Incidence, Predictors, and Prognostic Impact of New Permanent Pacemaker Implantation After TAVR With Self-Expanding Valves

OBJECTIVES

The authors sought to evaluate the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of new permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with contemporary self-expanding valves (SEV).

BACKGROUND

Need for PPI is frequent post-TAVR, but conflicting data exist on new-generation SEV and on the prognostic impact of PPI.

METHODS

This study included 3,211 patients enrolled in the multicenter NEOPRO (A Multicenter Comparison of Acurate NEO Versus Evolut PRO Transcatheter Heart Valves) and NEOPRO-2 (A Multicenter Comparison of ACURATE NEO2 Versus Evolut PRO/PRO+ Transcatheter Heart Valves 2) registries (January 2012 to December 2021) who underwent transfemoral TAVR with SEV. Implanted transcatheter heart valves (THV) were Acurate neo (n = 1,090), Acurate neo2 (n = 665), Evolut PRO (n = 1,312), and Evolut PRO+ (n = 144). Incidence and predictors of new PPI and 1-year outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

New PPI was needed in 362 patients (11.3%) within 30 days after TAVR (8.8%, 7.7%, 15.2%, and 10.4%, respectively, after Acurate neo, Acurate neo2, Evolut PRO, and Evolut PRO+). Independent predictors of new PPI were Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality score, baseline right bundle branch block and depth of THV implantation, both in patients treated with Acurate neo/neo2 and in those treated with Evolut PRO/PRO+. Predischarge reduction in ejection fraction (EF) was more frequent in patients requiring PPI (P = 0.014). New PPI was associated with higher 1-year mortality (16.9% vs 10.8%; adjusted HR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.13-2.43; P = 0.010), particularly in patients with baseline EF <40% (P for interaction = 0.049).

CONCLUSIONS

New PPI was frequently needed after TAVR with SEV (11.3%) and was associated with higher 1-year mortality, particularly in patients with EF <40%. Baseline right bundle branch block and depth of THV implantation independently predicted the need of PPI.

Long-term durability of self-expanding and balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve prostheses: UK TAVI registry

BACKGROUND

With expansion of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) into younger patients, valve durability is critically important.

AIMS

We aimed to evaluate long-term valve function and incidence of severe structural valve deterioration (SVD) among patients ≥ 10-years post-TAVI and with echocardiographic follow-up at least 5-years postprocedure.

METHODS

Data on patients who underwent TAVI from 2007 to 2011 were obtained from the UK TAVI registry. Patients with paired echocardiograms postprocedure and ≥5-years post-TAVI were included. Severe SVD was determined according to European task force guidelines.

RESULTS

221 patients (79.4 ± 7.3 years; 53% male) were included with median echocardiographic follow-up 7.0 years (range 5-13 years). Follow-up exceeded 10 years in 43 patients (19.5%). Valve types were the supra-annular self-expanding CoreValve (SEV; n = 143, 67%), balloon-expandable SAPIEN/XT (BEV; n = 67, 31%), Portico (n = 4, 5%) and unknown (n = 7, 3%). There was no difference between postprocedure and follow-up peak gradient in the overall cohort (19.3 vs. 18.4 mmHg; p = NS) or in those with ≥10-years follow-up (21.1 vs. 21.1 mmHg; p = NS). Severe SVD occurred in 13 patients (5.9%; median 7.8-years post-TAVI). Three cases (23.1%) were due to regurgitation and 10 (76.9%) to stenosis. Valve-related reintervention/death occurred in 5 patients (2.3%). Severe SVD was more frequent with BEV than SEV (11.9% vs. 3.5%; p = 0.02), driven by a difference in patients treated with small valves (BEV 28.6% vs. SEV 3.0%; p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Hemodynamic function of transcatheter heart valves remains stable up to more than 10 years post-TAVI. Severe SVD occurred in 5.9%, and valve-related death/reintervention in 2.3%. Severe SVD was more common with BEV than SEV.

Complete Revascularisation is associated with Improved Survival after Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Introduction

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is common in patients with Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OOHCA) but the clinical relevance of burden of CAD and evidence for revascularisation strategies in relation to outcomes and modes of death remains unclear.

Purpose

This study sought to assess the extent of CAD as defined by the SYNTAX score and prognostic value of complete compared with incomplete revascularisation by evaluating the SYNTAX revascularisation index (SRI) in patients with OOHCA.

Methods

619 patients with OOHCA were admitted at our centre between 1st May 2012 and 31st December 2017. 237 were excluded for having a non-cardiac aetiology or prior neurological disability. 398 patients were included into the study and of these 272 (68.3%) had early coronary angiography (CAG) and were included in the final analysis.

The baseline SYNTAX score (bSS) and residual SYNTAX score (rSS) were determined from the coronary angiograms by a cardiologist blinded to the outcome. Patients were subdivided into 4 subgroups according to quartiles of the baseline syntax score (bSS) of 0, Group A: 1–10, Group B: 11–20 and Group C: ≥21. Complete revascularisation (CR) was defined as SRI of 1 and incomplete (IR) as SRI &lt;1 where the SRI=(1-[rSS/bSS]) ×100 (Figure 1).

Results

Patients with a bSS of 0 were younger, had less shockable initial arrest rhythms and worse lactate and pH on arrival.Patients with bSS&gt;0 (i.e., those with coronary artery disease) had similar cardiac arrest circumstances in terms of rates of witnessed, bystander CPR and shockable rhythms. Admission metabolic status reflected by pH and lactate and rates of ST elevation/LBBB were also identical for all three groups. However, LVEF on admission decreased significantly as coronary complexity increased (P&lt;0.0001). While early angiography was more preferentially performed in those with higher coronary complexity, paradoxically, those with bSS 1–4 had highest rates of culprit lesions which was reflected in higher rates of PCI (Figure 1).

124 (45.4%) had CR compared with 54.2% with IR. CR was most likely to be achieved as the coronary complexity reduced (Group A – 71.7%, Group B – 41.1%, Group C - 23.3%). There was no difference in rates of cardiogenic shock between both groups (CR 61.1% vs. IR 69% p=ns), but patients with complete revascularisation were younger (58.8 vs 67.8, p&lt;0.0001), lower rates of hypertension and previous CABG (16.2% vs 3.2%, p≤0.0001)

CR was associated with decreased mortality at 30 days (45.9% vs 34.6%, p=0.046) and 12 months (49.3% vs 35.4%, p=0.022). The lower mortality rate in CR appeared to partly be driven by lower cardiac deaths though this was not statistically significant (22% vs 7%, p=0.1) (Figure 2).

Conclusions

CR in a primary coronary aetiology OOHCA group is associated with reduced early and long-term mortality, which may be driven by a reduction in cardiac deaths. Prospective randomised trials in this population are warranted.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1Figure 2

Registry report of structural and functional cardiac abnormalities diagnosed by echocardiography in an asymptomatic population

BACKGROUND

The epidemiology of heart disease is changing, with rheumatic heart disease becoming less common but degenerative valve disorders, heart failure and atrial fibrillation (AF) increasing.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine the prevalence of structural cardiac abnormalities in the apparently symptom-free adult population within our prospective echocardiography (echo) registry.

METHODS

Our echo registry comprised echo studies and associated demographic and clinical data obtained prospectively from 362 consecutive asymptomatic subjects aged 50-74 years and without known heart disease referred between 2011 and 2012 from general practices in the South East of England.

RESULTS

221 echo abnormalities were detected in 178 (49%) subjects (46% men; mean (±SD) age 63.9±9.2 years; 98% Caucasian). A major abnormality was detected in seven subjects: four had a large secundum atrial septal defect, one had critical aortic stenosis, one severe mitral regurgitation and one features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Twelve subjects had left ventricular systolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction (EF) <50% (of whom 10 had EF <40%). Four subjects had AF. Minor echo abnormalities were evident in the remaining 171 (47%) subjects. Abnormalities were commoner in patients with cardiovascular risk factors or a history of cardiac disease than in those without (53% vs 38%). In multivariate analyses stratified by gender, for women, increased age (F=33.3, p<0.001) and systolic blood pressure (F=9.2, p=0.003) were associated with abnormal echo findings; for men, increased age (F=12.0, p<0.001) and lower cholesterol (F=4.2, p=0.042) predicted an increase in abnormal findings on echo.

CONCLUSIONS

Unrecognised cardiac abnormalities are very common in middle-aged men and women with no overt symptoms. Echo offers the potential to identify the need for early intervention and treatment to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

Physics at the [Formula: see text] linear collider

A comprehensive review of physics at an [Formula: see text] linear collider in the energy range of [Formula: see text] GeV-3 TeV is presented in view of recent and expected LHC results, experiments from low-energy as well as astroparticle physics. The report focusses in particular on Higgs-boson, top-quark and electroweak precision physics, but also discusses several models of beyond the standard model physics such as supersymmetry, little Higgs models and extra gauge bosons. The connection to cosmology has been analysed as well.

Review article: carbon monoxide in gastrointestinal physiology and its potential in therapeutics

BACKGROUND

While carbon monoxide (CO) is a known toxin, it is now recognised that CO is also an important signalling molecule involved in physiology and pathophysiology.

AIMS

To summarise our current understanding of the role of endogenous CO in the regulation of gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology, and to potential therapeutic applications of modulating CO.

METHODS

This review is based on a comprehensive search of the Ovid Medline comprehensive database and supplemented by our ongoing studies evaluating the role of CO in gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology.

RESULTS

Carbon monoxide derived from haem oxygenase (HO)-2 is predominantly involved in neuromodulation and in setting the smooth muscle membrane potential, while CO derived from HO-1 has anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, which protect gastrointestinal smooth muscle from damage caused by injury or inflammation. Exogenous CO is being explored as a therapeutic agent in a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, including diabetic gastroparesis, post-operative ileus, organ transplantation, inflammatory bowel disease and sepsis. However, identifying the appropriate mechanism for safely delivering CO in humans is a major challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

Carbon monoxide is an important regulator of gastrointestinal function and protects the gastrointestinal tract against noxious injury. CO is a promising therapeutic target in conditions associated with gastrointestinal injury and inflammation. Elucidating the mechanisms by which CO works and developing safe CO delivery mechanisms are necessary to refine therapeutic strategies.

Perceived exertion and muscle efficiency in Parkinson's disease: L-DOPA effects

Weakness, easy fatiguing, and lack of endurance are commonly perceived by patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Although the slowed motor repertoire in PD may underlie these experiences, other abnormalities in skeletal muscle utilization also may be involved. We investigated whether an index of metabolic efficiency during a continuous exercise task, the latency until anaerobic threshold (AT), is altered by L-DOPA (LD). While pedalling a bicycle ergometer against a uniform workload, subjects were monitored for expired O2 and CO2. As compared to an unmedicated state, LD treatment delayed AT by a mean (+/-SE) of 5.67 +/- 0.89 to 6.62 +/- 1.23 min (p < 0.05), paired t test). Subjects did not differ in their perceived exertion upon reaching AT. With relief of parkinsonism by LD, the efficiency of energy utilization is also increased in exercised skeletal muscle.

Geographic distribution and genealogy of mutation 207 of the lipoprotein lipase gene in the French Canadian population of Québec

Mutations in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene, leading to partial or total inactivation of the enzyme, result in a hereditary clinical syndrome called familial LPL deficiency. The French Canadian population, which is primarily and historically located in the province of Québec, has the highest worldwide frequency of LPL-deficient patients. We have analyzed the prevalence, spatial distribution, and genealogy in the Québec population of a LPL gene mutation, M-207 (P207L in conventional notation), which changes the amino acid proline to leucine in position 207 of the LPL protein and inactivates the enzyme. Our results show that M-207 is the most prevalent LPL gene mutation among French Canadians and accounts for the largest proportion of LPL-deficient patients in this population. Genealogical reconstruction of French Canadian LPL-deficient patients point to 16 founders of M-207, all of whom migrated to Québec in the early seventeenth century from the north-western part of France, especially from the region of Perche. Most of the carriers of M-207 are, at present, found in Charlevoix, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean regions of eastern Québec. On the basis of the number of homozygote M-207 LPL-deficient patients so far identified, we estimate that there are at least 31,000 carriers of this mutation in the province of Québec. This constitutes a large pool of individuals at risk for atherosclerosis and other lipid-related diseases, since LPL deficiency is considered to be a significant contributing factor in the etiology and development of these diseases.

Prevalence, geographical distribution and genealogical investigations of mutation 188 of lipoprotein lipase gene in the French Canadian population of Québec

Familial lipoprotein lipase deficiency (FLD) is of particular interest to the French Canadian population of Québec since the largest concentration of homozygotes and carriers of this genetic disease in the world resides in this area. We have previously described a missense mutation (M-188) in the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene which was present in FLD patients belonging to different ancestries, including a number of French Canadians (Monsalve MV et al. J Clin Invest 1990: 86: 728-734). In the present report, we show that this mutation, although found in largest absolute numbers among French Canadians as compared to other groups in the world, accounts for only a small proportion (24%) of all the LPL mutant alleles in this population. The M-188 occurs either in the homozygote state or as a compound heterozygote with another LPL mutation. Analysis of geographic distribution indicates that the M-188 is more prevalent in western Québec, with the highest carrier rate in the Mauricie region. Genealogical reconstruction leads to the recognition of four founders for M-188, all emigrants from France to Québec in the 17th century.