Rapid Risk Stratification of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients in the Emergency Department: The Incremental Prognostic Role of Left Atrial Reservoir Strain

The effect of 30-day adequate transitions of acute stroke care on 90-day readmission or death

OBJECTIVES

We explore patient-reported behaviors and activities within 30-days post-stroke hospitalization and their role in reducing death or readmissions within 90-days post-stroke.

METHODS

We constructed the adequate transitions of care (ATOC) composite score, measuring patient-reported participation in eligible behaviors and activities (diet modification, weekly exercise, follow-up medical appointment attendance, medication adherence, therapy use, and toxic habit cessation) within 30 days post-stroke hospital discharge. We analyzed ATOC scores in ischemic and intracerebral hemorrhage stroke patients discharged from the hospital to home or rehabilitation facilities and enrolled in the NIH-funded Transitions of Care Stroke Disparities Study (TCSD-S). We utilized Cox regression analysis, with the progressive adjustment for sociodemographic variables, social determinants of health, and stroke risk factors, to determine the associations between ATOC score within 30-days and death or readmission within 90-days post-stroke.

RESULTS

In our sample of 1239 stroke patients (mean age 64 +/- 14, 58 % male, 22 % Hispanic, 22 % Black, 52 % White, 76 % discharged home), 13 % experienced a readmission or death within 90 days (3 deaths, 160 readmissions, 3 readmissions with subsequent death). Seventy percent of participants accomplished a ≥75 % ATOC score. A 25 % increase in ATOC was associated with a respective 20 % (95 % CI 3-33 %) reduced risk of death or readmission within 90-days.

CONCLUSION

ATOC represents modifiable behaviors and activities within 30-days post-stroke that are associated with reduced risk of death or readmission within 90-days post-stroke. The ATOC score should be validated in other populations, but it can serve as a tool for improving transitions of stroke care initiatives and interventions.

Assessment of left atrial function provides incremental value: the left atrial volumetric/mechanical coupling index in patients with chronic kidney disease

Background

Heart failure is a common cause of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Left atrial (LA) characteristics are thought to be involved in the development of heart failure. However, LA assessment is complex. Though a variety of parameters have been defined, there is no single parameter that best defines LA function. Pilot data indicate that left atrial volumetric/mechanical coupling index (LACI) may be useful, but data with CKD are lacking.

Aim

The objective of this study was to define LACI in a cohort of patients with CKD and to assess its value in evaluating LA function and predicting heart failure.

Methods

A cohort of patients with CKD was enrolled at our hospital between 2021 and 2023. Follow-up was performed for heart failure. LACI is a volumetric to mechanical coupling index, calculated as the ratio of the LA volume index to the tissue-Doppler myocardial velocity at atrial contraction. Spearman's rank correlation or Pearson's correlation was used to calculate the correlation between LACI and echocardiographic/hemodynamic variables. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was utilised to derive the area under the curve (AUC) for LACI, LVGLS, LASr, LASct and LASI for the detection of heart failure. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were employed to compare clinical outcomes based on LACI thresholds. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the relationship between risk factors and elevated LACI. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify risk factors for heart failure.

Results

LACI showed a positive correlation with NT-proBNP, CK-MB, LAVI, E/e' and LASI (r = 0.504, 0.536, 0.856, 0.541 and 0.509, p < 0.001); and a negative correlation with LASr (r = -0.509, p < 0.001). On the ROC analysis for the determination of heart failure, the AUC of LACI was comparable to those of LVGLS (0.588 vs. 509, p = 0.464), LASr (0.588 vs. 0.448, p = 0.132), LASct (0.588 vs. 0.566, p = 0.971) and LASI (0.588 vs. 0.570, p = 0.874). The cardiovascular risk factors increased by LACI were age, BMI, diabetes, triglycerides, LA size, LASr, LASI, E/A, E/e' and EF (p < 0.05). During a median follow-up of 16 months (range, 6-28 months), the event-free survival curves demonstrated a higher risk of heart failure in the group with LACI > 5.0 (log-rank test: P < 0.001). LACI > 5.0 was an independent predictor of heart failure [OR: 0.121, 95% CI (0.020-0.740), p = 0.022].

Conclusion

LACI may prove to be a valuable tool for assessing LA function in patients with CKD, and could be integrated into the routine assessment of LA for the purpose of prognostic assessment and clinical decision-making in patients with CKD.

Right Atrial Mass Discovered During Routine Follow-Up After Cardiac Procedures: Diagnostic Challenges and Management

Cardiac masses pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in clinical practice. A 73-year-old male with a history of atrial fibrillation and percutaneous atrial septal defect (ASD) closure presented with an asymptomatic right atrial mass detected during routine transthoracic echocardiography follow-up. The mass measured 17 mm, with highly echoic peripheral areas and a heterogenous, low-echoic interior. The patient was asymptomatic and had no fever, embolic, or neurological symptoms. Multimodal imaging, including contrast-enhanced computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and transesophageal echocardiography, revealed a mobile nodular mass in the right atrium (RA); however, the results of each modality were not consistently suggestive of a specific disease. The presumptive diagnosis of thrombus was made based on the change and variability of echocardiographic findings over time and the response to antithrombotic medications. Anticoagulant therapy with edoxaban led to the complete resolution of the mass, confirming the diagnosis of a thrombus. This case highlights the importance of multimodal imaging and temporal changes in findings in the diagnosis and management of RA masses and underscores the need for careful thrombotic risk assessment in patients with a history of atrial fibrillation, ASD, and cardiac procedures.

Automated Atrial Fibrillation Diagnosis by Echocardiography without ECG: Accuracy and Applications of a New Deep Learning Approach

BACKGROUND

Automated rhythm detection on echocardiography through artificial intelligence (AI) has yet to be fully realized. We propose an AI model trained to identify atrial fibrillation (AF) using apical 4-chamber (AP4) cines without requiring electrocardiogram (ECG) data.

METHODS

Transthoracic echocardiography studies of consecutive patients ≥ 18 years old at our tertiary care centre were retrospectively reviewed for AF and sinus rhythm. The study was first interpreted by level III-trained echocardiography cardiologists as the gold standard for rhythm diagnosis based on ECG rhythm strip and imaging assessment, which was also verified with a 12-lead ECG around the time of the study. AP4 cines with three cardiac cycles were then extracted from these studies with the rhythm strip and Doppler information removed and introduced to the deep learning model ResNet(2+1)D with an 80:10:10 training-validation-test split ratio.

RESULTS

634 patient studies (1205 cines) were included. After training, the AI model achieved high accuracy on validation for detection of both AF and sinus rhythm (mean F1-score = 0.92; AUROC = 0.95). Performance was consistent on the test dataset (mean F1-score = 0.94, AUROC = 0.98) when using the cardiologist's assessment of the ECG rhythm strip as the gold standard, who had access to the full study and external ECG data, while the AI model did not.

CONCLUSIONS

AF detection by AI on echocardiography without ECG appears accurate when compared to an echocardiography cardiologist's assessment of the ECG rhythm strip as the gold standard. This has potential clinical implications in point-of-care ultrasound and stroke risk stratification.

The Influence of Anthropometrics on Cardiac Mechanics in Healthy Women With Opposite Obesity Phenotypes (Android vs Gynoid)

BACKGROUND

The possible influence exerted by mechanical factors and/or compressive phenomena on myocardial strain parameters in healthy individuals with opposite obesity phenotypes (android vs gynoid) has never been previously investigated. Accordingly, we aimed at evaluating the relationship between anthropometrics, such as the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), modified Haller index (MHI, the ratio of chest transverse diameter over the distance between sternum and spine), and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), and left ventricular (LV)-global longitudinal strain (GLS), in healthy women with opposite obesity phenotypes (android vs gynoid).

METHODS

Forty healthy women with obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥30 Kg/m2) and WHR ≥0.85 ("android group") (52.5±13.2 yrs), 40 age- and BMI-matched healthy women with obesityand WHR <0.78 ("gynoid group") (49.8±13.4 yrs) and 40 age-matched healthy women without obesity (BMI <30 Kg/m2) (controls) (50.3±12.5 yrs) were retrospectively analyzed. All women underwent transthoracic echocardiography implemented with echocardiographic strain analysis of all cardiac chambers. Correlation between LV-GLS and anthropometrics (WHR, MHI, and EAT) was assessed in both groups of obese women. Age, WHR, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and left ventricular mass index (LVMi) were included in the logistic regression analysis performed for evaluating the independent predictors of reduced LV-GLS magnitude (less negative than -20%) in women with android obesity.

RESULTS

Compared to the other groups of women, those with android obesity were found with significantly greater LVMi, higher LV filling pressures, and lower biventricular and biatrial deformation indices. A strong inverse correlation between LV-GLS and all anthropometrics (WHR, MHI, and EAT) was demonstrated in both groups of women with obesity. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that WHR (OR 1.58, 95%CI 1.22-2.03, p<0.001) and LVMi (OR 1.09, 95%CI 1.02-1.16, p=0.006) were independently correlated with LV-GLS impairment in women with android obesity. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the WHR maintained a statistically significant association with the above-mentioned outcome (OR 1.68, 95%CI 1.14-2.48, p=0.009). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that a WHR value ≥1.01 had 93% sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting LV-GLS impairment in women with android obesity (AUC=0.98; 95%CI 0.96-1.00).

CONCLUSIONS

Anthropometrics may strongly influence cardiac mechanics in healthy women with obesity. The WHR is associated with reduced LV-GLS magnitude in healthy women with android obesity, independent of age, glycometabolic status, and LV size.

Comparison of clinical scoring to predict mortality risk in mild-to-moderate idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND

During the last decade, a number of clinical scores, such as Gender-Age-Physiology (GAP) Index, TORVAN Score and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), have been separately used to measure comorbidity burden in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, no previous study compared the prognostic value of these scores to assess mortality risk stratification in IPF patients with mild-to-moderate disease.

METHODS

All consecutive patients with mild-to-moderate IPF who underwent high-resolution computed tomography, spirometry, transthoracic echocardiography and carotid ultrasonography at our Institution, between January 2016 and December 2018, were retrospectively analyzed. GAP Index, TORVAN Score and CCI were calculated in all patients. Primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, whereas secondary endpoint was the composite of all-cause mortality and rehospitalizations for all-causes, over medium-term follow-up.

RESULTS

Seventy IPF patients (70.2±7.4 yrs, 74.3% males) were examined. At baseline, GAP Index, TORVAN Score and CCI were 3.4±1.1, 14.7±4.1 and 5.3±2.4, respectively. A strong correlation between coronary artery calcification (CAC) and common carotid artery (CCA) intima-media thickness (IMT) (r=0.88), CCI and CAC (r=0.80), CCI and CCA-IMT (r=0.81), was demonstrated in the study group. Follow-up period was 3.5±1.2 years. During follow-up, 19 patients died and 32 rehospitalizations were detected. CCI (HR 2.39, 95% CI: 1.31-4.35) and heart rate (HR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04-1.17) were independently associated with primary endpoint. CCI (HR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.15-2.06) predicted secondary endpoint, also. A CCI ≥6 was the optimal cut-off for predicting both outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to the increased atherosclerotic and comorbidity burden, IPF patients with CCI ≥6 at an early-stage disease have poor outcome over medium-term follow-up.

Early Diastolic Peak Velocity of Mitral Valve Annulus and Right Ventricular Systolic Tricuspid Annular Velocity as Predictors in Assessing Prognosis of Patients with Sepsis

Objective

To analyze the epidemiological data of patients with septic cardiomyopathy and investigate the relationship between ultrasonic parameters and prognosis of patients with sepsis.

Methods

In this study, we enrolled patients with sepsis who were treated at the Department of Critical Care Medicine in the Beijing Electric Power Hospital (No.1 Taipingqiao Xili, Fengtai District, Beijing) from January 2020 to June 2022. All patients received standardized treatment. Their general medical status and 28-day prognosis were recorded. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed within 24 hours after admission. We compared the ultrasound indexes between the mortality group and the survival group at the end of 28 days. We included parameters with significant difference in the logistic regression model to identify the independent risk factors for prognosis and evaluated their predictive value using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

We included 100 patients with sepsis in this study; the mortality rate was 33% and the prevalence rate of septic cardiomyopathy was 49%. The peak e' velocity and right ventricular systolic tricuspid annulus velocity (RV-Sm) of the survival group were significantly higher than those of the mortality group (P < 0.05). Results of logistic regression analysis showed that the peak e' velocity and RV-Sm were independent risk factors for prognosis. The area under curve of the peak e' velocity and the RV-Sm was 0.657 and 0.668, respectively (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The prevalence rate of septic cardiomyopathy in septic patients is high. In this study, we found that the peak e' velocity and right ventricular systolic tricuspid annulus velocity were important predictors of short-term prognosis.

Modified Haller index validation and correlation with left ventricular strain in a cohort of subjects with obesity and without overt heart disease

The present study was primarily designed to validate the modified Haller index (MHI), the ratio of chest transverse diameter over the distance between sternum and spine, measured by a ruler and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), respectively, in a cohort of subjects with obesity, but otherwise healthy, by comparing the results to the conventional Haller index (HI) measured on chest X-ray (CXR). 100 consecutive subjects with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m² and 60 matched controls with BMI < 30 kg/m², who underwent a two-plane CXR for any clinical indication, were prospectively examined over a 6-month period. All participants underwent MHI assessment, TTE and speckle-tracking analysis of left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS). Bland-Altman analysis was used to compare the radiological and nonradiological techniques. Second, independent predictors of subclinical myocardial dysfunction, defined as LV-GLS less negative than - 20%, were evaluated. Bland-Altman analysis revealed a bias of - 4.91 cm for latero-lateral thoracic diameter, of - 0.74 cm for antero-posterior (A-P) thoracic diameter and of - 0.22 for HI assessment, suggesting a systematic overestimation of the nonradiological methodology in comparison to that radiological. Despite normal LV systolic function on TTE, LV-GLS resulted impaired in 76% of subjects with obesity. Waist circumference (OR 1.13, 95%CI 1.04-1.22) and nonradiological A-P thoracic diameter (OR 0.51, 95%CI 0.28-0.93) were the main independent predictors of subclinical myocardial dysfunction in subjects with obesity. The impairment in LV myocardial strain detected in subjects with obesity appears to be primarily related to extrinsic abdominal and thoracic compressive phenomena, rather than intrinsic myocardial dysfunction.

Molecular Approaches and Echocardiographic Deformation Imaging in Detecting Myocardial Fibrosis

The pathological remodeling of myocardial tissue is the main cause of heart diseases. Several processes are involved in the onset of heart failure, and the comprehension of the mechanisms underlying the pathological phenotype deserves special attention to find novel procedures to identify the site of injury and develop novel strategies, as well as molecular druggable pathways, to counteract the high degree of morbidity associated with it. Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is recognized as a critical trigger for disruption of heart functionality due to the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, in response to an injury. Its diagnosis remains focalized on invasive techniques, such as endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), or may be noninvasively detected by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). The detection of MF by non-canonical markers remains a challenge in clinical practice. During the last two decades, two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has emerged as a new non-invasive imaging modality, able to detect myocardial tissue abnormalities without specifying the causes of the underlying histopathological changes. In this review, we highlighted the clinical utility of 2D-STE deformation imaging for tissue characterization, and its main technical limitations and criticisms. Moreover, we focalized on the importance of coupling 2D-STE examination with the molecular approaches in the clinical decision-making processes, in particular when the 2D-STE does not reflect myocardial dysfunction directly. We also attempted to examine the roles of epigenetic markers of MF and hypothesized microRNA-based mechanisms aiming to understand how they match with the clinical utility of echocardiographic deformation imaging for tissue characterization and MF assessment.

Obesity in pregnancy is a predictor of persistent subclinical myocardial dysfunction over postpartum period

PURPOSE

No previous study provided a complete functional evaluation of all cardiac chambers in pregnant women with obesity. Moreover, the impact of cardiovascular changes associated with obesity in pregnancy on maternal outcome is unclear.

METHODS

46 consecutive pregnant women with obesity, defined by body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 Kg/m2, and 83 age- (35.5 ± 4.1 vs. 34.1 ± 5.1 yrs, p = 0.11), ethnicity- (caucasian 65.2 vs. 66.3%, p = 0.90) and gestational week-matched (36.3 ± 1.7 vs. 36.5 ± 1.5 wks, p = 0.49) pregnant women without obesity (BMI < 30 Kg/m2) were examined in the first trimester (12-14 weeks), third trimester (36-38 weeks) and 6-10 weeks postpartum. All women underwent obstetric visit, blood tests and transthoracic echocardiography implemented with two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography analysis of biventricular and biatrial myocardial deformation indices at the three time points. Outcome was persistent subclinical myocardial dysfunction, defined as an absolute value of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) less negative than - 20%, in postpartum.

RESULTS

Despite normal biventricular systolic function, all myocardial strain indices were significantly lower in pregnant women with obesity than controls. At 8.2 ± 2.2 weeks postpartum, LV-GLS remained less negative than - 20% in 86.9% of women with obesity in pregnancy. Maternal age (OR 1.68, 95%CI 1.14-2.48), third trimester BMI (OR 7.17, 95%CI 1.77-28.9) and third trimester neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (OR 1.75, 95%CI 1.22-2.51) were independently associated with outcome. Maternal age ≥ 35 years, BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2 and NLR ≥ 5.5 were the optimal cut-off values for predicting persistent subclinical myocardial dysfunction in postpartum.

CONCLUSIONS

Pregnant women with obesity, age ≥ 35 yrs and low chronic inflammation have significantly increased risk of persistent subclinical myocardial dysfunction over postpartum.

Usefulness of second trimester left ventricular global longitudinal strain for predicting adverse maternal outcome in pregnant women aged 35 years or older

The present study was primarily designed to accurately determine biventricular and biatrial myocardial function, assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE), in a prospective cohort of pregnant women aged ≥ 35 years, at the second trimester of pregnancy. Secondly, we aimed at investigating the main independent predictors of adverse maternal outcome (AMO) in the same study population. 80 consecutive pregnant women aged ≥ 35 years, 80 gestational week-matched (18.4 ± 1.6 vs 18.5 ± 1.8 weeks, p = 0.71) pregnant women aged < 35 years and 80 non-pregnant women aged ≥ 35 years without any comorbidity were included in this prospective study. All pregnant women underwent obstetric evaluation, modified Haller index (MHI) assessment and a conventional two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography implemented with complete 2D-STE analysis of both ventricles and atria at the second trimester of pregnancy. AMO was defined as the occurrence of any of the following: gestational hypertension (GH) including preeclampsia; gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); preterm delivery (PD); emergency caesarean section (ECS); postpartum haemorrhage (PPH); premature rupture of membranes (PROM); maternal death. Compared to younger pregnant women, pregnant women aged ≥ 35 years were more likely to be found with: (1) body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2 (37.5% of total); (2) significantly increased inflammatory markers; (3) significantly greater left ventricular mass index; (4) significantly impaired hemodynamics; (5) significantly reduced bi-atrial and bi-ventricular myocardial strain parameters, despite normal ejection fraction. A strong inverse correlation between second trimester BMI and left ventricular (LV)-global longitudinal strain (GLS) (r =  - 0.84) and between second trimester MHI and LV-GLS (r =  - 0.81) was demonstrated in pregnant women aged ≥ 35 years. GH, GDM, PD, ECS, PPH and PROM were detected in 15%, 12.5%, 10%, 8.7%, 8.7% and 7.5% of women, respectively. Age (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.46-2.84), second trimester BMI (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.64-3.51) and second trimester LV-GLS (OR 0.07, 95%C I 0.01-0.34) were independently associated with outcome. Age ≥ 37 years, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 and LV-GLS less negative than - 18% were the best cut-off values for predicting AMO. A LV-GLS less negative than - 18% allows to identify, among older pregnant women, those with an increased risk of AMO. Both intrinsic myocardial dysfunction and extrinsic compressive mechanical phenomena might affect global myocardial deformation during gestation.

Prognostic indicators of persistent carotid intima-media thickness increase in postpartum period in a population of normotensive women with gestational diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE

The association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and common carotid artery (CCA)-intima media thickness (IMT) is still controversial. In the present study, we aimed to compare the CCA-IMT measured in GDM women to that obtained in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Secondly, we investigated the main independent predictors of persistent CCA-IMT increase (defined as CCA-IMT ≥ 0.6 mm) in postpartum period in GDM women.

STUDY DESIGN

30 consecutive GDM women and 30 healthy pregnant women matched for anagraphic age (34.1 ± 4.5 vs 32.8 ± 4.2 yrs, p = 0.25), ethnicity (caucasian 56.7 vs 63.3%, p = 0.59), gestational age (36.2 ± 1.7 vs 36.5 ± 1.6 weeks, p = 0.48) and cardiovascular risk factors were examined in this prospective case-control study. All women underwent obstetric visit, blood tests, conventional transthoracic echocardiography implemented with two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography analysis of left ventricular and left atrial myocardial strain parameters and carotid ultrasound examination at two time points: 36-38 weeks' gestation and 6-10 weeks after delivery.

RESULTS

At 36.2 ± 1.7 weeks of gestation, CCA-IMT was significantly increased in GDM women than controls (0.81 ± 0.11 vs 0.55 ± 0.12, p < 0.001). Twelve GDM women (40% of the total) were found with persistent CCA-IMT increase (0.76 ± 0.14 mm) in postpartum period (8.2 ± 2.2 weeks), whereas the remaining 18 (60% of the total) showed a normalization in CCA-IMT (0.56 ± 0.1 mm). At multivariate logistic regression analysis, third trimester body mass index (BMI) (OR 1.78, 95%CI 1.24-2.54, p = 0.01), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) (OR 1.51, 95%CI 1.13-1.89, p = 0.03) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (OR 1.68, 95%CI 1.25-4.65, p = 0.02) resulted to be independently associated with persistent CCA-IMT increase in postpartum period in GDM women. A BMI ≥ 29.2 Kg/m², an HbA1C ≥ 37.5 mmol/mol and a NLR ≥ 5.5 were the best cut-off values for identifying GDM women with persistent CCA-IMT increase in postpartum period.

CONCLUSIONS

GDM is associated with increased CCA-IMT during pregnancy. This increase may be persistent in postpartum period in GDM women with obesity, uncontrolled diabetes and increased inflammatory markers.