Search

BackgroundMortality after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is dependent from best-medical treatment after initial event. ObjectivesDetermining the impact of prescription of guideline-recommended therapy after STEMI in two cohorts, patients with and without history of arterial hypertension, on survival. Methods1,025 patients of the Cologne Infarction Model registry with invasively adjudicated STEMI were dichotomized according to their history of arterial hypertension. We recorded prescription rates and dosing of RAS-inhibitors, beta-blockers and statins in all patients. The primary outcome was all-cause death. Mean follow-up was 2.5 years. ResultsMean age was 64 +/- 13 years, 246 (25%) were women. 749 (76%) patients had a history of hypertension. All-cause mortality was 24.2%, 30-day and 1-year mortality was 11.3% and 16.6%, respectively. History of hypertension correlated with lower mortality (hazard ratio [HR], @30 days: 0.41 [0.27-0.62], @1 year: 0.37 [0.26-0.53]). After adjusting for age, sex, Killip-class, diabetes mellitus, body-mass index, kidney function and statin prescription at discharge 1-year mortality HR was 0.24 (0.12-0.48). At discharge, prescription rates for RAS-inhibitors, beta-blockers and statins, as well as individual dosing and long-term persistence of RAS-inhibitors were higher in patients with history of hypertension. On the same lines, prescription rates for RAS-inhibitors, beta-blockers and statins at discharge correlated significantly with lower mortality regardless of history of hypertension. ConclusionPatients with history of hypertension show higher penetration of guideline recommended drug therapy after STEMI, which may contribute to better survival. Better tolerance of beta-blockers and RAS-inhibitors in patients with history of hypertension, not hypertension itself, likely explains these differences in prescription and dosing.

Purpose: Baroreflex activation therapy has favorable effects in heart failure patients. We report the results of a single-center study of baroreflex activation therapy in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction including cardiopulmonary exercise testing for the first time to show the effect on exercise capacity. Methods: A total of 17 patients were treated with baroreflex activation therapy. Eligibility criteria were the New York Heart Association class >= III and ejection fraction <= 35% on guideline-directed medical and device therapy. The New York Heart Association class, quality of life, and 6-min hall walk distance were assessed in all patients. Twelve patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing before and 8.9 +/- 6.4 months after initiation of baroreflex activation therapy. Results: The New York Heart Association class and 6-min hall walk distance improved after baroreflex activation therapy, while quality of life remained stable. Weight-adapted peak oxygen uptake increased significantly from 10.1 (8.2-12.9) ml/min/kg to 12.1 (10.4-14.61 ml/min/kg (p=0.041). Maximal heart rate was stable. Maximal oxygen pulse increased from 9.7 (5.5-11.31 to 9.9 (7.1-12.1)ml/heartbeat (p= 0.0471 in 10 patients with low maximal oxygen pulse at baseline (<16.5 ml/heartbeat). There was no significant change in maximal oxygen pulse in the whole cohort. Ventilatory efficiency remained stable. Conclusion: Weight-adapted peak oxygen uptake improved after baroreflex activation therapy, pointing to an enhanced exercise capacity. Ventilatory efficiency and heart rate did not change, while oxygen pulse increased in patients with low oxygen pulse at baseline, indicating an improvement in circulatory efficiency, that is, a beneficial effect on stroke volume and peripheral oxygen extraction.

The prevalence of left ventricular (LV) thrombus formation following percutaneous mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (TMVR) with the MitraClip system is unclear. Decreased total stroke volume and perfusion of the LV apex after mitral valve repair may facilitate thrombus formation especially in the context of reduced LV function. LV thrombus may cause disabling stroke or other thromboembolic events in this elderly and multimorbid patient cohort. Analyses of the prevalence of and risk factors for left ventricular thrombus formation in patients treated with the MitraClip system due to severe mitral valve regurgitation. All discharge and follow-up transthoracic echocardiographic examinations up to 6 months of 453 consecutive patients treated with the MitraClip system were screened for the presence of LV thrombus. Prevalence of LV thrombus formation was 1.1% (5/453). Importantly, LV thrombi were exclusively found in patients with severely depressed left ventricular systolic function (LV-EF < 30%), comprising a prevalence of 4.4% in this subgroup (5/113). Importantly, two of these patients were under active DOAC therapy with Rivaroxaban and Apixaban, respectively. Apart from LV-EF, we did not identify other factors that might have facilitated LV thrombus formation. LV thrombus formation following percutaneous mitral valve repair occurred exclusively in patients with severely depressed LV-EF. As two patients developed LV thrombus despite of DOAC therapy, anticoagulation with a Vitamin K antagonist should be considered in patients with an indication for oral anticoagulation following TMVR.

Background: Computed tomography derived Fractional Flow Reserve (CT-FFR) has been shown to decrease the referral rate for invasive coronary angiography (ICA). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT-FFR compared to hyperemia-free index Resting Full-cycle Ratio (RFR) in patients with relevant aortic stenosis (AS) and intermediate coronary stenosis. Methods: 41 patients with 46 coronary lesions underwent ICA with quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), pressure wire assessment and routine pre-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) computed tomography (CT). CT-FFR analysis was performed using prototype on-site software. Results: RFR showed a significant correlation with CT-FFR (Pearson's correlation, r = 0.632, p < 0.001). On a per-lesion basis, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of CT-FFR were 82.6% (95% CI 68.6-92.2), 69.6% (95% CI 47.1-86.8), 95.7% (95% CI 78.1-99.9), 94.1% (95% CI 69.8-99.1), and 75.9% (95% CI 62.7-85.4), respectively. The optimal cutoff value of the CT-FFR for RFR <= 0.89 prediction was 0.815. The area under the receiver curve showed a larger area under the curve for CT-FFR (0.87; 95% CI 0.75-0.98) compared with CTA stenosis of >= 50% (0.54, 95% CI 0.38-0.71), CTA >= 70% (0.72, 95% CI 0.57-0.87) and QCA >= 50% (0.67, 95% CI 0.52-0.83). Conclusions: CT-FFR assessed by routine pre-TAVR CT is safe and feasible and shows a significant correlation with RFR in patients with AS. CT-FFR is superior to QCA >= 50%, CT >= 50% and CT >= 70% in assessing the hemodynamic relevance of intermediate coronary lesions. Thus, CT-FFR has the potential to guide revascularization in patients with AS.

Arterial hypertension remains the most significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and associated disability worldwide. In the field of arterial hypertension the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic also determined major parts of the scientific debate. Arterial hypertension is associated with a severe course of COVID-19, whereas risk of infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) does not appear to be increased in hypertensive individuals. According to current data, treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin type 1 receptor blockers is not associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or with a more severe course of COVID-19. A study on antihypertensive chronotherapy determined the scientific discourse on the medication treatment of hypertension. The HYGIA study concluded that bedtime medication reduces the cardiovascular risk in patients with arterial hypertension. Due to some study limitations, routine administration of bedtime antihypertensive medication cannot be recommended. Some of the reasons are discussed herein. Another scientific focus was on new renal denervation studies. Here, one can summarize that according to novel evidence, catheter-based renal denervation is an effective and safe procedure for the treatment of arterial hypertension, which could become established as an alternative to pharmaceutical blood pressure reduction in the near future.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate non-hyperemic resting pressure ratios (NHPRs), especially the novel resting full-cycle ratio (RFR; lowest pressure distal to the stenosis/aortic pressure during the entire cardiac cycle), compared to the gold standard fractional flow reserve (FFR) in a real-world setting.Methods: The study included patients undergoing coronary pressure wire studies at one German University Hospital. No patients were excluded based on any baseline or procedural characteristics, except for insufficient quality of traces. The diagnostic performance of four NHPRs vs. FFR <= 0.80 was tested. Morphological characteristics of stenoses were analyzed by quantitative coronary angiography.Results: 617 patients with 712 coronary lesions were included. RFR showed a significant correlation with FFR (r = 0.766, p < 0.01). Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of RFR were 78% (95% confidence interval = 75; 81), 72% (65; 78), 81% (77; 84), 63% (57; 69), and 86% (83; 89). Relevant predictors for discordance of RFR <= 0.89/FFR > 0.8 were LAD lesions, peripheral artery disease, age, female sex and non-focal stenoses. Predictors for discordance of RFR > 0.89/FFR <= 0.8 included non-LCX lesions, percent diameter stenosis and previous percutaneous coronary intervention in the target vessel. RFR and all other NHPRs were highly correlated with each other.Conclusion: All NHPRs have a similar correlation with the gold standard FFR and may facilitate the acceptance and implementation of physiological assessments of lesion severity. However, we found ~20% discordant results between NHPRs and FFR in our all-comers German cohort.