Riccardo Rovetta

How should we measure left atrium size and function

Echocardiographic assessment of left atrial size from M‐mode or 2D echocardiography measurements has been used in clinical and research studies for years, but its accuracy is now questioned. New techniques, such as 3D and tissue Doppler imaging, assessing velocities, strain and strain rate, provide improved prognostic value in a wide range of diseases. 2D strain imaging using speckle tracking on B‐mode images may yield even better, angle‐independent, results than tissue Doppler imaging‐derived strain echocardiography. Finally, velocity vector imaging is a novel image analysis technique that may be used to quantify left atrial volume.

Effects of Oral Amino Acid Supplements on Functional Capacity in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Amino acids (AAs) availability is reduced in patients with heart failure (HF) leading to abnormalities in cardiac and skeletal muscle metabolism, and eventually to a reduction in functional capacity and quality of life. In this study, we investigate the effects of oral supplementation with essential and semi-essential AAs for three months in patients with stable chronic HF. The primary endpoints were the effects of AAs supplementation on exercise tolerance (evaluated by cardiopulmonary stress test and six minutes walking test (6MWT)), whether the secondary endpoints were change in quality of life (evaluated by Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire—MLHFQJ and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels. We enrolled 13 patients with chronic stable HF on optimal therapy, symptomatic in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II/III, with an ejection fraction (EF) <45%. The mean age was 59 ± 14 years, and 11 (84.6%) patients were male. After three months, peak VO2 (baseline 14.8 ± 3.9 mL/minute/kg vs follow-up 16.8 ± 5.1 mL/minute/kg; P = 0.008) and VO2 at anaerobic threshold improved significantly (baseline 9.0 ± 3.8 mL/minute/kg vs follow-up 12.4 ± 3.9 mL/minute/kg; P = 0.002), as the 6MWT distance (baseline 439.1 ± 64.3 m vs follow-up 474.2 ± 89.0 m; P = 0.006). However, the quality of life did not change significantly (baseline 21 ± 14 vs follow-up 25 ± 13; P = 0.321). A non-significant trend in the reduction of NT-proBNP levels was observed (baseline 1502 ± 1900 ng/L vs follow-up 1040 ± 1345 ng/L; P = 0.052). AAs treatment resulted safe and was well tolerated by all patients. In our study, AAs supplementation in patients with chronic HF improved exercise tolerance but did not change quality of life.

Long-term prognostic value of the right ventricular myocardial performance index compared to other indexes of right ventricular function in patients with moderate chronic heart failure.

Background: The ventricular myocardial performance index (MPI) is a feasible echocardiographic parameter for the evaluation of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The long‐term prognostic role of right ventricular MPI (RV MPI) has been already assessed in patients with more advanced CHF but data are lacking in moderate CHF. The aim of the study is to evaluate the possible prognostic role of RV MPI in moderate CHF patients compared to others traditional RV parameters. Methods: From 2003 to 2004 we enrolled 95 consecutive NYHA class II CHF patients (65 males and 30 females), with the mean age of 66 ± 11 years with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%, on optimal medical treatment. All patients were evaluated clinically and by echocardiography with a follow‐up of 5 years (combined end point: cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization for HF). Results: RV MPI was 0.45 ± 0.36, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion was 21 ± 8 mm, RV fractional area change was 42 ± 12%, systolic pulmonary artery pressure was 33 ± 9 mmHg, and acceleration time of pulmonic flow was 115.5 + 22.62 msec. After the 5 year follow‐up the total mortality was 24.2% and HF hospitalization rate was 33%. At Cox multivariate analysis only an RV MPI superior to median value (>0.38) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion inferior to median value (<18 mm) had shown a significant prognostic role. Conclusion: The RV MPI in a population of moderate CHF showed to have a more long‐term powerful prognostic value than other conventional and traditional echocardiographic right ventricular functional parameters.

A Focus on Antiarrhythmic Properties of Ranolazine

Ranolazine is an antianginal drug that inhibits a number of ion currents that are important for the genesis of transmembrane cardiac action potential. It was initially developed as an antianginal agent but was found to additionally exert antiarrhythmic actions, due to its multichannel-blocking properties. In recent years, several studies about the antiarrhythmic properties of ranolazine were conducted, demonstrating the beneficial effects of this drug in both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, ventricular premature beats, ventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes, and ventricular fibrillation. Our aim is to briefly review the main points of these studies, most more experimental than clinical.

Mitraclip therapy in patients with functional mitral regurgitation and missing leaflet coaptation: is it still an exclusion criterion?

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of Mitraclip therapy in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (MR) and missing leaflet coaptation (MLC).

Effect of Short-Term Infusive Dobutamine Therapy on Thyroid Hormone Profile and Hemodynamic Parameters in Patients With Acute Worsening Heart Failure and Low-Triiodothyronine Syndrome

Objectives Low-triiodothyronine syndrome (LT3S) is a condition characterized by decreased total serum T3 and free T3 (fT3) with normal levels of thyroxine (fT4) and thyrotropin (TSH). Experimental studies have shown that altered thyroid hormones (THs) metabolism modifies cardiovascular homeostasis. The aim of the study was to evaluate prospectively the reversibility and pathophysiological implications of sick euthyroid syndrome in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic heart failure. This study should demonstrate the role of short-term acute dobutamine heart failure (HF) treatment in improving thyroid hormone, neuroendocrine profile, and ventricular performance in patients with worsening HF and LT3S. Methods During hospitalization for worsening heart failure, fT3, fT4, and TSH levels; brain natriuretic peptide; and echocardiographic and right hemodynamic parameters were recorded on admission, after HF treatment and after dobutamine infusion in patients with LT3S. Results We evaluated 60 patients hospitalized for severe acute decompensated HF. Fourteen patients (23%) of the population presented an LT3S. Dobutamine infusion in LT3S patient group evoked a statistically significant cardiac index increase, pulmonary capillary arterial wedge pressure, and right atrial pressure decrease with left ventricle diastolic dysfunction recovery; the hemodynamic and clinical improvement were associated with brain natriuretic peptide reduction and increased fT3 levels. Free T3 levels increased in all of them and normalized in 6 patients (42%). Free T4 and TSH values remained unchanged. Conclusions These data suggest that LT3S in patients with acute decompensated HF can be useful in assessing the status and clinical course for this disease. These preliminary results indicate that LT3S reversibility by dobutamine is associated with short-term hemodynamic and neurohormonal improvement in patients with persistent severe heart failure.

When Should We Use Nitrates in Congestive Heart Failure

Organic nitrates remain among the oldest and most commonly employed drugs in cardiology. Although, in most cases, their use in acute and chronic heart failure is based on clinical practice, only a few clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate their use in acute and chronic heart failure, most of which compare them with other drugs to evaluate differing endpoints. The purpose of this review is to examine the various trials that have evaluated the use of nitrates in acute and chronic heart failure.

Effects of Ranolazine on Cardiovascular System

Chronic stable angina affects 6-7 million Americans and contributes to a significant reduction in quality of life and life expectancy. Current pharmacotherapy for reducing episodes of exertional angina includes β-blockers, calcium channel blockers and long-acting nitrates. Patients may have contraindications to the use of one or more of these agents or be unable to tolerate initial or larger therapeutic doses. As a result of the inability of current management strategies to optimally control episodes of chronic angina, new therapies have been investigated that do not have some of the limitations of current therapies. New therapies for chronic stable angina are based on a mechanism involving membrane current such as the funny current and the late Na current. Ranolazine (Ran) is an antianginal drug acting on I(Na). After its current indication in the chronic stable angina, the role of this molecule is still being studied for prophylaxis of certain arrhythmias and treatment of heart failure. Moreover, have been recently developed new interesting patents of novel pharmaceutical effects and derivates of Ran.

Characteristics and mid-term follow-up of a single-center population affected by Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy.

Introduction Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an acute cardiomyopathy mimicking acute myocardial infarction. The aim of our study was to define clinical and instrumental features of an Italian population of patients with TTC and to report their short and mid-term outcome. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 42 patients admitted to our Department with diagnosis of TTC (100% women, age 67 ± 11 years) using Mayo Clinic-modified criteria. In this population, we analyzed the stressful event (if present), the clinical presentation, the ECG and echocardiogram at admission and the markers of myocardial cytonecrosis, such as troponin I, at admission and during the hospitalization. All the patients have been clinically evaluated after 6 months and 1 year of follow-up. Results In this population, a stressful event before TTC has been detected in 59% of patients. The most common clinical presentation was chest pain (81%) and the major sign was dyspnea (17%). ECG showed negative T waves and ST elevation, respectively, in 45 and 38%. Only 10% had a ST depression and 7% developed a newly acquired complete left bundle branch block. All of these abnormalities disappeared within 1.8 ± 0.9 days. The mean ejection fraction at admission was 35 ± 7% associated with apical (40%), mid-apical (56%) and mid-ventricular (4%) wall motion abnormalities. The recovery of these abnormalities occurred within 10 ± 3 days. At 6-month and 1-year follow-up, no patients had TTC recurrence, and 10 patients at 6 months and 20 patients at 1 year were re-hospitalized for a non-cardiac cause. Conclusion Our data describe the characteristics of TTC in a small Italian population, which are similarly described in Japanese and North American people. TTC was related to a very low mortality, both in the short and mid term, but the risk of acute heart failure in the acute phase could not be neglected.

Mitral valve rheumatic multiple fenestrations: usefulness of 3D real-time echocardiography.

We describe a case that demonstrates and confirms the usefulness of 3D transesophageal echocardiography in the morphological analysis of the mitral valve in a rare occurrence of postrheumatic mitral leaflet perforation.