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Background: The clinical relevance of cardiac troponin (cTn) elevation in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) remains uncertain. The present study sought to investigate the role of cardiac troponin (cTn) elevations in mortality prediction of patients with Takotsubo syndrome (TTS)., Methods: Patients enrolled in the International Takotsubo (InterTAK) Registry from January 2011 to February 2020 with available data on peak cTn levels were included in the analysis. Peak cTn levels during the index hospitalization were used to define clinically relevant myocardial injury. The threshold at which clinically relevant myocardial injury drives mortality at 1 year was identified using restricted cubic spline analysis., Results: Out of 2'938 patients, 222 (7.6%) patients died during 1-year follow-up. A more than 28.8-fold increase of cTn above the upper reference limit was identified as threshold for clinically relevant myocardial injury. The presence of clinically relevant myocardial injury was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality at 5 years (adjusted HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.18-2.12, p =.002). Clinically relevant myocardial injury was related to an increased 5-year mortality risk in patients with apical TTS (adjusted HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.21-2.03, p =.001), in presence of physical stressors (adjusted HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.22-2.11, p =.001), and in absence of emotional stressors (adjusted HR 1.49, 95% CI, 1.17-1.89, p =.001)., Conclusion: This study for the first time determined a troponin threshold for the identification of TTS patients at excess risk of mortality. These findings advance risk stratification in TTS and assist in identifying patients in need for close monitoring and follow-up., (© 2024 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The perception of takotsubo syndrome (TTS) has evolved significantly over the years, primarily driven by increased recognition of acute complications and mortality., Objectives: This study aimed to explore temporal trends in demographic patterns, risk factors, clinical presentations, and outcomes in patients with TTS., Methods: Patients diagnosed with TTS between 2004 and 2021 were enrolled from the InterTAK (International Takotsubo) registry. To assess temporal trends, patients were divided into 6 groups, each corresponding to a 3-year interval within the study period., Results: Overall, 3,957 patients were included in the study. There was a significant demographic transition, with the proportion of male patients rising from 10% to 15% (P = 0.003). Although apical TTS remained the most common form, the diagnosis of midventricular TTS increased from 18% to 28% (P = 0.018). The prevalence of physical triggers increased from 39% to 58% over the years (P < 0.001). There was a significant increase in 60-day mortality over the years (P < 0.001). However, a landmark analysis excluding patients who died within the first 60 days showed no differences in 1-year mortality (P = 0.150)., Conclusions: This study of temporal trends in TTS highlights a transition in patients demographic with a growing prevalence among men, increasing recognition of midventricular TTS type, and increased short-term mortality and rates of cardiogenic shock in recent years. This transition aligns with the rising prevalence of physical triggers, as expression of increased recognition of TTS in association with acute comorbidities., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Templin has received institutional grants from Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and SMT; and has received consulting grants from Biotronik, Microport, and Innova. Dr Airaksinen has received grants or has contracts with the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research; and has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Bayer, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and AstraZeneca. Dr Bauersachs has received grants from or has contracts with Abiomed, CVRx, Norgine, Roche, and Zoll; holds patents PCT/EP2007/008772 and PCT/EP2009/051986 for microRNA and downstream targets for diagnostics and therapeutic purposes; has received consulting fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardior, Corvia, CVRx, Edwards, Norgine, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Vifor; and has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardior, CVRx, Norgine, Novartis, Pfizer, and Vifor. Dr Boehm has received grants from or has contracts with Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft research support (DFG, SFB-TTR 219, S-01); has received speaker honoraria from Abbott, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cytokinetics, Medtronic, Novartis, Servier, and Vifor; and is on the advisory board of Amgen, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cytokinetics, Medtronic, Novartis, Pfizer, ReCor, Servier, and Vifor. Dr Ferreira has received payments for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from A Menarini, Medinfar, Bayer, AstraZeneca, Biotronik, and Medtronic; and has received payments for participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board from Medtronic. Dr Dichtl has received consulting fees from Reata. Dr Kaiser has received consulting fees from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health; and has received support for attending meetings and/or travel from Medtronic, Abbott, and Europa Organization. Dr Kobza has received institutional grants on behalf of the Luzerner Kantonsspital from Biosense Webster, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Medtronik, and Sis-Medical; and has received consulting fees from Biosense Webster, Biotronik, and Medtronic. Dr Koenig has received grants and provision of reagents to the institution from Singulex, Dr.Beckmann Pharma, Abbott, and Roche Diagnostics; has received consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Novartis, Amgen, Pfizer, The Medicines Company, DalCor Pharmaceuticals, Kowa, Corvidia Therapeutics, OMEICOS, Daiichi-Sankyo, Novo Nordisk, New Amsterdam Pharma, TenSixteen Bio, Esperion, and Genentech; and has received lecture fees from Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Amgen, Berlin-Chemie, Sanofi, and AstraZeneca. Dr Lüscher has received research or educational grants to the institution from Abbott, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Vifor; is the president elect of the European Society of Cardiology; is chairman of the research committee of the Swiss Heart Foundation; is President of the Board of the Zurich Heart House; and is Trustee of the London Heart House. Dr Karakas has received grants or has contracts with Vifor Pharma and Daiichi-Sankyo; has received consulting fees or payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Vifor, Pharmacosmos, and Sphingotec; and has received equipment, materials, drugs, medical writing, gifts or other services from Sphingotec and Vifor Pharma. Dr Niederseer has received consulting fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Gerson Lehmann Group (GLG) Consulting, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Zoll; has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, and Pfizer; and has received support for attending meetings and/or travel from Abbott, Amgen, Bayer, and Novo Nordisk. Dr Roffi has received institutional research grants from Boston Scientific, Cordis, Terumo, Biotronik, and Medtronic. Dr Ruschitzka has not received personal payments by pharmaceutical companies or device manufacturers in the last 3 years; the Department of Cardiology (University Hospital of Zurich/University of Zurich), however, reports research, educational, and/or travel grants from Abbott, Abiomed, Alexion, Amgen, AstraZeneca, At the Limits Ltd, Bayer, Berlin Heart, B. Braun, Biosense Webster, Biosensors Europe AG, Biotronik, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific, Bracco, Cardinal Health Switzerland, Concept Medical, Corteria, CSL, Daiichi-Sankyo, Diatools AG, Edwards Lifesciences, Guidant Europe NV, Hamilton Health Sciences, IHF, Innosuisse, Johnson/Johnson, Kaneka Corporation, Kantar, Kiniksa, Labormedizinisches Zentrum, MedAlliance, Medical Education Global Solutions, Medtronic, MicroPort, MSD, Mundipharma Medical Company, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Orion, Pfizer, Quintiles Switzerland Sarl, RecorMedical, Roche Diagnostics, Roche Pharma, Sahajanand IN, Sanofi, Sarstedt AG, Servier, SIS Medical, Sorin CRM SAS, SSS International Clinical Research, Stromal, Terumo Deutschland, Trama Solutions, V-Wave, Vascular Medical, Vifor, Wissens Plus, and ZOLL. Prof Ruschitzka has not received personal payments by pharmaceutical companies or device manufacturers in the last 3 years; remuneration for the time spent in the following consulting activities were made directly to the University of Zurich and do not impact on his personal remuneration: AstraZeneca (IMC), Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Citi Research, Klub Class, Novo Nordisk, Radcliffe Group, Stiftung Pfizer Forschungspreis, and Vifor; remuneration for the following lectures were made directly to the University of Zurich and do not impact on his personal remuneration: Abbott, Amgen, AstraZeneca (A+ Science AB), Bayer (At the Limits), Boehringer Ingelheim, Boston Scientific (CCE Services), Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, C.T.I GmbH, FomF, Hôpitaux Universitaires des Genève (GECORE), Luzerner Kantonsspital, Sanofi-Aventis, Servier, Medcon, Medscape (WebMD), Medtronic, Medworld, Novartis, Roche, Ruwag, Swiss Heart Failure Academy, The Hong Kong Heart Failure Society, Trama Solutions SL, Inselspital Bern, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Medical Education Global Solutions), Romanian Society of Cardiology, ÖKG Österreichische Gesellschaft für Kardiologie, and Zoll; has received support for attending meetings and/or travel from AstraZeneca (IMC/A+ Science AB), Boehringer Ingelheim, Centro Hospitaler de Vila Nova de Gaia, C.T.I. GmbH (Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf), European Society of Cardiology, Monocle, Novartis, Spektar Putovanja, Austrian Heart Failure Association, and Heart Failure Association of the ESC; remuneration for following Advisory Boards were made directly to the University of Zurich and do not impact on his personal remuneration: Bayer, Roche, IMC/AstraZeneca, and Amgen; and he has received secretarial and administrative support of the HFA for his role as President/Past-President for 2018 to 2020. Dr Schunkert has received consulting fees from Amgen, Daiichi-Sankyo, Merck Sharp and Dohme, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Servier; has received honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events and support for attending meetings and/or travel from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Novartis, Sanofi Aventis, Servier, and Synlab; and has received honoraria for his participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board of Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Novartis, and Amgen. Dr Wolfrum has received consulting fees from NVT/Biosensors as well as payments for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from NVT/Biosensors; and has equities in Hi-D Imaging, Winterthur, Switzerland. Dr Crea has received personal fees from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Abbott, Menarini, Chiesi, and Daiichi-Sankyo, outside of the submitted work. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is associated with a substantial rate of adverse events. We sought to design a machine learning (ML)-based model to predict the risk of in-hospital death and to perform a clustering of TTS patients to identify different risk profiles., Methods and Results: A ridge logistic regression-based ML model for predicting in-hospital death was developed on 3482 TTS patients from the International Takotsubo (InterTAK) Registry, randomly split in a train and an internal validation cohort (75% and 25% of the sample size, respectively) and evaluated in an external validation cohort (1037 patients). Thirty-one clinically relevant variables were included in the prediction model. Model performance represented the primary endpoint and was assessed according to area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity. As secondary endpoint, a K-medoids clustering algorithm was designed to stratify patients into phenotypic groups based on the 10 most relevant features emerging from the main model. The overall incidence of in-hospital death was 5.2%. The InterTAK-ML model showed an AUC of 0.89 (0.85-0.92), a sensitivity of 0.85 (0.78-0.95) and a specificity of 0.76 (0.74-0.79) in the internal validation cohort and an AUC of 0.82 (0.73-0.91), a sensitivity of 0.74 (0.61-0.87) and a specificity of 0.79 (0.77-0.81) in the external cohort for in-hospital death prediction. By exploiting the 10 variables showing the highest feature importance, TTS patients were clustered into six groups associated with different risks of in-hospital death (28.8% vs. 15.5% vs. 5.4% vs. 1.0.8% vs. 0.5%) which were consistent also in the external cohort., Conclusion: A ML-based approach for the identification of TTS patients at risk of adverse short-term prognosis is feasible and effective. The InterTAK-ML model showed unprecedented discriminative capability for the prediction of in-hospital death., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Despite left ventricular global longitudinal strain is an eminent and validated marker of cardiovascular disease, assessment of left atrial size and function may have incremental role in diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease. Left atrial strain, measured by 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, is a non-invasive biomarker for the assessment of left atrial function. This novel marker, has additional value to traditional echocardiography markers of left atrial function such as left atrial diameter and volume for the diagnosis and management of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation and valvular disease. However, there are potent limitations for its use in the daily clinical practice, regarding loading conditions, image acquisition and heart rate. The aim of this review is to summarize the published evidence about left atrial strain, as assessed by speckle tracking imaging, and to discuss its clinical implications and its potent limitations., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) with and without diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of recurrent events requiring multifactorial secondary prevention of cardiovascular risk factors. We compared prevalences of cardiovascular risk factors and its determinants including lifestyle, pharmacotherapy and diabetes mellitus among patients with chronic CHD examined within the fourth and fifth EUROASPIRE surveys (EA-IV, 2012-13; and EA-V, 2016-17) in Germany., Methods: The EA initiative iteratively conducts European-wide multicenter surveys investigating the quality of secondary prevention in chronic CHD patients aged 18 to 79 years. The data collection in Germany was performed during a comprehensive baseline visit at study centers in Würzburg (EA-IV, EA-V), Halle (EA-V), and Tübingen (EA-V)., Results: 384 EA-V participants (median age 69.0 years, 81.3% male) and 536 EA-IV participants (median age 68.7 years, 82.3% male) were examined. Comparing EA-IV and EA-V, no relevant differences in risk factor prevalence and lifestyle changes were observed with the exception of lower LDL cholesterol levels in EA-V. Prevalence of unrecognized diabetes was significantly lower in EA-V as compared to EA-IV (11.8% vs. 19.6%) while the proportion of prediabetes was similarly high in the remaining population (62.1% vs. 61.0%)., Conclusion: Between 2012 and 2017, a modest decrease in LDL cholesterol levels was observed, while no differences in blood pressure control and body weight were apparent in chronic CHD patients in Germany. Although the prevalence of unrecognized diabetes decreased in the later study period, the proportion of normoglycemic patients was low. As pharmacotherapy appeared fairly well implemented, stronger efforts towards lifestyle interventions, mental health programs and cardiac rehabilitation might help to improve risk factor profiles in chronic CHD patients., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In cardiorenal syndrome (CRS), heart failure and renal failure are pathophysiologically closely intertwined by the reciprocal relationship between cardiac and renal injury. Type 1 CRS is most common and associated with acute heart failure. A preexistent chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common and contributes to acute kidney injury (AKI) in CRS type 1 patients (acute cardiorenal syndrome). The remaining CRS types are found in patients with chronic heart failure (type 2), acute and chronic kidney diseases (types 3 and 4), and systemic diseases that affect both the heart and the kidney (type 5). Establishing the diagnosis of CRS requires various tools based on the type of CRS, including non-invasive imaging modalities such as TTE, CT, and MRI, adjuvant volume measurement techniques, invasive hemodynamic monitoring, and biomarkers. Albuminuria and Cystatin C (CysC) are biomarkers of glomerular filtration and integrity in CRS and have a prognostic impact. Comprehensive "all-in-one" magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approaches, including cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) combined with functional MRI of the kidneys and with brain MRI are proposed for CRS. Hospitalizations due to CRS and mortality are high. Timely diagnosis and initiation of effective adequate therapy, as well as multidisciplinary care, are pertinent for the improvement of quality of life and survival. In addition to the standard pharmacological heart failure medication, including SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), renal aspects must be strongly considered in the context of CRS, including control of the volume overload (diuretics) with special caution on diuretic resistance. Devices involved in the improvement of myocardial function (e.g., cardiac resynchronization treatment in left bundle branch block, mechanical circulatory support in advanced heart failure) have also shown beneficial effects on renal function.

Aims: 18F-sodium fluoride ([18F]fluoride) and gadobutrol are promising probes for positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characterizing coronary artery disease (CAD) activity. Unlike [18F]fluoride-PET/computed tomography (CT), the potential of PET/MR using [18F]fluoride and gadobutrol simultaneously, has so far not been evaluated. This study assessed feasibility and diagnostic potential of [18F]fluoride and gadobutrol enhanced dual-probe PET/MR in patients with CAD., Methods and Results: Twenty-one patients (age, 66.7 ± 6.7 years) with CAD scheduled for invasive coronary angiography (XCA) underwent simultaneous [18F]fluoride (mean activity/effective dose: 157.2 ± 29.7 MBq/3.77 ± 0.72 mSv) and gadobutrol enhanced PET/MR on an integrated PET/MRI (3 T) scanner. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used as reference. Target-to-background ratio (TBR, [18F]fluoride-PET) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) values (MRI, gadobutrol) were calculated for each coronary segment. Previously suggested PET/CT-TBR thresholds for adverse coronary events were evaluated. High-risk plaques, i.e. calcified and non-calcified thin-cap fibroatheromas (TCFAs) were predominantly located in segments with a TBR >1.28 (P = 0.012). Plaques containing a lipid core on OCT, were more frequently detected in segments with a TBR >1.25 (P < 0.001). TBR values significantly correlated with maximum calcification thickness (P = 0.009), while fibrous cap thickness was significantly less in segments with a TBR >1.28 (P = 0.044). Above a TBR threshold of >1.28, CNR values significantly correlated with the presence of calcified TCFAs (P = 0.032)., Conclusion: Simultaneous [18F]fluoride and gadobutrol dual-probe PET/MRI is feasible in clinical practice and may facilitate the identification of high-risk patients. The combination of coronary MR-derived CNR values post gadobutrol and [18F]fluoride based TBR values may improve identification of high-risk plaque features., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none declared., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2022. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Heart failure (HF) patients frequently develop brain deficits that lead to cognitive dysfunction (CD), which may ultimately also affect survival. There is an important interaction between brain and heart that becomes crucial for survival in patients with HF. Our aim was to review the brain/heart interactions in HF and discuss the emerging role of combined brain/heart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluation. A scoping review of published literature was conducted in the PubMed EMBASE (OVID), Web of Science, Scopus and PsycInfo databases. Keywords for searches included heart failure, brain lesion, brain, cognitive, cognitive dysfunction, magnetic resonance imaging cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging electroencephalogram, positron emission tomography and echocardiography. CD testing, the most commonly used diagnostic approach, can identify neither subclinical cases nor the pathophysiologic background of CD. A combined brain/heart MRI has the capability of diagnosing brain/heart lesions at an early stage and potentially facilitates treatment. Additionally, valuable information about edema, fibrosis and cardiac remodeling, provided with the use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance, can improve HF risk stratification and treatment modification. However, availability, familiarity with this modality and cost should be taken under consideration before final conclusions can be drawn. Abnormal CD testing in HF patients is a strong motivating factor for applying a combined brain/heart MRI to identify early brain/heart lesions and modify risk stratification accordingly.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of all patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in the ICU of the cardiologic department of the University Hospital of Halle (Saale) between 1999 and 2009., Results: During the observation period, 169 patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest and information regarding temperature measurements were treated. Invasive therapeutic temperature management (TTM+) was applied in 64 patients (37.9%), while 105 patients (62.1%) underwent no therapeutic temperature management (TTM-). TTM+ and TTM- showed no relevant differences regarding patient age (TTM+: 67.6 ± 12.6 years; TTM-: 69.8 ± 12.6 years; p = 0.257), comorbidities and the initial rhythm; however, there were more men in the TTM+ group (76.6% vs. 58.1%; p = 0.015). All patients had been intubated. Time until ROSC in TTM+ was significantly longer (25.9 ± 25.8 min vs. 15.0 ± 12.4 min; p < 0.005). TTM+ resulted in a lower 30-day survival and an unfavourable neurologic outcome (Glasgow outcome scale I or II: 75% TTM+ vs. 55.2% TTM-). This negative effect persisted after adjustment for age of the patients, but not after adjustment for age and duration of reanimation (nonadjusted odds ratio for adverse neurologic outcome under TTM+: 0.411 (p = 0.011); odds ratio after adjusting for age: 0.361 (p = 0.09); odds ratio after adjusting for age and duration of the reanimation: 0.505 (p = 0.121))., (© 2021. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Background: Ethnic disparities have been reported in cardiovascular disease. However, ethnic disparities in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) remain elusive. This study assessed differences in clinical characteristics between Japanese and European TTS patients and determined the impact of ethnicity on in-hospital outcomes., Methods: TTS patients in Japan were enrolled from 10 hospitals and TTS patients in Europe were enrolled from 32 hospitals participating in the International Takotsubo Registry. Clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were compared between Japanese and European patients., Results: A total of 503 Japanese and 1670 European patients were included. Japanese patients were older (72.6 ± 11.4 years vs. 68.0 ± 12.0 years; p < 0.001) and more likely to be male (18.5 vs. 8.4%; p < 0.001) than European TTS patients. Physical triggering factors were more common (45.5 vs. 32.0%; p < 0.001), and emotional triggers less common (17.5 vs. 31.5%; p < 0.001), in Japanese patients than in European patients. Japanese patients were more likely to experience cardiogenic shock during the acute phase (15.5 vs. 9.0%; p < 0.001) and had a higher in-hospital mortality (8.2 vs. 3.2%; p < 0.001). However, ethnicity itself did not appear to have an impact on in-hospital mortality. Machine learning approach revealed that the presence of physical stressors was the most important prognostic factor in both Japanese and European TTS patients., Conclusion: Differences in clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes between Japanese and European TTS patients exist. Ethnicity does not impact the outcome in TTS patients. The worse in-hospital outcome in Japanese patients, is mainly driven by the higher prevalence of physical triggers., Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique Identifier: NCT01947621., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: The value of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in cardiogenic shock, especially the combination of the ECMELLA approach (Impella combined with ECMO), remains controversial., Case Presentation: A previously healthy 33-year-old female patient was submitted to a local emergency department with a flu-like infection and febrile temperatures up to 39 °C. The patient was tested positive for type-A influenza, however negative for SARS-CoV-2. Despite escalated invasive ventilation, refractory hypercapnia (paCO 2 : 22 kPa) with severe respiratory acidosis (pH: 6.9) and a rising norepinephrine rate occurred within a few hours. Due to a Horovitz-Index < 100, out-of-centre veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO)-implantation was performed. A CT-scan done because of anisocoria revealed an extended dissection of the right vertebral artery. While the initial left ventricular function was normal, echocardiography revealed severe global hypokinesia. After angiographic exclusion of coronary artery stenoses, we geared up LV unloading by additional implantation of an Impella CP and expanded the vv-ECMO to a veno-venous-arterial ECMO (vva-ECMO). Clinically relevant bleeding from the punctured femoral arteries resulted in massive transfusion and was treated by vascular surgery later on. Under continued MCS, LVEF increased to approximately 40% 2 days after the initiation of ECMELLA. After weaning, the Impella CP was explanted at day 5 and the vva-ECMO was removed on day 9, respectively. The patient was discharged in an unaffected neurological condition to rehabilitation 25 days after the initial admission., Conclusions: This exceptional case exemplifies the importance of aggressive MCS in severe cardiogenic shock, which may be especially promising in younger patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy and potentially reversible causes of cardiogenic shock. This case impressively demonstrates that especially young patients may achieve complete neurological restoration, even though the initial prognosis may appear unfavourable., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

MR imaging with an albumin-binding probe enables the visualization of endothelial permeability and damage in the arterial system. The goal of this study was to compare signal enhancement of lesions with different grades of stenosis segments on molecular CMR in combination with the albumin-binding probe gadofosveset. This prospective clinical study included patients with symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients underwent gadofosveset-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and x-ray angiography (QCA) within 24 h. CMR imaging was performed prior to and 24 h following the administration of gadofosveset. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) between segments with different grades of stenosis were compared. Overall, n = 203 segments of 26 patients were included. Lesions with more than > 70% stenosis demonstrated significantly higher CNRs compared to lesions < 70% (7.6 ± 8.3 vs. 2.5 ± 4.9; p < 0.001). Post-stenotic segments of lesions > 70% stenosis showed significant higher signal enhancement compared to segments located upstream of these lesions (7.3 ± 8.8 vs. 2.8 ± 2.2; p = 0.02). No difference in signal enhancement between segments proximal and distal of lesions with stenosis greater than 50% was measured (3.3 ± 2.8 vs. 2.4 ± 2.7; p = 0.18). ROC analysis for the detection of lesions ≥ 70% revealed an area under the curve of 0.774 (95% CI 0.681-0.866). This study suggests that relevant coronary stenosis and their down-stream segments are associated with increased signal enhancement on Gadofosveset-enhanced CMR, suggesting a higher endothelial permeability in these lesions. An albumin-binding MR probe could represent a novel in vivo biomarker for the identification and characterization of these vulnerable coronary segments., (© 2021. The Author(s).)