Combination decongestion therapy in hospitalized heart failure: loop diuretics, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists and vasopressin antagonists

ST-segment elevation in V1-4 in takotsubo cardiomyopathy with ventricular septal perforation: A case report and literature review

Background

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a nonischemic cardiomyopathy characterized by chest pain, typically manifesting transient left ventricular (LV) apical akinesis, and ischemic electrocardiographic changes, mimicking acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Although ventricular septal perforation (VSP) is a rare complication of TCM, it is potentially life-threatening if left untreated. Whether the conventional electrocardiographic criteria for TCM are beneficial, even in patients of TCM with VSP, remains unclear.

Case presentation

An 87-year-old woman was admitted for worsening dyspnea. Elevated serum cardiac enzyme levels, LV dysfunction on echocardiography, and ST-segment elevation in leads V1-4 on electrocardiogram were initially suggestive of ACS. An emergency coronary angiography revealed 90 % focal stenosis of the mid-portion of the right coronary artery (RCA) with Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction flow grade 2. However, left ventriculography revealed LV apical ballooning with a coexisting left-to-right shunting, which was beyond single RCA distributions, leading to a final diagnosis of TCM with VSP. Repeat echocardiography confirmed VSP and right ventricular involvement with severe pulmonary hypertension. Following successful percutaneous coronary intervention with a drug-eluting stent for RCA stenosis, the patient was managed with medical treatment without surgical intervention. Eventually, VSP and associated pulmonary hypertension markedly improved along with the normalization of the patient's cardiac structure and function. The patient's clinical course was uneventful at the 1-year follow-up.

Conclusions

Herein, we describe the case of TCM with VSP that we successfully managed with medical treatments. Our case highlights the significance of elucidating this rare complication of TCM, pitfalls of the conventional electrocardiographic diagnostic criteria for TCM, and potential of this unique electrocardiographic pattern for identifying TCM-associated VSP.

Cardiovascular Involvement in Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis

Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) is a systemic disorder resulting from the extracellular deposition of amyloid fibrils of misfolded transthyretin protein in the heart. ATTR-CA is a life-threatening disease, which can be caused by progressive deposition of wild type transthyretin (wtATTR) or by aggregation of an inherited mutated variant of transthyretin (mATTR). mATTR Is a rare condition transmitted in an autosomal dominant manner with incomplete penetrance, causing heterogenous phenotypes which can range from predominant neuropathic involvement, predominant cardiomyopathy, or mixed. Diagnosis of ATTR-CA is complex and requires integration of different imaging tools (echocardiography, bone scintigraphy, magnetic resonance) with genetics, clinical signs, laboratory tests, and histology. In recent years, new therapeutic agents have shown good efficacy and impact on survival and quality of life in this subset of patients, nevertheless patients affected by ATTR-CA may still carry an unfavorable prognosis, thus highlighting the need for new therapies. This review aims to assess cardiovascular involvement, diagnosis, and management of patients affected by ATTR-CA.

Searching for Preclinical Models of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: a Concise Narrative Overview and a Novel Swine Model

Purpose

Available animal models of acute heart failure (AHF) and their limitations are discussed herein. A novel and preclinically relevant porcine model of decompensated AHF (ADHF) is then presented.

Methods

Myocardial infarction (MI) was induced by occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery in 17 male pigs (34 ± 4 kg). Two weeks later, ADHF was induced in the survived animals (n = 15) by occlusion of the circumflex coronary artery, associated with acute volume overload and increases in arterial blood pressure by vasoconstrictor infusion. After onset of ADHF, animals received 48-h iv infusion of either serelaxin (n = 9) or placebo (n = 6). The pathophysiology and progression of ADHF were described by combining evaluation of hemodynamics, echocardiography, bioimpedance, blood gasses, circulating biomarkers, and histology.

Results

During ADHF, animals showed reduced left ventricle (LV) ejection fraction < 30%, increased thoracic fluid content > 35%, pulmonary edema, and high pulmonary capillary wedge pressure ~ 30 mmHg (p < 0.01 vs. baseline). Other ADHF-induced alterations in hemodynamics, i.e., increased central venous and pulmonary arterial pressures; respiratory gas exchanges, i.e., respiratory acidosis with low arterial PO₂ and high PCO₂; and LV dysfunction, i.e., increased LV end-diastolic/systolic volumes, were observed (p < 0.01 vs. baseline). Representative increases in circulating cardiac biomarkers, i.e., troponin T, natriuretic peptide, and bio-adrenomedullin, occurred (p < 0.01 vs. baseline). Finally, elevated renal and liver biomarkers were observed 48 h after onset of ADHF. Mortality was ~ 50%. Serelaxin showed beneficial effects on congestion, but none on mortality.

Conclusion

This new model, resulting from a combination of chronic and acute MI, and volume and pressure overload, was able to reproduce all the typical clinical signs occurring during ADHF in a consistent and reproducible manner.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10557-020-07096-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Differences in pharmacological property between combined therapy of the vasopressin V2-receptor antagonist tolvaptan plus furosemide and monotherapy of furosemide in patients with hospitalized heart failure

BACKGROUND

Tolvaptan has been shown to improve congestion in heart failure patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacology and clinical efficacy of combined tolvaptan and furosemide therapy.

METHODS

This study included 40 patients with systemic volume overload who were hospitalized for heart failure. Patients who showed no improvement in the condition after receiving 20 mg intravenous furosemide were included and were randomly selected to receive tolvaptan as an add-on to furosemide or to receive an increased dose of furosemide. We evaluated the bioelectrical impedance analyzer parameters, the parameters of the inferior vena cava using echocardiography, vital signs, body weight, urine output, and laboratory data for 5 days.

RESULTS

In the changes from baseline between intracellular water volume (ICW) and extracellular water volume (ECW) after additional use of tolvaptan or furosemide from Day 1 to Day 5, there were no significant differences observed between ICW and ECW over 5 days in the tolvaptan + furosemide group, although differences were found in the furosemide group from Day 2 onward. Changes in the respiratory collapse of inferior vena cava increased significantly, and systolic blood pressure decreased significantly only in the furosemide group.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study clearly demonstrates that combined therapy with tolvaptan and furosemide removed excess ICW and ECW to an equal extent, while furosemide alone primarily removed ECW, including intravascular water.

Management of Acute Heart Failure during an Early Phase

Acute heart failure (AHF), a global pandemic with high morbidity and mortality, exerts a considerable economic burden. AHF includes a broad spectrum of clinical presentations ranging from new-onset heart failure to cardiogenic shock. Key elements of the management rely on the clinical diagnosis confirmed on, both, increased natriuretic peptides and echocardiography, and on the prompt initiation of oxygen therapy, including non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, vasodilators, and diuretics. A care pathway is essential, specifically when an acute coronary syndrome is suspected or in the case of cardiogenic shock. Association or increasing doses of vasopressors despite an adequate volume status are markers of progression toward a refractory cardiogenic shock state. For the latter, mechanical circulatory support should be initiated early, optimally before the onset of renal or liver failure. Thus, a tertiary care center is recommended for the management of patients with AHF who require percutaneous coronary intervention or mechanical circulatory support. This narrative review provides multidisciplinary guidance for the management of AHF and cardiogenic shock from pre-hospital to intensive care unit/cardiac care unit, based on contemporary evidence and expert opinion.

Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis: an update on diagnosis and treatment

Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR‐CA) demonstrates progressive, potentially fatal, and infiltrative cardiomyopathy caused by extracellular deposition of transthyretin‐derived insoluble amyloid fibrils in the myocardium. Two distinct types of transthyretin (wild type or variant) become unstable, and misfolding forms aggregate, resulting in amyloid fibrils. ATTR‐CA, which has previously been underrecognized and considered to be rare, has been increasingly recognized as a cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction among elderly persons. With the advanced technology, the diagnostic tools have been improving for cardiac amyloidosis. Recently, the efficacy of several disease‐modifying agents focusing on the amyloidogenic process has been demonstrated. ATTR‐CA has been changing from incurable to treatable. Nevertheless, there are still no prognostic improvements due to diagnostic delay or misdiagnosis because of phenotypic heterogeneity and co‐morbidities. Thus, it is crucial for clinicians to be aware of this clinical entity for early diagnosis and proper treatment. In this mini‐review, we focus on recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of ATTR‐CA.

Beyond a single pathway: combination therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension

There is a strong rationale for combining therapies to simultaneously target three of the key pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Evidence to support this strategy is growing, and a number of studies have demonstrated that combination therapy, administered as either a sequential or an initial regimen, can improve long-term outcomes in PAH. Dual combination therapy with a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor and an endothelin receptor antagonist is the most widely utilised combination regimen. However, some patients fail to achieve their treatment goals on dual therapy and may benefit from the addition of a third drug. The use of triple therapy in clinical practice was previously reserved for patients with severe disease due to the need for parenteral administration of prostanoids. Although triple therapy with parenteral prostanoids plays a key role in the management of severe PAH, the approval of oral therapies that target the prostacyclin pathway means that all three pathways can now be targeted with oral drugs at an earlier disease stage. Furthermore, there is evidence demonstrating that this approach can delay disease progression. Based on the evidence available, it is becoming increasingly clear that all PAH patients should be offered the benefits of combination therapy.