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Background: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) are effective as a primary prevention measure of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The implications of using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) instead of echocardiography (Echo) to assess LVEF prior to the indication of ICD in this setting are unknown., Materials and Methods: We evaluated 52 STEMI patients (56.6 ± 11 years, 88.5% male) treated with ICD in primary prevention who underwent echocardiography and CMR prior to ICD implantation. ICD implantation was indicated based on the presence of heart failure and depressed LVEF (≤ 35%) by echocardiography, CMR, or both. Prediction of ICD therapies (ICD-T) during follow-up by echocardiography and CMR before ICD implantation was assessed., Results: Compared to echocardiography, LVEF was lower by cardiac CMR (30.2 ± 9% vs. 37.4 ± 7.6%, p < 0.001). LVEF ≤ 35% was detected in 24 patients (46.2%) by Echo and in 42 (80.7%) by CMR. During a mean follow-up of 6.1 ± 4.2 years, 10 patients received appropriate ICD-T (3.16 ICD-T per 100 person-years): 5 direct shocks to treat very fast ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, 3 effective antitachycardia pacing (ATP) for treatment of ventricular tachycardia, and 2 ineffective ATP followed by shock to treat ventricular tachycardia. Echo-LVEF ≤ 35% correctly predicted ICD-T in 4/10 (40%) patients and CMR-LVEF ≤ 35% in 10/10 (100%) patients. CMR-LVEF improved on Echo-LVEF for predicting ICD-T (area under the curve: 0.76 vs. 0.48, p = 0.04)., Conclusion: In STEMI patients treated with ICD, assessment of LVEF by CMR outperforms Echo-LVEF to predict the subsequent use of appropriate ICD therapies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Marcos-Garcés, Perez, Gavara, Lopez-Lereu, Monmeneu, Rios-Navarro, de Dios, Merenciano-González, Gabaldon-Pérez, Ferrero-De-Loma-Osorio, Martínez-Brotons, Bondanza, Sánchez-Gómez, Albiach, Nunez, Bayés-Genís, Chorro, Ruiz-Granell and Bodi.)

Residual ST-segment elevation after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has traditionally been considered a predictor of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and ventricular aneurism. However, the implications in terms of long-term prognosis and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived structural consequences are unclear. A total of 488 reperfused STEMI patients were prospectively included. The number of Q wave leads with residual ST-segment elevation > 1 mm (Q-STE) at pre-discharge ECG was assessed. LV ejection fraction (LVEF, %) and infarct size (IS, % of LV mass) were quantified in 319 patients at 6-month CMR. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were defined as all-cause death and/or re-admission for acute heart failure (HF), whichever occurred first. During a mean follow-up of 6.1 years, 92 MACE (18.9%), 39 deaths and 53 HF were recorded. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, Q-STE (per lead with > 1 mm) was independently associated with a higher risk of long-term MACE (HR 1.24 [1.07-1.44] per lead, p = 0.004), reduced (< 40%) LVEF (HR 1.36 [1.02-1.82] per lead, p = 0.04) and large (> 30% of LV mass) IS (HR 1.43 [1.11-1.85] per lead, p = 0.006) at 6-month CMR. Patients with Q-STE ≥ 2 leads (n = 172, 35.2%) displayed lower MACE-free survival, more depressed LVEF, and larger IS at 6-month CMR (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Residual ST-segment elevation after STEMI represents a universally available tool that predicts worse long-term clinical and CMR-derived structural outcomes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Fatigue and exercise intolerance are the most common symptoms in patients with long COVID., Aims: This study aimed to evaluate whether a home-based inspiratory muscle training (IMT) programme improves maximal functional capacity in patients' long COVID after a previous admission due to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia., Methods: This study was a single-centre, blinded assessor, randomised controlled trial. Twenty-six patients with long COVID and a previous admission due to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia were randomly assigned to receive either a 12-week IMT or usual care alone (NCT05279430). The physiotherapist and participants were not blinded. Patients allocated to the IMT arm were instructed to train at home twice daily using a threshold inspiratory muscle trainer and to maintain diaphragmatic breathing during the training session. The usual care arm received no intervention.The primary endpoint was the change in peak oxygen consumption (peakVO2). Secondary endpoints were changes in quality of life (QoL), ventilatory efficiency and chronotropic response during exercise (evaluated by chronotropic index-CI x - formula). We used linear mixed regression analysis for evaluating changes in primary and secondary endpoints., Results: The mean age of the sample and time to first visit after discharge were 50.4±12.2 years and 362±105 days, respectively. A total of 11 (42.3%) were female. At baseline, the mean of peakVO 2 , ventilatory efficiency and CIx were 18.9±5 mL/kg/min, 29.4±5.2 and 0.64±0.19, respectively. The IMT arm improved their peakVO 2 significantly compared with usual care (+Δ 4.46 mL/kg/min, 95% CI 3.10 to 5.81; p<0.001). Similar positive findings were found when evaluating changes for CI x and some QoL dimensions. We did not find significant changes in ventilatory efficiency., Conclusion: In long COVID patients with a previous admission due to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, IMT was associated with marked improvement in exercise capacity and QoL., Trial Registration Number: NCT05279430., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Exercise intolerance and fatigue are the most common symptoms in patients with chronic COVID-19 after hospital discharge. Supervised exercise training programmes improve symptoms, but scarce research has been done on home-based exercise programmes on the maximal functional capacity for discharged symptomatic COVID-19 patients. This study evaluates whether a home-based inspiratory muscle training (IMT) programme improves maximal functional capacity in chronic COVID-19 after hospital admission., Methods and Analysis: This single-centre, assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial, powered for superiority, seeks to evaluate maximal functional capacity as the primary endpoint. A total of 26 eligible patients with a previous admission for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pneumonia (>3 months after hospital discharge) will be randomised (1:1) to receive a 12-week programme of IMT versus usual care alone. A blinded assessor will measure outcomes at baseline and after the intervention (12 weeks). An analysis of variance will be used to compare continuous outcomes among the two-intervention groups. As of 21 March 2022, eight patients have been enrolled., Ethics and Dissemination: The research ethics committee (Comité Ético de Investigación con Medicamentos de l'Hospital Clínic Universitari de València) approved the protocol following the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and national regulations (Approval Number: 021/226). Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and conference publications., Trial Registration Number: NCT05279430., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Electrocardiogram showing a regular wide QRS tachycardia with left branch block (LBBB) like in morphology at 200 beats per minute (bpm). During electrophysiology study, it suddenly gets narrow and faster. What is the mechanism of the switch from a broad complex to a narrow complex tachycardia?, Competing Interests: All authors had access to the data and a role in writing the manuscript., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Arrhythmia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Heart Rhythm Society.)

Prosthetic valve endocarditis is a major diagnostic challenge in clinical practice, due to the lower sensitivity of the modified Duke criteria and a higher percentage of cases with negative or inconclusive echocardiography results. The delay in establishing medical and surgical treatment increases the morbidity/mortality rate. New imaging techniques and 18F-FDG PET/CT in particular have meant a significant advance in cases of high clinical suspicion and negative or inconclusive echocardiography, increasing the overall sensitivity of the modified Duke criteria. We report the case of a male patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis, where 18F-FDG PET/CT provided the diagnostic key, determining the origin of the endocarditis and avoiding treatment delay., (Copyright © 2018 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: The optimal treatment of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and cardiorenal syndrome type 1 (CRS-1) is far from being well-defined. Arterial hypoperfusion in concert with venous congestion plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of CRS-I. Plasma carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) has emerged as a surrogate of fluid overload in AHF. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of CA125 for tailoring the intensity of diuretic therapy in patients with CRS-1., Methods: Multicenter, open-label, parallel clinical trial, in which patients with AHF and serum creatinine ≥ 1.4mg/dL on admission will be randomized to: a) standard diuretic strategy: titration-based on conventional clinical and biochemical evaluation, or b) diuretic strategy based on CA125: high dose if CA125 > 35 U/mL, and low doses otherwise. The main endpoint will be renal function changes at 24 and 72hours after therapy initiation. Secondary endpoints will include: a) clinical and biochemical changes at 24 and 72hours, and b) renal function changes and major clinical events at 30 days., Results: The results of this study will add important knowledge on the usefulness of CA125 for guiding diuretic treatment in CRS-1. In addition, it will pave the way toward a better knowledge of the pathophysiology of this challenging situation., Conclusions: We hypothesize that higher levels of CA125 will identify a patient population with CRS-1 who could benefit from the use of a more intense diuretic strategy. Conversely, low levels of this glycoprotein could select those patients who would be harmed by high diuretic doses., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the use and impact of the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) upon the 30-day mortality rate and short-term clinical outcome of non-selected patients with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (acute STEMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS)., Design: A single-center retrospective case-control study was carried out., Setting: Coronary Care Unit., Patients: Data were collected from 825 consecutive patients with acute STEMI admitted to a Coronary Care Unit from January 2009 to August 2015. Seventy-three patients with CS upon admission subjected to emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were finally included in the analysis and were stratified according to IABP use (44 patients receiving IABP)., Variables: Cardiovascular history, hemodynamic situation upon admission, angiographic and procedural characteristics, and variables derived from admission to the Coronary Care Unit., Results: Cumulative 30-day mortality was similar in the patients subjected to IABP and in those who received conventional medical therapy only (29.5% and 27.6%, respectively; HR with IABP 1.10, 95% CI 0.38-3.11; p=0.85). Similarly, no significant differences were found in terms of the short-term clinical outcome between the groups: time on mechanical ventilation, days to hemodynamic stabilization, vasoactive drug requirements and stay in the Coronary Care Unit. Poorer renal function (HR 3.9, 95% CI 1.4-10.6; p=0.008), known peripheral artery disease (HR 3.3, 95% CI 1.2-9.1; p=0.019) and a history of diabetes mellitus (HR 3.2, 95% CI 1.2-8.1; p=0.018) were the only variables independently associated to increased 30-day mortality., Conclusion: In our "real life" experience, IABP does not modify 30-day mortality or the short-term clinical outcome in patients presenting STEMI complicated with CS and subjected to emergency percutaneous coronary revascularization., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.)