Eduardo França Pessoa de Melo

Utilidade clínica da angiografia coronariana em pacientes com disfunção ventricular esquerda

BACKGROUND Performing a coronary angiography in patients with heart failure of unknown etiology is often justified by the diagnostic assessment of ischemic heart disease. However, the clinical benefit of this strategy is not known. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the prevalence of ischemic heart disease by angiographic criteria in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction of unknown etiology, as well as its impact on therapy decisions. METHODS Consecutive outpatients with heart failure and systolic dysfunction, who had an indication for coronary angiography to clarify the etiology of heart disease were assessed from 1 January 2009 to December 31, 2010. Patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease, positive serology for Chagas disease, congenital heart disease, valve disease or patients undergoing cardiac transplantation were excluded from the analysis. The sample was divided into two groups according to the indication for catheterization. Group-1: Symptomatic due to angina or heart failure. Group-2: Presence of > 2 risk factors for coronary artery disease RESULTS One hundred and seven patients were included in the analysis, with 51 (47.7%) patients in Group 1 and 56 (52.3%) in Group 2. The prevalence of ischemic heart disease was 9.3% (10 patients), and all belonged to Group 1 (p = 0.0001). During follow-up, only 4 (3.7%) were referred for CABG; 3 (2.8%) patients had procedure-related complications. CONCLUSION In our study, coronary angiography in patients with heart failure and systolic dysfunction of unknown etiology, although supported by current guidelines, did not show benefits when performed only due to the presence of risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Valvuloplastia aórtica por cateter balão na estenose aórtica degenerativa: impacto terapêutico em pacientes em condição clínica in extremis

INTRODUCAO: A valvuloplastia aortica por cateter balao (VAB) e utilizada como estrategia paliativa em pacientes inelegiveis tanto para troca valvar cirurgica quanto para implante valvar aortico transcateter, ou como ponte para essas modalidades de tratamento. Nao se sabe o impacto terapeutico da VAB quando realizada como medida de salvamento para pacientes em condicoes clinicas extremas (in extremis). METODOS: Foram analisados pacientes com estenose aortica grave de etiologia degenerativa submetidos a VAB entre julho de 2008 e janeiro de 2013. Os pacientes foram divididos entre o grupo in extremis (definido pela presenca de duas ou mais das seguintes disfuncoes orgânicas: ventilacao mecânica, instabilidade hemodinâmica, terapia renal dialitica, coagulopatia ou disfuncao hepatica graves) e o grupo controle, que incluiu os demais pacientes. RESULTADOS: Um total de 19 pacientes realizaram VAB no periodo. A condicao clinica in extremis esteve presente em 42,1%. Os pacientes do grupo in extremis tiveram EUROSCORE II mais elevado (41,1 ± 24,7 vs. 15,9 ± 14,0; P = 0,01) e fracao de ejecao do VE mais baixa que o grupo controle (33,9 ± 17,3% vs. 49,0 ± 12,5%; P = 0,04). Nenhum paciente do grupo in extremis sobreviveu ao periodo intra-hospitalar, enquanto que, no grupo controle, a mortalidade foi de 27,3% (P < 0,01). CONCLUSOES: Para o tratamento de pacientes com estenose aortica grave de etiologia degenerativa, a VAB tem resultado desfavoravel quando indicada para pacientes com duas ou mais disfuncoes orgânicas, ou seja, em condicao clinica in extremis.

Utilidade clínica da angiografia coronária e da ressonância nuclear magnética no diagnóstico da cardiomiopatia isquêmica

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy is frequently difficult. Coronary angiography (CA) is limited because it is invasive and the evaluation is exclusively anatomic. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) measures patterns of myocardial fibrosis caused by ischemia. However, LGE does not detect ischemia that does not result in fibrosis. Thus, a thorough clinical evaluation by a cardiologist seems to be the most effective option for diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate CA and LGE as complementary methods for the diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy in patients with systolic heart failure of unknown etiology. METHODS: Patients with systolic heart failure, left ventricle ejection fraction < 45% and unknown etiology after initial non-invasive evaluation were submitted to CA and MRI with LGE to define the etiology of the disease. Patient evaluation by two cardiologists was the gold standard for the diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients were included. The sensitivity to detect ischemic cardiomyopathy was 0.45 for CA vs. 0.81 for LGE. The specificity was 1.0 for CA vs. 0.84 for LGE. The positive predictive value was 1.0 vs. 0.81 and the negative predictive value was 0.68 vs. 0.84 for CA and LGE, respectively. LGE accuracy was superior to CA accuracy (0.83 vs. 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: LGE was more sensitive than CA to evaluate the etiology of ventricular dysfunction, whereas CA was more specific. The diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy using each one of the methods separately presented limitations.

Influência da Localização das Lesões nos Desfechos Clínicos Tardios após Intervenção Coronária Percutânea em Enxertos de Veia Safena

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the late clinical outcomes of patients undergoing saphenous vein graft percutaneous coronary intervention (SVG-PCI), and there are controversies regarding the role of lesion location (aorto-ostial or graft body). METHODS: Single-center registry including patients undergoing SVG-PCI between 2006 and 2011. Aorto-ostial lesion was defined as a lesion within the first 8 mm of the graft; graft body lesion was defined as a lesion located in the remaining portions of the graft. Interventions approaching only the distal anastomosis or the native coronary bed were excluded. We evaluated the rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target vessel revascularization (TVR) between the groups. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-five patients were evaluated, 69 in the Aorto-Ostial Group and 126 in the Graft Body Group. Mean age was 69.6 ± 10.2 years, 41% were diabetic, 65.1% had acute coronary syndromes and most of them were treated with bare metal stents (82.5%). There was no statistical difference between groups for most of the characteristics evaluated. In the late follow-up, the TVR rate (50.8% vs. 22%; P = 0.03) was greater in the Aorto-Ostial Group. The MACE rate (67.7% vs. 63.3%; P = 0.33), death (31.7% vs. 35.6%; P = 0.95) and MI (55% vs. 42%; P = 0.64) were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This population included a high-risk subgroup, with high late mortality rates, regardless of the location of the lesion in the graft. In patients treated predominantly by bare-metal stents, aorto-ostial lesions had a higher reintervention rate when compared to graft body lesions.

Evolução clínica após intervenção coronária percutânea em indivíduos com transplante renal prévio

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease is a major cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease. Moreover, due to the high prevalence of risk factors for atherosclerosis, many of these patients require percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) even after renal transplantation. The aim of this study is to report the late follow-up of patients with renal transplantation treated with PCI and stenting. METHODS: Patients > 18 years of age, with prior kidney transplantation, and treated with PCI were included. Clinical follow-up was evaluated by medical record analysis and telephone contact. The study endpoint was the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during follow-up. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients were included. Mean age was 54.8 ± 8 years and the majority male (72.4%). The prevalence of hypertension was 89.7%, dyslipidemia 69% and diabetes 51.7%. Most of them had multivessel disease (2-vessel: 44.8%; 3-vessel: 41.4%). Lesion complexity was high, being 84.3% type B2 or C lesions and 27.5% bifurcation lesions. Procedural success rate was 100%. Bare metal stents were used in 96.6% of cases. The follow-up time was 1,378 ± 977 days. The mortality rate was 25.1%, target vessel revascularization rate was 15.9% and none of the patients presented non-fatal infarction. The incidence of MACE during follow-up was 34.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Late follow-up after PCI in renal transplantation patients demonstrated a high probability of clinical events. However, the study population was a sample of high clinical and angiographic complexity.

Clinical Use of Coronary Angiography and Magnetic Nuclear Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

ABSTRACT Background The diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy is frequently difficult. Coronary angiography (CA) is limited because it is invasive and the evaluation is exclusively anatomic. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) measures patterns of myocardial fibrosis caused by ischemia. However, LGE does not detect ischemia that does not result in fibrosis. Thus, a thorough clinical evaluation by a cardiologist seems to be the most effective option for diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate CA and LGE as complementary methods for the diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy in patients with systolic heart failure of unknown etiology. Methods Patients with systolic heart failure, left ventricle ejection fraction Results Twenty-four patients were included. The sensitivity to detect ischemic cardiomyopathy was 0.45 for CA vs. 0.81 for LGE. The specificity was 1.0 for CA vs. 0.84 for LGE. The positive predictive value was 1.0 vs. 0.81 and the negative predictive value was 0.68 vs. 0.84 for CA and LGE, respectively. LGE accuracy was superior to CA accuracy (0.83 vs. 0.75). Conclusions LGE was more sensitive than CA to evaluate the etiology of ventricular dysfunction, whereas CA was more specific. The diagnosis of ischemic cardiomyopathy using each one of the methods separately presented limitations.

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty in degenerative aortic stenosis: therapeutic impact on patients in extremis

ABSTRACT Background Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is used as a palliative strategy in patients who are not eligible for valve replacement surgery, transcatheter aortic valve implantation, or as a bridge to these treatment modalities. The impact of BAV as a salvage procedure for patients in extreme clinical conditions ( in extremis ) is unknown. Methods Patients with severe degenerative aortic stenosis undergoing BAV between July 2008 and January 2013 were evaluated. Patients were divided into the in - extremis group (defined by the presence of two or more of the following organ dysfunctions: mechanical ventilation, hemodynamic instability, dialysis, coagulopathy or severe hepatic dysfunction) and the control group, which included the remaining patients. Results A total of 19 patients underwent BAV. The clinical condition in - extremis was present in 42.1% of them. Patients from the in - extremis group had a higher EUROSCORE II (41.1 ± 24.7 vs. 15.9 ± 14.0; P = 0.001) and LV ejection fraction lower than the control group (33.9 ± 17.3% vs. 49.0 ± 12.5; P = 0.04). None of the patients in the in - extremis group survived past the hospitalization period, whereas the control group mortality was 27.3% (P Conclusions BAV has an unfavorable result in patients with severe degenerative aortic stenosis with two or more organ dysfunctions, that is, patients in extremis .