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Diana Aurora Bordejevic,1 Tudor Pârvănescu,2 Lucian Petrescu,1 Cristian Mornoș,1 Ioan Olariu,1 Simina Crișan,1 Cristina Văcărescu,1 Mihai Lazăr,1 Vlad Ioan Morariu,2 Ioana Mihaela Citu,2 Mirela Cleopatra Tomescu,2 Dragoș Cozma1 1Cardiology Department, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 2Cardiology Department, City Hospital, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, RomaniaCorrespondence: Tudor Pârvănescu; Ioana Mihaela CituVictor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2nd Eftimie Murgu Square, Timișoara 300041, RomaniaTel +40 724 369729; +40 723 280 623Fax +40 256 220636Email tudorparvanescu@gmail.com; ioanamihaela2010@gmail.comBackground: Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are at high risk for left ventricular (LV) remodeling and heart failure. We aimed to study whether LV strains (S) and strain rates (SR) could predict cardiac remodeling in patients with AMI having a midrange or preserved LV ejection fraction (EF) following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within the first 12 hours from the onset of symptoms.Patients and Methods: This is a case-control observational study including patients admitted for their first AMI, either with ST-segment elevation (STEMI) or without ST elevation (NSTEMI), with an LVEF > 40% after a successful PCI. Echocardiography was repeated after 6 months, and the patients were divided into two groups, according to whether LV remodeling was determined on echocardiography.Results: Of the 253 AMI patients (mean 66 aged ± 13 years), including 185 males (73%), 61 (24%) presented signs of LV remodeling. In univariate logistic regression analysis, age, male sex, smoking history, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, Killip class, renal function, peak creatine phosphokinase - MB level, 2- and 3-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD), and several echocardiographic parameters were significantly associated with LV remodeling (P< 0.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis harmed (H) LS and SR, Killip class, 3-vessel CAD, and LV end-diastolic volume were outlined as independent predictors for LV remodeling. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that HLS and HLSR were the most powerful independent predictors for LV remodeling (P< 0.001), with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 (sensitivity 83%; specificity 84%; p < 0.001) and 0.77 (sensitivity 93; specificity 61%; p < 0.001), respectively. The identified cut-off values for predictor variables were HLS< − 11%, and HLSR< − 0.65s− 1.Conclusion: We concluded that 2D-STE was the best method to evaluate LV remodeling in patients with AMI and midrange or preserved LVEF following myocardial revascularization by a PCI.Keywords: AMI, PCI, preserved LVEF, midrange LVEF, 2D speckle tracking echocardiography, LV remodeling

Purpose: Left ventricle (LV)-only pacing is non-inferior to biventricular pacing but permanent fusion pacing is needed to ensure cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) responsiveness. The role of systematic exercise testing (ET) in these patients has not been established. This study was designed to assess clinical and therapeutic implications (device programming/drugs) of systematic ET in patients requiring fusion-pacing CRT without an right ventricle (RV) lead. Methods: Consecutive patients with a right atrium/LV-only dual-chamber (DDD) pacing system were included. Prospective data were obtained: device interrogation, ET, and echocardiography at every 6-month follow-up visit. CRT assessment during ET included maximal heart rate, beat-to-beat echocardiography analysis of LV fusion pacing, LV loss of capture, and improvement in exercise capacity. If LV loss of capture or unsatisfactory LV fusion pacing occurred, reprogramming was individualized for each patient and ET redone. Results: A total of 55 patients (29 male) aged 62±11 years were included. During follow-up (39±18 months), a total of 235 ETs were performed, with mean exercise load 6.4±1.3 metabolic equivalents of task (118±35 W, maximal heart rate 119±17 beats/min). Twenty patients (36%) had inadequate pacing or loss of LV capture during ET, due to exceeding the maximum tracking rate (11%), chronotropic incompetence (7%), and LV pacing outside the fusion-pacing band (18%), caused by physiological shortening of the PR interval or exagerated LV preexcitation during maximum exercise. Post-ET CRT-device optimization included reprogramming of rate-adaptive atrioventricular interval (total decrease 23±8 ms), individualized programming of maximum tracking rate, or rate-response function. Drug optimization was performed in 32% of patients, and ET redone in 36%. Conclusion: In one of three ETs, an intervention in device and medication optimization was done to ensure a better outcome. Routine ET should be a standard approach to maximize fusion-pacing CRT response during follow-up.