Preeclampsia Associated Differences in the Placenta, Fetal Brain, and Maternal Heart Can Be Demonstrated Antenatally: An Observational Cohort Study Using MRI.

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a multiorgan disease of pregnancy that has short- and long-term implications for the woman and fetus, whose immediate impact is poorly understood. We present a novel multiorgan approach to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigation of preeclampsia, with the acquisition of maternal cardiac, placental, and fetal brain anatomic and functional imaging. METHODS: An observational study was performed recruiting 3 groups of pregnant women: those with preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, or no medical complications. All women underwent a cardiac MRI, and pregnant women underwent a placental-fetal MRI. Cardiac analysis for structural, morphological, and flow data were undertaken; placenta and fetal brain volumetric and T2* (which describes relative tissue oxygenation) data were obtained. All results were corrected for gestational age. A nonpregnant cohort was identified for inclusion in the statistical shape analysis. RESULTS: Seventy-eight MRIs were obtained during pregnancy. Cardiac MRI analysis demonstrated higher left ventricular mass in preeclampsia with 3-dimensional modeling revealing additional specific characteristics of eccentricity and outflow track remodeling. Pregnancies affected by preeclampsia demonstrated lower placental and fetal brain T2*. Within the preeclampsia group, 23% placental T2* results were consistent with controls, these were the only cases with normal placental histopathology. Fetal brain T2* results were consistent with normal controls in 31% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: We present the first holistic assessment of the immediate implications of preeclampsia on maternal heart, placenta, and fetal brain. As well as having potential clinical implications for the risk stratification and management of women with preeclampsia, this gives an insight into the disease mechanism.

Characterisation of placental, fetal brain and maternal cardiac structure and function in pre-eclampsia using MRI.

Background: Pre-eclampsia is a multiorgan disease of pregnancy that has short- and long-term implications for the woman and fetus, whose immediate impact is poorly understood. We present a novel multi-system approach to MRI investigation of pre-eclampsia, with acquisition of maternal cardiac, placental, and fetal brain anatomical and functional imaging. Methods: A prospective study was carried out recruiting pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, chronic hypertension, or no medical complications, and a non-pregnant female cohort. All women underwent a cardiac MRI, and pregnant women underwent a fetal-placental MRI. Cardiac analysis for structural, morphological and flow data was undertaken; placenta and fetal brain volumetric and T2* data were obtained. All results were corrected for gestational age. Results: Seventy-eight MRIs were obtained during pregnancy. Pregnancies affected by pre-eclampsia demonstrated lower placental and fetal brain T2*. Within the pre-eclampsia group, three placental T2* results were within the normal range, these were the only cases with normal placental histopathology. Similarly, three fetal brain T2* results were within the normal range; these cases had no evidence of cerebral redistribution on fetal Dopplers. Cardiac MRI analysis demonstrated higher left ventricular mass in pre-eclampsia with 3D modelling revealing additional specific characteristics of eccentricity and outflow track remodelling. Conclusions: We present the first holistic assessment of the immediate implications of pre-eclampsia on the placenta, maternal heart, and fetal brain. As well as having potential clinical implications for the risk-stratification and management of women with pre-eclampsia, this gives an insight into disease mechanism.

Prescription Patterns of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure.

PURPOSE: The benefit of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been unequivocally proven in randomized, controlled trials. However, real-world evidence assessing the implementation of SGLT2i in clinical practice and their benefit in HF outside of highly selected study populations is limited. METHODS: Patients with HF and T2DM admitted to the cardiology ward of the Medical University of Vienna between 01/2014 and 04/2020 were included in the present analysis. All first-time prescriptions of SGLT2i were identified. The outcome of interest was cardiovascular mortality. The median follow-up time was 2.3 years. RESULTS: Out of 812 patients with T2DM and HF (median age 70.4 [IQR 62.4-76.9] years; 70.3% males), 17.3% received an SGLT2i. The frequency of SGLT2i prescriptions significantly increased over the past 6 years (+ 36.6%, p < 0.001). In propensity score-adjusted pairwise analyses, SGLT2i treatment was inversely associated with long-term cardiovascular mortality in patients with HFrEF presenting with an adjusted HR of 0.33 (95%CI: 0.13-0.86; p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: Despite large outcome trials showing a cardiovascular benefit, SGLT2i remain underutilized in clinical practice in patients with T2DM and HF. National and European Medical Agency remuneration regulations would allow more patients at high risk to receive these cardiovascular protective drugs. Most importantly, an SGLT2i therapy was associated with a survival benefit in patients with HFrEF.

The prognostic impact of left ventricular thrombus resolution after acute coronary syndrome and risk modulation via antithrombotic treatment strategies.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is a rare but dreaded complication during the acute phase of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, profound data on long-term outcome and associated antithrombotic treatment strategies of this highly vulnerable patient population are scarce in current literature. METHODS: Patients presenting with ACS were screened for presence of LVT and subsequently included within a prospective clinical registry. All-cause mortality and the composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and thromboembolic events were defined as primary and secondary endpoint. RESULTS: Within 43 patients presenting with LVT, thrombus resolution during patient follow-up was observed in 27 individuals (62.8%). Patients that reached a resolution of LVT experienced lower incidence rates of death (-23.9%; p = .022), MACE (-37.8%; p = .005), and thromboembolic events (-35.2%; p = .008). Even after adjustment for clinical variables, thrombus resolution showed an independent inverse association with all-cause death with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.14 (95% CI: 0.03-0.75; p = .021) and as well with MACE with a HR of 0.22 (95% CI: 0.07-0.68; p = .008) and thromboembolic events with a HR of 0.22 (95% CI: 0.06-0.75; p = .015). Triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT) with ticagrelor/prasugrel showed a strong and independent association with thrombus resolution with an adjusted HR of 3.25 (95% CI: 1.22-8.68; p = .019) compared to other strategies. CONCLUSION: The presented data indicate a poor outcome of ACS patients experiencing LVT. In terms of a personalized risk stratification, thrombus resolution has a strong protective impact on both all-cause death and MACE with the potential to tailor treatment decisions-including an intensified antithrombotic treatment approach-in this patient population.

Prescription Patterns of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.

PURPOSE: To assess real-world data on the clinical implementation of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) in cardiovascular patients and to investigate barriers to prescribe these agents. METHODS: Patients presenting with coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) between 01/2014 and 04/2020 were included in the present analysis and followed prospectively. All first-time prescriptions of SGLT2i and GLP-1RA were identified. RESULTS: Among 1498 patients with CAD and T2DM, 17.6% of patients received an SGLT2i and 5.5% a GLP-1RA. The prescription of SGLT2i (+38.7%; p < 0.001) and GLP-1RA (+8%; p = 0.007) significantly increased during the observation period. Considering remuneration criteria for SGLT2i therapy, lowering the GFR cut-off to 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 would allow additional 26.6% of patients to qualify for an SGLT2i therapy. While SGLT2i therapy was inversely associated with CV mortality (adjusted hazard ratio of 0.18 [95% CI: 0.05-0.76]; p = 0.019), GLP-1RA therapy showed a trend for risk reduction. CONCLUSION: The present analysis revealed an infrequent prescription of SGLT2i and GLP-1RAs in patients with T2DM and CAD in clinical practice. Remuneration regulations that better reflect the inclusion criteria of the CV outcome trials would allow more patients at high risk to receive these CV protective drugs. Most importantly, while GLP-1RA therapy showed a trend for risk reduction of cardiovascular mortality, the use of SGLT2i had a strong inverse impact on cardiovascular mortality from a long-term perspective.

Prognostic Value of Right Ventricular Dysfunction and Tricuspid Regurgitation in Patients with Severe Low-Flow Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis.

Long and mid-term data in Low-Flow Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis (LFLG-AS) are scarce. The present study sought to identify predictors of outcome in a sizeable cohort of patients with LFLG-AS. 76 consecutive patients with LFLG-AS (defined by a mean gradient <40 mmHg, an aortic valve area ≤1 cm2 and an ejection fraction ≤50%) were prospectively enrolled and followed at regular intervals. Events defined as aortic valve replacement (AVR) and death were assessed and overall survival was determined. 44 patients underwent AVR (10 transcatheter and 34 surgical) whilst intervention was not performed in 32 patients, including 9 patients that died during a median waiting time of 4 months. Survival was significantly better after AVR with survival rates of 91.8% (CI 71.1-97.9%), 83.0% (CI 60.7-93.3%) and 56.3% (CI 32.1-74.8%) at 1,2 and 5 years as compared to 84.3% (CI 66.2-93.1%), 52.9% (CI 33.7-69.0%) and 30.3% (CI 14.6-47.5%), respectively, for patients managed conservatively (p = 0.017). The presence of right ventricular dysfunction (HR 3.47 [1.70-7.09]) and significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) (HR 2.23 [1.13-4.39]) independently predicted overall mortality while the presence of significant TR (HR 3.40[1.38-8.35]) and higher aortic jet velocity (HR 0.91[0.82-1.00]) were independent predictors of mortality and survival after AVR. AVR is associated with improved long-term survival in patients with LFLG-AS. Treatment delays are associated with excessive mortality, warranting urgent treatment in eligible patients. Right ventricular involvement characterized by the presence of TR and/or right ventricular dysfunction, identifies patients at high risk of mortality under both conservative management and after AVR.