Clinical features and survival in Takayasu's arteritis-associated pulmonary hypertension: a nationwide study.

AIMS: This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics and long-term survival outcome in patients with Takayasu's arteritis-associated pulmonary hypertension (TA-PH). METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a nationally representative cohort study of TA-PH using data from the National Rare Diseases Registry System of China. Patients with pulmonary artery involvement who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of Takayasu's arteritis and pulmonary hypertension were included. The primary outcome was the time from diagnosis of TA-PH to the occurrence of all-cause death. Between January 2007 and January 2019, a total of 140 patients were included, with a mean age of 41.4 years at diagnosis, and a female predominance (81%). Patients with TA-PH had severely haemodynamic and functional impairments at diagnosis. Significant improvements have been found in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and haemodynamic profiles in patients with TA-PH receiving drugs approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates in TA-PH were 94.0%, 83.2%, and 77.2%, respectively. Predictors associated with an increased risk of all-cause death were syncope [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 5.38 (95% confidence interval 1.77-16.34), P = 0.003], NT-proBNP level [adjusted HR 1.04 (1.03-1.06), P < 0.001], and mean right atrial pressure [adjusted HR 1.07 (1.01-1.13), P = 0.015]. CONCLUSION: Patients with TA-PH were predominantly female and had severely compromised haemodynamics. More than 80% of patients in our cohort survived for at least 3 years. Medical treatment was based on investigators' personal opinions, and no clear risk-to-benefit ratio can be derived from the presented data.

[Effect of calorie-enriched formula on postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease: a propective randomized controlled study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of calorie-enriched formula on postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD). METHODS: A total of 100 infants with cyanotic CHD who underwent surgical operation from January to December, 2017, were randomly divided into a high-calorie group (receiving calorie-enriched formula after surgery) and a conventional group (receiving standard formula after surgery), with 50 infants in each group. All infants were followed up for 6 months. The observation indices included body height, body weight, prealbumin, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide before surgery, at the time of ventilator weaning and extubation after surgery, and at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), and weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) were also assessed. Adverse reactions were recorded for both groups. RESULTS: There were 25 cases (50%) and 21 cases (42%) of malnutrition in the high-calorie group and the conventional group respectively before surgery (P > 0.05). The nutritional status of the two groups improved 6 months after surgery (P < 0.05). At 6 months after surgery, compared with the conventional group, the high-calorie group had a lower proportion of infants with malnutrition (18% vs 36%, P < 0.05) and also a lower proportation of infants with a WAZ score of < -2 (P < 0.05). The infants with malnutrion in the high-calorie group had higher HAZ, WAZ, and WHZ than those in the conventional group (P < 0.05). No gastrointestinal intolerance was observed in both groups during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the standard formula, calorie-enriched formula can better help with postoperative catch-up growth in infants with cyanotic CHD.

Effect of ambrisentan on echocardiographic and Doppler measures from patients in China with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively evaluated the echocardiographic data of ambrisentan-treated patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (NCT01808313). METHODS: Change from baseline in right ventricle (RV) systolic function, right heart structure, and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) prognosis to Weeks 12 and 24 was evaluated by echocardiography. RESULTS: In the overall population, the mean tissue Doppler-derived tricuspid lateral annular systolic velocity (S') increased by 0.6 cm/s at both Weeks 12 (p < 0.001) and 24 (p = 0.004) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion increased by 0.13 cm at Week 12 and 0.15 cm at Week 24 (both p < 0.001). A marked decrease in transverse and longitudinal RV and RA diameter at Weeks 12 and 24 was observed. A significant decrease in diastolic eccentricity index at both Weeks 12 (-0.1; p = 0.02) and 24 (-0.1; p = 0.001). The decrease in PASP from baseline was significant at both Weeks 12 (-9.5 mmHg; p<0.001) and 24 (-7.6 mmHg; p<0.001), while a decrease in the estimated right atrium pressure was found to be significant at Week 24 (-0.8mmHg; p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Significant improvements in a number of RV echocardiographic parameters were observed at Weeks 12 and 24 after ambrisentan treatment in patients with PAH.

Combined interventional and surgical treatment for a rare case of double patent ductus arteriosus.

The present study describes the case of a 2.5-year-old girl with double patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) that was successfully treated following interventional and surgical treatment. Bilateral ductus arteriosus is a very rare condition, which is assumed to occur when the branchial-type arterial system transforms into the mammalian-type arterial system during the development of the aorta and its branches. This case was misdiagnosed as ordinary PDA by echocardiography prior to the first surgery and the surgery was not successful because of poor accessibility. Enhanced computed tomography subsequently showed situs solitus, atrial situs, levocardia, right-sided aortic arch with right-sided descending aorta, an isolated left subclavian artery and double PDA. Interventional treatment was performed and intraoperative aortic arch angiography showed that the descending aorta was the origin of the first funnel-type PDA (PDA-1). The left subclavian artery was not connected to the aorta but was connected to the pulmonary artery with a very narrow winding duct, which was PDA-2. Interventional treatment via PDA-2 also failed because passing a guidewire through the twisted PDA-2 was difficult. The child was immediately transferred to the surgical operation room for double PDA ligation and left subclavian artery reconstruction under median thoracotomy. The surgical procedure succeeded and the patient recovered quickly. The failure of the interventional treatment may be attributed to the difficulty in establishing a path. The soft tip of the hardened guidewire was relatively long. If the hardened part of the wire was sent to the appropriate place to support the pathway, the soft tip would be forced to enter the vertebrobasilar artery system. A similar problem was encountered when the left subclavian artery was selected for intervention. Shortening the length of the soft tip of the hardened guidewire may have enabled smooth completion of the establishment of the pathway. However, this type of hardened guidewire requires specific production.

[Efficacy of endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan on the long-term prognosis in patients after Fontan operation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term effect of bosentan on outcome in patients after Fontan operation. METHODS: Patients after Fontan surgery were randomly divided into bosentan group (B, n = 16) and control group (C, n = 23). Bosentan was applied within 7 days after Fontan surgery as follows: at the first month, 7.8125 mg Bid for patients with body weight ≤ 10 kg; 15.625 mg Bid for patients with body weight between 10-20 kg; 31.25 mg Bid for patients with body weight 20-30 kg and 62.5 mg Bid for patients with body weight > 30 kg. At the second month, the bosentan dose was doubled and Bosentan therapy was continued for more than 1 year. Group C didn't take drugs affecting pulmonary artery pressure. All patients were followed up for 2 years and incidence of mortality, protein losing enteropathy, pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae, 6-minute walk test, heart function were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: After 2 years, mortality tended to be lower in group B compared to group C [6.25% (1/16) vs. 21.8% (5/23), P > 0.05]. Incidence of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae and protein losing enteropathy were significantly lower in group B than in group C (6.25% vs. 34.78%, P = 0.01;6.25% vs. 39.13%, P = 0.02, respectively) . The results of 6-minute walk test[ (485 ± 44) m vs. (302 ± 183) m] and heart function in group B (3 NYHA III/IV patients in group B vs. 14 NYHA III/IV patients in group C, all P < 0.05) were all better than group C. The concentrations of vasoactive factors such as brain natriuretic peptide (BNP, 279.07 ± 128.17 vs. 457.67 ± 221.30), endothelin (ET, 3.30 ± 0.61 vs. 4.98 ± 1.24) and thromboxane (TXA2, 97.2 ± 24.0 vs. 163.22 ± 24.4) were also significantly lower in group B than in group C (all P < 0.05). Prostacyclin (PGI2) level and incidence of arrhythmias were similar between the two groups. There was no thrombotic event in both groups during follow up. CONCLUSION: Bosentan trerapy in patients post Fontan operation could reduce the incidence of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae and protein losing enteropathy and improve heart function.