Search

A 62-year-old woman with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 cell lymphoma developed heart failure after mogamulizumab, an immunotherapy agent. Clinical presentation and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were consistent with myocarditis, and a recurrence of heart failure occurred after rechallenge with the therapy. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.), Central Illustration

Background Housing is a growing challenge for US adults in an increasingly unaffordable housing market. These housing challenges can create barriers to effective management and control of Type II Diabetes. However, little is known about how housing challenges are perceived and navigated by clinicians who care for patients with Type II Diabetes. Objective To examine how primary care clinicians perceive and navigate their patients’ housing challenges in the context of Type II Diabetes management. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 primary care clinicians practising in four clinical settings in New Haven, Connecticut. Two investigators systematically coded the interviews. Analysis of coded data was used to determine themes. Results Participants considered housing as significant to their patients’ health and a potential barrier to optimal diabetes management. Participants sought to improve their patients’ housing through advocacy, referrals and interdisciplinary collaborations. They also adjusted clinical decisions to adapt to patients’ housing challenges. In making clinical adjustments, participants struggled to find a balance between what they perceived to be feasible for unstably housed patients and maintaining a standard of care. Some participants navigated this balanced by employing creative strategies and individualized care. Conclusion In highlighting the challenges that clinicians face in maintaining a standard of care for unstably housed diabetes patients, our findings speak to the need for more guidance, resources and support to address housing in a clinical setting.

The complexity of cancer therapies has vastly expanded in the last decade, along with type and severity of cardiac toxicities associated with these treatments. Prevention of pre-clinical cardiotoxicity may improve cardiovascular outcomes and circumvent the decision to place life-sustaining chemotherapeutic agents on hold, making the early detection of cancer therapeutic related cardiac toxicity with non-invasive imaging essential to the care of these patients. There are several established methods of cardiac imaging in the areas of nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, computed tomography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging that are used to assess for cardiovascular toxicity of cancer treatments, with several methods under development. The following review will provide an overview of current and emerging imaging techniques in these areas.

Purpose of Review To give an overview of the role of social media (SoMe) in cardio-oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent Findings SoMe has been critical in fostering education, outreach, awareness, collaboration, dissemination of information, and advocacy in cardio-oncology. This has become increasingly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which SoMe has helped share best practices, community, and research focused on the impact of COVID-19 in cardiology and hematology/oncology, with cardio-oncology at the interface of these two subspecialty fields. Summary A strength of SoMe is the ability to amplify a message in real-time, globally, with minimal investment of resources. This has been particularly beneficial for the emerging field of cardio-hematology/cardio-oncology, a field focused on the interplay of cancer and cardiovascular disease. SoMe field especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We illustrate how social media has supported innovation (including telemedicine), amplification of healthcare workers’ voice, and illumination of pre-existing and continued health disparities within the field of cardio-oncology during the pandemic.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with increased left ventricular (LV) mass, decreased myocardial strain, and the presence of LV fibrosis and scar. The relationship between LV scar and fibrosis with left atrial (LA) fibrosis in the setting of HCM has not been examined. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a correlation between the degree of LA fibrosis and LV parameters in subjects with HCM. Twenty-eight subjects with HCM were imaged on a 1.5T MRI scanner with cine, LV and LA late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequences. LA LGE and LA measurements were correlated with LV measurements of volumes, mass, strain, and LGE. Other clinical conditions and medication usage were also examined and evaluated for correlation with LA and LV parameters. LV LGE was identified in 24 (86%) of the cases and LA LGE was identified in all of the cases. Extent of LA fibrosis significantly correlated with percent LV LGE (r = 0.64, p = 0.001), but not with indexed LV mass or maximum wall thickness. Extent of LA fibrosis also moderately correlated with decreased LV global strain (radial, r = - 0.50, p = 0.013; circumferential, r = 0.47, p = 0.02; longitudinal, r = 0.52, p = 0.013). Increased LA systolic volume correlated moderately with LV end diastolic volume (r = 0.50, p = 0.006). Patients on therapy with Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) Inhibition had significantly less LA LGE compared to those without (18.6% vs 10.8%, p = 0.023). LA fibrosis, as measured by LGE, is prevalent in HCM and is correlated with LV LGE. The correlation between LA and LV LGE might suggest either that LA fibrosis is a consequence of LV remodeling, or that LA and LV fibrosis are both manifestations of the same cardiomyopathic process. Further study is warranted to determine the causality of LA scar in this population.

BackgroundImmune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are highly effective in treating cancer; however, cardiotoxicity can occur, including myocarditis. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is useful for evaluation of myocarditis, although it has not been well studied in ICI cardiotoxicity.MethodsWe identified patients referred for CMR evaluation of ICI cardiotoxicity from September 2015 through September 2019. We assessed structural and functional parameters, feature tracking (FT) left ventricular and atrial strain, T2- weighted ratios and quantitative late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). We also applied the Updated Lake Louise Criteria for diagnosis of myocarditis.ResultsOf the 20 patients referred, the median left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 52.5% ± 19.1 and 50% had a normal LVEF (≥53%). FT strain analysis revealed an average abnormal global longitudinal strain (GLS) of −9.8%± 4.2%. In patients with a normal LVEF, the average GLS remained depressed at −12.3%± 2.4%. In all patients, GLS demonstrated a significant negative correlation with LVEF (rs= −0.64, p 0.002). Sixteen patients (80%) had presence of LGE (14 non-ischemic pattern and 2 ischemic). Percent LGE did not correlate with any CMR parameters and notably did not correlate with LVEF (rs= −0.29, p = 0.22) or GLS (rs= 0.10, p = 0.67), highlighting the value of tissue characterization beyond functional assessment. Nine patients (45%) met full Updated Lake Louise Criteria and 85% met at least one criterion, suggestive of myocarditis in the correct clinical context. Thirteen patients (65%) were treated for ICI-associated myocarditis and, of these, 54% (n = 7) had recovery of LVEF to normal. There was no correlation between LVEF (p = 0.47), GLS (0.89), or % LGE (0.15) and recovery of LVEF with treatment.ConclusionIn patients with suspected ICI cardiotoxicity, CMR is an important diagnostic tool, even in the absence of overt left ventricular dysfunction, as abnormalities in left ventricular strain, T2 signal and LGE can identifying disease.

The complexity of cancer therapies has vastly expanded in the last decade, along with type and severity of cardiac toxicities associated with these treatments. Prevention of pre-clinical cardiotoxicity may improve cardiovascular outcomes and circumvent the decision to place life-sustaining chemotherapeutic agents on hold, making the early detection of cancer therapeutic related cardiac toxicity with non-invasive imaging essential to the care of these patients. There are several established methods of cardiac imaging in the areas of nuclear cardiology, echocardiography, computed tomography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging that are used to assess for cardiovascular toxicity of cancer treatments, with several methods under development. The following review will provide an overview of current and emerging imaging techniques in these areas.

The thin wall of the left atrium (LA) is difficult to visualize. The high spatial and temporal resolution of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) allows for the most accurate assessment of left atrial structure, function, and tissue characterization. This review will describe emerging methods used to image the LA with CMR, and will discuss associated clinical applications. LA function can now be described in a dynamic fashion with feature-tracking algorithms. Novel methods have been created to augment visualization of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the LA, and left atrial fibrosis can be further quantified with T1 mapping algorithms. The advancement in how we image the LA with CMR has implications in atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardiomyopathic processes. A nuanced understanding of left atrial pathology is emerging with the rapid advancement of CMR technology, which has implications in the risk stratification and treatment of several cardiovascular disease states.

Objectives This study sought to determine the rate of chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity and to estimate adherence to recommendations for cardiac monitoring among breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Background Heart failure (HF) is a known complication associated with cancer therapies. Little is known regarding the rate of chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity and adherence to recommendations for cardiac monitoring among chemotherapy-treated breast cancer patients. Methods Patients >18 years of age with a diagnosis of nonmetastatic invasive breast cancer between 2009 and 2014, treated with chemotherapy within 6 months of their diagnosis, were identified in the Truven Health MarketScan (IBM Watson Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts) database. HF, comorbidities, and treatment details were identified using diagnosis and billing codes. Analyses included descriptive statistics, Cox proportional hazard regression, and logistic regression. Results A total of 16,456 patients were included; the median age was 56 years old. Cardiotoxicity was identified in 4.2% of patients. Therapy with trastuzumab (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.72 to 2.36) and anthracyclines (HR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.80), Deyo comorbidity scores (HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.15 to 1.66; HR: 2.47; 95% CI: 1.94 to 3.15 for scores of 1 and ≥2, respectively), hypertension (HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.51), and valve disease (HR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.48 to 2.51) were associated with an increased risk of cardiotoxicity. Patients ≤35 years of age (HR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.19 to 0.72) and 36 to 49 years of age (HR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.38 to 0.62) were less likely to have cardiotoxicity than patients 65 years of age and older. Among 4,325 patients treated with trastuzumab, guideline-adherent cardiac monitoring was identified in 46.2% of patients. Therapies using anthracyclines (odds ratio [OR]: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.35 to 1.87), taxanes (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.08), and radiation (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.39) were associated with guideline-adherent monitoring. Conclusions HF is an uncommon complication of breast cancer therapies. The risk was higher among patients treated with trastuzumab or anthracyclines and lower in younger patients. Cardiac monitoring among trastuzumab-treated patients should be a priority among high-risk patients and in the presence of comorbidities or other chemotherapies such as those using anthracyclines.

Both cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and echocardiography (echo) play a role in evaluation of cardiotoxicity from breast cancer therapy. CMR feature tracking (FT) circumferential strain (CS) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) can be used to detect left ventricular dysfunction. Its use in