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Copyright of Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Clinical and echocardiography follow-up is recommended in patients with aortic stenosis to detect symptom onset, thus a watchful waiting approach has to be safe and effective. For both AS patients and their general practitioners, evaluation of valvular heart disease (VHD) knowledge, after the indexed specialized assessment has never been measured. Aims: To evaluate the knowledge of clinical symptoms of aortic stenosis by both patients and their general practitioner. Methods: Sixty-four patients, with moderate to severe and initially asymptomatic AS (median AVA (interquartile range) 1.01(0.80–1.15) cm2) previously referred to a tertiary center and medically managed for at least 6 months after the index echocardiogram, and their primary care doctors were interviewed on the phone and asked to answer specific questions related to knowledge of aortic stenosis symptoms. Results: Fifty-six percent of patients quoted shortness of breath as one of the aortic stenosis symptoms, and only 16% knew the 3 aortic stenosis symptoms. Fifty percent of patients reported having received sufficient information regarding aortic stenosis; only 48% remembered receiving information regarding specific symptoms. Only 14% general practitioners quoted the 3 specific symptoms. According to the initial recommendation, only 41 patients (64%) benefitted from a 6-to-12 month clinical and echocardiography follow up. Conclusion: GPs are not sufficiently trained to safely manage AS patients in the community and to ensure adequate follow-up and monitoring. AS patients were not properly informed about their diagnosis and symptomatology. Hence, therapeutic education should be improved for patients with asymptomatic AS and continuous medical education on VHD should be reinforced, for GPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several studies suggest that BNP testing may help define the timing of aortic valve surgery in patients with aortic valve stenosis (AVS) prior onset of overt LV systolic dysfunction. The aim of this study was to identify clinical and echocardiographic correlates of plasma BNP levels in a large cohort of patients with AVS and preserved LV ejection fraction. Method and results: One hundred thirty-five consecutive patients were prospectively included in the present study (Mean age 73 ± 13 years old, 66 (49%) male). Eighty-nine patients (66%) had severe AVS (aortic valve area <0.6 cm2/m2 BSA). Plasma BNP levels, clinical and comprehensive Doppler echocardiography evaluation was performed in all patients. Independent clinical correlates of plasma BNP levels (R2= 0.19) were older age (P < 0.0001) and presence of AVS symptoms (P = 0.004). Independent echocardiographic correlates of plasma BNP levels (R2= 0.38) were E/Ea ratio (P = 0.01), LV mass index (P = 0.018), left atrial surface (P < 0.0001) and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP; P = 0.004). Overall, independent correlates of plasma BNP levels (R2= 0.47) were older age (P = 0.001), known coronary artery disease (P = 0.047), increased LV mass index (P = 0.001), left atrial enlargement (P = 0.002), and increased sPAP (P = 0.003). Conclusions: In patients with AVS and normal LV ejection fraction, plasma BNP predominantly reflects the clinical and echocardiographic consequences of afterload burden imposed on the left ventricle rather than the severity of valve stenosis, per se. (Echocardiography 2011;28:695-702) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient severe aortic valve stenosis (AVS) may occur despite preserved left-ventricular (LV) ejection fraction in older females with marked LV concentric remodeling and small LV cavity size or in patients with coexisting severe mitral regurgitation. This report illustrates the case of a paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient severe AVS despite preserved LV function related to an ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) in a patient presenting with congestive heart failure. Left-to-right shunt ASD that lowers forward LV stroke volume translating into lower transvalvular gradients is an underrecognized cause of paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient severe AVS. In addition, if not detected before open-heart surgery, ASD may result in cardiopulmonary bypass life-threatening complications. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, numerous observations have shown an intimate relationship between von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimer profile and heart valve diseases (HVD). The current knowledge of the unique biophysical properties of VWF helps us to understand the longstanding observations concerning the bleeding complications in patients with severe HVD. Not only does the analysis of the VWF multimer profile provide an excellent evaluation of HVD severity, it is also a strong predictor of clinical events. Also of importance, VWF responds within minutes to any significant change in hemodynamic valve status, making it an accurate marker of the quality of surgical and transcatheter therapeutic interventions. The authors provide in this review a practical, comprehensive, and evidence-based framework of the concept of VWF as a biomarker in HVD, advocating for its implementation into the clinical decision-making process besides usual clinical and imaging evaluation. They also delineate critical knowledge gaps and research priorities to definitely validate this concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: We recently demonstrated in an experimental model the expression of tissue factor (TF) in aortic valves. Thrombin, generated at the end of the TF-initiated coagulation cascade, has been shown to cleave the anti-calcific osteopontin (OSP) liberating the pro-inflammatory OSP N-half. Objectives: We hypothesized that TF might play an important role in calcific aortic valve stenosis (AS) through thrombin generation and hence evaluated the valvular expression of TF and its inhibitor (TF pathway inhibitor), α-thrombin, OSP and its thrombin-cleaved form (OSP N-half). Methods: Calcified aortic valves were obtained from patients undergoing valve replacement. Protein expression was evaluated by immunostaining and measured using ELISA kits. Transcripts were analyzed by RT-PCR. Results: We included 52 patients (31 men; age 70±10 years; aortic valve area index 0.35±0.13cm2/m2). Immunohistochemistry revealed that TF, OSP and α-thrombin expressions were associated with calcifications at the aortic side of the leaflets. There was an overexpression in calcified regions as compared to non-calcified zones of TF (733.3±70.5pg/mg vs. 429.4±73.2pg/mg; p <0.0001), OSP (88.9±12.7ng/mg vs. 15.0±3.3ng/mg; p <0.0001) and OSP N-half (0.41±0.06pmol/mg vs. 0.056±0.011pmol/mg; p <0.0001). Additionally, both TF and α-thrombin expressions were associated with OSP N-half (r =0.52; p <0.0001 and r =0.33; p =0.019, respectively). Conclusions: Aortic leaflet TF and α-thrombin expressions and their association with the thrombin-cleaved form of OSP, are a new and important feature of AS. We hypothesize that TF may be involved in the mineralization process of aortic valves by enhancing the generation of the pro-inflammatory OSP N-half through thrombin induction. This pathway deserves further studies to address its implication in the aortic valve calcification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]