Diego Pérez de Arenaza

N-Terminal B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Assessment Provides Incremental Prognostic Information in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes and Normal Troponin T Values Upon Admission

OBJECTIVESnThe purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic value of N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in two independent samples of patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and normal troponin T (TnT) values.nnnBACKGROUNDnRecently assessment of NT-proBNP has been studied in patients with ACS. However, the clinical relevance in patients who present without troponin elevation is unclear.nnnMETHODSnWe included 2,614 patients from two independent registries, one serving as a derivation cohort comprising patients with evident ACS (Bad Nauheim ACS registry, n = 1,131) and the other serving as a validation cohort including chest pain patients (PACS [Prognosis in Acute Coronary Syndromes] registry, n = 1,483). NT-proBNP and TnT were measured upon admission. Clinical outcome has been assessed over a 6-month period.nnnRESULTSnIn both cohorts, the mortality rate was significantly lower among TnT negative patients: 3.8% versus 8.2% (p = 0.009) in the Bad Nauheim ACS registry, and 2.8% versus 8.6% (p = 0.009) in the PACS registry. Among TnT negative patients, receiver-operating characteristics curve analysis yielded an optimal cutoff value of 474 pg/ml for NT-proBNP that was able to discriminate patients at higher risk in the Bad Nauheim ACS and PACS registries (mortality rate 12.3% vs. 1.3%, p < 0.001 and 8.5% vs. 1.5%, p < 0.001, respectively). By Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with NT-proBNP values over 474 pg/ml were at higher risk for death in the Bad Nauheim ACS registry (log-rank 19.01, p < 0.001, adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 9.56 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.42 to 37.7], p = 0.001) and in the PACS registry (log-rank 23.16, p < 0.001, adjusted HR 5.02 [95% CI 2.04 to 12.33], p < 0.001).nnnCONCLUSIONSnAmong patients with suspected ACS considered to be at low risk because of normal troponin values, NT-proBNP above 474 pg/ml is able to discriminate individuals at higher risk. Because of its incremental prognostic value, NT-proBNP assessment should be considered in clinical routine for risk stratification of patients with normal troponin.

Dobutamine-Precipitated Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Mimicking Acute Myocardial Infarction A Multimodality Image Approach

A 77-year-old woman was referred for a dobutamine stress test. She had a prior history of hypertension. Basal ECG was normal (Figure 1A). At 40 μg · kg−1 · min−1 she developed typical chest pain with ST-segment elevation in DI, DII, and the anterior leads with ventricular bigeminy (Figure 1B and 1C). The echocardiogram showed apical and mid-wall myocardial segment akinesis with basal hyperkinesis and left outflow tract gradient obstruction of 60 mm Hg. The …

Cardiac Fibroelastoma: Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Characteristics

Diego Perez de Arenaza,1 Marcelo Pietrani,2 James C. Moon, 3 Hernan Garcia Rivello,4 Nicolas Coccaro,2 Juan Krauss,1 Arturo Cagide,1 Ricardo Garcia Monaco2 Cardiology Department, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina1 Radiology Department, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina2 The Heart Hospital, London, UK 3 Pathology Departments, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina4

Catecholamine-Induced Myocarditis in Pheochromocytoma

A 25-year-old man arrived at the emergency room of his community hospital complaining of abdominal pain, headaches, and palpitations that had appeared suddenly while he was playing soccer. He had no history of hypertension. An abdominal ultrasound revealed a tumor located in the right adrenal gland.nnHe was subsequently transferred to our hospital for further evaluation. On admission, he presented acute pulmonary edema with severe hypertension (blood pressure, 220/120 mm Hg). He was admitted to the coronary care unit. Intravenous vasodilators and loop diuretics were administered, with rapid recovery of clinical status.nnECG showed sinus rhythm, a heart rate of 80 bpm, and T-wave inversion in the DI, DII, and AVL leads. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed left …

Surgery for papillary fibroelastoma with uncommon location in left ventricle.

Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma is a rare tumor. Its location in the left ventricular wall is uncommon. A 59-year-old woman with 2 previous strokes presented with a tumor in the left ventricular apex. The patient underwent tumor resection through a left ventriculotomy. The histopathologic diagnosis was papillary fibroelastoma.

Written Consent to Use the Drug in Children: The Problem of Off-Label Drugs

Cardiac arrhythmias in pediatric patients have different mechanisms and frequencies compared to adult patients. There are many physiological differences between children and adults that may affect the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic of the antiarrhythmic drugs in pediatric population. Children, and specially breast feeding children, cannot be considered low weighted adults to select antiarrhythmic drug doses. Although radiofrequency ablation has experienced great technological advances, it is performed in selected pediatric patients. Therefore, the main therapeutic strategy is the use of antiarrhythmic drugs in children. The medical management of arrhythmias in pediatric patients is challenging and complex. There are few clinical guidelines. There is scarce and incomplete information about the efficacy and safety of antiarrhythmic drugs in pediatric population. Most of the doses and drug administration intervals are extrapolated from adult population and applied to children. Antiarrhythmic drug doses have been extensively studied in adult population. However, in pediatric population, there are very few clinical trials and the safety of these drugs is not well known. In general, dose regimens are based on small uncontrolled studies, extrapolation of drug doses from studies performed in the adult population or physician experience. As a consequence, there is a need for further studies to assess the most effective antiarrhythmic drug regimens in children reducing the risk of side effects. Evidence suggests that medical research in pediatric population is necessary and morally valuable. But investigators involved must take care of moral and ethical values, including the respect for the child-subject and his parents or legal representatives, and this respect compels them to consider the patient and family in the decision making process. The participation request and the informed consent must be obtained according to the competitions the patient exhibits, trying to anticipate information about benefits and possible damages derived from the investigation in an understandable language for him. In our opinion the pharmacologic clinical investigation of antiarrhythmic treatments in pediatrics is necessary. More clinical studies must be carried out under rigorous scientific rules that contemplate the particular ethical dilemmas this population faces.