No abstract

Aortic stenosis is the most common valvulopathy in the Western world. Its prevalence has increased significantly in recent years due to population aging; hence, up to 8% of westerners above the age of 84 now have severe aortic stenosis (Lindroos et al., 1993). This causes increased morbidity and mortality and therein lies the importance of adequate diagnosis and stratification of the degree of severity which allows planning the best therapeutic option in each case. Long understood as a passive age-related degenerative process, it is now considered a rather more complex entity involving mechanisms and factors similar to those of atherosclerosis (Stewart et al., 1997). In this review, we summarize the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of the disease and analyze the current role of cardiac imaging techniques for diagnosis.

Apart from age, the simple determination by postoperative TTE of long-axis LA dimension and DFG after cardiac surgery proved to be powerful independent predictors of POAF and may be useful for risk stratification of these patients.

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is a subtype of secondary MR, which is caused as a complication of ischemic heart disease. Valvular involvement can be primary (organic) or secondary (functional). Primary IMR happens after the rupture of the mitral subvalvular apparatus in the context of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Secondary IMR occurs when the valve leaflets and chordae are structurally normal and MR results from an imbalance between closing and tethering forces on the mitral valve (MV) secondary to alterations in the left ventricular (LV) geometry (1,2). In both cases, IMR is associated

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is associated with a high in-hospital mortality despite the achieved advances in diagnosis and management. Invasive mechanical ventilation and circulatory support constitute the highest step in cardiogenic shock therapy. Once established, taking the decision of weaning from such support is challenging. Intensive care unit (ICU) bedside echocardiography provides noninvasive, immediate, and low-cost monitoring of hemodynamic parameters such as cardiac output, filling pressure, structural disease, congestion status, and device functioning. Supplemented by an ultrasound of the lung and diaphragm, it is able to provide valuable information about signs suggesting a weaning failure. The aim of this article was to review the state of the art taking into account current evidence and knowledge on ICU bedside ultrasound for the evaluation of weaning from mechanical ventilation and circulatory support in cardiogenic shock.

Background The clinical behavior and prognosis of patients with asymptomatic paradoxical low-gradient aortic stenosis (PLGAS) still remain controversial. Some authors consider PLGAS as an echocardiographically poorly quantified moderate AS (MAS). We aimed to investigate the clinical behavior of PLGAS by comparing it with that of asymptomatic high-gradient aortic stenosis (HG-AS) and MAS using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with speckle tracking imaging (STI) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).Methods A cohort of 113 patients was included and categorized into three groups according to AS type: MAS (n=63), HG-AS (n=29), and PLGAS (n=21). Patients’ clinical data were obtained. Patients underwent 2D TTE with STI and CPET. Results There were no significant differences in the clinical variables between the three AS groups. In the multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis, with PLGAS being the reference category, the most powerful variable for establishing a difference with HG-AS was the left ventricular mass (LVM) indexed by body-surface area (odds ratio [OR]=1.04, confidence interval [CI]=1.01-1.06, p<0.05). The MAS group showed a lower valvuloarterial impedance (OR=0.262, CI=0.12-0.59, p=0.001), fewer abnormal CPET (OR=0.198, CI=0.06-0.69, p<0.05), and higher left ventricle global longitudinal strain rate (GLSR) (OR=0.003, CI=0.00-0.35, p<0.05) than the PLGAS group.Conclusions TTE with STI and CPET established the clear differences between patients with asymptomatic PLGAS and those with asymptomatic MAS, as well as the similarities between patients with PLGAS and those with HG-AS. Our data identifies PLGAS as a completely different entity from MAS.

No abstract

Background The association between advanced interatrial block (aIAB) and atrial fibrillation (AF) is known as “Bayes' Syndrome”. There is little information on the prognostic role that new speckle tracking echocardiographic (STE) imaging techniques could play in it. Purpose We have examined the relationship between left atrial (LA) STE and the prediction of new-onset AF and/or stroke in IAB patients. Methods Observational study with 98 outpatients: 55 (56.2%) controls with normal ECG, 21 (21.4%) with partial IAB (pIAB) and 22 (22.4%) with aIAB. The end-point was new-onset AF, ischemic stroke, and the composite of both. Results During a mean follow-up of 1.9 (1.7–2.3) years, 20 patients presented the end-point (18 new-onset AF and 2 strokes): 8 (14.5%) in the control group, 3 (14.3%) in pIAB and 9 (40.9%) in aIAB, p=0.03. In multivariable comprehensive Cox regression analyses, a decrease of strain rate during the booster pump function phase (SRa) was the only variable independently related to the appearance in the evolution of the end-point, in the first model (age, P wave duration and SRa): HR 19.9 (95% CI, 3.12–127.5), p=0.002 and in the second (age, presence of aIAB and SRa): HR 24.2 (95% CI, 3.15–185.4), p=0.002. Conclusions In patients with IAB, a decrease in absolute value of LA SRa with STE predicts new-onset AF and ischemic stroke. Acknowledgement/Funding None