Search

Aims Evidence on the epidemiology and prognostic significance of mitral regurgitation (MR) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is scarce. Methods and results Overall, 538 patients with either transthyretin (ATTR, n = 359) or immunoglobulin light-chain (AL, n = 179) CA were included at three Italian referral centres. Patients were stratified according to isolated or combined moderate/severe MR and TR. Overall, 240 patients (44.6%) had no significant MR/TR, 112 (20.8%) isolated MR, 66 (12.3%) isolated TR, and 120 (22.3%) combined MR/TR. The most common aetiologies were atrial functional MR, followed by primary infiltrative MR, and secondary TR due to right ventricular (RV) overload followed by atrial functional TR. Patients with isolated or combined MR/TR had a more frequent history of heart failure (HF) hospitalization and atrial fibrillation, worse symptoms, and higher levels of NT-proBNP as compared to those without MR/TR. They also presented more severe atrial enlargement, atrial peak longitudinal strain impairment, left ventricular (LV) and RV systolic dysfunction, and higher pulmonary artery systolic pressures. TR carried the most advanced features. After adjustment for age, sex, CA subtypes, laboratory, and echocardiographic markers of CA severity, isolated TR and combined MR/TR were independently associated with an increased risk of all-cause death or worsening HF events, compared to no significant MR/TR [adjusted HR 2.75 (1.78–4.24) and 2.31 (1.44–3.70), respectively]. Conclusion In a large cohort of patients with CA, MR, and TR were common. Isolated TR and combined MR/TR were associated with worse prognosis regardless of CA aetiology, LV, and RV function, with TR carrying the highest risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Persistent symptoms despite guideline‐directed medical therapy (GDMT) and poor tolerance of GDMT are hallmarks of patients with advanced heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, real‐world data on GDMT use, dose, and prognostic implications are lacking. Methods and results: We included 699 consecutive patients with HFrEF and at least one 'I NEED HELP' marker for advanced HF enrolled in a multicentre registry. Beta‐blockers (BB) were administered to 574 (82%) patients, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitors (ACEi/ARB/ARNI) were administered to 381 (55%) patients and 416 (60%) received mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA). Overall, ≥50% of target doses were reached in 41%, 22%, and 56% of the patients on BB, ACEi/ARB/ARNI and MRA, respectively. Hypotension, bradycardia, kidney dysfunction and hyperkalaemia were the main causes of underprescription and/or underdosing, but up to a half of the patients did not receive target doses for unknown causes (51%, 41%, and 55% for BB, ACEi/ARB/ARNI and MRA, respectively). The proportions of patients receiving BB and ACEi/ARB/ARNI were lower among those fulfilling the 2018 HFA‐ESC criteria for advanced HF. Treatment with BB and ACEi/ARB/ARNI were associated with a lower risk of death or HF hospitalizations (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48–0.84, and HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58–0.95, respectively). Conclusions: In a large, real‐world, contemporary cohort of patients with severe HFrEF, with at least one marker for advanced HF, prescription and uptitration of GDMT remained limited. A significant proportion of patients were undertreated due to unknown reasons suggesting a potential role of clinical inertia either by the prescribing healthcare professional or by the patient. Treatment with BB and ACEi/ARB/ARNI was associated with lower mortality/morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The "I Need Help" markers have been proposed to identify patients with advanced heart failure (HF). We evaluated the prognostic impact of these markers on clinical outcomes in a real-world, contemporary, multicenter HF population. METHODS: We included consecutive patients with HF and at least 1 high-risk "I Need Help" marker from 4 centers. The impact of the cumulative number of "I Need Help" criteria and that of each individual "I Need Help" criterion was evaluated. The primary end point was the composite of all-cause mortality or first HF hospitalization. RESULTS: Among 1149 patients enrolled, the majority had 2 (30.9%) or 3 (22.6%) "I Need Help" criteria. A higher cumulative number of "I Need Help" criteria was independently associated with a higher risk of the primary end point (adjusted hazard ratio for each criterion increase, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.11-1.27]; P<0.001), and patients with >5 criteria had the worst prognosis. Need of inotropes, persistently high New York Heart Association classes III and IV or natriuretic peptides, end-organ dysfunction, >1 HF hospitalization in the last year, persisting fluid overload or escalating diuretics, and low blood pressure were the individual criteria independently associated with a higher risk of the primary end point. CONCLUSIONS: In our HF population, a higher number of "I Need Help" criteria was associated with a worse prognosis. The individual criteria with an independent impact on mortality or HF hospitalization were need of inotropes, New York Heart Association class or natriuretic peptides, end-organ dysfunction, multiple HF hospitalizations, persisting edema or escalating diuretics, and low blood pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: A novel tool for the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) systo‐diastolic function through echo‐derived haemodynamic forces (HDFs) has been recently proposed. The present study aimed to assess the predictive value of HDFs on (i) 6 month treatment response to sacubitril/valsartan in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients and (ii) cardiovascular events. Methods and results: Eighty‐nine consecutive HFrEF patients [70% males, 65 ± 9 years, LV ejection fraction (LVEF) 27 ± 7%] initiating sacubitril/valsartan underwent clinical, laboratory, ultrasound and cardiopulmonary exercise testing evaluations. Patients experiencing no adverse events and showing ≥50% reduction in plasma N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide and/or ≥10% LVEF increase over 6 months were considered responders. Patients were followed up for the composite endpoint of HF‐related hospitalisation, atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular death. Forty‐five (51%) patients were responders. Among baseline variables, only HDF‐derived whole cardiac cycle LV strength (wLVS) was higher in responders (4.4 ± 1.3 vs. 3.6 ± 1.2; p = 0.01). wLVS was also the only independent predictor of sacubitril/valsartan response at multivariable logistic regression analysis [odds ratio 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–1.67], with good accuracy at receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis [optimal cutpoint: ≥3.7%; area under the curve (AUC) = 0.736]. During a 33 month (23–41) median follow‐up, a wLVS increase after 6 months (ΔwLVS) showed a high discrimination ability at time‐dependent ROC analysis (optimal cut‐off: ≥0.5%; AUC = 0.811), stratified prognosis (log‐rank p < 0.0001) and remained an independent predictor for the composite endpoint (hazard ratio 0.76; 95% CI 0.61–0.95; p < 0.01), after adjusting for clinical and instrumental variables. Conclusions: HDF analysis predicts sacubitril/valsartan response and might optimise decision‐making in HFrEF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To investigate the prognostic value of the right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) coupling in patients with either transthyretin (ATTR) or immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis (CA). Methods and results Overall, 283 patients with CA from 3 Italian high-volume centres were included (median age 76 years; 63% males; 53% with ATTR-CA, 47% with AL-CA). The RV-PA coupling was evaluated by using the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) ratio. The median value of TAPSE/PASP was 0.45 (0.33–0.63) mm/mmHg. Patients with a TAPSE/PASP ratio <0.45 were older, had lower systolic blood pressure, more severe symptoms, higher cardiac troponin and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels, greater left ventricular (LV) thickness, and worse LV systolic and diastolic function. A TAPSE/PASP ratio <0.45 was independently associated with a higher risk of all-cause death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization [hazard ratio (HR) 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32–2.96; P = 0.001] and all-cause death (HR 2.18, 95% CI 1.31–3.62; P = 0.003). The TAPSE/PASP ratio reclassified the risk of both endpoints [net reclassification index 0.46 (95% CI 0.18–0.74) P = 0.001 and 0.49 (0.22–0.77) P < 0.001, respectively], while TAPSE or PASP alone did not (all P > 0.05). The prognostic impact of the TAPSE/PASP ratio was significant both in AL-CA patients (HR for the composite endpoint 2.47, 95% CI 1.58–3.85; P < 0.001) and in ATTR-CA (HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.11–2.95; P = 0.017). The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the optimal cut-off for predicting prognosis was 0.47 mm/mmHg. Conclusion In patients with CA, RV-PA coupling predicted the risk of mortality or HF hospitalization. The TAPSE/PASP ratio was more effective than TAPSE or PASP in predicting prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The HFA‐PEFF and H2FPEF scores have been developed to diagnose heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and hold prognostic value. Their value in patients with HFpEF caused by cardiac amyloidosis (CA) has never been investigated. Methods and results: We evaluated the diagnostic and prognostic value of the HFA‐PEFF and H2FPEF scores in 304 patients from three cohorts with HFpEF caused by transthyretin CA (n = 160, 53%) or immunoglobulin light‐chain CA (n = 144, 47%). A diagnosis of HFpEF was more likely using the HFA‐PEFF score with 2 (1%), 71 (23%), and 231 (76%) patients ranked as having a low (0–1), intermediate (2–4), or high (5, 6) probability of HFpEF, respectively. Conversely, 36 (12%), 179 (59%) and 89 (29%) of patients ranked as having a low (0–1), intermediate (2–5), or high (6–9) probability of HFpEF using the H2FPEF score. During a median follow‐up of 19 months (interquartile range 8–40), 132 (43%) patients died. The HFA‐PEFF score, but not the H2FPEF score, predicted a high risk of all‐cause death which remained significant after adjustment for age, AL‐CA diagnosis, high‐sensitivity troponin T, N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide, and echocardiographic parameters, including left ventricular global longitudinal strain, left ventricular diastolic function and right ventricular function (hazard ratio 1.51, 95% confidence interval 1.16–1.95, p = 0.002 for every 1‐point increase in HFA‐PEFF). Conclusions: The HFA‐PEFF score has a higher diagnostic utility in HFpEF caused by CA and holds independent prognostic value for all‐cause mortality, while the H2FPEF score does not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]