Acute left ventricular failure after transcatheter closure of a secundum atrial septal defect in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

We report a case of acute left ventricular failure at one hour after transcatheter closure of a secundum atrial septal defect （ASD） in a 28-year-old man with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Afforded noninvasive mechanical ventilation and the administration of intravenous morphine and high doses of furosemide, the patient exhibited improvement of his clinical condition, redtion of pulmonary congestion at chest X-ray, and satisfactory blood gas analyses in twelve hours. Twentyfour hours later, the patient received oral administration of furosemide and metoprolol. After 7 days the patient was discharged in good clinical condition. At follow-up at 12 months, the patient had remained symptomatically improved from NYHA Class Ⅲ symptoms before the procedure to Class Ⅱ symptoms. There was no latent arrhythmia at the follow-up examination. Follow-up transthoracic echocardiography estimated an improvement of the left ventricular function. So,transcatheter closure of a secundum ASD in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is feasible, and a thorough understanding of the hemodynamic condition of ASD and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy will reduce the complication of ASD closure.

CLINICAL RESEARCH ON THE EFFECT OF ACUPUNCTURE ON THE LEFT VENTRICULAR CONTRACTION FUNCTION IN SYMPTOMLESS CARDIAC FAILURE PATIENTS

Objective: To observe the effect of acupuncture therapy on the function of myocardial contraction in symptomless cardiac failure patients.Methods: A total of 60 cases of symptomless cardiac insufficiency inpatients were randomly divided into medication and acupuncture groups, with 30 cases in each group. For patients of acupuncture group, Neiguan (PC 6), Ximen (PC 4), Tanzhong (CV 17), Xinshu (BL 15), Jueyinshu (BL 14) and Geshu (BL 17) were punctured, twice daily, with 30 days being a therapeutic course. In medication group, patients were asked to take Capoten 25 mg (t.i.d.). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and its fractional shortening (FS) of the minor axis were used as the indexes for assessing the therapeutic effect and detected by using a color ultrasonic Doppler apparatus. Results: After one course of treatment, of the each 30 cases of acupuncture and medication groups, 13 (43.3%) and 16 (53.3%) had marked improvement, 16 (53.3%) and 14 (46.7%) had improvement, and 1 (3.3%) and 0 had no any effect respectively. No significant difference was found between two groups in the therapeutic effect. It shows acupuncture therapy can improve myocardial contraction function. Conclusion: Acupuncture has a similar effect in enhancing the systolic function of the myocardium.

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Cardiac Dyssynchrony in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

The present study investigated the application of echocardiography to evaluation of cardiac dyssynchrony in patients with congestive heart failure（CHF）. A total of 348 consecutive CHF patients who were admitted for cardiac resynchronization（CRT） and presented with low ejection fraction（EF） and wide QRS duration were enrolled in this study, along with 388 healthy individuals. Dyssynchrony was assessed based on filling time ratio（FT/RR）, left ventricular pre-ejection delay（PED）, interventricular mechanical delay（IVMD）, longitudinal opposing wall delay（LOWD） and radial septal to posterior wall delay（RSPWD）. Response to CRT was defined as a ≥15% increase in EF. The results showed that FT/RR was decreased while PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD were increased in the CHF group compared with the control group（P〈0.01）. In the CHF group, FT/RR was negatively correlated with the QRS duration, LV end-diastolic diameter（LVESd）, LV end-diastolic volume（LVEDV） and LV end-systolic volume（LVESV）（P〈0.01）, but positively with the LVEF（P〈0.01）. Additionally, PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD were positively correlated with the QRS duration, LVESd, LVEDV and LVESV（P〈0.01）, but negatively with the LVEF（P〈0.01）. The CHF group was divided into three subgroups according to the varying degrees of LVEF. FT/RR decreased successively from the LVEF-1 group to the LVEF-2 group to the LVEF-3 group, while the PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD successively increased in the same order（P〈0.01）. The CHF group was divided into three subgroups according to the varying degrees of QRS duration, and FT/RR decreased successively in a sequence from the QRS-1 group to the QRS-2 group to the QRS-3 group, while the PED, IVMD, LOWD and RSPWD successively increased in the same order（P〈0.01）. Speckle tracking radial dyssynchrony ≥130 ms was predictive of an EF response in patients in QRS-1 group（78% sensitivity, 83% specificity）, those in QRS-2 group（83% sensitivity, 77% specificity） and in QRS-3 group（89% sensitivity, 79% specificity）. In conclusion, echocardiography is a convenient and sensitive method for evaluating cardiac dyssynchrony in patients with CHF.

Changes of Plasma Levels of Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

To investigate the changes of plasma brain natriuretic peptide （BNF） levels inpatients with chronic heart failure （CHF）. Methods Plasma BNP concentrations in patients with CHF （n=56） and in normal controls （n=60） were measured with specific radioimmunoassay. Left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with chronic heart failure was measured with 99mTc gated cardiac blood pool scintigraphy. Results The results showed that Plasma BNP concentrations in patients with CHF were significantly higher than normal controls （223±79 ng/L vs 40±15 ng/L, P 〈 0.01）. Plasma BNP concentrations had a significant negative correlation with left ventricular ejection fractions（r=-0.68, P 〈 0.01 ）. Conclusions These results indicates that Plasma BNP levels are increased in patients with CHF, and they markedly increased according to the severity of heart failure classified by NYHA classifi- cation. The plasma BNP levels may be a biochemical parameter for evaluating the left ventricular function.

Factors Associated with Echocardiographic Abnormalities in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease in a Tertiary Hospital in Ivory Coast

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) are very frequent in pa-tients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and impose a new environment to which the heart must adapt. Cardiac ultrasound is a non-invasive and easy-to-perform examination that allows quantitative and qualitative assessment of the anatomy and function of the heart. The objectives of this study were to describe abnormalities observed on trans-thoracic Doppler-echocar-diography and to investigate the factors associated with them. Materials and Method: This was a monocentric retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in CKD patients hospitalized in a hospital center in Côte d'Ivoire from January 2017 to December 2018. Results: One hundred and four cases were collected with a mean age of 48.87 ± 14.47 years and a sex ratio of 1.7. Patients with end-stage-renal-disease (ESRD) represented 83.7% with 55.8% of cases of chronic glomerulonephritis. Cardiovascular risk factors were 100% anemia, 84.6% inflammatory profile, 77.9% hypertension, 76.9% hypocalcemia and in 67.3% oedema. Cardiac abnormalities were observed in 78.8% of patients. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), accounting for 20.2% of cases, was associated with male gender (OR 0.127 CI 0.025 - 0.643;p = 0.013) and hypertensive nephropathy (OR 0.189 CI 0.056 - 0.637;p = 0.007). History of hypertension (OR 0.297 CI 0.084 - 1.050;p = 0.060) and diabetes (OR 5.315 CI 1.260 - 22.419;p = 0.023), hypertensive nephropathy (OR 0.174 CI 0.052 - 0.585;p = 0.005) and hypocalcemia (OR 6.094 CI 1.723 - 21.559;p = 0.005) are incriminated in the development of left ventricular dilatation (LVD) which accounted for 38.5% of cases. Conclusion: Left ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation are the main echocardiographic abnormalities observed in our population.

Septic cardiomyopathy phenotype in the critically ill may depend on antimicrobial resistance

Background Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction,and septic cardiomyopathy(SCM)may complicate the course of the disease.Infection with multidrug-resistant(MDR)pathogens has been linked with worse outcomes.This study aims to evaluate SCM in patients with infections caused by different antimicrobial-resistant phenotypes.Method This retrospective study included patients with sepsis/septic shock,hospitalized,and intubated in the intensive care unit of the University Hospital of Larissa between January 2022 and September 2023 with echocardiographic data during the first two days after infection onset.The patients were divided into two groups:non-MDR-SCM group and MDR-SCM group.The cardiac function was compared between the two groups.Result A total of 62 patients were included in the study.Forty-four patients comprised the MDR-SCM and 18 the non-MDR-SCM group.Twenty-six patients(41.9%)presented with left ventricular(LV)systolic dysfunction,and≤35%right ventricular fractional area change(RVFAC)was present in 56.4%.LV systolic function was more severely impaired in the non-MDR-SCM group(left ventricular ejection fraction,35.8%±4.9%vs.45.6%±2.4%,P=0.049;LV outflow tract velocity time integral,[10.1±1.4]cm vs.[15.3±0.74]cm,P=0.001;LV-Strain,–9.02%±0.9%vs.–14.02%±0.7%,P=0.001).The MDR-SCM group presented with more severe right ventricular(RV)dilatation(right ventricular end-diastolic area/left ventricular end-diastolic area,0.81±0.03 vs.0.7±0.05,P=0.042)and worse RV systolic function(RVFAC,32.3%±1.9%vs.39.6%±2.7%,P=0.035;tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion,[15.9±0.9]mm vs.[18.1±0.9]mm,P=0.165;systolic tissue Doppler velocity measured at the lateral tricuspid annulus,[9.9±0.5]cm/s vs.[13.1±0.8]cm/s,P=0.002;RV-strain,–11.1%±0.7%vs.–15.1%±0.9%,P=0.002).Conclusion SCM related to MDR infection presents with RV systolic dysfunction predominance,while non-MDR-SCM is mainly depicted with LV systolic dysfunction impairment.

Alterations in myosin heavy chain isoform gene expression during the transition from compensatory hypertrophy to congestive heart failure in rats

Objective To explore the molecular mechanism underlying the decreased velocity of tension rise in rat myocardium during congestive heart failure (CHF) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) induced by aortic stenosis.Methods The maximum velocity of tension rise (+dT/dtmax) was measured in left ventricular papillary muscle and the mRNA level of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms in the left ventricle were detected by Northern blot analysis.Results The value of +dT/dtmax in CHF and LVH group were 64.17% and 37.15% lower than sham-operated controls (Sham) (P<0.01); values in the CHF group were 42.99% lower than that of LVH (P<0.01). The level of α-MHC mRNA in LVH was not different from that of the Sham (P>0.05), but decreased significantly in CHF to 42.3% of Sham and 56.1% of LVH (P<0.01). The level of β-MHC mRNA was up-regulated by 88.3% (P<0.01) in LVH compared with Sham and the level of β-MHC in CHF was 1.5-fold and 3.7-fold higher than that in LVH and Sham respectively (P<0.01). The ratio of α-MHC/β-MHC mRNA in LVH and CHF decreased to 42.4% and 9.8% respectively of the value in Sham (P<0.01). Correlation between α-MHC/β-MHC mRNA level and +dT/dtmax was analyzed which showed that these values were positively correlated with a correlation coefficient of 0.875 (P<0.01).Conclusion The decreased ratio of α-MHC/β-MHC mRNA was the major molecular mechanism underlying the decreased +dT/dtmax in CHF and LVH myocardium. The decreased ratio of α-MHC/β-MHC mRNA in LVH was mainly due to the up regulation of β-MHC mRNA while in CHF both down regulation of α-MHC and up regulation of β-MHC were involved.