Cardiology Commons^™

Exploring Overlaps Between The Genomic And Environmental Determinants Of Lvh And Stroke: A Multicenter Study In West Africa, Abiodun M. Adeoye, Bruce Ovbiagele, Philip Kolo, Lambert Appiah, Akinyemi Aje, Oladimeji Adebayo, Fred Sarfo, Joshua Akinyemi, Gregory Adekunle, Francis Agyekum, Vincent Shidali, Okechukwu Ogah, Dan Lackland, Mulugeta Gebregziabher, Donna K. Arnett, Hemant K. Tiwari, Rufus Akinyemi, Ojo Olakanmi Olagoke, Ayodipupo Sikiru Oguntade, Taiwo Olunuga, Kelechi Uwanruochi, Carolyn Jenkins, Patrick Adadey, Henry Iheonye, Lukman Owolabi, Reginald Obiako, Samuel Akinjopo, Kevin Armstrong, Albert Akpalu, Adekunle Fakunle

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

Whether left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is determined by similar genomic and environmental risk factors with stroke, or is simply an intermediate stroke marker, is unknown.

Objectives

We present a research plan and preliminary findings to explore the overlap in the genomic and environmental determinants of LVH and stroke among Africans participating in the SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network) study.

Methods

SIREN is a transnational, multicenter study involving acute stroke patients and age-, ethnicity-, and sex-matched control subjects recruited from 9 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Genomic and environmental risk factors and other relevant phenotypes for stroke and …

White Blood Cell Subtypes Are Associated With A Greater Long-Term Risk Of Death After Acute Myocardial Infarction, Arthur Shiyovich, Harel Gilutz, Ygal Plakht

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

We evaluated the association between white blood cell counts and long-term mortality rates in 2,129 patients (mean age, 65.3 ± 13.5 yr; 69% men) who had survived acute myocardial infarction. We obtained white blood cell counts and differential counts of white blood cell subtypes within the first 72 hours of hospital admission. The primary outcome was all-cause death at 1, 5, and 10 years after acute myocardial infarction.

In regard to death in the long term, we found significant negative linear associations (lymphocytes), positive linear associations (neutrophils and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio), and nonlinear U-shaped associations (basophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and total …

Natural History Of Gutter-Related Type Ia Endoleaks After Snorkel/Chimney Endovascular Aneurysm Repair., Brant W Ullery, Kenneth Tran, Nathan K Itoga, Ronald L Dalman, Jason T Lee

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

OBJECTIVE: Alternative endovascular strategies using parallel or snorkel/chimney (chimney endovascular aneurysm repair [ch-EVAR]) techniques have been developed to address the lack of widespread availability and manufacturing limitations with branched/fenestrated aortic devices for the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms. Despite high technical success and midterm patency of snorkel stent configurations, concerns remain regarding the perceived increased incidence of early gutter-related type Ia endoleaks. We aimed to evaluate the incidence and natural history of gutter-related type Ia endoleaks following ch-EVAR.

METHODS: Review of medical records and available imaging studies, including completion angiography and serial computed tomographic angiography, was performed for all …

Prolonged Sinus Pauses Upon Termination Of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: Abnormal Right Atrial Electrophysiologic And Electroanatomic Findings, Zhengyu Bao, Hongwu Chen, Bing Yang, Michael Shehata, Weizhu Ju, Fengxiang Zhang, Gang Yang, Kai Gu, Mingfang Li, Kejiang Cao, Xunzhang Wang, Minglong Chen

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

The efficacy of pulmonary vein antral isolation for patients with prolonged sinus pauses (PSP) on termination of atrial fibrillation has been reported. We studied the right atrial (RA) electrophysiologic and electroanatomic characteristics in such patients.

Forty patients underwent electroanatomic mapping of the RA: 13 had PSP (group A), 13 had no PSP (group B), and 14 had paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (control group C). Group A had longer P-wave durations in lead II than did groups B and C (115.5 ± 15.4 vs 99.5 ± 10.9 vs 96.5 ± 10.4 ms; P=0.001), and RA activation times (106.8 ± 13.8 vs …

A Rare Case Of Vascular Ring And Coarctation Of The Aorta In Association With Charge Syndrome., Jonathan B. Wagner, Joshua Q. Knowlton, Peter Pastuszko, Sanket Shah

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

A male neonate presented with CHARGE syndrome, a multiorgan genetic disorder involving the Coloboma of the eyes, congenital Heart defects, nasal choanal Atresia, growth and development Retardation, Genitourinary disorders, and Ear anomalies and deafness. Moreover, he had a rare case of vascular ring-consisting of a right aortic arch with retroesophageal brachiocephalic artery-combined with coarctation of the mid-aortic arch. He underwent both vascular ring and aortic arch repair at our institution. To our knowledge, this is the 4th documented case of this exceedingly rare type of aortic arch anomaly combined with aortic arch obstruction. Moreover, it is the first confirmed case …

Genomic Contraindications For Heart Transplantation., Danton S. Char, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz, Aliessa Barnes, David Magnus, Michael J. Deem, John Lantos

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Genome sequencing raises new ethical challenges. Decoding the genome produces new forms of diagnostic and prognostic information; however, the information is often difficult to interpret. The connection between most genetic variants and their phenotypic manifestations is not understood. This scenario is particularly true for disorders that are not associated with an autosomal genetic variant. The analytic uncertainty is compounded by moral uncertainty about how, exactly, the results of genomic testing should influence clinical decisions. In this Ethics Rounds, we present a case in which genomic findings seemed to play a role in deciding whether a patient was to be listed …

A Rare Case Of Vascular Ring And Coarctation Of The Aorta In Association With Charge Syndrome, Jonathan B Wagner, Joshua Q Knowlton, Peter Pastuszko, Sanket S Shah

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

A male neonate presented with CHARGE syndrome, a multiorgan genetic disorder involving the Coloboma of the eyes, congenital Heart defects, nasal choanal Atresia, growth and development Retardation, Genitourinary disorders, and Ear anomalies and deafness. Moreover, he had a rare case of vascular ring—consisting of a right aortic arch with retroesophageal brachiocephalic artery—combined with coarctation of the mid-aortic arch. He underwent both vascular ring and aortic arch repair at our institution.

To our knowledge, this is the 4th documented case of this exceedingly rare type of aortic arch anomaly combined with aortic arch obstruction. Moreover, it is the first confirmed case …

Clinical Risk Factors For Infective Endocarditis In Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteremia, Vincent Bryan D Salvador, Bikash Chapagain, Astha Joshi, Debra J Brennessel

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Crucial to the management of staphylococcal bacteremia is an accurate evaluation of associated endocarditis, which has both therapeutic and prognostic implications. Because the clinical presentation of endocarditis can be nonspecific, the judicious use of echocardiography is important in distinguishing patients at high risk of developing endocarditis. In the presence of high-risk clinical features, an early transesophageal echocardiogram is warranted without prior transthoracic echocardiography.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical risk factors for staphylococcal infective endocarditis that might warrant earlier transesophageal echocardiography and to describe the incidence of endocarditis in cases of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus …

Percutaneous Valvuloplasty For Bioprosthetic Tricuspid Valve Stenosis, Gaurav Rana, Rohit Malhotra, Anjali Sharma, Nikolaos Kakouros

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Percutaneous transcatheter tricuspid balloon valvuloplasty (PTTBV) is an accepted treatment option for symptomatic severe native tricuspid valve stenosis, although surgical tricuspid valve replacement remains the treatment of choice. There have been few reports of successful PTTBV for bioprosthetic tricuspid valve stenosis. We present case reports of 3 patients from our hospital experience. Two of the 3 cases were successful, with lasting clinical improvement, whereas the 3rd patient failed to show a reduction in valve gradient. We describe the standard technique used for PTTBV. We present results from a literature review that identified 16 previously reported cases of PTTBV for bioprosthetic …

Myocardial Relaxation Is Accelerated By Fast Stretch, Not Reduced Afterload, Charles S. Chung, Charles W. Hoopes, Kenneth S. Campbell

Physiology Faculty Publications

Fast relaxation of cross-bridge generated force in the myocardium facilitates efficient diastolic function. Recently published research studying mechanisms that modulate the relaxation rate has focused on molecular factors. Mechanical factors have received less attention since the 1980s when seminal work established the theory that reducing afterload accelerates the relaxation rate. Clinical trials using afterload reducing drugs, partially based on this theory, have thus far failed to improve outcomes for patients with diastolic dysfunction. Therefore, we reevaluated the protocols that suggest reducing afterload accelerates the relaxation rate and identified that myocardial relengthening was a potential confounding factor. We hypothesized that the …

Cancer Antigen 125 Is Associated With Length Of Stay In Patients With Acute Heart Failure, Hakki Kaya, Recep Kurt, Osman Beton, Ali Zorlu, Hasan Yucel, Hakan Gunes, Didem Oguz, Mehmet Birhan Yilmaz

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Length of stay is the primary driver of heart-failure hospitalization costs. Because cancer antigen 125 has been associated with poor morbidity and mortality rates in heart failure, we investigated the relationship between admission cancer antigen 125 levels and lengths of stay in heart-failure patients. A total of 267 consecutive patients (184 men, 83 women) with acute decompensated heart failure were evaluated prospectively. The median length of stay was 4 days, and the patients were classified into 2 groups: those with lengths of stay ≤4 days and those with lengths of stay >4 days. Patients with longer lengths of stay had …

Cigarette Smoking And Cardio-Renal Events In Patients With Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis., Christopher A Drummond, Pamela S Brewster, Wencan He, Kaili Ren, Yanmei Xie, Katherine Tuttle, Steven T Haller, Kenneth Jamerson, Lance D Dworkin, Donald E Cutlip, Timothy P Murphy, Ralph B D'Agostino, William L Henrich, Jiang Tian, Joseph I Shapiro, Christopher J Cooper

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Cigarette smoking causes cardiovascular disease and is associated with poor kidney function in individuals with diabetes mellitus and primary kidney diseases. However, the association of smoking on patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis has not been studied. The current study utilized data from the Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL, NCT00081731) clinical trial to evaluate the effects of smoking on the risk of cardio-renal events and kidney function in this population. Baseline data showed that smokers (n = 277 out of 931) were significantly younger at enrollment than non-smokers (63.3±9.1 years vs 72.4±7.8 years; p

Relationship Between Hospital Procedure Volume And Complications Following Congenital Cardiac Catheterization: A Report From The Improving Pediatric And Adult Congenital Treatment (Impact) Registry., Natalie Jayaram, John A. Spertus, Michael L. O'Byrne, Paul S. Chan, Kevin F. Kennedy, Lisa Bergersen, Andrew C. Glatz

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: The association between institutional volume and outcomes has been demonstrated for cardiac catheterization among adults, but less is known about this relationship for patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) undergoing cardiac catheterization.

METHODS: Within the IMPACT registry, we identified all catheterizations between January 2011 and March 2015. Hierarchical logistic regression, adjusted for patient and procedural characteristics, was used to determine the association between annual catheterization lab volume and occurrence of a major adverse event (MAE).

RESULTS: Of 56,453 catheterizations at 77 hospitals, an MAE occurred in 1014 (1.8%) of cases. In unadjusted analysis, a MAE occurred in 2.8% (123/4460) …

Speckle-Tracking Echocardiographic Measures Of Right Ventricular Diastolic Function Correlate With Reference Standard Measures Before And After Preload Alteration In Children., Shahryar M. Chowdhury, Suma Goudar, G Hamilton Baker, Carolyn L. Taylor, Girish S. Shirali, Mark K. Friedberg, Andreea Dragulescu, Karen S. Chessa, Luc Mertens

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The accuracy of echocardiographic measures of right ventricular (RV) diastolic function has been sparsely studied. Our objective was to evaluate the correlation between echocardiographic and reference standard measures of RV diastolic function derived from micromanometer pressure analysis before and after preload alteration in children. Echocardiograms and micromanometer pressure analyses were prospectively performed before and after fluid bolus in children undergoing right heart catheterization. The isovolumic relaxation time constant (τ) and end-diastolic pressure (EDP) were measured. Conventional and speckle-tracking echocardiographic (STE) parameters of RV systolic and diastolic function were assessed. Normal saline bolus was given to increase RV EDP by 20 …

Dna Methylation Signatures Of Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation Are Associated With Complex Diseases, Symen Ligthart, Carola Marzi, Stella Aslibekyan, Michael M. Mendelson, Karen N. Conneely, Toshiko Tanaka, Elena Colicino, Lindsay L. Waite, Roby Joehanes, Weihua Guan, Jennifer A. Brody, Cathy Elks, Riccardo Marioni, Min A. Jhun, Golareh Agha, Jan Bressler, Cavin K. Ward-Caviness, Brian H. Chen, Tianxiao Huan, Kelly Bakulski, Elias L. Salfati, Whi-Empc Investigators, Giovanni Fiorito, Charge Epigenetics Of Coronary Heart Disease, Simone Wahl, Katharina Schramm, Jin Sha, Dena G. Hernandez, Allan C. Just, Jennifer A. Smith, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation reflects a subclinical immune response implicated in the pathogenesis of complex diseases. Identifying genetic loci where DNA methylation is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation may reveal novel pathways or therapeutic targets for inflammation.

Results: We performed a meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a sensitive marker of low-grade inflammation, in a large European population (n = 8863) and trans-ethnic replication in African Americans (n = 4111). We found differential methylation at 218 CpG sites to be associated with CRP (P < 1.15 × 10^–7) in the discovery panel …

Aspirin Resistance Predicts Adverse Cardiovascular Events In Patients With Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease, Tilak Pasala, Jennifer Soo Hoo, Mary Kate Lockhart, Rehan Waheed, Prasanna Sengodan, Jeffrey Alexander, Sanjay Gandhi

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Antiplatelet therapy reduces the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and vascular death in patients who have symptomatic peripheral artery disease. However, a subset of patients who take aspirin continues to have recurrent cardiovascular events. There are few data on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease who manifest aspirin resistance.

Patients with peripheral artery disease on long-term aspirin therapy (≥4 wk) were tested for aspirin responsiveness by means of the VerifyNow Aspirin Assay. The mean follow-up duration was 22.6 ± 8.3 months. The primary endpoint was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, or ischemic stroke. Secondary endpoints were the …

The Association Between Hemoglobin Concentration And Neurologic Outcome After Cardiac Arrest., Nicholas J. Johnson, Babette Rosselot, Sarah M. Perman, Kalani Dodampahala, Munish Goyal, David F. Gaieski, Anne V. Grossestreuer

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to determine the association between hemoglobin concentration (Hgb) and neurologic outcome in postarrest patients.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Penn Alliance for Therapeutic Hypothermia (PATH) cardiac arrest registry. Inclusion criteria were resuscitated cardiac arrest (inhospital or out of hospital) and an Hgb value recorded within 24 hours of return of spontaneous circulation. The primary outcome was favorable neurologic status at hospital discharge. Survival to hospital discharge was a secondary outcome.

RESULTS: There were 598 eligible patients from 21 hospitals. Patients with favorable neurologic outcome had significantly higher median Hgb …

Interpreting Measurements Of Cardiac Function Using Vendor-Independent Speckle Tracking Echocardiography In Children: A Prospective, Blinded Comparison With Catheter-Derived Measurements., Suma Goudar, G Hamilton Baker, Shahryar M. Chowdhury, Kimberly J. Reid, Girish S. Shirali, Mark A. Scheurer

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Adult studies demonstrate that echocardiographic measurements of cardiac function using speckle tracking correlate with invasive measurements, but such data in the pediatric population are sparse. Our aim was to compare speckle-derived measures of cardiac function to measurements routinely obtained by cardiac catheterization in children.

METHODS: Echocardiograms were performed on the day of cardiac catheterization. Using Tomtec 2D Cardiac Performance Analysis, longitudinal strain (LS), longitudinal strain rate (LSR), early diastolic LSR, and ejection fraction (EF) for the right and left ventricle (RV and LV) were calculated via speckle tracking. Global LS and LSR were calculated for the LV. These results …

Sickle Cell Disease With Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease: Long-Term Outcomes In 5 Children, Glen J Iannucci, Olufolake A Adisa, Matthew E Oster, Michael Mcconnell, William T Mahle

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Sickle cell disease is a risk factor for cerebrovascular accidents in the pediatric population. This risk is compounded by hypoxemia. Cyanotic congenital heart disease can expose patients to prolonged hypoxemia. To our knowledge, the long-term outcome of patients who have combined sickle cell and cyanotic congenital heart disease has not been reported. We retrospectively reviewed patient records at our institution and identified 5 patients (3 girls and 2 boys) who had both conditions. Their outcomes were uniformly poor: 4 died (age range, 12 mo-17 yr); 3 had documented cerebrovascular accidents; and 3 developed ventricular dysfunction. The surviving patient had developmental …

"Eyeing" The Cause Of Heart Failure: Visible Telltale Clues, Herbert L Fred, Manoj Thangam

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Diastolic Function In Single-Ventricle Patients After The Fontan Procedure., Renee Margossian, Lynn A. Sleeper, Gail D. Pearson, Piers C. Barker, Luc Mertens, Michael D. Quartermain, Jason T. Su, Girish S. Shirali, Shan Chen, Steven D. Colan, Pediatric Heart Network Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients with functional single ventricles after the Fontan procedure have abnormal cardiac mechanics. The aims of this study were to determine factors that influence diastolic function and to describe associations of diastolic function with current clinical status.

METHODS: Echocardiograms were obtained as part of the Pediatric Heart Network Fontan Cross-Sectional Study. Diastolic function grade (DFG) was assessed as normal (grade 0), impaired relaxation (grade 1), pseudonymization (grade 2), or restrictive (grade 3). Studies were also classified dichotomously (restrictive pattern present or absent). Relationships between DFG and pre-Fontan variables (e.g., ventricular morphology, age at Fontan, history of volume-unloading surgery) and …

Parental Refusal Of Surgery In An Infant With Tricuspid Atresia., Alexander A. Kon, Angira Patel, Steven Leuthner, John Lantos

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

We present a case of a fetal diagnosis of tricuspid atresia (TA). The pregnant woman and her husband requested that the baby be treated with only palliative care. The cardiologist did not think it would be appropriate to withhold life-prolonging surgery once the infant was born. The neonatologist argued that outcomes for TA are similar to those for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and the standard practice at the institution was to allow parents to choose surgery or end-of-life care for those infants. The team requested an ethics consultation to assist in determining whether forgoing life-prolonging interventions in this case would …

Rationale And Design Of The Children's Oncology Group (Cog) Study Alte1621: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial To Determine If Low-Dose Carvedilol Can Prevent Anthracycline-Related Left Ventricular Remodeling In Childhood Cancer Survivors At High Risk For Developing Heart Failure., Saro H. Armenian, Melissa M. Hudson, Ming Hui Chen, Steven D. Colan, Lanie Lindenfeld, George Mills, Aida Siyahian, Sarah Gelehrter, Ha Dang, Wendy Hein, Daniel M M. Green, Leslie L. Robison, F Lennie Wong, Pamela S. Douglas, Smita Bhatia

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background: Anthracyclines are widely used in the treatment of childhood cancer. One of the well-recognized side-effects of anthracycline therapy is dose-dependent cardiomyopathy that may progress to heart failure (HF) years after completion of cancer-directed therapy. This study will evaluate the efficacy of low-dose beta-blocker (carvedilol) for HF risk reduction in childhood cancer survivors at highest risk for HF. The proposed intervention has the potential to significantly reduce chronic cardiac injury via interruption of neurohormonal systems responsible for left ventricular (LV) remodeling, resulting in improved cardiac function and decreased risk of HF. The intervention is informed by previous studies demonstrating efficacy …

Analysis Of The Final Denali Trial Data: A Prospective, Multicenter Study Of The Denali Inferior Vena Cava Filter., S William Stavropoulos, James X Chen, Ronald F Sing, Fakhir Elmasri, Mitchell J Silver, Alex Powell, Frank C Lynch, Ahmed Kamel Abdel Aal, Alexandra Lansky, Bart E Muhs

Heart and Vascular Articles

PURPOSE: To report the final 2-year data on the efficacy and safety of a nitinol retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filter for protection against pulmonary embolism (PE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective multicenter trial of 200 patients with temporary indications for caval filtration who underwent implantation of the Denali IVC filter. After filter placement, all patients were followed for 2 years after placement or 30 days after filter retrieval. The primary endpoints were technical success of filter implantation in the intended location and clinical success of filter placement and retrieval. Secondary endpoints were incidence of clinically symptomatic recurrent …

Long-Term Follow-Up Study Of Temporary Tricuspid Valve Detachment As Approach To Vsd Repair Without Consequent Tricuspid Dysfunction, Gianluca Lucchese, Lucia Rossetti, Giuseppe Faggian, Giovanni B Luciani

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Temporary tricuspid valve detachment improves the operative view of certain congenital ventricular septal defects (VSDs), but its long-term effects on tricuspid valve function are still debated.

From 2002 through 2012, we performed a prospective study of 68 children (mean age, 1.28 ± 1.01 yr) who underwent transatrial closure of VSDs following temporary tricuspid valve detachment. Sixty patients had conoventricular and 8 had mid-muscular VSDs. All were in sinus rhythm. Seventeen patients had systemic pulmonary artery pressures. Preoperative echocardiograms showed trivial-to-mild tricuspid regurgitation in 62 patients and tricuspid dysplasia with severe regurgitation in 6 patients. Patients were clinically and echocardiographically monitored …

Periodontitis In Chronic Heart Failure, Hanna Fröhlich, Kristina Herrmann, Jennifer Franke, Alamara Karimi, Tobias Täger, Rita Cebola, Hugo A Katus, Christian Zugck, Lutz Frankenstein

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Periodontal disease has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether a correlation between periodontitis and chronic heart failure exists, as well as the nature of the underlying cause.

We enrolled 71 patients (mean age, 54 ± 13 yr; 56 men) who had stable chronic heart failure; all underwent complete cardiologic and dental evaluations. The periodontal screening index was used to quantify the degree of periodontal disease. We compared the findings to those in the general population with use of data from the 4th German Dental Health Survey.

Gingivitis, moderate …

Association Between High Endocardial Unipolar Voltage And Improved Left Ventricular Function In Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy, Ki Park, Dejian Lai, Eileen M Handberg, Lem Moyé, Emerson C Perin, Carl J Pepine, R David Anderson

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

We know that endocardial mapping reports left ventricular electrical activity (voltage) and that these data can predict outcomes in patients undergoing traditional revascularization. Because the mapping data from experimental models have also been linked with myocardial viability, we hypothesized an association between increased unipolar voltage in patients undergoing intramyocardial injections and their subsequent improvement in left ventricular performance.

For this exploratory analysis, we evaluated 86 patients with left ventricular dysfunction, heart-failure symptoms, possible angina, and no revascularization options, who were undergoing endocardial mapping. Fifty-seven patients received bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMC) injections and 29 patients received cell-free injections of a …

Statins And Exercise Training Response In Heart Failure Patients: Insights From Hf-Action., Jacob P. Kelly, Allison Dunning, Phillip J. Schulte, Mona Fiuzat, Eric S. Leifer, Jerome L. Fleg, Lawton S. Cooper, Steven J. Keteyian, Dalane W. Kitzman, Ileana L. Pina, William E. Kraus, David J. Whellan, Christopher M. O'Connor, Robert J. Mentz

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess for a treatment interaction between statin use and exercise training (ET) response.

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest that statins may attenuate ET response, but limited data exist in patients with heart failure (HF).

METHODS: HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) was a randomized trial of 2,331 patients with chronic HF with ejection fraction ≤35% who were randomized to usual care with or without ET. We evaluated whether there was a treatment interaction between statins and ET response for the change in quality of life and aerobic capacity …

Validation Of Noninvasive Measures Of Left Ventricular Mechanics In Children: A Simultaneous Echocardiographic And Conductance Catheterization Study., Shahryar M. Chowdhury, Ryan J. Butts, Carolyn L. Taylor, Varsha M. Bandisode, Karen S. Chessa, Anthony M. Hlavacek, Girish S. Shirali, G Hamilton Baker

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: The accuracy of echocardiography in evaluating left ventricular contractility has not been validated in children. The objective of this study was to compare echocardiographic measures of contractility with those derived from pressure-volume loop (PVL) analysis in children.

METHODS: Patients with relatively normal loading conditions undergoing routine left heart catheterization were prospectively enrolled. PVLs were obtained via conductance catheters. The gold-standard measure of contractility, end-systolic elastance (Ees), was obtained via balloon occlusion of one or both vena cavae. Echocardiograms were performed immediately after PVL analysis under the same anesthetic conditions. Single-beat estimations of echocardiographic Ees were calculated using four different …

3-Year Outcomes In High-Risk Patients Who Underwent Surgical Or Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement., G Michael Deeb, Michael J Reardon, Stan Chetcuti, Himanshu J Patel, P Michael Grossman, Steven J Yakubov, Neal S Kleiman, Joseph S Coselli, Thomas G Gleason, Joon Sup Lee, James B Hermiller, John Heiser, William Merhi, George L Zorn, Peter Tadros, Newell Robinson, George Petrossian, G Chad Hughes, J Kevin Harrison, Brijeshwar Maini, Mubashir Mumtaz, John Conte, Jon Resar, Vicken Aharonian, Thomas Pfeffer, Jae K Oh, Hongyan Qiao, David H Adams, Jeffrey J Popma

Heart and Vascular Articles

BACKGROUND: In patients with severe aortic stenosis at increased risk for surgery, self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is associated with improved 2-year survival compared with surgery.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine whether this clinical benefit was sustained over time.

METHODS: Patients with severe aortic stenosis deemed at increased risk for surgery by a multidisciplinary heart team were randomized 1:1 to TAVR or open surgical valve replacement (SAVR). Three-year clinical and echocardiographic outcomes were obtained in those patients with an attempted procedure.

RESULTS: A total of 797 patients underwent randomization at 45 U.S. centers; 750 patients underwent an attempted …