Aktiia cuffless blood pressure monitor yields equivalent daytime blood pressure measurements compared to a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitor: Preliminary results from a prospective single-center study.

In this preliminary study, we compared daytime blood pressure (BP) measurements performed by a commercially available cuffless-and continual-BP monitor (Aktiia monitor, Neuchâtel, Switzerland) and a traditional ambulatory BP monitor (ABPM; Dyasis 3, Novacor, Paris, France) from 52 patients enrolled in a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program (Neuchâtel, Switzerland). Daytime (9am-9pm) systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP from 7-day averaged data from Aktiia monitor were compared to 1-day averaged BP data from ABPM. No significant differences were found between the Aktiia monitor and the ABPM for SBP (µ ± σ [95% confidence interval]: 1.6 ± 10.5 [-1.5, 4.6] mmHg, P = 0.306; correlation [R2]: 0.70; ± 10/ ± 15 mmHg agreements: 60%, 84%). Marginally non-significant bias was found for DBP (-2.2 ± 8.0 [-4.5, 0.1] mmHg, P = 0.058; R2: 0.66; ±10/±15 mmHg agreements: 78%, 96%). These intermediate results show that daytime BP measurements using the Aktiia monitor generate data comparable to that of an ABPM monitor.

[Cardiac computed tomography: overview and perspectives]. / Tomodensitométrie cardiaque : tour d'horizon et perspectives.

Recent technical improvements have led to a decrease of scanning duration in computed tomography and opened the doors to cardiac imaging, particularly for coronary applications. Recently, large studies have compared anatomical and functional testing in coronary artery disease, showing at least similar results in terms of long-term cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Adding functional to anatomical information aims to make CT a « one-stop shop ¼ in investigating coronary artery disease. Moreover, computed tomography has emerged in the planning of several percutaneous interventions, in addition to other modalities like transesophageal echocardiography.

Les évolutions techniques récentes ont permis une diminution constante des temps d'acquisition par tomodensitométrie (Computed Tomography (CT)) et ouvert les portes à l'imagerie cardiaque, en particulier coronarienne. Plus récemment, de grandes études ont comparé les approches anatomiques et fonctionnelles dans le diagnostic de la maladie coronarienne, démontrant des résultats au moins comparables en termes de mortalité et morbidité cardiovasculaires à long terme. Par ailleurs, la perspective de coupler une investigation fonctionnelle à l'examen anatomique vise à faire du CT un examen complet dans le bilan de la maladie coronarienne. De plus, le CT s'est imposé dans la planification de nombreuses interventions percutanées, en complément d'autres modalités comme l'échocardiographie transœsophagienne.

Guidance for the Interpretation of Continual Cuffless Blood Pressure Data for the Diagnosis and Management of Hypertension.

Hypertension remains the leading risk factor for death worldwide. Despite its prevalence, success of blood pressure (BP) management efforts remains elusive, and part of the difficulty lies in the tool still used to diagnose, measure, and treat hypertension: the sphygmomanometer introduced by Samuel Siegfried Karl von Basch in 1867. In recent years, there has been an explosion of devices attempting to provide estimates of BP without a cuff, overcoming many limitations of cuff-based BP monitors. Unfortunately, the differences in underlying technologies between traditional BP cuffs and newer cuffless devices, as well as hesitancy of changing a well-implemented standard, still generate understandable skepticism about and reluctance to adopt cuffless BP monitors in clinical practice. This guidance document aims to navigate the scientific and medical communities through the types of cuffless devices and present examples of robust BP data collection which are better representations of a person's true BP. It highlights the differences between data collected by cuffless and traditional cuff-based devices and provides an initial framework of interpretation of the new cuffless datasets using, as an example, a CE-marked continual cuffless BP device (Aktiia BP Monitor, Aktiia, Switzerland). Demonstration of novel BP metrics, which have the potential to change the paradigm of hypertension diagnosis and treatment, are now possible for the first time with cuffless BP monitors that provide continual readings over long periods. Widespread adoption of continual cuffless BP monitors in healthcare will require a collaborative and thoughtful process, acknowledging that the transition from a legacy to a novel medical technology will be slow. Finally, this guidance concludes with a call to action to international scientific and expert associations to include cuffless BP monitors in original scientific research and in future versions of guidelines and standards.

Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography at rest for the diagnosis, screening and management of pulmonary hypertension.

Doppler echocardiography is widely used in everyday clinical practice for the detection of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in symptomatic patients and in populations particularly at risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It allows accurate estimation of systolic pulmonary arterial pressure but may lack precision in particular situations. In addition, echocardiography can help to distinguish between pre- and post-capillary PH and is a very good tool to evaluate right ventricular systolic function, which is of great prognostic interest in PAH. This article reviews the current knowledge about methodologic aspects of assessing pulmonary pressure and PH origin by echo, including a discussion about abnormal thresholds. It also details advanced techniques like right ventricular strain imaging and new concepts like right ventricle – pulmonary artery coupling evaluation that have become “matured” enough to be definitely brought to routine evaluation.

[Cardio-oncology : a specialty for the future]. / Cardio-oncologie : une discipline en devenir.

Cardio-oncology is a specialty that has rapidly progressed during the last decade. Modern cancer therapies have shown a significant positive impact on the survival of cancer patients. Alongside the progress in oncological treatments came a wide array of cardiac toxicities. The development of cardiotoxicity can lead to unfortunate outcomes. Ensuring the optimal oncological treatment while protecting the heart and vascular system constitute the main objectives of the cardio-oncology unit. Its purpose is to prevent, treat and provide adequate follow-up of patients subject to cardiotoxic drugs.

La cardio-oncologie est une discipline qui a connu un très grand essor ces dernières années. Le développement rapide des nouveaux traitements oncologiques a eu comme effet l'amélioration de la survie des patients mais également leur exposition à une toxicité sur le système cardiovasculaire (cardiotoxicité). Le développement d'une cardiotoxicité a un impact négatif sur la survie de ces patients. Le but de la cardio-oncologie est d'assurer un traitement oncologique optimal tout en protégeant les patients des effets cardiotoxiques. Sa stratégie est de prévenir, identifier et traiter la cardiotoxicité.

Accuracy testing of a new optical device for noninvasive estimation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to intra-arterial measurements.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the systolic (S) and diastolic (D) blood pressure (BP) estimations from a new optical device at the wrist with invasive measurements performed on patients scheduled for radial arterial catheterization in the ICU. Optical signals were automatically processed by a library of algorithms from Aktiia SA (OBPM - optical blood pressure monitoring algorithms). METHODS: A total of 31 participants from both sexes, aged 32-87 years, were enrolled in the study (NCT03837769). The measurement protocol consisted of the simultaneous recording of reflective photoplethysmographic signals (PPG) from the cuffless optical device and the reference BP values recorded by a contralateral radial arterial catheter. From the 31 participants, 23 subjects whose reference data quality requirements were adequate were retained for further analysis. The PPG signals from these patients were then automatically processed by the Aktiia OBPM library of algorithms, which generated uncalibrated estimates of SBP and DBP. After the automatic assessment of optical signal quality, 326 pairs of uncalibrated SBP and DBP determinations from 16 patients were available for analysis. These values were finally transformed into calibrated estimations (in mmHg) using arterial catheter SBP and DBP values, respectively. RESULTS: For SBP, a mean difference (±SD) of 0.0 ± 7.1 mmHg between the arterial catheter and the optical device values was found, with 95% limits of agreement in the Bland-Altman method of -11.9 to + 12.2 mmHg (correlation of r = 0.87, P < 0.001). For DBP, a mean difference (±SD) of 0.0 ± 2.9 mmHg between arterial catheter and the optical device values was found, with 95% limits of agreement in the Bland-Altman method of -4.8 to + 5.5 mmHg (correlation of r = 0.98, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: SBP and DBP values obtained by radial artery catheterization and those obtained from optical measurements at the wrist were compared. The new optical technique appears to be capable of replacing more traditional methods of BP estimation.

Near fatal intoxication by nicotine and propylene glycol injection: a case report of an e-liquid poisoning.

BACKGROUND: Concern about intoxication by e-liquid is growing as calls to poison control centers have increased since their introduction. Only three cases of intoxication by injection have been reported worldwide. Our case is unique because of the precise follow-up of a patient who survived a lethal dose of self-injected e-liquid, without other co-intoxication. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old male presented to the Emergency Department after injecting himself intravenously (IV) in the forearm with 10 mL of e-liquid (1000 mg of nicotine diluted in propylene glycol). An agitation phase was followed by coma and bradypnoea requiring mechanical ventilation. The patient developed a transitory neurological impairment with the appearance of tetraparesis, gaze palsy and myoclonus due to nicotinic syndrome. The arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis confirmed uncompensated lactic acidosis with an elevated anion gap, which is an expected effect of propylene glycol. The toxicology screen indicated the presence of nicotine and cotinine in the blood and excluded the presence of concomitant intoxication. The patient recovered without sequelae. CONCLUSION: Even a small quantity of intravenous (IV) e-liquid can lead to an acute intoxication and fatal outcomes due to the toxic effects of nicotine. This case might help emergency doctors cope with acute intoxication by injection of e-liquid and increase their comprehension of the two main substances, nicotine and propylene glycol with overview of their pharmacodynamics and kinetic effects.

Stress Perfusion CMR in Patients With Known and Suspected CAD: Prognostic Value and Optimal Ischemic Threshold for Revascularization.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the ischemia threshold and additional prognostic factors that identify patients for safe deferral from revascularizations in a large cohort of all-comer patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND: Stress-perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is increasingly used in daily practice for ischemia detection. However, there is insufficient evidence about the ischemia burden that identifies patients who benefit from revascularization versus those with a good prognosis who receive drugs only. METHODS: All patients with known or suspected CAD referred to stress-perfusion CMR for myocardial ischemia assessment were prospectively enrolled. The CMR examination included standard functional adenosine stress first-pass perfusion (gadobutrol 0.1 mmol/kg Gadovist, Bayer AG, Zurich, Switzerland) and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) acquisitions. Presence of ischemia and ischemia burden (number of ischemic segments on a 16-segment model), and of scar and scar burden (number and transmurality of scar segments in a 17-segment model) were assessed. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), and late coronary revascularization (>90 days post-CMR); the secondary endpoint was a composite of cardiac death and nonfatal MI. RESULTS: During a follow-up of 2.5 ± 1.0 years, 86 and 32 of 1,024 patients (1,103 screened patients) experienced the primary and secondary endpoints, respectively. On Kaplan-Meier curves for the primary and secondary endpoints, patients without ischemia had excellent outcomes that did not differ from patients with <1.5 ischemic segments. In multivariate Cox regression analyses of the entire population and of the subgroups, ischemia burden (threshold: ≥1.5 ischemic segments) was consistently the strongest predictor of the primary and secondary endpoints with hazard ratios (HRs) of 7.42 to 8.72 (p < 0.001), whereas age (≥67 years), left ventricular ejection fraction (≤40%), and scar burden (LGE score ≥0.03) contributed significantly, but to a lesser extent, in all models with HRs of 2.01 to 3.48, 1.75 to 1.96, and 1.66 to 1.76, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a large all-comer patient cohort with known and suspected CAD, an ischemia burden of ≥1.5 ischemic segments on stress-perfusion CMR was the strongest predictor of the primary and secondary endpoints. Patients with zero or 1 ischemic segment can be safely deferred from revascularizations.

An exploratory randomized control study of combination cytokine and adult autologous bone marrow progenitor cell administration in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy: the REGENERATE-IHD clinical trial.

AIMS: The effect of combined cytokine and cell therapy in ischaemic cardiomyopathy is unknown. Meta-analyses suggest improved cardiac function with cell therapy. The optimal cell delivery route remains unclear. We investigated whether granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) alone or in combination with intracoronary (i.c.) or intramyocardial (i.m.) injection of autologous bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) improves cardiac function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ninety patients with symptomatic ischaemic cardiomyopathy and no further treatment options were enrolled in the randomized, placebo-controlled, single-centre REGENERATE-IHD study. Randomization was to one of three arms: peripheral, i.c., or i.m. In each arm, patients were randomized to active treatment or placebo. All patients, apart from the peripheral placebo group (saline only) received G-CSF for 5 days. The i.c. and i.m. arms received either BMCs or serum (placebo). The primary endpoint was change in LVEF at 1 year assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography. The i.m. BMC group showed a significant improvement in LVEF of 4.99% (95% confidence interval 0.33-9.6%; P = 0.038) at 1 year. This group also showed a reduction in NYHA class at 1 year and NT-proBNP at 6 months. No other group showed a significant change in LVEF. This finding is supported by post-hoc between-group comparisons. CONCLUSION: We have shown that G-CSF combined with autologous i.m. BMCs has a beneficial effect on cardiac function and symptoms. However, this result should be considered preliminary in support of a clinical benefit of i.m. stem cell infusion in 'no option' patients and needs further exploration in a larger study.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging of myocardial oedema following acute myocardial infarction: Is whole heart coverage necessary?

BACKGROUND: AAR measurement is useful when assessing the efficacy of reperfusion therapy and novel cardioprotective agents after myocardial infarction. Multi-slice (Typically 10-12) T2-STIR has been used widely for its measurement, typically with a short axis stack (SAX) covering the entire left ventricle, which can result in long acquisition times and multiple breath holds. This study sought to compare 3-slice T2-short-tau inversion recovery (T2- STIR) technique against conventional multi-slice T2-STIR technique for the assessment of area at risk (AAR). METHODS: CMR imaging was performed on 167 patients after successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention. 82 patients underwent a novel 3-slice SAX protocol and 85 patients underwent standard 10-slice SAX protocol. AAR was obtained by manual endocardial and epicardial contour mapping followed by a semi- automated selection of normal myocardium; the volume was expressed as mass (%) by two independent observers. RESULTS: 85 patients underwent both 10-slice and 3-slice imaging assessment showing a significant and strong correlation (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.92;p < 0.0001) and a low Bland-Altman limit (mean difference -0.03 ± 3.21%, 95% limit of agreement,- 6.3 to 6.3) between the 2 analysis techniques. A further 82 patients underwent 3-slice imaging alone, both the 3-slice and the 10-slice techniques showed statistically significant correlations with angiographic risk scores (3-slice to BARI r = 0.36, 3-slice to APPROACH r = 0.42, 10-slice to BARI r = 0.27, 10-slice to APPROACH r = 0.46). There was low inter-observer variability demonstrated in the 3-slice technique, which was comparable to the 10-slice method (z = 1.035, p = 0.15). Acquisition and analysis times were quicker in the 3-slice compared to the 10-slice method (3-slice median time: 100 seconds (IQR: 65-171 s) vs. (10-slice time: 355 seconds (IQR: 275-603 s); p < 0.0001. CONCLUSIONS: AAR measured using 3-slice T2-STIR technique correlates well with standard 10-slice techniques, with no significant bias demonstrated in assessing the AAR. The 3-slice technique requires less time to perform and analyse and is therefore advantageous for both patients and clinicians.

Cor triatriatum and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

: Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital anomaly known to be associated with other inherited heart diseases. We present a nonrestrictive cor triatriatum sinistrum associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to illustrate how different multimodality noninvasive imaging techniques complement each other and can help with the diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, this coexistence has not been previously reported.

Incidence and consequence of major bleeding in primary percutaneous intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in the era of radial access: an analysis of the international randomized Acute myocardial infarction Treated with primary angioplasty and intravenous enoxaparin Or unfractionated heparin to Lower ischemic and bleeding events at short- and Long-term follow-up trial.

AIMS: The aims of the study are to compare the outcome with and without major bleeding and to identify the independent correlates of major bleeding complications and mortality in patients described in the ATOLL study. METHODS: The ATOLL study included 910 patients randomly assigned to either 0.5 mg/kg intravenous enoxaparin or unfractionated heparin before primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Incidence of major bleeding and ischemic end points was assessed at 1 month, and mortality, at 1 and 6 months. Patients with and without major bleeding complication were compared. A multivariate model of bleeding complications at 1 month and mortality at 6 months was realized. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed. RESULTS: The most frequent bleeding site appears to be the gastrointestinal tract. Age >75 years, cardiac arrest, and the use of insulin or >1 heparin emerged as independent correlates of major bleeding at 1 month. Patients presenting with major bleeding had significantly higher rates of adverse ischemic complications. Mortality at 6 months was higher in bleeders. Major bleeding was found to be one of the independent correlates of 6-month mortality. The addition or mixing of several anticoagulant drugs was an independent factor of major bleeding despite the predominant use of radial access. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that major bleeding is independently associated with poor outcome, increasing ischemic events, and mortality in primary percutaneous coronary intervention performed mostly with radial access.

Diagnostic contribution of cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with acute coronary syndrome and culprit-free angiograms.

BACKGROUND: In spite of robust knowledge about underlying ischemic myocardial damage, acute coronary syndromes (ACS) with culprit-free angiograms raise diagnostic concerns. The present study aimed to evaluate the additional value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) over commonly available non-CMR standard tests, for the differentiation of myocardial injury in patients with ACS and non-obstructed coronary arteries. MATERIAL/METHODS: Patients with ACS, elevated hs-TnT, and a culprit-free angiogram were prospectively enrolled into the study between January 2009 and July 2013. After initial evaluation with standard tests (ECG, echocardiography, hs-TnT) and provisional exclusion of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in coronary angiogram, patients were referred for CMR with the suspicion of myocarditis or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). According to the result of CMR, patients were reclassified as having myocarditis, AMI, TTC, or non-injured myocardium as assessed by late gadolinium enhancement. RESULTS: Out of 5110 patients admitted with ACS, 75 had normal coronary angiograms and entered the study; 69 of them (92%) were suspected for myocarditis and 6 (8%) for TTC. After CMR, 49 patients were finally diagnosed with myocarditis (65%), 3 with TTC (4%), 7 with AMI (9%), and 16 (21%) with non-injured myocardium. The provisional diagnosis was changed or excluded in 23 patients (31%), with a 9% rate of unrecognized AMI. CONCLUSIONS: The study results suggest that the evaluation of patients with ACS and culprit-free angiogram should be complemented by a CMR examination, if available, because the initial work-up with non-CMR tests leads to a significant proportion of misdiagnosed AMI.

Randomized phase 2 trial of intracoronary nitrite during acute myocardial infarction.

RATIONALE: Preclinical evidence demonstrates that inorganic nitrite, after its in situ conversion to nitric oxide, attenuates consequent myocardial reperfusion injury. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether intracoronary injection of nitrite during primary percutaneous coronary intervention might improve infarct size in ST-elevated myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (n=80) were randomized to receive intracoronary (10 mL) sodium nitrite (1.8 µmol) or NaCl (placebo) before balloon inflation. The primary end point was infarct size assessed by measuring creatine kinase release. Secondary outcomes included infarct size assessed by troponin T release and by cardiac MRI on day 2. Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. No evidence of differences in creatine kinase release (P=0.92), troponin T (P=0.85), or cardiac MRI-assessed infarct size (P=0.254) were evident. In contrast, there was an improvement [corrected] in myocardial salvage index (P=0.05) and reduction in [corrected] major adverse cardiac event at 1 year (2.6% versus 15.8%; P=0.04) in the nitrite group. In a 66-patient subgroup with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction ≤1 flow, there was reduced serum creatine kinase (P=0.030) and a 19% reduction in cardiac MRI-determined infarct size (P=0.034) with nitrite. No adverse effects of nitrite were detected. CONCLUSIONS: In this phase II study, intracoronary nitrite infusion did not alter infarct size, although a trend to improved myocardial salvage index and a significant reduction in major adverse cardiac event was evident. In a subgroup of patients with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction flow ≤1, nitrite reduced infarct size and major adverse cardiac event and improved myocardial salvage index, indicating that a phase III clinical trial assessing intracoronary nitrite administration as an adjunct to percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-elevated myocardial infarction patients is warranted. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01584453.

[Cardiology. Platelet function testing for clinicians]. / Cardiologie. Tests de réactivité plaquettaire: mise à jour pour le praticien.

Platelet P2YI2 receptor inhibition with clopidogrel, prasugrel or ticagrelor plays a key role to prevent recurrent ischaemic events after percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndromes or elective settings. The degree of platelet inhibition depends on the antiplatelet medication used and is influenced by clinical and genetic factors. A concept of therapeutic window exists. On one side, efficient anti-aggregation is required in order to reduce cardio-vascular events. On the other side, an excessive platelet inhibition represents a risk of bleeding complications. This article describes the current knowledge about some platelet function tests and genetic tests and summarises their role in the clinical practice.

Clinical features of myocardial infarction and myocarditis in young adults: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical presentation of myocardial infarction (MI) and myocarditis in young adults presenting with chest pain (CP) and an elevated serum troponin I (TnI) to the emergency department (ED). DESIGN: Retrospective, observational, single-centre study. PARTICIPANTS: All consecutive patients 18-40 years old admitted to the ED for CP with an elevated TnI concentration. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of MI, myocarditis and the characterisation of clinical presentation. RESULTS: 1588 patients between 18 and 40 years old were admitted to the ED with CP during 30 consecutive months. 49 (3.1%) patients with an elevated TnI (>0.09 µg/l) were included. 32.7% (16/49) were diagnosed with MI (11 ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 5 non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)) and 59.2% (29/49) with myocarditis. Compared with patients with myocarditis, MI patients were older (34.1±3.8 vs 26.9±6.4, p=0.0002) with more cardiovascular risk factors (mean 2.06 vs 0.69). Diabetes (18.8% vs 0%, p=0.0039), dyslipidaemia (56.2% vs 3.4%, p<0.0001) and family history of coronary artery disease (CAD) (37.5% vs 10.3% p=0.050) were associated with MI. Fever or recent viral illness were present in 75.9% (22/29) of patients with myocarditis, and in 0% of MI patients (p<0.0001). During follow-up, two patients with myocarditis were re-admitted for CP. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 32.7% of patients <40-year-old admitted to an ED with CP and elevated TnI had a diagnosis of MI. Key distinctive clinical factors include diabetes, dyslipidaemia, family history of CAD and fever or recent viral illness.