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Background: The predictors of outcome in patients with de novo diagnosis of heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are poorly known. Methods and Results: All consecutive HFrEF patients admitted between October 2012 and November 2017 with their first episode of HF were scheduled for an outpatient follow-up. After 3 months, patients with confirmed HFrEF underwent Iodine-123 Meta-Iodobenzylguanidine imaging. We defined three study endpoints: HF rehospitalization, cardiac death and all-cause death. Eighty-four patients were enrolled. During follow-up (39.9 ± 18.6 months) HF rehospitalization occurred in 33 cases, cardiac death in 18 and all-cause death in 24. At multivariate analysis, systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP; HR: 1.047; p =.027) and Late lung to heart ratio (L/H; HR: 1.341; p <.001) independently predict HF rehospitalization; left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV; HR: 1.016; p =.017), sPAP (HR: 1.064; p =.034) and Late L/H (HR: 1.323; p =.009) were predictors of cardiac death; LVESV (HR: 1.013; p =.018) and Late L/H (HR: 1.245; p =.012) were independent predictors of all-cause death. Kaplan–Meier analysis of the individual predictors confirmed their prognostic ability during follow-up; of note, the Late L/H cut-off of 1.1 improved the risk stratification capability of echocardiographic parameters. Conclusions: Late L/H independently predicts HF rehospitalization, cardiac death and all-cause death in patients with de novo diagnosis of HFrEF and improves the prognostic stratification capability of conventional echocardiographic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To compare cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for the noninvasive assessment of myocardial inflammation in patients with suspected acute myocarditis (AM).Methods: A total of 61 patients with suspected AM underwent coronary angiography and CMR. Qualitative analysis was performed applying Lake-Louise Criteria (LLC), followed by quantitative analysis based on the evaluation of edema ratio (ER) and global relative enhancement (RE). Diagnostic performance was assessed for each method by measuring the area under the curves (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic analyses. The final diagnosis of AM was based on symptoms and signs suggestive of cardiac disease, evidence of myocardial injury as defined by electrocardiogram changes, elevated troponin I, exclusion of coronary artery disease by coronary angiography, and clinical and echocardiographic follow-up at 3 months after admission to the chest pain unit.Results: In all patients, coronary angiography did not show significant coronary artery stenosis. Troponin I levels and creatine kinase were higher in patients with AM compared to those without (both P < .001). There were no significant differences among LLC, T2-weighted short inversion time inversion recovery (STIR) sequences, early (EGE), and late (LGE) gadolinium-enhancement sequences for diagnosis of AM. The AUC for qualitative (T2-weighted STIR 0.92, EGE 0.87 and LGE 0.88) and quantitative (ER 0.89 and global RE 0.80) analyses were also similar.Conclusions: Qualitative and quantitative CMR analysis methods show similar diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of AM. These findings suggest that a simplified approach using a shortened CMR protocol including only T2-weighted STIR sequences might be useful to rule out AM in patients with acute coronary syndrome and normal coronary angiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is a cornerstone of treatment for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Mounting evidences have opened the debate about the optimal DAPT duration. Considering the ACS-pathophysiology, the most recent guidelines recommend DAPT in all ACS patients for at least 12 months unless there are contraindications such as excessive risk of bleeding. Thus, it can be considered acceptable earlier discontinuation if the risk of morbidity from bleeding outweighs the anticipated benefit. On the other hand, several studies have clearly indicated that a significant burden of platelet related-events, such as stroke and new ACS might occur after this period, suggesting that potential benefits might derive by prolonging DAPT beyond 12 months (Long DAPT). Indeed, although current guidelines give some indications about patients eligible for Long DAPT, they do not embrace several real-life clinical scenarios. Thus, in such scenarios, how to decide whether a patient is eligible for Long DAPT or not might be still challenging for clinicians. This position paper presents and discusses various “real-life” clinical scenarios in ACS patients, in order to propose several possible recommendations to overcome guidelines potential limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statin use is associated with enhanced pharmacodynamic response to clopidogrel in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the impact of statin therapy on clopidogrel response profiles in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing PCI has not been established and represents the objective of this investigation. On-treatment P2Y platelet reactivity was measured using the vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) phosphorylation assay before PCI, at hospital discharge, and at 1 month after PCI in ACS patients enrolled in the multicenter, prospective GEne polymorphisms, Platelet Reactivity, and Syntax Score (GEPRESS) study (n = 962). High platelet reactivity (HPR) was defined as platelet reactivity index ≥50%. Statins were prescribed at hospital discharge in 87% (n = 835) of patients. All patients were followed for 1 year. The 1-month HPR rate was lower in statin than in non-statin treated patients (39.6 vs 52%, respectively, p = 0.009). This finding was confirmed also among statin-treated patients with high Syntax score (≥15). After adjustment for differences in baseline characteristics, statin use at discharge was independently associated with 1-month HPR rate (odds ratio, 0.58, 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.89; p = 0.015). In ACS patients undergoing PCI treated with clopidogrel the use of statins at discharge was associated with significantly lower 1-month HPR rates compared with patients not treated with statins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk-to-benefit ratio for the use of low dose of aspirin in primary cardiovascular (CV) prevention in patients with diabetes mellitus remains to be clarified. We assessed the effect of aspirin on risk of CV events in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy, in order to verify the usefulness of Guidelines in clinical practice. We carried out a prospective multicentric study in 564 patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy free of CV disease attending outpatient diabetes clinics . A total of 242 patients received antiplatelet treatment with aspirin 100 mg/day (group A), and 322 were not treated with antiplatelet drugs (group B). Primary end point was the occurrence of total major adverse cardio-vascular events (MACE). Secondary end points were the relative occurrence of fatal MACE. The average follow-up was 8 years. Total MACE occurred in 49 patients from group A and in 52 patients from group B. Fatal MACE occurred in 22 patients from group A and in 20 from group B; nonfatal MACE occurred in 27 patients from group A and in 32 patients from group B. Kaplan-Meier analysis did not show a statistically significant difference of cumulative MACE between the two groups. A not statistically significant difference in the incidence of both fatal ( p = 0.225) and nonfatal CV events ( p = 0.573) between the two groups was observed. These results were confirmed after adjustment for confounders (HR for MACE 1.11, 95 % CI 0.91-1.35). These findings suggest that low dose of aspirin is ineffective in primary prevention for patients with nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of randomized trials, evaluating the long-term outcomes of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Background: Despite short-term outcomes of patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention indicate a benefit of SES in terms of reintervention, several concerns remain on the long-term safety and efficacy of SES. Methods: A systematic literature search of electronic resources, through October 2011, was performed using specific search terms. Included trials were randomized studies comparing SES to BMS in STEMI patients, with a follow-up ≥3 years. Results: Seven trials were included, with a total of 2,364 patients. At a median follow-up of 3 years, SES significantly reduced the risk of target-vessel revascularization when compared with BMS [odds ratio (OR), 0.44; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.34-0.57; p < 0.0001], without increasing the risk of mortality (OR 0.78; 95 % CI, 0.57-1.08; p = 0.14), reinfarction (OR 0.91; 95 % CI, 0.61-1.35, p = 0.64) and early to late stent thrombosis (OR 0.77; 95 % CI, 0.49-1.20; p = 0.25). However after the first year, SES did not further reduce target-vessel revascularization (OR 1.06; 95 % CI, 0.64-1.74; p = 0.83) and increased the risk of very late stent thrombosis (OR 2.81; 95 % CI, 1.33-5.92; p = 0.007). Conclusions: At long-term follow-up, SES compared to BMS use in STEMI patients reduces the risk of target-vessel revascularization, without increasing the risk of death and reinfarction. However, the strong SES efficacy is counterbalanced by a significant risk of very late stent thrombosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of prophylactic anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy for patients undergoing extracardiac conduit (ECC) Fontan procedure still are a matter of debate. Through a systematic review and meta-analysis, this study aimed to determine the incidence of thromboembolism among patients undergoing ECC Fontan who received anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy. Until February 2010, MEDLINE studies describing the incidence of thromboembolic events after ECC Fontan were reviewed. Information on type of drugs and clinical outcome was extracted. The 20 studies analyzed involved 1,075 patients: 220 (20.4%) in the antiplatelet group and 855 (79.5%) in the anticoagulation group. The mean follow-up period ranged from 2 to 144 months. The overall thromboembolism rate was 5.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8-7%; I = 0%; p = 0.32). The effect of different therapeutic strategies on the occurrence of thromboembolic and bleeding events was analyzed. Interestingly, the anticoagulation therapy compared with the antiplatelet therapy was not associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of overall thromboembolic complications (5% vs 4.5%, respectively; I = 0%; p = 0.80). Only two cases of bleeding were observed among patients receiving anticoagulant therapy at the time of the event. For patients undergoing ECC Fontan, the rate of thromboembolic and bleeding events associated with antiplatelet therapy is similar to that associated with anticoagulation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brachial artery access is a good alternative for performing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty when femoral access is contraindicated or not feasible. Although several closure devices are available for femoral access, haemostasis for brachial artery access is still achieved by manual compression with several potential complications, such as bleeding, pseudo-aneurysm formation, especially in patients in which heparin is administered, or thrombotic vessel occlusion. This first-in-human report describes the off-label brachial use of the Cardiva Boomerang™, a novel vascular closure device, which provides haemostasis using a temporary intravascular tampon, thus permitting the easier physiological closure of the puncture site without any important complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have become routine therapy in clinical practice because restenosis is significantly reduced in patients treated with these devices. New generations of DES bearing newer antiproliferative drugs have been developed. Sirolimus was the first antiproliferative drug eluted by a DES (SES) while Zotarolimus represents a sirolimus-derived, newer antiproliferative drug borne by a different kind of DES (ZES). This report describes two cases of different vascular response to concurrent side by side implantation of SES and ZES in the same vessel and highlights significant early restenosis of ZES as compared with SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study compared coronary flow reserve (CFR) estimated by technetium 99m sestamibi imaging with the results obtained with intracoronary Doppler in patients with coronary artery disease. Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of the radionuclide-estimated CFR was also assessed.Methods and Results: Fourteen consecutive patients (mean age, 54 +/- 7 years) with documented coronary artery disease in whom percutaneous coronary intervention was planned underwent dipyridamole (0.74 mg/kg) sestamibi imaging and intracoronary Doppler within 5 days. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) was estimated by measurement of first transit counts in the pulmonary artery and myocardial counts from single photon emission computed tomography images. Estimated CFR was expressed as the ratio of stress MBF to rest MBF. In the study vessels, CFR was 1.36 +/- 0.43 as estimated by sestamibi and 1.39 +/- 0.42 by intracoronary Doppler ( P = .69). A significant relationship between CFR estimated by sestamibi and CFR obtained by intracoronary Doppler was observed ( r = 0.85, P < .001). On Bland-Altman analysis, the mean difference between CFR by sestamibi and by Doppler was 0.03 and the intraclass correlation coefficients for intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility were high (all P < .001) for both global and regional CFR.Conclusions: This study demonstrates a good agreement between CFR estimated by sestamibi imaging and by intracoronary Doppler results and a lack of intraobserver and interobserver variability of this noninvasive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to compare collateral angiographic circulation (CC), thallium 201 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), low-dose dobutamine echocardiography (LDDE), and their combination in identifying viable myocardium beyond a chronic occlusion. Methods and Results. We studied 33 consecutive patients with a chronic occluded coronary artery and regional ventricular dysfunction who underwent dobutamine infusion (5–10 μg · kg-1 · min-1), Tl-201 SPECT, and coronary revascularization (15 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and 18 patients percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty). Echocardiography and Tl-201 SPECT at rest were repeated 90 ± 48 days after revascularization. For viability assessment, Tl-201 SPECT showed the best sensitivity and accuracy (77% and 72%, respectively) compared with LDDE (64% and 63%, respectively) and CC (74% and 55%, P > .05 vs Tl-201 SPECT). Specificity was significantly better for both Tl-201 SPECT (65%) and LDDE (62%) compared with collateral circulation (27%, P > .001 vs Tl-201 SPECT and LDDE). Furthermore, combined Tl-201 SPECT and LDDE data improved specificity (from 88% to 92%) and positive predictive power (from 75% to 78%) but not global accuracy. A direct relationship between the number of viable segments and global functional recovery after revascularization was found only in the case of Tl-201 SPECT ( r = 0.48, P = .04). Conclusions. This study demonstrates that CC has a very low specificity in the evaluation of viability in collateral-dependent myocardium and that LDDE has a very low sensitivity, whereas Tl-201 SPECT is the most reliable method, particularly in akinetic segments, and optimally identifies patients who will mostly benefit from revascularization in terms of ventricular functional improvement. No additional advantages in terms of accuracy were found when Tl-201 SPECT and LDDE data were combined.(J Nucl Cardiol 2003;10:17-27.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of low-dose dobutamine echocardiography (DE) and resting thallium 201 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) alone and in combination for prediction of functional recovery at late follow-up (1 year) after revascularization.Methods and Results: Twenty-six patients with coronary artery disease and ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction, 42% +/- 9%) underwent DE and Tl-201 SPECT 14 +/- 9 (mean +/- SD) days before revascularization and repeated echocardiography 12 +/- 5 months thereafter. Discriminant analysis was applied to combine Tl-201 SPECT and DE data to classify dysfunctional segments as viable or nonviable. In 78 akinetic/dyskinetic revascularized segments, Tl-201 SPECT provided a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 55%, whereas DE showed a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 91%, for prediction of improvement in regional function at follow-up. The combination of data through use of discriminant analysis provided a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 86%, with an overall accuracy of 82%, significantly higher than DE (71%; P <.05) and Tl-201 SPECT (73%; P <.05) alone. Moreover, discriminant analysis identified 12 (75%) of 16 patients with and 8 (80%) of 10 patients without significant improvement in ejection fraction at follow-up, with an accuracy of 77%.Conclusions: The combination of Tl-201 SPECT and DE data provides higher accuracy than either technique alone for prediction of recovery of regional and global function after revascularization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that contractile reserve may be blunted if perfusion and coronary flow reserve are reduced. Thus, it is conceivable that the predictive accuracy of dobutamine echocardiography may differ according to perfusion tracer uptake. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the relationship between the level of thallium-201 uptake and the accuracy of dobutamine echocardiography in identifying reversible dysfunction. Sixty-nine patients (age 59±8 years, ejection fraction 40%±11%) with chronic coronary artery disease scheduled for coronary revascularisation were studied. All patients underwent rest [sup 201] Tl single-photon emission tomography and two-dimensional echocardiography at rest and during low-dose dobutamine infusion on the same day before revascularisation and repeated echocardiography at least 30 days thereafter. At follow-up, recovery of function was observed in 49% of 339 dysfunctional segments. The percentage of segments with post-revascularisation recovery of function and the percentage with contractile reserve increased in parallel with [sup 201] Tl uptake both in the total group of segments (χ[sup 2] =35.5, P<0.0001 and χ[sup 2] =35.9, P<0.0001, respectively) and among the 183 akinetic segments (χ[sup 2] =44.4, P<0.0001 and χ[sup 2] =14.6, P<0.05, respectively). The dysfunctional segments were divided into three groups according to [sup 201] Tl uptake: (a) uptake <65%, (b) uptake between 65% and 79%, (c) uptake >80%. The positive predictive value increased significantly with the level of [sup 201] Tl uptake, and was suboptimal (46%) in akinetic segments with severely reduced [sup 201] Tl uptake. The negative predictive value decreased significantly with [sup 201] Tl uptake, and it was less than suboptimal (29%) in akinetic segments with normal tracer uptake. Sensitivity was lower in the subset of akinetic segments (42%–63%) than in all dyssynergic segments (63%–76%), whereas specificity w... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which compared the predictive accuracy of rest thallium single-photon emission tomography and low-dose dobutamine echocardiography in patients with chronic coronary artery disease and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Materials and methods used in the study; Results and discussion.

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether combined evaluation by discriminant analysis of rest-redistribution thallium-201 tomography and low-dose dobutamine echocardiography enhances the accuracy in identifying viable myocardium in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Rest-redistribution [sup 201]Tl has high sensitivity but low specificity in identifying viable myocardium, while the opposite is true for low-dose dobutamine echocardiography. Forty-six patients underwent low-dose dobutamine echocardiography and rest-redistribution [sup 201]Tl tomography on the same day. Rest echocardiography was repeated at least 30 days (mean 40+/-20) alter myocardial revascularization. Discriminant analysis was applied to the results of [sup 201]Tl tomography and dobutamine echocardiography to classify a/dyskinetic segments as viable or non-viable. In 92 a/dyskinetic segments that were revascularized, rest-redistribution [sup 201]Tl tomography yielded an accuracy of 75%, while the accuracy of dobutamine echocardiography was 70% (P<0.05). When discriminant analysis was used, the combined evaluation gave an accuracy of 83% (P<0.05 vs both tests).... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There is growing evidence that myocardial segments with reverse redistribution are viable in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of myocardial revascularization on systolic function and thallium-201 uptake in such segments.Methods: Rest-redistribution thallium-201 tomography before and after myocardial revascularization was performed in 47 patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Regional function was evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiography before and after revascularization according to a 3-point scale (1 = normal, 2 = hypokinetic, 3 = a/dyskinetic). Improvement of dysfunctional segments was defined when systolic function score decreased > or =1 after revascularization. Reverse redistribution was defined as >8% decrease in relative thallium-201 uptake between rest and redistribution images.Results: Reverse redistribution was found in 27 (57%) of 47 patients, corresponding to 60 (11%) of 564 myocardial segments. Of such segments, 24 (40%) had normal systolic function, 19 (32%) were hypokinetic, and 17 (28%) were a/dyskinetic. Thirty-six segments underwent myocardial revascularization, and reverse redistribution was no longer present in 86% of them subsequent to the procedure. Of 26 dyssynergic segments with reverse redistribution subjected to revascularization, 18 (69%) improved at follow-up.Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate that reverse redistribution is a reversible phenomenon and is often associated with improvement of systolic function following revascularization in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented that discusses a study of the prevalence of diabetes in 679 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients submitted to oral glucose test tolerance (OGTT).