Emilia D’Elia

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Heart Failure

Exercise intolerance, indicated by dyspnea and fatigue during exertion, is a cardinal manifestation of heart failure (HF). Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) precisely defines maximum exercise capacity through measurement of peak oxygen uptake (VO2). Peak VO2 values have a critical role in informing patient selection for advanced HF interventions such as heart transplantation and ventricular assist devices. Oxygen uptake and ventilatory patterns obtained during the submaximal portion of CPET are also valuable to recognize because of their ease of ascertainment during low-level exercise, relevance to ability to perform activities of daily living, independence from volitional effort, and strong relationship to prognosis in HF. The ability of peak VO2 and other CPET variables to be measured reproducibly and to accurately reflect HF severity is increasingly recognized and endorsed by scientific statements. Integration of CPET with invasive hemodynamic monitoring and cardiac imaging during exercise provides comprehensive characterization of multisystem reserve capacity that can inform prognosis and the need for cardiac interventions. Here, we review both practical aspects of conducting CPETs in patients with HF for clinical and research purposes as well as interpretation of gas exchange patterns across the spectrum of preclinical HF to advanced HF.

Remote heart function monitoring: role of the CardioMEMS HF System

Heart failure is a pandemic condition that is challenging cardiology today. The primary economical and social burden of this syndrome is hospitalization rate whose costs represent the highest ones within the entire healthcare management. Remote monitoring of physiological data, obtained through self-reporting via telephone calls or, automatically, using external devices is a potential novel approach to implement management of patients with heart failure and reduce hospitalization rates. Relatively large but, sometimes, contradicting information exists about the efficacy of remote monitoring via different noninvasive approaches to reduce the economical and social burden of heart failure management. This leaves still partly unaddressed this critical issue and generates the need for new approaches. In this context, the CardioMEMS device that can chronically monitor pulmonary pressures from a small microchip inserted transvenously in the pulmonary artery seems to represent an innovative tool to challenge hospitalization rates. Consecutive analyses from the CHAMPION study had indeed documented the efficacy of the CardioMEMS in the remote monitoring of the pulmonary circulation status of patients with heart failure and in providing adequate information to optimally manage such patients with the final result of a significant hospitalization rate reduction. The striking information here is that this appears to be true in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction also. Overall, the reports from the CHAMPION study encourage the use of CardioMEMS but larger populations are needed to definitively prove its value.

Biomarkers of Heart Failure with Preserved and Reduced Ejection Fraction

Biomarkers are increaingly being used in the management of heart failure not only for the purpose of screening, diagnosis, and risk stratification, but also as a guide to evaluate the response to treatment in the individual patient and as an entry criterion and/or a surrogate marker of efficacy in clinical trials testing novel drugs. In this chapter, we review the role of established biomarkers for heart failure management, according to the main classification of HF phenotypes, based on the measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction, including heart failure with reduced (<40%), preserved (≥50%), and, as recently proposed, mid-range (40-49%) ejection fraction.

Mineralcorticoid antagonists in heart failure.

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) have become mandated therapy in patients with reduced ejection fraction (systolic) heart failure (HF) across all symptom classes. These agents should also be prescribed in the early post-myocardial infarction setting in those with reduced ejection fraction and either HF symptoms or diabetes. This article explores the pathophysiological role of aldosterone, an endogenous ligand for the mineralcorticoid receptor (MR), and summarizes the clinical data supporting guideline recommendations for these agents in systolic HF. The use of MRAs in novel areas beyond systolic HF ejection is also explored. Finally, the current status of newer agents will be examined.

Entirely subcutaneous defibrillator and complex congenital heart disease: Data on long-term clinical follow-up

AIM To describe the long-term follow-up of patients with complex congenital heart disease who underwent subcutaneous implantable cardiac defibrillator (S-ICD), focusing on local complications, appropriate and inappropriate shocks. METHODS Patients with complex congenital heart disease underwent S-ICD implant in two centers with the conventional technique. Data at follow-up were retrieved from clinical notes and institutional database. RESULTS Eight patients were implanted in two centres between 2010 and 2016. Median age at implant was 37.5 years (range 13-57). All patients who were deemed suitable for S-ICD implant passed the pre-procedural screening. Three patients were previously implanted with a anti-bradycardia device, one of whom with CRT. In one patient the device was explanted due to local infection. During the total median follow-up of 874 d, one patient had an appropriate and one inappropriate shock triggered by fast atrial tachycardia. None of the patients had inappropriate shocks secondary to T wave oversensing or electrical interference with anti- bradycardia devices. CONCLUSION S-ICD appears to be effective and safe in patients with complex congenital heart disease.

Clinical correlates of autonomic response during tilting test in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Aims The aim is to investigate autonomic nervous system imbalance in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by combining echocardiographic morphological and functional parameters with the analysis of the autonomic responses to orthostatic stress. Methods A 10-min tilting test and a transthoracic echocardiogram focused on ventricular septal systolic (S wave) and diastolic function (isovolumic relaxation time) were performed. Low frequency on high frequency ratio (LF/HF) and RR variation (variation of beat to beat intervals) in response to passive orthostatism were used as measures of sympathetic reflex activation [delta LF/HF (D-LF/HF) and delta RR (DRR), respectively]. Brain natriuretic peptide was measured. Results A total of 50 HCM patients were categorized in two groups: D-LF/HF more than 0 (group 1, sympathetic response) and D-LF/HF 0 or less (group 2, parasympathetic response). Patients in group 2 had higher New York Heart Association class, a more frequent history of atrial fibrillation (38 versus 9% P = 0.04) or syncope (46 versus 12% P = 0.01) and an increased septal isovolumic relaxation time (122 versus 82 ms P = 0.02). The same categorization was made according to lowest quartile DRR (DRR at least 23 ms, group 1: sympathetic response; DRR less than 23 ms, group 2: parasympathetic response). In group 2, patients were older, with advanced New York Heart Association class and higher history of atrial fibrillation. Conclusions Autonomic response to passive orthostatism in HCM appears correlated with specific functional features of the hypertrophic heart. Altered neural afferent traffic from the localized area of segmental hypertrophy resulted in autonomic changes with a blunted sympathetic response, and an inappropriate vagal activation, especially in patients with history of atrial fibrillation or syncope.

Letter by Ferrero et al Regarding Article, “Predictors of Death in Contemporary Adult Patients With Eisenmenger Syndrome: A Multicenter Study”

We read with interest the article by Kempny et al,1 who developed a multivariate prognostic model to stratify the risk of death in patients with Eisemenger syndrome. This study represents a pivotal contribution to the clinical management of patients with congenital heart disease, whose underlying pathophysiology is usually too complex and heterogeneous to allow any standardization of prognosis estimation. From the methodological point of view, it should be recognized that every prognostic model is based on some fundamental constitutive feature that must be systematically appraised: determination cohort, selection of relevant variables, validation …

Autonomic Pathophysiology After Myocardial Infarction Falling into Heart Failure

Why shall we, once more, bother about the pathophysiology of HF? Why shall we wonder if there is anything more that we need to know? Well: shall we wonder why for 30 years we treated HF patients with inotropic agents including beta-adrenergic receptor agonists, increasing mortality, and nowadays, we use beta-blockers? Shall we wonder why we treat the cardiac pandemic with drugs 50 years old? Shall we wonder why in the same time frame needed to go from the first trans-Atlantic flight to the moon landing we have not been able to go beyond the end-organ response to the autonomic storm without even approaching the core of the storm? So many questions are still waiting for an answer!

Cardiovascular Serenade: Listening to the Heart

Cardiovascular control systems are designed to maintain systemic perfusion of vital organs to ensure survival, adapting to remarkable challenges with instantaneous changes in response to external and internal stimuli. Human survival relies on the heart and vasculature to provide blood flow to key body systems to quickly escape, exercise, or sleep. Cardiovascular control is mediated through a series of complex interactive neural and hormonal events that respond to sensed needs of the body. Understanding cardiovascular physiology from the control system’s perspective is hypothesized to be a window into the clinical status of the human being [1]. Predictable control system changes occur when disease chronically or acutely changes any of the organ systems, such as heart failure (HF) [2–7].

An intriguing case report of functional mitral regurgitation treated with MitraClip.

AbstractFunctional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is frequent in patients with heart failure (HF). It develops as a consequence of left ventricle (LV) geometry alterations, causing imbalance between increased tethering forces and decreased closing forces exerted on the mitral valve apparatus during systole.FMR is known to change at rest and during effort, due to preload–afterload changes, myocardial ischemia, and/or LV dysfunction. Despite optimized medical therapy, an FMR can be responsible of shortness of breath limiting quality of life and decompensation. In this report, we present a case of dynamic FMR treated with MitraClip.MitraClip implantation is a successful and innovative opportunity for HF patients with FMR.