Heart failure (HF) is a growing health problem. Despite improved management and outcome, the number of patients with HF is expected to keep rising in the following years. In recent research, adiponectin was shown to exert beneficial effects in the cardiovascular system, but the protein was also implicated in the development and progression of HF. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of current knowledge on the role of adiponectin in HF with reduced ejection fraction. We discuss the cardioprotective and (anti-) inflammatory actions of adiponectin and its potential use in clinical diagnosis and prognosis.
Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure on the recurrence of decompression illness (DCI). Design: Retrospective, observational study with interview and questionnaire Setting: Tertiary referral center. Population: 59 scuba divers with a history of DCI who received a percutaneous PFO closure. Main outcome measurements: Questionnaire about health status, dive habits and recurrence of DCI after PFO closure. Results: A total of 59 divers with DCI were included. The most common manifestations of DCI were cutaneous or vestibular DCI. Procedural complications occurred in four patients but none with long-term consequences. Four patients had recurrence of DCI after closure during a 10-year follow-up. In three of these cases there was residual shunting, all of which were initially considered closed. The fourth patient had aggravating factors for his recurrent DCI. A quarter of the patients stated to have changed their diving habits. Four patients quit diving. Conclusion: Percutaneous PFO closure for secondary prevention of DCI is associated with few, but not negligible, complications. As a large portion of our cohort changed their diving habit after closure it is difficult to ascertain the efficiency of PFO closure for secondary prevention of DCI. However, the study shows that PFO closure does not fully protect against DCI, emphasizing that the relationship between PFO and DCI is but an association. As such it is imperative that divers be counseled to ensure they understand the risks as well as the benefits of percutaneous PFO closure in their specific case.
Background: Models of experimental ischemia-reperfusion (IR) in adiponectin knockout animals have shown that adiponectin mediates protection against the development of IR injury. However, the role of adiponectin in IR injury in humans is largely unknown. Methods: In a total of 234 ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients, baseline circulating total adiponectin concentration was correlated with IR injury after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) and with major adverse cardiac events (MACE, death and cardiac hospitalization) during one year of follow up. IR injury was defined by serial electrocardiography (ECG) as >30% persistent ST segment elevation despite successful restoration of vessel patency and by angiography as thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) blush grade<2. Results: IR injury was present in 31% of patients according to ECG criteria and in 28% of patients according to angiographic criteria. The median adiponectin level was 6.8 µg/ml in patients with ECG signs of IR injury and 6.5 µg/ml in patients without ECG signs of IR (p=0.26). When the angiographic criteria of IR were used, the median adiponectin level was 6.9 µg/ml for patients with IR versus 6.3 µg/ml for patients without IR (p=0.06). MACE occurred in 27% of the patients. Median adiponectin levels were similar in patients with MACE and in those without MACE: 6.3 vs. 6.4 µg/ml (p=0.24). In a multivariate model, no significant relation between circulating adiponectin levels and IR injury or MACE was evident. Conclusion: In the current era of pPCI, IR injury still occurs in almost one third of STEMI patients. Our findings do not support a major protective role of adiponectin in the prevention or attenuation of IR injury in these patients.
AimsReliable evaluation of the severity and consequences of pulmonary regurgitation (PR) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is crucial to timely identify the need for pulmonary valve intervention. We aimed to identify the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters to differentiate between moderate and severe PR, using phase contrast cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) as gold standard.Methods and resultsIn this cross‐sectional study, 45 TOF patients with both echocardiographic and CMR measurements of PR were enrolled. All quantitative and semiquantitative echocardiographic measurements such as pressure half time (PHT), Color flow jet width (CFJW), ratio CFJW/right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT) diameter, PR index and the presence of early termination of the PR jet, end‐diastolic antegrade flow and diastolic backflow in main pulmonary artery (MPA), and PA branches correlated significantly with PR fraction on CMR. Qualitative assessment with color flow on echocardiography overestimated PR Multivariate linear regression analysis identified the ratio of CFJW/RVOT diameter and PHT as independent predictors of PR fraction. Accuracy of echo parameters was tested to differentiate between mild‐to‐moderate and severe PR Combining different echocardiographic parameters increased sensitivity and specificity. The addition of diastolic flow reversal in the PA branches to PHT below 167 milliseconds increased the NPV from 87% to 89% and PPV from 62% to 76%.ConclusionsComparison with CMR confirms that echocardiographic parameters are reliable in predicting PR severity. Combined measurement of diastolic flow reversal in the pulmonary artery branches and PHT is reliable in the detection of severe PR in the follow‐up of TOF patients.
Percutaneous closure is the treatment of choice for secundum-type atrial septal defects (ASD). Balloon sizing (BS) has been the method of choice for deciding on device size. Improved 2D- and 3D-transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) imaging challenged the necessity of BS. Balloon sizing was performed with two additional techniques to measure the stretched dimension of the ASD. The 1st method uses a stiff guide wire which stretches the ASD and 2D TEE. The second technique uses 3D TEE. Two hundred and thirty-six patients with minimum 1-year follow-up were enrolled. The population was classified into three groups: BS (group 1) n = 90, 2D-TEE (group 2) n = 87, and 3D-TEE (group 3) n = 59. All groups showed a distinct correlation between the maximum baseline dimensions and the device size (R = 0.821). The relative expansion rate did not differ between BS and 3D-TEE. Group 2 (2D-TEE) showed a significantly lower expansion rate. Procedural success and complications did not differ statistically between the 3 groups. 2D TEE sizing was the simplest method without loss of accuracy. 3D sizing offers the advantage of accurate and fast shape assessment, but resulted in more undersizing. Accurate sizing of ASDs with a floppy septum remains a challenge.
Background Mitral annular disjunction (MAD) is an under-recognized cause of arrhythmic sudden cardiac death, especially in young women. The relation between MAD and the occurrence of arrhythmia during pregnancy has not yet been explored. We would like to stress the importance of careful echocardiographic examination and the vulnerable peripartum period. Case summary A 29-year-old woman survived an out of hospital cardiac arrest 4 months after delivery of her first child. The diagnosis was not clear and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) as secondary prevention was implanted. Her second pregnancy and delivery were uneventful. The 12-lead electrocardiogram demonstrated sinus rhythm with right bundle branch block, ventricular extra systoles (premature ventricular contractions), and a right superior axis, i.e. origin in the inferolateral basal left ventricle. Transthoracic 2D echocardiography showed myxomatous mitral valve disease with moderate mitral valve insufficiency with normal left and right heart dimensions and function. However, 4 weeks after delivery she experienced a sudden syncope at home. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator reading revealed primary ventricular fibrillation, induced by a ventricular premature beat (VPB), terminated with a successful ICD shock. A frame-by-frame echocardiographic analysis of the mitral valve using biplane echocardiographic analysis allowed diagnosis of MAD with detachment of the root of the annulus from the posterolateral ventricular myocardium during systole. Conclusion Mitral annular disjunction is an under-recognized cause of arrhythmic sudden cardiac death. Biplane echocardiographic analysis of the mitral annulus can identify MAD and as such may help for risk stratification and sudden cardiac death prevention. Careful follow-up is necessary especially during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Background. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a rare cause of hypoxemia and clinical symptoms of dyspnea. Due to a right-to-left shunt, desaturated blood enters the systemic circulation in a subset of patients resulting in dyspnea and a subsequent reduction in quality of life (QoL). Percutaneous closure of PFO is the treatment of choice. Objectives. This retrospective multicentre study evaluates short- and long-term results of percutaneous closure of PFO in patients with dyspnea and/or reduced oxygen saturation. Methods. Patients with respiratory symptoms were selected from databases containing all patients percutaneously closed between January 2000 and September 2018. Improvement in dyspnea, oxygenation, and QoL was investigated using pre- and postprocedural lung function parameters and two postprocedural questionnaires (SF-36 and PFSDQ-M). Results. The average follow-up period was 36 [12–43] months, ranging from 0 months to 14 years. Percutaneous closure was successful in 15 of the 16 patients. All patients reported subjective improvement in dyspnea immediately after device deployment, consistent with their improvement in oxygen saturation (from 90 ± 6% to 94 [92–97%] on room air and in upright position) (p<0.05). Both questionnaires also indicated an improvement of dyspnea and QoL after closure. The two early and two late deaths were unrelated to the procedure. Conclusion. PFO-related dyspnea and/or hypoxemia can be treated successfully with a percutaneous intervention with long-lasting benefits on oxygen saturation, dyspnea, and QoL.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.