twitter: @dr_pavia // @fernidom Tweet: "Natural history study of PRKAG2 syndrome reveals high rates of AF, conduction disease, advanced HF and life-threatening arrhythmias." ABSTRACT Background: PRKAG2 gene variants cause a syndrome characterised by cardiomyopathy, conduction disease and ventricular preexcitation. Only a small number of cases have been reported to date, and the natural history of the disease is poorly understood. Objectives: To describe phenotype and natural history of PRKAG2 variants in a large multicenter European cohort. Methods: We retrospectively studied clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data from 90 individuals with PRKAG2 variants (53% males, median 33 years (IQR: 15-50) recruited from 27 centers. Results: At first evaluation, 93% of patients were in NYHA functional class I or II. Maximum left ventricular (LV) wall thickness was 18±8 mm and LV ejection fraction was 61±12%. LV hypertrophy (LVH) was present in 60 (67%) subjects at baseline. Thirty patients (33%) had ventricular preexcitation or had undergone an accessory pathway ablation; 17 (19%) had a pacemaker (median age at implantation 36 years (IQR: 27-46)) and 16 (18%) had atrial fibrillation (AF) (median age 43 years (IQR: 31-54)). After a median follow-up of 6 years (IQR:2.3-13.9), 71% of individuals had LVH, 29% had AF, 21% a de novo pacemaker (median age at implantation 37 years (IQR: 29-48)), 14% required admission for heart failure (HF), 8% experienced sudden cardiac death or equivalent, 4% required a heart transplant and 13% died. Conclusions: PRKAG2 syndrome is a progressive cardiomyopathy characterized by high rates of AF, conduction disease, advanced HF and life-threatening arrhythmias. Classical features of preexcitation and severe LVH are not uniformly present and diagnosis should be considered in patients with LVH who develop AF or require a PPM at a young age.

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Background The emergence of specific therapies for transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (CA) warrants the need for a systematic review of the literature. Methods and Results A systematic review of the literature was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search was performed on MEDLINE, PubMed, and Embase databases on November 29, 2019. Studies were selected based on the following predefined eligibility criteria: English‐language randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non‐RCTs, or observational studies, which included adult patients with variant/wild‐type transthyretin‐CA, assessed specific therapies for transthyretin‐CA, and reported cardiovascular outcomes. Relevant data were extracted to a predefined template. Quality assessment was based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations (RCTs) or a checklist by Downs and Black (non‐RCTs). From 1203 records, 24 publications were selected, describing 4 RCTs (6 publications) and 16 non‐RCTs (18 publications). Tafamidis was shown to significantly improve all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular hospitalizations and reduce worsening in 6‐minute walk test, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire—Overall Summary score, and NT‐proBNP (N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide) in variant/wild‐type transthyretin‐CA. Patisiran showed promising results in a subgroup analysis of patients with variant transthyretin‐CA, which have to be confirmed in RCTs. Inotersen showed conflicting results on cardiac imaging parameters. The one study on AG10 had only a 1‐month duration and cardiovascular end points were exploratory and limited to cardiac biomarkers. Limited evidence from noncomparative single‐arm small non‐RCTs existed for diflunisal, epigallocatechin‐3‐gallate (green tea extract), and doxycycline+tauroursodeoxycholic acid/ursodeoxycholic acid. Conclusions This systematic review of the literature supports the use of tafamidis in wild‐type and variant transthyretin‐CA. Novel therapeutic targets including transthyretin gene silencers are currently under investigation.

Introduction Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is less frequent in young adults, but it has become a significant health problem, associated with the increasing prevalence of modifiable risk factors.Objectives To characterize patients admitted with premature ACS, comparing with those with nonpremature ACS. MethodsWe performed a retrospective study encompassing patients of the Portuguese Registry (ProACS), comparing two groups: one composed of men less than 55 and women less than 65 years old; and other with men ≥55 and women ≥65 years old at the ACS admission. The primary endpoint was the composite of in-hospital mortality, stroke and myocardial reinfarction (re-MI).Results A total of 29 870 patients were enrolled and 25% had premature ACS, with a mean age of 50 ± 7 years old. They had a larger prevalence of smoking habits, obesity and dyslipidemia. ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) was the main admission diagnosis in young patients and coronary angiogram mainly revealed one vessel disease in this subgroup. They had a lower Killip-Kimball (KK) class and mostly preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Composite endpoint was more frequent in nonpremature ACS patients. Nonpremature age, presentation with syncope or cardiac arrest, KK class >1, multivessel disease and LVEF <40% were independent predictors of the primary endpoint (P < 0.001). Younger patients had lower rates of in-hospital all-cause mortality, re-MI and stroke. One-year all-cause mortality and 1-year cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular readmissions were also lower. ConclusionsPremature ACS affects 25% of the ACS population, mostly presenting with STEMI, but generally associated with better clinical evolution. Nevertheless, prevention measures are essential to correct modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and reduce coronary events.

Holt-Oram syndrome is clinically characterized by morphological abnormalities of the upper limbs and congenital cardiac defects. Although the disease is congenital, the diagnosis may only be made later in life. It is a rare autosomal dominant disorder, caused by a mutation in the TBX5 gene located on chromosome 12, but sporadic cases have also been reported. We describe the case of a 75-year-old man with known morphological alterations of the upper limbs since birth and congenital cardiac defect (atrial septal defect), who later in life also manifested with advanced atrioventricular block.

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The differential diagnosis of true aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms is challenging, and multimodality cardiac imaging is often necessary. We report a case in which the limitations of these techniques are exposed, showing that post-operative evaluation of tissue layers remains the gold standard in establishing this diagnosis. ( Level of Difficulty: Beginner. )