Predictors of Left Main Coronary Artery Disease in the ISCHEMIA Trial

BACKGROUND

Detection of ≥50% diameter stenosis left main coronary artery disease (LMD) has prognostic and therapeutic implications. Noninvasive stress imaging or an exercise tolerance test (ETT) are the most common methods to detect obstructive coronary artery disease, though stress test markers of LMD remain ill-defined.

OBJECTIVES

The authors sought to identify markers of LMD as detected on coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA), using clinical and stress testing parameters.

METHODS

This was a post hoc analysis of ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness With Medical and Invasive Approaches), including randomized and nonrandomized participants who had locally determined moderate or severe ischemia on nonimaging ETT, stress nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging, or stress echocardiography followed by CTA to exclude LMD. Stress tests were read by core laboratories. Prior coronary artery bypass grafting was an exclusion. In a stepped multivariate model, the authors identified predictors of LMD, first without and then with stress testing parameters.

RESULTS

Among 5,146 participants (mean age 63 years, 74% male), 414 (8%) had LMD. Predictors of LMD were older age (P < 0.001), male sex (P < 0.01), absence of prior myocardial infarction (P < 0.009), transient ischemic dilation of the left ventricle on stress echocardiography (P = 0.05), magnitude of ST-segment depression on ETT (P = 0.004), and peak metabolic equivalents achieved on ETT (P = 0.001). The models were weakly predictive of LMD (C-index 0.643 and 0.684).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with moderate or severe ischemia, clinical and stress testing parameters were weakly predictive of LMD on CTA. For most patients with moderate or severe ischemia, anatomical imaging is needed to rule out LMD. (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness With Medical and Invasive Approaches [ISCHEMIA]; NCT01471522).

Contraction patterns of the systemic right ventricle: a three-dimensional echocardiography study

AIMS

To investigate contraction patterns of the systemic right ventricle (SRV) in patients with transposition of great arteries (TGA) post-atrial switch operation and with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (ccTGA).

METHODS AND RESULTS

Right ventricular (RV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) were measured by three-dimensional echocardiography in 38 patients with the SRV (24 TGA and 14 ccTGA; mean age 45 ± 12 years, 63% male), and in 38 healthy volunteers. The RV contraction was decomposed along the longitudinal, radial, and anteroposterior directions providing longitudinal, radial, and anteroposterior EF (LEF, REF, and AEF, respectively) and their contributions to total right ventricular ejection fraction (LEFi, REFi, and AEFi, respectvely). SRV was significantly larger with lower systolic function compared with healthy controls. SRV EF and four-chamber longitudinal strain strongly correlated with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level (Rho -0.73, P < 0.0001 and 0.70, P < 0.0001, respectively). In patients with TGA, anteroposterior component was significantly higher than longitudinal and radial components (AEF 17 ± 4.5% vs. REF 13 ± 4.9% vs. LEF 10 ± 3.3%, P < 0.0001; AEFi 0.48 ± 0.09 vs. REFi 0.38 ± 0.1 vs. LEFi 0.29 ± 0.08, P < 0.0001). In patients with ccTGA, there was no significant difference between three SRV components. AEFi was significantly higher in TGA subgroup compared with ccTGA (0.48 ± 0.09 vs. 0.36 ± 0.08, P = 0.0002).

CONCLUSION

Contraction patterns of the SRV are different in TGA and ccTGA. Anteroposterior component is dominant in TGA providing compensation for impaired longitudinal and radial components, while in ccTGA all components contribute equally to the total EF. SRV EF and longitudinal strain demonstrate strong correlation with BNP level and should be a part of routine echocardiographic assessment of the SRV.

Clinical Value of Stress Transaortic Flow Rate During Dobutamine Echocardiography in Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction, Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis: A Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND

Low rest transaortic flow rate (FR) has been shown previously to predict mortality in low-gradient aortic stenosis. However limited prognostic data exists on stress FR during low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography. We aimed to assess the value of stress FR for the detection of aortic valve stenosis (AS) severity and the prediction of mortality.

METHODS

This is a multicenter cohort study of patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and low-gradient aortic stenosis (aortic valve area <1 cm² and mean gradient <40 mm Hg) who underwent low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography to identify the AS severity and presence of flow reserve. The outcome assessed was all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

Of the 287 patients (mean age, 75±10 years; males, 71%; left ventricular ejection fraction, 31±10%) over a mean follow-up of 24±30 months there were 127 (44.3%) deaths and 147 (51.2%) patients underwent aortic valve intervention. Higher stress FR was independently associated with reduced risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.94-0.99]; P=0.01) after adjusting for age, chronic kidney disease, heart failure symptoms, aortic valve intervention, and rest left ventricular ejection fraction. The minimum cutoff for prediction of mortality was stress FR 210 mL/s. Following adjustment to the same important clinical and echocardiographic parameters, among the three criteria of AS severity during stress, ie, the guideline definition of aortic valve area <1cm² and aortic valve mean gradient ≥40 mm Hg, or aortic valve mean gradient ≥40 mm Hg, or the novel definition of aortic valve area <1 cm² at stress FR ≥210 mL/s, only the latter was independently associated with mortality (hazard ratio, 1.72 [95% CI, 1.05-2.82]; P=0.03). Furthermore aortic valve area <1cm² at stress FR ≥210 mL/s was the only severe aortic stenosis criterion that was associated with improved outcome following aortic valve intervention (P<0.001). Guideline-defined stroke volume flow reserve did not predict mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Stress FR during low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography was useful for the detection of both AS severity and flow reserve and was associated with improved prediction of outcome following aortic valve intervention.

Volumetric Flow Estimation in a Coronary Artery Phantom Using High-Frame-Rate Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound, Speckle Decorrelation, and Doppler Flow Direction Detection

The coronary flow reserve (CFR), relating to the volumetric flow rate, is an effective functional parameter to assess the stenosis in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. We have recently proposed to use high-frame-rate (HFR) contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to estimate the volumetric flow rate using ultrasound (US) speckle decorrelation (SDC) without any assumptions about the velocity profile. However, this method still has challenges in imaging deep and small vessels, such as LAD. In this study, we proposed to address the challenges and demonstrate the feasibility of volumetric flow rate measurement in a coronary mimicking phantom with pulsatile flow using a 1-D array cardiac probe, vector Doppler, and an optimal probe rotation/tilting for flow direction detection. Both simulations and in vitro experiments were conducted to validate the proposed method. It is shown that in-plane velocities estimated by vector Doppler under a 10° probe tilting resulted in smaller percentage error (+5.2%) in flow rate estimates than that in US imaging velocimetry (-20.2%) although their relative standard deviations were very close, being 2.6 and 2.8 ml/min, respectively. The flow rate estimated by SDC without direction detection had an error higher than 70%. A 10° tilting of the probe had the best results in flow rate estimation compared to the 5° or 15° tilting. Realistic global motions in the LAD increased the flow rate estimation error from 5.2% to 14.2%. It is concluded that it is feasible to measure the volumetric flow rate in a coronary artery flow phantom with a conventional cardiac probe, using HFR acquisition, Doppler, and SDC analysis. Potentially, this technique could also be applied to investigate the volumetric flow rate in other small vessels similar to the LAD.

Prevalence of cardiac pathology and relation to mortality in a multiethnic population hospitalised with COVID-19

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of cardiac abnormalities and their relationship to markers of myocardial injury and mortality in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

METHODS

A retrospective and prospective observational study of inpatients referred for transthoracic echocardiography for suspected cardiac pathology due to COVID-19 within a London NHS Trust. Echocardiograms were performed to assess left ventricular (LV), right ventricular (RV) and pulmonary variables along with collection of patient demographics, comorbid conditions, blood biomarkers and outcomes.

RESULT

In the predominant non-white (72%) population, RV dysfunction was the primary cardiac abnormality noted in 50% of patients, with RV fractional area change <35% being the most common marker of this RV dysfunction. By comparison, LV systolic dysfunction occurred in 18% of patients. RV dysfunction was associated with LV systolic dysfunction and the presence of a D-shaped LV throughout the cardiac cycle (marker of significant pulmonary artery hypertension). LV systolic dysfunction (p=0.002, HR 3.82, 95% CI 1.624 to 8.982), pulmonary valve acceleration time (p=0.024, HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.964 to 0.997)-marker of increased pulmonary vascular resistance, age (p=0.047, HR 1.027, 95% CI 1.000 to 1.055) and an episode of tachycardia measured from admission to time of echo (p=0.004, HR 6.183, 95% CI 1.772 to 21.575) were independently associated with mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

In this predominantly non-white population hospitalised with COVID-19, the most common cardiac pathology was RV dysfunction which is associated with both LV systolic dysfunction and elevated pulmonary artery pressure. The latter two, not RV dysfunction, were associated with mortality.

Outcomes of Participants With Diabetes in the ISCHEMIA Trials

BACKGROUND

Among patients with diabetes and chronic coronary disease, it is unclear if invasive management improves outcomes when added to medical therapy.

METHODS

The ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) trials (ie, ISCHEMIA and ISCHEMIA-Chronic Kidney Disease) randomized chronic coronary disease patients to an invasive (medical therapy + angiography and revascularization if feasible) or a conservative approach (medical therapy alone with revascularization if medical therapy failed). Cohorts were combined after no trial-specific effects were observed. Diabetes was defined by history, hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5%, or use of glucose-lowering medication. The primary outcome was all-cause death or myocardial infarction (MI). Heterogeneity of effect of invasive management on death or MI was evaluated using a Bayesian approach to protect against random high or low estimates of treatment effect for patients with versus without diabetes and for diabetes subgroups of clinical (female sex and insulin use) and anatomic features (coronary artery disease severity or left ventricular function).

RESULTS

Of 5900 participants with complete baseline data, the median age was 64 years (interquartile range, 57-70), 24% were female, and the median estimated glomerular filtration was 80 mL·min^-1·1.73^-2 (interquartile range, 64-95). Among the 2553 (43%) of participants with diabetes, the median percent hemoglobin A1c was 7% (interquartile range, 7-8), and 30% were insulin-treated. Participants with diabetes had a 49% increased hazard of death or MI (hazard ratio, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.31-1.70]; P<0.001). At median 3.1-year follow-up the adjusted event-free survival was 0.54 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.48-0.60) and 0.66 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.61-0.71) for patients with diabetes versus without diabetes, respectively, with a 12% (95% bootstrapped CI, 4%-20%) absolute decrease in event-free survival among participants with diabetes. Female and male patients with insulin-treated diabetes had an adjusted event-free survival of 0.52 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.42-0.56) and 0.49 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.42-0.56), respectively. There was no difference in death or MI between strategies for patients with diabetes versus without diabetes, or for clinical (female sex or insulin use) or anatomic features (coronary artery disease severity or left ventricular function) of patients with diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite higher risk for death or MI, chronic coronary disease patients with diabetes did not derive incremental benefit from routine invasive management compared with initial medical therapy alone. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01471522.

Diagnostic accuracy of handheld cardiac ultrasound device for assessment of left ventricular structure and function: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

Handheld ultrasound devices (HUD) has diagnostic value in the assessment of patients with suspected left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. This meta-analysis evaluates the diagnostic ability of HUD compared with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and assesses the importance of operator experience.

Methods

MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched in October 2020. Diagnostic studies using HUD and TTE imaging to determine LV dysfunction were included. Pooled sensitivities and specificities, and summary receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine the diagnostic ability of HUD and evaluate the impact of operator experience on test accuracy.

Results

Thirty-three studies with 6062 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Experienced operators could predict reduced LV ejection fraction (LVEF), wall motion abnormality (WMA), LV dilatation and LV hypertrophy with pooled sensitivities of 88%, 85%, 89% and 85%, respectively, and pooled specificities of 96%, 95%, 98% and 91%, respectively. Non-experienced operators are able to detect cardiac abnormalities with reasonable sensitivity and specificity. There was a significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy between experienced and inexperienced users in LV dilatation, LVEF (moderate/severe) and WMA. The diagnostic OR for LVEF (moderate/severe), LV dilatation and WMA in an experienced hand was 276 (95% CI 58 to 1320), 225 (95% CI 87 to 578) and 90 (95% CI 31 to 265), respectively, compared with 41 (95% CI 18 to 94), 45 (95% CI 16 to 123) and 28 (95% CI 20 to 41), respectively, for inexperienced users.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis is the first to establish HUD as a powerful modality for predicting LV size and function. Experienced operators are able to accurately diagnose cardiac disease using HUD. A cautious, supervised approach should be implemented when imaging is performed by inexperienced users. This study provides a strong rationale for considering HUD as an auxiliary tool to physical examination in secondary care, to aid clinical decision making when considering referral for TTE.

Trial registration number

CRD42020182429.

Prognostic usefulness of planar 123I-MIBG scintigraphic images of myocardial sympathetic innervation in congestive heart failure: Follow-Up data from ADMIRE-HF

BACKGROUND

To evaluate whether planar 123I-MIBG myocardial scintigraphy predicts risk of death in heart failure (HF) patients up to 5 years after imaging.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Subjects from ADMIRE-HF were followed for approximately 5 years after imaging (964 subjects, median follow-up 62.7 months). Subjects were stratified according to the heart/mediastinum (H/M) ratio (< 1.60 vs ≥ 1.60) on planar 123I-MIBG scintigraphic images obtained at baseline in ADMIRE-HF. Cox proportional hazards models and Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to evaluate time to death, cardiac death, or arrhythmic events for subjects stratified by H/M ratio, baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF: < 25% and 25 to ≤ 35%), and by H/M strata within LVEF strata. All-cause mortality was 38.4% vs 20.9% and cardiac mortality was 16.8% vs 4.5%, in subjects with H/M < 1.60 vs ≥ 1.60, respectively (P < 0.05 for both comparisons). Subjects with preserved sympathetic innervation of the myocardium (H/M ≥ 1.60) were at significantly lower risk of all-cause and cardiac death, arrhythmic events, sudden cardiac death, or potentially life-threatening arrhythmias. Within LVEF strata, a trend toward a higher mortality for subjects with H/M < 1.60 was observed reaching significance for LVEF 25 to ≤ 35% only.

CONCLUSIONS

During a median follow-up of 62.7 months, patients with H/M ≥ 1.60 were at significantly lower risk of death and arrhythmic events independently of LVEF values.

Ultrasound contrast agent hypersensitivity in patients allergic to polyethylene glycol: position statement by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging

The Food and Drug Administration alert enhances our understanding of the mechanism of severe reactions to ultrasound-enhancing agents (UEAs). The known incidence of these reactions remains low and unchanged (1 in 10 000 administrations). Because the risk-to-benefit ratio for ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) remains extremely low, we do not advise any changes to laboratory policy regarding indications for their use. The use of these agents should continue in situations where they have been shown to be impactful. Lipid-based UCAs (SonoVue and Luminity) are contraindicated in patients who have a history of prior hypersensitivity to these UEAs, to polyethylene glycol (PEG) (macrogol), or to PEG-containing products, such as certain bowel preps for colonoscopy or laxatives.

Real-world performance and accuracy of stress echocardiography: the EVAREST observational multi-centre study

Aims

Stress echocardiography is widely used to identify obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). High accuracy is reported in expert hands but is dependent on operator training and image quality. The EVAREST study provides UK-wide data to evaluate real-world performance and accuracy of stress echocardiography.

Methods and results

Participants undergoing stress echocardiography for CAD were recruited from 31 hospitals. Participants were followed up through health records which underwent expert adjudication. Cardiac outcome was defined as anatomically or functionally significant stenosis on angiography, revascularization, medical management of ischaemia, acute coronary syndrome, or cardiac-related death within 6 months. A total of 5131 patients (55% male) participated with a median age of 65 years (interquartile range 57–74). 72.9% of studies used dobutamine and 68.5% were contrast studies. Inducible ischaemia was present in 19.3% of scans. Sensitivity and specificity for prediction of a cardiac outcome were 95.4% and 96.0%, respectively, with an accuracy of 95.9%. Sub-group analysis revealed high levels of predictive accuracy across a wide range of patient and protocol sub-groups, with the presence of a resting regional wall motion abnormalitiy significantly reducing the performance of both dobutamine (P < 0.01) and exercise (P < 0.05) stress echocardiography. Overall accuracy remained consistently high across all participating hospitals.

Conclusion

Stress echocardiography has high accuracy across UK-based hospitals and thus indicates stress echocardiography is being delivered effectively in real-world practice, reinforcing its role as a first-line investigation in the assessment of patients with stable chest pain.

Contrast echocardiography facilitates appropriate management of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and suspected right ventricular masses: case series

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is associated with a coagulopathy with high incidence of venous thrombo-embolism. However, bleeding risk is also significant, causing difficulty in initiating and adjusting anticoagulation therapy in case of suspected thrombi. Cardiac masses can be challenging to be identified properly in the context of this disease. The use of bedside contrast echocardiography (CE) can be of a great value in this situation decreasing procedure-related risk and allowing proper diagnosis and management of a cardiac mass.

Cases summary

We present two cases who were admitted with severe COVID-19 infection. Both cases had additional risk factors for hypercoagulability. Un-enhanced echocardiography was performed and revealed right ventricular (RV) dysfunction with a suspected RV mass. The use of bedside CE could confirm a RV thrombus in the first case and exclude it in the second case. Hence, anticoagulation therapy could be adjusted accordingly in both patients.

Discussion

Coronavirus disease 2019 infection is associated with peripheral thrombo-embolism and cardiac thrombi. Given the critical condition of many patients affected by COVID-19, imaging for thrombo-embolic events is often restricted. With the use of bedside CE, cardiac masses may be correctly identified, aiding proper adjustment of anticoagulation therapy.

Natural History of Patients with Ischemia and No Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: The CIAO-ISCHEMIA Study

Background: Ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) is common and has an adverse prognosis. We set out to describe the natural history of symptoms and ischemia in INOCA. Methods: CIAO-ISCHEMIA (Changes in Ischemia and Angina over One year in ISCHEMIA trial screen failures with INOCA) was an international cohort study conducted from 2014-2019 involving angina assessments (Seattle Angina Questionnaire [SAQ]) and stress echocardiograms 1-year apart. This was an ancillary study that included patients with history of angina who were not randomized in the ISCHEMIA trial. Stress-induced wall motion abnormalities were determined by an echocardiographic core laboratory blinded to symptoms, coronary artery disease (CAD) status and test timing. Medical therapy was at the discretion of treating physicians. The primary outcome was the correlation between changes in SAQ Angina Frequency score and change in echocardiographic ischemia. We also analyzed predictors of 1-year changes in both angina and ischemia, and compared CIAO participants with ISCHEMIA participants with obstructive CAD who had stress echocardiography before enrollment, as CIAO participants did. Results: INOCA participants in CIAO were more often female (66% of 208 vs. 26% of 865 ISCHEMIA participants with obstructive CAD, p<0.001), but the magnitude of ischemia was similar (median 4 ischemic segments [IQR 3-5] both groups). Ischemia and angina were not significantly correlated at enrollment in CIAO (p=0.46) or ISCHEMIA stress echocardiography participants (p=0.35). At 1 year, the stress echocardiogram was normal in half of CIAO participants and 23% had moderate or severe ischemia (≥3 ischemic segments). Angina improved in 43% and worsened in 14%. Change in ischemia over one year was not significantly correlated with change in angina (rho=0.029). Conclusions:Improvement in ischemia and improvement in angina were common in INOCA, but not correlated. Our INOCA cohort had a similar degree of inducible wall motion abnormalities to concurrently enrolled ISCHEMIA participants with obstructive CAD. Our results highlight the complex nature of INOCA pathophysiology and the multifactorial nature of angina. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov Unique Identifier: NCT02347215.

Assessing left ventricular systolic function: from ejection fraction to strain analysis

The measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a ubiquitous component of imaging studies used to evaluate patients with cardiac conditions and acts as an arbiter for many management decisions. This follows early trials investigating heart failure therapies which used a binary LVEF cut-off to select patients with the worst prognosis, who may gain the most benefit. Forty years on, the cardiac disease landscape has changed. Left ventricular ejection fraction is now a poor indicator of prognosis for many heart failure patients; specifically, for the half of patients with heart failure and truly preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF). It is also recognized that LVEF may remain normal amongst patients with valvular heart disease who have significant myocardial dysfunction. This emphasizes the importance of the interaction between LVEF and left ventricular geometry. Guidelines based on LVEF may therefore miss a proportion of patients who would benefit from early intervention to prevent further myocardial decompensation and future adverse outcomes. The assessment of myocardial strain, or intrinsic deformation, holds promise to improve these issues. The measurement of global longitudinal strain (GLS) has consistently been shown to improve the risk stratification of patients with heart failure and identify patients with valvular heart disease who have myocardial decompensation despite preserved LVEF and an increased risk of adverse outcomes. To complete the integration of GLS into routine clinical practice, further studies are required to confirm that such approaches improve therapy selection and accordingly, the outcome for patients.

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is associated with degree of anaemia in end-stage renal disease

BACKGROUND

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is an adverse prognostic marker. Coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) is a measure of coronary microvascular function and can be assessed using Doppler echocardiography. Reduced CFVR in ESRD has been attributed to factors such as diabetes, hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. The contributory role of other mediators important in the development of cardiovascular disease in ESRD has not been studied. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of CMD in a cohort of kidney transplant candidates and to look for associations of CMD with markers of anaemia, bone mineral metabolism and chronic inflammation.

METHODS

Twenty-two kidney transplant candidates with ESRD were studied with myocardial contrast echocardiography, Doppler CFVR assessment and serum multiplex immunoassay analysis. Individuals with diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension or ischaemic heart disease were excluded.

RESULTS

7/22 subjects had CMD (defined as CFVR < 2). Demographic, laboratory and echocardiographic parameters and serum biomarkers were similar between subjects with and without CMD. Subjects with CMD had significantly lower haemoglobin than subjects without CMD (102 g/L ± 12 vs. 117 g/L ± 11, p = 0.008). There was a positive correlation between haemoglobin and CFVR (r = 0.7, p = 0.001). Similar results were seen for haematocrit. In regression analyses, haemoglobin was an independent predictor of CFVR (β = 0.041 95% confidence interval 0.012-0.071, p = 0.009) and of CFVR < 2 (odds ratio 0.85 95% confidence interval 0.74-0.98, p = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

Among kidney transplant candidates with ESRD, there is a high prevalence of CMD, despite the absence of traditional risk factors. Anaemia may be a potential driver of microvascular dysfunction in this population and requires further investigation.

Sex differences in transaortic flow rate and association with all-cause mortality in patients with severe aortic stenosis

AIMS

It is not known whether transaortic flow rate (FR) in aortic stenosis (AS) differs between men and women, and whether the commonly used cut-off of 200 mL/s is prognostic in females. We aimed to explore sex differences in the determinants of FR, and determine the best sex-specific cut-offs for prediction of all-cause mortality.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Between 2010 and 2017, a total of 1564 symptomatic patients (mean age 76 ± 13 years, 51% men) with severe AS were prospectively included. Mean follow-up was 35 ± 22 months. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was significantly higher in men than women (63% vs. 42%, P < 0.001). Men had higher left ventricular mass and lower left ventricular ejection fraction compared to women (both P < 0.001). Men were more likely to undergo an aortic valve intervention (AVI) (54% vs. 45%, P = 0.001), while the death rates were similar (42.0% in men and 40.6% in women, P = 0.580). A total of 779 (49.8%) patients underwent an AVI in which 145 (18.6%) died. In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, each 10 mL/s decrease in FR was associated with a 7% increase in hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality (HR 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.11, P < 0.001). The best cut-off value of FR for prediction of all-cause mortality was 179 mL/s in women and 209 mL/s in men.

CONCLUSION

Transaortic FR was lower in women than men. In the group undergoing AVI, lower FR was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality, and the optimal cut-off for prediction of all-cause mortality was lower in women than men.

Haemodynamic effects of the nitroxyl donor cimlanod (BMS-986231) in chronic heart failure: a randomized trial

AIMS

Nitroxyl provokes vasodilatation and inotropic and lusitropic effects in animals via post-translational modification of thiols. We aimed to compare effects of the nitroxyl donor cimlanod (BMS-986231) with those of nitroglycerin (NTG) or placebo on cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

METHODS AND RESULTS

In a randomized, multicentre, double-blind, crossover trial, 45 patients with stable HFrEF were given a 5 h intravenous infusion of cimlanod, NTG, or placebo on separate days. Echocardiograms were done at the start and end of each infusion period and read in a core laboratory. The primary endpoint was stroke volume index derived from the left ventricular outflow tract at the end of each infusion period. Stroke volume index with placebo was 30 ± 7 mL/m² and was lower with cimlanod (29 ± 9 mL/m² ; P = 0.03) and NTG (28 ± 8 mL/m² ; P = 0.02). Transmitral E-wave Doppler velocity on cimlanod or NTG was lower than on placebo and, consequently, E/e' (P = 0.006) and E/A ratio (P = 0.003) were also lower. NTG had similar effects to cimlanod on these measurements. Blood pressure reduction was similar with cimlanod and NTG and greater than with placebo.

CONCLUSION

In patients with chronic HFrEF, the haemodynamic effects of cimlanod and NTG are similar. The effects of cimlanod may be explained by venodilatation and preload reduction without additional inotropic or lusitropic effects. Ongoing trials of cimlanod will further define its potential role in the treatment of heart failure.