehensive Review.

Cardiovascular disease remains an integral field on which new research in both the biomedical and technological fields is based, as it remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, despite the progress of cardiac imaging techniques, the heart remains a challenging organ to study. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the major innovations in the field of diagnostic imaging, with a dramatic impact on cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). AI will be increasingly present in the medical world, with strong potential for greater diagnostic efficiency and accuracy. Regarding the use of AI in image acquisition and reconstruction, the main role was to reduce the time of image acquisition and analysis, one of the biggest challenges concerning magnetic resonance; moreover, it has been seen to play a role in the automatic correction of artifacts. The use of these techniques in image segmentation has allowed automatic and accurate quantification of the volumes and masses of the left and right ventricles, with occasional need for manual correction. Furthermore, AI can be a useful tool to directly help the clinician in the diagnosis and derivation of prognostic information of cardiovascular diseases. This review addresses the applications and future prospects of AI in CMR imaging, from image acquisition and reconstruction to image segmentation, tissue characterization, diagnostic evaluation, and prognostication.