Search

Aims Timely referrals for transplantation and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) play a key role in favourable outcomes in patients with advanced heart failure (HF). The purpose of the Catheter Ablation for atrial fibrillation in patientS with end‐sTage heart faiLure and Eligibility for Heart Transplantation (CASTLE‐HTx) trial is to test the hypothesis that atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation has beneficial effects on mortality and morbidity during ‘waiting time’ for heart transplantation (HTx) or to prolong the time span until LVAD implantation. Methods and Results CASTLE‐HTx is a randomized evaluation of ablative treatment of AF in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction who are candidates and eligible for HTx. The primary endpoint is the composite of all‐cause mortality, worsening of HF requiring a high urgent transplantation, or LVAD implantation. The secondary study endpoints are all‐cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cerebrovascular accidents, worsening of HF requiring unplanned hospitalization, AF burden reduction, unplanned hospitalization due to cardiovascular reason, all‐cause hospitalization, quality of life, number of delivered implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapies, time to first implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy, number of device‐detected ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation episodes, left ventricular function, exercise tolerance, and percentage of right ventricular pacing. Ventricular myocardial tissue will be obtained from patients who will undergo LVAD implantation or HTx to assess the effect of catheter ablation on human HF myocardium. CASTLE‐HTx will randomize 194 patients over a minimum time period of 2 years. Conclusions CASTLE‐HTx will determine if AF ablation has beneficial effects on mortality in patients with end‐stage HF who are eligible for HTx.

Background Renal insufficiency might result in increased levels of cardiac troponin due to decreased elimination. Hence, the diagnostic utility of hs-cTnI might be lower in patients with impaired renal function. There is only scarce data on kinetics of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) following cardiac surgery with regard to renal function. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the impact of impaired renal function on the kinetics of hs-cTnI following cardiac surgery differentiating between patients with and without postoperative myocardial infarction (PMI) and to analyze the prognostic value of hs-cTnI elevations in patients with impaired renal function. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of all adult patients (>18 years) who underwent cardiac surgery at our hospital between Jan, 1st 2013 and May, 1st 2019. Serial measurements of high-sensitive cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) were assessed from baseline up to 48 hours after surgery. Renal function was assessed based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula with impaired renal function defined by GFR Results A total of 14,465 patients were included (51.4% underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 39.4% had valvular procedures and 9.2% thoracic aortic procedures). Levels of hs-cTnI were higher in patients with impaired renal function in the overall collective (figure 1). However, in patients with postoperative myocardial infarction levels of hs-cTnI did not differ with regard to renal function (figure 2). Cox regression analysis showed postoperative elevation of hs-cTnI to be a significant predictor of long-term all-cause mortality over a median follow-up of 3.0 years regardless of baseline kidney function (Hazards ratio 1.67, 95% Confidence interval [1.46–1.91], p Conclusion Renal function had an impact on postoperative hs-cTnI kinetics only in patients with an uneventful postoperative course. In patients with postoperative myocardial infarction kinetics of hs-cTnI were not affected by baseline renal function. Moreover, elevated hs-cTnI levels were a significant predictor of all-cause mortality regardless of baseline renal function. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Background: Atrial arrhythmias are common in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). External shocks and internal cardioversion through commanded ICD shock for electrical cardioversion are used for rhythm-control. However, there is a paucity of data on efficacy of external versus internal cardioversion and on the risk of lead and device malfunction. We hypothesized that external cardioversion is noninferior to internal cardioversion for safety, and superior for successful restoration of sinus rhythm. Methods: Consecutive patients with ICD undergoing elective cardioversion for atrial arrhythmias at 13 centers were randomized in 1:1 fashion to either internal or external cardioversion. The primary safety end point was a composite of surrogate events of lead or device malfunction. Conversion of atrial arrhythmia to sinus rhythm was the primary efficacy end point. Myocardial damage was studied by measuring troponin release in both groups. Results: N=230 patients were randomized. Shock efficacy was 93% in the external cardioversion group and 65% in the internal cardioversion group ( P Conclusions: This is the first randomized trial on external vs internal cardioversion in patients with ICDs. External cardioversion was superior for the restoration of sinus rhythm. The unmasking of silent lead malfunction in the internal cardioversion group suggests that an internal shock attempt may be reasonable in selected ICD patients presenting for electrical cardioversion. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT03247738.

Background Great uncertainty exists about the indication for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome following cardiac surgery. Aim The aim of this study was to define clinical criteria that best identify patients who benefit from ICA after cardiac surgery. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent cardiac surgery between January 2009 and May 2019 at our center. Exclusion criteria included pediatric patients as well as pacemaker, TAVR and LVAD implantation and heart transplantation procedures. The primary outcome was usefulness of ICA as defined by consequent PCI or re-operation due to ICA findings. ECG changes (ST-elevations) and high-sensitivity Troponin I (hsTrop I) were analyzed. Results 48,136 patients were screened and after applying exclusion criteria 29,359 patients were finally included in the analysis (mean age 67.8±11.0 years, 31.1% females, Euroscore II 5.14±8.9%). A total of 1,171 patients (4%) underwent post-op ICA. The primary outcome occurred in 440 patients (1.5%) of which 290 underwent consequent PCI and 214 underwent consequent re-operation. Baseline characteristics are shown in table 1. Unadjusted analyses did not identify significant differences in the level of cardiac biomarkers between useful-ICA and unuseful-ICA groups. In multivariate regression analysis, only ST-elevation on ECG predicted the primary outcome (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.003–1.76). Dichotomizing hsTrop I concentrations by applying the guideline-specified cut-off (>70x URL) resulted in correct classification of useful-ICA patients in 95.7%. However, the false-positive rate was also extremely high (83.6%) with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 1.6% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.6% (accuracy 17.5%). Using area under the curve (ROC) analysis following optimal cut-off values for hsTrop I were identified: in CABG patients a cut-off value of >650x URL (corresponding absolute value 17000 ng/L) was defined with a corresponding sensitivity of 83.3%, specificity of 83.6%, PPV of 8.9% and NPV of 99.6% (accuracy 83.6%). In non-CABG patients (i.e. valve or aortic procedures), the cut-off was about twice as high as that for CABG patients (1,350x URL or 35,000 ng/L) with a corresponding sensitivity of 84.1%, specificity of 89.2%, PPV of 5.9% and NPV of 99.9% (accuracy 89.1%). Conclusion Our study demonstrates that currently recommended cut-off concentrations of high-sensitivity troponin are not useful for guiding clinical decision-making in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome following cardiac surgery, while substantially higher cut-off values might be useful. Those cut-off values critically depend on the type of cardiac surgery performed (CABG vs. non-CABG). Troponin_Curves post-op Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

The risk of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) maladaptation after surgery for isolated primary mitral regurgitation (PMR) is poorly defined. We aimed to evaluate LV and RV contractile function using speckle-tracking analysis alongside with quantification of exercise tolerance in patients with PMR after mitral valve surgery. All consecutive patients with symptomatic PMR undergoing mitral valve surgery between July 2015 and May 2017 were prospectively enrolled. Sequential echocardiographic studies along with clinical assessment were performed before and three months after surgery. Mean age in 138 patients was 65.8 ± 12.7 years, 48.2% (66) of whom were female. Mean LV ejection fraction decreased from 57 ± 12% to 50 ± 11% (p

Cardiac arrhythmias and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are common comorbidities in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, understanding of the association between arrhythmias and SDB is poor. This study assessed the occurrence and circadian distribution of ventricular arrhythmias in HFrEF patients with and without SDB. This retrospective analysis included HFrEF patients admitted for unattended overnight cardiorespiratory polygraphy and 24-h Holter-ECG recording. Holter-ECG data (events/h) were categorized by time of day: morning, 06:00–13:59; afternoon, 14:00–21:59; nighttime, 22:00–05:59. Respiratory events were expressed using the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) and an AHI ≥ 15/h was categorized as moderate to severe SDB. 167 patients were included (82% male, age 65 ± 10.4 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 30.9 ± 7.9%); SDB was predominantly central sleep apnea (CSA) in 45.5%, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in 23.9% or none/mild (nmSDB) in 17.4%. Morning premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) were detected significantly more frequently in CSA versus nmSDB patients (44.4/h versus 1.8/h; p = 0.02). Non-sustained VT was more frequent in patients with CSA versus versus OSA or nmSDB (17.9 versus 3.2 or 3.2%/h; p = 0.003 and p = 0.005, respectively). There was no significant variation in VT occurrence by time of day in HFrEF patients with CSA (p = 0.3). CSA was an independent predictor of VT occurrence in HFrEF in multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 4.1, 95% confidence interval 1.5–11.4, p = 0.007). CSA was associated with VT occurrence irrespective of sleep/wake status in HFrEF patients, and independently predicted the occurrence of VT. This association may contribute to chances by which CSA increases sudden death risk in HFrEF patients.

Schlafbezogene Atmungsstorungen (SBAS) stellen bisher eine eher wenig beachtete Komorbiditat bei Patienten mit Arrhythmien dar. In jungerer Zeit wurden jedoch mehrere Studien veroffentlicht, welche bei Patienten mit Herzinsuffizienz einen direkten Zusammenhang zwischen SBAS und malignen ventrikularen Arrhythmien belegen.

Catheter ablation is an established treatment option for patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). The cornerstone of AF ablation is pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The second-generation cryoballoon (2G-CB) has shown non-inferiority to radiofrequency (RF) ablation in paroxysmal AF in several trials. Growing evidence suggests that 2G-CB is also effective in patients with persistent AF (perAF). The aim of this study was to summarize and analyze available data on safety and mid-term (≥ 12 months) efficacy of PVI using 2G-CB in patients with perAF. We did a search in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and clinicaltrials.gov in December 2016 for studies of 2G-CB ablation for perAF. Studies reporting clinical success rates at a follow-up (FU) of ≥ 12 months were included. Success was defined as freedom from any atrial arrhythmia lasting > 30 s after an initial blanking period of 3 months. Acute success and complication rates were also assessed. Data were analyzed applying random-effects model. A total of 917 patients from 11 studies meeting study inclusion criteria were analyzed. After a mean FU of 16.7 ± 3.0 months, 68.9% were free from recurrences [95% confidence interval (CI) 63.4–74.7%]. Overall acute success rate was 99.7% (95% CI 99.2–100%). Complications occurred in 5.5% (95% CI 2.4–9.6%). Vascular access complications were the most frequent 3.3% (95% CI 1.5–5.6%). The rate of phrenic nerve palsy/injury was 2.09% (95% CI 0.8–3.9%). No death, stroke or myocardial infarction was reported. The 2G-CB seems to be safe and effective in the treatment of perAF in the mid-term.