Seiko Nakajima

Risk Stratification for Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in Heart Transplant Recipients – Annual Intravascular Ultrasound Evaluation –

BACKGROUND Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) limits long-term success after heart transplant. We assessed the post-transplant risk factors for CAV development. METHODSANDRESULTS Patients who underwent heart transplant between May 1999 and December 2013 were included in this study. Patients (n=54) were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of CAV progression after transplant. Coronary angiogram and intravascular ultrasound were conducted within 5-11 weeks after transplant, at 12 months, and annually thereafter. Scheduled endomyocardial biopsies were performed after transplant or whenever acute cellular rejection (ACR) or antibody-mediated rejection was suspected. Twenty-five of 54 patients (46.2%) had CAV progression. ACR ≥ International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grade 2 (ACR ≥ 2) and donor age >50 years were significantly associated with CAV development compared with ACR <2 and donor age <50 years. Patients with no history of ACR ≥ 2 and donor age ≤50 years had a significantly low risk of developing CAV compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS Donor age and history of ACR ≥ 2 are independent risk factors for CAV development. Identifying patients at risk of developing CAV is important for appropriate direction of resources and intensity of follow-up.

Comparison of Hemodynamic Performance and Clinical Results with EVAHEART versus HeartMate II

This study aimed to compare the hemodynamic performance and clinical results of the EVAHEART and HeartMate II left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). From 2007 to 2016, fourteen patients received EVAHEART and 28 received HeartMate II at our center. Early survival, driveline infection, and neurologic events were evaluated. Hemodynamic performance was evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography and right heart catheterization. Mean follow-up was 35.5 ± 14.8 months for EVAHEART and 29.8 ± 6.5 months for HeartMate II. Survival rates were comparable between the two groups. After 24 months, freedom from driveline infection was 28% with EVAHEART, and 85% with HeartMate II; freedom from neurologic events was 21% with EVAHEART, and 89% with HeartMate II. Serum lactate dehydrogenase was significantly lower with EVAHEART. There was a significantly greater decrease in left ventricular size with HeartMate II. In catheter examination performed 1 month postoperatively, HeartMate II recipients had significantly lower pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and mean pulmonary pressure, despite a comparable cardiac index. Both devices provided excellent clinical results and hemodynamic performance. HeartMate II could be a better choice to avoid driveline infection and neurologic events. Our results suggest that HeartMate II reduced right ventricular afterload. However, further analysis of more cases is required.

Serum Brain Natriuretic Peptide Concentration 60 Days after Surgery as a Predictor of Long-term Prognosis in Patients Implanted with a Left Ventricular Assist Device.

The objective of this study was to determine the safety of prophylactic subclavian artery intraaortic balloon pumps (SCA-IABP) in high-risk cardiac surgery patients as a bridge to recovery (BTR). From November 2011 to January 2013, 11 consecutive patients at three institutions underwent prophylactic insertion of a SCA-IABP as a BTR. All patients (n = 11) had preoperative ejection fractions of 30% or less. Patients concurrently underwent one or a combination of the following procedures: coronary artery bypass grafting, mitral valve surgery, aortic valve replacement, left ventricular aneurysm resection, and ventricular/atrial septal defect closure. The primary outcome measure was a composite endpoint of device-related complications (including limb ischemia, stroke, device failure, bleeding requiring reoperation, brachial plexus injury, device-related infection, and vascular complications) and in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcome measures included interval to patient ambulation and postoperative length of stay. There were no device-related complications or in-hospital mortalities in this cohort of 11 consecutive patients. Mean time to ambulation, balloon pump support, and postoperative length of stay were 3.70 ± 2.50 days, 8.50 ± 7.00 days, and 15.9 ± 8.25 days, respectively. Prophylactic SCA-IABPs appear to be safe in high-risk cardiac surgery patients as a BTR.Mechanical circulatory support by a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is used to bridge patients with advanced heart failure to transplant or as a definitive treatment. We retrospectively sought predictors of long-term outcome in a cohort of 83 patients who had undergone LVAD treatment. We subjected perioperative clinical data of patients to statistical analysis to establish parameters associated with all-cause mortality, and the cutoff values, sensitivity, and specificity of those that had a statistically significant relation with survival. Mean follow-up was 717 days (standard deviation, 334 days; range, 17–1,592 days). Fourteen patients (16.8%) died, but nine (10.8%) were weaned from support. Serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration measured 60 days after implantation was significantly associated with all-cause mortality. The optimal BNP cutoff value to predict death during LVAD support was 322 pg/ml, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 79.8%. Two-year survival was 92.0% in those with 60 days serum BNP concentration <322 pg/ml compared with 70.5% in those in whom it was ≥322 pg/ml (p = 0.003). The relation between BNP and survival likely reflects recovery of native myocardial function and improvements in global health and should assist clinicians in the on-going management of long-term LVAD therapy.

Cardiac tamponade during transesophageal echocardiography in a patient with infective endocarditis.

An 81-year-old man with a history of diabetes mellitus and end-stage renal disease was admitted because of infective endocarditis. During transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), pericardial effusion rapidly increased and led to cardiac tamponade. Despite intensive therapy, the patient did not recover. Autopsy showed hemopericardium, ruptured sinus of Valsalva, and vegetation on the aortic valve. Our case suggests that cardiac tamponade due to the rupture of a sinus of Valsalva can occur in patients with aortic valve endocarditis complicated by perivalvular abscess. Therefore, we must be aware of this devastating complication and take preventive measures when performing TEE in such patients.

A case of significantly increased mitral regurgitation early after atrial septal defect closure

We report a rare case in which mitral regurgitation (MR) was exacerbated to a severe level early after atrial septal defect (ASD) closure, even though the female patient had preoperatively mild MR and mild changes in mitral valve (MV) and sinus rhythm. The mechanism of increased MR was considered as poor coaptation and tethering of the MV due to the restricted motion of the posterior leaflet in addition to geometric changes of the left ventricle (LV) after ASD closure.

Clinical determinants of successful weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with fulminant myocarditis: Determinants of weaning from ECMO in myocarditis

Patients with fulminant myocarditis (FM) often present with cardiogenic shock and require mechanical circulatory support, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation. This study sought to clarify the determinants of successful weaning from ECMO in FM patients.

Low partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide predicts left ventricular assist device implantation in patients with advanced chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND This study aimed to clarify the prognostic impact of partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) in patients with advanced chronic heart failure (HF). METHODS Forty-eight patients (mean age 43.1±11.9years, 32 males) with chronic HF (44 with non-ischemic and 4 with ischemic cardiomyopathy) were prospectively enrolled. Echocardiography, blood tests, pulmonary function testing, and PETCO2 measurements were performed as noninvasive tests, whereas right heart catheterization and arterial blood gas analysis were conducted as invasive tests. The primary end point of this study was left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation or cardiac death. RESULTS Eighteen patients underwent LVAD implantation at the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profile 3 during the follow-up period, and no patient died. PETCO2 was significantly lower in a stepwise manner with New York Heart Association functional class (class I or II, 34.2±9.3mmHg vs. class III or IV, 27.7±2.5mmHg; p<0.001). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that PETCO2≤31mmHg is an independent noninvasive predictor of LVAD implantation. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses showed that pulmonary arterial pressure was independently and highly correlated with PETCO2 (r2=-0.512, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Among various noninvasive clinical parameters investigated, PETCO2 was the independent predictor of LVAD implantation at the INTERMACS profile 3 in patients with chronic HF. Pulmonary congestion may significantly contribute to decreases in PETCO2 in patients with HF.

Detecting Cardiac Sarcoidosis with a Right Atrial Mass Using Transthoracic Echocardiography

An asymptomatic 40-year-old woman with a first-degree atrioventricular block presented a right atrial mass in transthoracic echocardiograms. Transesophageal echocardiograms showed abnormally thickened tissue on the interatrial septum, which extended around the aortic annulus. Multimodality examinations demonstrated lesions in the heart, lungs, liver, and spleen, suggesting sarcoidosis. She was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis after we detected granulomas in a lung specimen. A right atrial mass shrunk following steroid therapy. We should therefore consider the possibility of cardiac sarcoidosis when we see wall thickening and a mass echo in the atrium. These signs may point to an early-phase lesion of cardiac sarcoidosis.

Successful radiofrequency catheter ablation assisted by the CartoSound® system for outflow tract origin nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in a patient with a severely deformed thorax

We report the case of a 72‐year‐old man with a nonsustained ventricular tachycardia and a history of palpitations. He had a severely deformed thorax since childhood due to spinal caries. An integrated computed tomography image of the outflow tract region from the CartoSound® system revealed the detailed anatomical information around the origin of the tachycardia and that the left anterior descending coronary artery was very close (<10 mm) to the target site. We carefully ablated that site with a 3.5‐mm cooled‐tip catheter while confirming it in the sound view, and succeeded without any complications.

Coronary artery compression caused by the pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa

An 84-year-old woman was admitted to our emergency unit with complaints of fever and left hemiparesis. On admission, a grade II/VI mid-systolic murmur was heard at the second right sternal border. Blood culture revealed a growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae . Transthoracic …