Clinical Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Right Heart Catheterizations in Community Hospitals.

Background Recognition of precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) has significant implications for patient management. However, the low a priori chance to find this rare condition in community hospitals may create a barrier against performing a right heart catheterization (RHC). This could result in misclassification of PH and delayed diagnosis/treatment of precapillary PH. Therefore, we investigated patient characteristics and echocardiographic parameters associated with the decision whether to perform an RHC in patients with incident PH in 12 Dutch community hospitals. Methods and Results In total, 275 patients were included from the OPTICS (Optimizing PH Diagnostic Network in Community Hospitals) registry, a prospective cohort study with patients with incident PH; 157 patients were diagnosed with RHC (34 chronic thromboembolic PH, 38 pulmonary arterial hypertension, 81 postcapillary PH, 4 miscellaneous PH), while 118 patients were labeled as probable postcapillary PH without hemodynamic confirmation. Multivariable analysis showed that older age (>60 years), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction grade 2-3, left atrial dilatation were independently associated with the decision to not perform an RHC, while presence of prior venous thromboembolic events or pulmonary arterial hypertension-associated conditions, right atrial dilatation, and tricuspid regurgitation velocity ≥3.7 m/s favor an RHC performance. Conclusions Older age and echocardiographic parameters of left heart disease were independently associated with the decision to not perform an RHC, while presence of prior venous thromboembolic events or pulmonary arterial hypertension-associated conditions, right atrial dilation, and severe PH on echocardiography favored an RHC performance. As such, especially elderly patients may be at an increased risk of diagnostic delays and missed diagnoses of treatable precapillary PH, which could lead to a worse prognosis.

Round-the-clock performance of coronary CT angiography for suspected acute coronary syndrome: Results from the BEACON trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the image quality of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) outside office hours. METHODS: Patients with symptoms suggestive of an ACS underwent CCTA at the emergency department 24 hours, 7 days a week. A total of 118 patients, of whom 89 (75 %) presented during office hours (weekdays between 07:00 and 17:00) and 29 (25 %) outside office hours (weekdays between 17:00 and 07:00, weekends and holidays) underwent CCTA. Image quality was evaluated per coronary segment by two experienced readers and graded on an ordinal scale ranging from 1 to 3. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in acquisition parameters, beta-blocker administration or heart rate between patients presenting during office hours and outside office hours. The median quality score per patient was 30.5 [interquartile range 26.0-33.5] for patients presenting during office hours in comparison to 27.5 [19.75-32.0] for patients presenting outside office hours (p=0.043). The number of non-evaluable segments was lower for patients presenting during office hours (0 [0-1.0] vs. 1.0 [0-4.0], p=0.009). CONCLUSION: Image quality of CCTA outside office hours in the diagnosis of suspected ACS is diminished. KEY POINTS: • Quality scores were higher for coronary-CTA during office hours. • There were no differences in acquisition parameters. • There was a non-significant trend towards higher heart rates outside office hours. • Coronary-CTA on the ED requires state-of-the-art scanner technology and sufficiently trained staff. • Coronary-CTA on the ED needs preparation time and optimisation of the procedure.

Coronary CT Angiography for Suspected ACS in the Era of High-Sensitivity Troponins: Randomized Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: It is uncertain whether a diagnostic strategy supplemented by early coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is superior to contemporary standard optimal care (SOC) encompassing high-sensitivity troponin assays (hs-troponins) for patients suspected of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the emergency department (ED). OBJECTIVES: This study assessed whether a diagnostic strategy supplemented by early CCTA improves clinical effectiveness compared with contemporary SOC. METHODS: In a prospective, open-label, multicenter, randomized trial, we enrolled patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of an ACS at the ED of 5 community and 2 university hospitals in the Netherlands. Exclusion criteria included the need for urgent cardiac catheterization and history of ACS or coronary revascularization. The primary endpoint was the number of patients identified with significant coronary artery disease requiring revascularization within 30 days. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 500 patients, of whom 236 (47%) were women (mean age 54 ± 10 years). There was no difference in the primary endpoint (22 [9%] patients underwent coronary revascularization within 30 days in the CCTA group and 17 [7%] in the SOC group [p = 0.40]). Discharge from the ED was not more frequent after CCTA (65% vs. 59%, p = 0.16), and length of stay was similar (6.3 h in both groups; p = 0.80). The CCTA group had lower direct medical costs (€337 vs. €511, p < 0.01) and less outpatient testing after the index ED visit (10 [4%] vs. 26 [10%], p < 0.01). There was no difference in incidence of undetected ACS. CONCLUSIONS: CCTA, applied early in the work-up of suspected ACS, is safe and associated with less outpatient testing and lower costs. However, in the era of hs-troponins, CCTA does not identify more patients with significant CAD requiring coronary revascularization, shorten hospital stay, or allow for more direct discharge from the ED. (Better Evaluation of Acute Chest Pain with Computed Tomography Angiography [BEACON]; NCT01413282).

Distal anastomotic patency of the Cardica C-PORT(R) xA system versus the hand-sewn technique: a prospective randomized controlled study in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

OBJECTIVES: The C-Port® Distal Anastomosis Systems (Cardica, Inc., Redwood City, CA, USA) demonstrated favourable results in feasibility trials. However, distal vein anastomoses created with the C-Port® or C-Port xA® system have never been compared with hand-sewn distal vein anastomoses. The objective of this study was to compare distal end-to-side anastomoses facilitated with the C-Port xA® System with the traditional hand-sewn method. METHODS: This single-centre prospective randomized controlled study comprised 71 patients (device group n = 35, control group n = 36) who underwent primary elective coronary artery bypass grafting between June 2008 and April 2011. The primary study end-point was 12-month distal anastomotic patency, which was assessed with prospective ECG-gated 256-multislice computed tomographic coronary angiography using a step-and-shoot scanning protocol. For the primary end-point, a per-protocol analysis was used. RESULTS: In the device group, four (11%) anastomoses were converted to hand-sewn anastomoses, and additional stitches to achieve haemostasis were necessary in 22 (76%) patients. There was no hospital mortality in either group. During the 12-month follow-up, a single death occurred in the Device group and was unrelated to the device. Twenty-nine patients in the device group and 32 in the control group completed 12-month CT coronary angiography. The overall patency of 160 studied distal vein graft anastomoses was 93%. Comparison of the end-to-side target anastomosis showed 12-month patencies of 86 and 88% in the device group and the control group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: According to these preliminary results and despite the limited number of patients, the use of the C-Port xA® System is safe enough to perform distal end-to-side vein graft anastomosis, with respect to 12-month end-to-side distal venous anastomotic patency. Although there are some technical challenges with this device, the incidence of complications is comparable to the traditional hand-sewn technique.

Free-breathing MRI for the assessment of myocardial infarction: clinical validation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to validate free-breathing 2D inversion recovery delayed-enhancement MRI for the assessment of myocardial infarction compared with a breath-hold 3D technique. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Institutional review board approval and written informed consent were obtained. Thirty-two patients (25 men, seven women; mean age, 68 years; age range, 39-84 years) underwent breath-hold gradient-echo 3D inversion-recovery delayed-enhancement MRI and free-breathing respiratory-triggered 2D inversion-recovery delayed-enhancement MRI of the heart (scanning time, 50-80 seconds). Infarct size was quantitatively analyzed as a percentage of the left ventricle. The location and transmural extent of myocardial infarction were assessed by visual scoring. Intraclass correlation and Bland-Altman analysis were used to evaluate the agreement between the techniques for infarct quantification. Kappa statistics were used to analyze the visual score. RESULTS: Excellent agreement between the two techniques was observed for infarct quantification (intraclass correlation = 0.99 [p < 0.01]; mean difference +/- SD = 0.32% +/- 2.4%). The agreement in assessing transmural extent of infarction was good to excellent between the free-breathing technique and the 3D breath-hold technique (kappa varied between 0.70 and 0.96 for all segments). No regions of infarction were missed using the free-breathing approach. CONCLUSION: The free-breathing 2D delayed-enhancement MRI sequence is a fast and reliable tool for detecting myocardial infarction.

The influence of myocardial scar and dyssynchrony on reverse remodeling in cardiac resynchronization therapy.

AIM: The influence of location and extent of transmural scar and its relation with dyssynchrony in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) was investigated as posterolateral scar tissue has been invoked as a cause of non-response to CRT. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients eligible for CRT were assessed for transmural scar with gadolinium-enhanced MRI and for left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony with tissue Doppler. After implant, both atrioventricular and interventricular pacing intervals were optimized. LV reverse remodeling was defined as >/=10% decrease in LV end-systolic volume after 3 months. Sixteen patients had transmural scar in the posterolateral (PL) area (LV lead location), 14 at a remote site (non-PL) and 27 patients had no scar. LV reverse remodeling was observed in respectively 25%, 64% and 89% (P = 0.0001). Univariate analyses showed a relation with LV dyssynchrony (P = 0.004) and with absence of PL scar (P = 0.04) but not with QRS duration and the extent of LV scar tissue. In multivariate analysis, only LV dyssynchrony (OR: 19.62; 95% CI: 2.5-151.9; P = 0.004) independently predicted LV reverse remodeling. CONCLUSION: In this study LV dyssynchrony remains the most important determinant of response to CRT, even in the presence of posterolateral scar provided atrioventricular and interventricular pacing intervals are optimized.

Cardiac function and position more than 5 years after pneumonectomy.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonectomy not only reduces the pulmonary vascular bed but also changes the position of the heart and large vessels, which may affect the function of the heart. We investigated long-term effects of pneumonectomy on right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) function and whether this function is influenced by the side of pneumonectomy or the migration of the heart to its new position. METHODS: In 15 patients who underwent pneumonectomy and survived for more than 5 years, we evaluated by dynamic magnetic resonance imaging the function of the RV and LV and the position of the heart within the thorax. RESULTS: Long-term effect of pneumonectomy on the position of the heart is characterized by a lateral shift after right-sided pneumonectomy and rotation of the heart after left-sided pneumonectomy. Postoperatively, heart rate was high (p = 0.006) and stroke volume was low (p = 0.001), compared with the reference values, indicating impaired cardiac function. Patients after right-sided pneumonectomy had an abnormal low RV end-diastolic volume of 99 +/- 29 mL together with a normal LV function. No signs of RV hypertrophy were found. In left-sided pneumonectomy patients, RV volumes were normal whereas LV ejection fraction was abnormally low. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term effects of pneumonectomy on the position of the heart are characterized by a lateral shift in patients after right-sided pneumonectomy and rotation of the heart in patients after left-sided pneumonectomy. Overall, cardiac function in long-term survivors after pneumonectomy is compromised, and might be explained by the altered position of the heart.

Determination of the spatial orientation and shape of pulmonary vein ostia by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography.

AIMS: For catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), proper catheter positioning is crucial and depends on knowledge of pulmonary vein (PV) anatomy. The aim of this study was to assess PV spatial orientation and ostial shape by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA). METHODS AND RESULTS: In 30 consecutive AF patients, CE-MRA was performed prior to ostial ablation. Using a centre-line technique, the PV ostium was defined perpendicular to this centre-line. Minimal and maximal ostial diameters, ostial perimeter, and angles in the anatomical frontal and transverse planes were measured. Twenty-one patients had four separate PVs. In four patients, there was a distinct right-middle PV and in five a common left common PV was found. Left-sided PV ostia were smaller and more elliptical than right-sided PVs. In the transverse plane, the ostia of both superior PVs were directed anteriorly (LS -15 +/- 13 degrees , RS -13 +/- 11 degrees ) and both inferior PV ostia were directed posteriorly (LI 23 +/- 15 degrees , RI 39 +/- 15 degrees ). In the frontal plane, both superior PV ostia pointed upwards (LS -27 +/- 14 degrees , RS -33 +/- 12 degrees ) while the inferior ostia were directed horizontally (LI 2 +/- 11 degrees , RI 3 +/- 13 degrees ). CONCLUSION: PV ostial shape and spatial orientation are variable and can be visualized adequately by CE-MRA.