Percutaneous Coronary Intervention as a Non-Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation in Patients with Multi-Vessel Coronary Artery Disease.

BACKGROUND Multi-vessel coronary artery disease (MVD) represents a severe type of coronary artery disease (CAD). Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is a common mechanical complication in patients with CAD. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on moderate/severe IMR in patients with MVD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Clinical data were collected from 15 patients who underwent successful treatment for MVD combined with moderate/severe IMR through the PCI procedure and achieved complete revascularization between January 2014 and December 2022. Cardiac structural and functional parameters were assessed through echocardiographic evaluations. Color flow recordings of MR jets were obtained through an enlarged view of the 4-chamber cut, and the diagnosis of MR was categorized into mild (<4 cm²), moderate (4-8 cm²), and severe (>8 cm²), based on the MR area. RESULTS The common features of the selected cases were advanced age, low body weight, and renal insufficiency. Cardiac echocardiography revealed an augmentation in the left atrial anteroposterior diameter and left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole after PCI, while the left ventricle internal diameter in diastole, left ventricular ejection fraction, and left ventricular fractional shortening were comparable to preoperative values. All patients had moderate/severe MR preoperatively, and MR improved at 1 month (2.73±0.69) and 12 months (2.26±0.58) after PCI. CONCLUSIONS In cases of MVD accompanied by moderate/severe IMR, undergoing PCI can spare certain elderly patients with low body weight and renal insufficiency from high-risk surgery, alleviating the severity of MR without undergoing mitral valve intervention.

Comparison of cardiac function between left bundle branch pacing and right ventricular outflow tract septal pacing in the short-term: A registered controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The novel method of left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) has been reported to produce a narrower QRS duration and lower pacing threshold than right ventricular outflow tract septal pacing (RVOP). However, whether LBBP is superior to traditional RVOP in improving cardiac function still lacks sufficient evidence. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the changes in cardiac function (especially in brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)levels, left atrial function, and left ventricular diastolic function) within 7 days between LBBP and RVOP. METHODS AND RESULTS: A single-centre prospective controlled registered clinical study was conducted with 84 patients with bradycardia indications. Forty-two patients underwent RVOP, and 42 patients underwent LBBP. The pacemaker parameters were adjusted so that the ventricular ratio was over 90% and rate was 60-70 bpm. The changes in BNP levels and echocardiogram and speckle-tracking echocardiagraphy findings were compared between the two groups before and within 7 days after implantation: (1) BNP: there was no significant difference in BNP level between the two groups before and 1 day after implantation, while the LBBP group had significantly lower levels than the RVOP group on day 7 [(65.15 ± 56.96)pg/ml vs.(129.82 ± 101.92)pg/ml, P < 0.001]. (2) Cardiac echocardiography: the e' value of the LBBP group was higher than that of the RVOP group 7 days after implantation[(6.39 ± 2.65) cm/s vs. (5.45 ± 1.35)cm/s, P = 0.049]. The E/e' and peak E-wave velocity in the LBBP group decreased significantly after 7 days [16.57 ± 6.55 vs. 12.75 ± 5.16 P = 0.043, (88.6 ± 24.37)cm/s vs. (75.68 ± 28.10)cm/s P = 0.030]; in contrast, there were no significant changes in the RVOP group [14.13 ± 3.85 vs.14.10 ± 4.85 P = 0.50, (77.33 ± 21.14)cm/s vs. (74.45 ± 23.03)cm/s P = 0.56). (3)Speckle-tracking echocardiagraphy: there was no significant difference in left atrial strain or the strain rate between the LBBP and RVOP groups，but the absolute values of left atrial strain and strain rate in the LBBP group increased, while those in the RVOP group decreased. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that compared to RVOP, LBBP can increase left ventricular early diastolic function, improve BNP levels, and has a tendency to increase left atrial myocardial elasticity and left atrial strain capacity in the short term in pacemaker-dependent patients.

Inflammatory Response after Different Ablation Strategies for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has been gaining popularity; however, the trend of inflammatory response markers in patients treated with different catheter ablation strategies over time and their predictability of AF recurrence remain unknown. METHODS: A total of 210 patients with AF were enrolled and grouped according to surgical mode as follows: freeze group, RF group, and freeze3D group. The subjects were tested for related indexes before and after surgery. To determine AF recurrence during follow up, 24-h ambulatory electrocardiography was performed at two, three, six, and 12 months after surgery. RESULTS: The inflammation indexes of the three groups peaked between one and three days after surgery but fell at different time points (P < .05). The recurrence rate of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) was positively correlated with the increase in the percentage of white blood cells and neutrophils after surgery (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative inflammation indices peaked and fell at different time points after different catheter ablation methods. In addition, the recurrence rate of AF in patients treated with freeze3D is lower.

Thawing Rate Predicts Acute Pulmonary Vein Isolation after Second-Generation Cryoballoon Ablation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether thawing rate could be a novel predictor of acute pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and explore the predictive value of thawing rate as a factor ensuring long-term PVI (vagus reflex). METHODS: A total of 151 patients who underwent cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) were enrolled in this retrospective study between January 2017 and June 2018. The thawing rate was calculated using the thawing phase of the cryoablation curve. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of the thawing rate for acute PVI and vagus reflex. RESULTS: ROC curve analyses revealed that the interval thawing rate at 15°C (ITR15) was the most valuable predictor of PVI, with the highest area under curve (AUC) value of the ROC curve. The best cut-off value of ITR15 for PVI was ≤2.14°C/S and its sensitivity and specificity were 88.62% and 67.18%, respectively. In addition, the ITR15 of the successful PVI group after cryoballoon ablation was significantly slower than the failed PVI group. ITR15 was a predictor of vagus reflex and the occurrence of vagus reflex group had a slower ITR15 compared to the non-occurrence group. CONCLUSIONS: Thawing rate was a novel predictor of acute PVI and the ITR15 was the most valuable predictor of acute PVI. In addition, ITR15 was a predictive factor ensuring long-term PVI (vagus reflex). Our study showed that thawing rate may serve in the early identification of useless cryoballoon ablation.

Thawing rate predicts acute pulmonary vein isolation after second-generation cryoballoon ablation

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether thawing rate could be a novel predictor of acute pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and explore the predictive value of thawing rate as a factor ensuring long-term PVI (vagus reflex). METHODS: A total of 151 patients who underwent cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) were enrolled in this retrospective study between January 2017 and June 2018. The thawing rate was calculated using the thawing phase of the cryoablation curve. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive value of the thawing rate for acute PVI and vagus reflex. RESULTS: ROC curve analyses revealed that the interval thawing rate at 15°C (ITR15) was the most valuable predictor of PVI, with the highest area under curve (AUC) value of the ROC curve. The best cut-off value of ITR15 for PVI was ≤2.14°C/S and its sensitivity and specificity were 88.62% and 67.18%, respectively. In addition, the ITR15 of the successful PVI group after cryoballoon ablation was significantly slower than the failed PVI group. ITR15 was a predictor of vagus reflex and the occurrence of vagus reflex group had a slower ITR15 compared to the non-occurrence group. CONCLUSIONS: Thawing rate was a novel predictor of acute PVI and the ITR15 was the most valuable predictor of acute PVI. In addition, ITR15 was a predictive factor ensuring long-term PVI (vagus reflex). Our study showed that thawing rate may serve in the early identification of useless cryoballoon ablation.