Postprocedural Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury and Prognosis of Patients Undergoing Recanalization of Chronic Total Occlusions.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusions (CTOs) requires advanced techniques and prolonged procedural efforts, often necessitating high contrast volumes, which may increase the risk of contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI). However, evidence suggests that factors beyond contrast exposure contribute to CA-AKI, though data specific to CTO PCI remain limited. Patients undergoing contemporary CTO PCI at our university-affiliated tertiary care center were enrolled.

Clinical significance of quantitative assessment of right ventricular amyloid burden with [Tc]Tc-DPD SPECT/CT in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

Purpose: To evaluate right ventricular (RV) uptake measured by quantitative [Tc]Tc-DPD SPECT/CT to investigate its role in predicting and evaluating prognosis and therapeutic outcomes in patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CA).

Methods: Patients with ATTR-CA were consecutively enrolled for quantitative [Tc]Tc-DPD SPECT/CT. Ventricular amyloid burden was quantified by SUV and TBR.

Bone mineral density and TAVR outcome: A comparative analysis between patients with enhanced and non-enhanced TAVR CT scans.

Background: Preprocedural evaluation, including frailty estimation, is crucial in managing patients undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). This involves mandatory computed tomography (CT) scans for assessing body composition parameters. The impact of low bone mineral density (BMD) on TAVR outcomes remains unclear, especially when measured using both non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced CT scans.

How to address the coronaries in TAVI candidates: can the need for revascularization be safely determined by CT angiography only?

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains one of the most frequent comorbidities among transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) candidates. Whether routine assessment of CAD by invasive coronary angiography (CA) and eventual peri-procedural percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is generally beneficial in TAVI patients has recently been heavily questioned. CA carries significant risks, such as kidney injury, bleeding, and prolonged hospital stay, and may frequently be unnecessary if significant stenoses of the proximal coronary segments can be ruled out on computed tomography angiography.

Robustness of tricuspid regurgitation reduction at 1 year following edge-to-edge repair for primary tricuspid regurgitation.

Background And Objective: Within recent years, transcatheter tricuspid edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) has emerged as a safe and effective treatment option in patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR). However, for primary TR, data on the robustness and durability of TR reduction 1 year following T-TEER is limited.

Methods: All consecutive patients treated with T-TEER for TR at two high-volume centers between September 2018 and December 2022 were enrolled in a registry.

A Novel Echocardiographic Parameter to Confirm Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis Severity.

Background: In patients with low-gradient (LG) aortic stenosis (AS), confirming disease severity and indication of intervention often requires dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) or aortic valve calcium scoring by computed tomography. We hypothesized that the mean transvalvular pressure gradient to effective orifice area ratio (MG/EOA, in mm Hg/cm) measured during rest echocardiography identifies true-severe AS (TSAS) and is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with low-flow, LG-AS.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of MG/EOA ratio.

Management of Fluid Overload in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis (EASE-TAVR): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Fluid overload (FO) subjects patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) to increased risk for heart failure and death after valve replacement and can be objectively quantified using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS).

Objectives: The authors hypothesized that in AS patients with concomitant FO, BIS-guided decongestion could improve prognosis and quality of life following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Methods: This randomized, controlled trial enrolled 232 patients with severe AS scheduled for TAVR.

Benefit of isolated surgical valve repair or replacement for functional tricuspid regurgitation and long-term outcomes stratified by the TRI-SCORE.

Background And Aims: Severe tricuspid regurgitation is associated with increased mortality rates, but benefit of its correction and ideal timing are not clearly determined. This study aimed to identify patient subsets who might benefit from the surgery.

Methods: In TRIGISTRY, an international cohort study of consecutive patients with severe isolated functional tricuspid regurgitation (33 centres, 10 countries), survival rates up to 10 years were compared between patients who underwent isolated tricuspid valve surgery (repair or replacement) and those conservatively managed, overall and according to TRI-SCORE category (low: ≤3, intermediate: 4-5, and high: ≥6).

Association of epicardial adipose tissue on magnetic resonance imaging with cardiovascular outcomes: Quality over quantity?

Objective: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) quantity is associated with poor cardiovascular outcomes. However, the quality of EAT may be of incremental prognostic value. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard for tissue characterization but has never been applied for EAT quality assessment.

Preprocedural assessment of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Rationale and design of the EASE-IT CT registry.

Background: Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) is the standard for pre-procedural assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, it requires hospitalization and can be associated with complications. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) may be a viable alternative to rule out prognostically relevant CAD.

Serum Markers of Neurodegeneration Are Strongly Linked to Heart Failure Severity and Outcome.

Background: Cognitive impairment is prevalent in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), affecting self-care and outcomes. Novel blood-based biomarkers have emerged as potential diagnostic tools for neurodegeneration.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess neurodegeneration in HFrEF by measuring neurofilament light chain (NfL), total tau (t-tau), amyloid beta 40 (Aβ40), and amyloid beta 42 (Aβ42) in a large, well-characterized cohort.

Low Bone Mineral Density on Computed Tomography: Association with Poor Survival after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has evolved as first-line therapy for severe aortic valve stenosis (AS), with pre-procedural computed tomography (CT) providing critical anatomical information. While primarily used for anatomical planning, TAVR-CT also offers an opportunity to assess low bone mineral density (BMD), a known indicator of frailty. Despite this, the prognostic role of BMD in TAVR patients remains unknown.

Excess renin is attributed to the combination of forward and backward failure in HFrEF.

Aims: Regulation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) still raises questions, as a large proportion of patients show normal renin levels despite manifest disease. Experimental venous congestion results in reduced renal perfusion pressure and stimulates renin secretion. We hypothesized that excess renin levels are mainly a result of right ventricular failure as a sequalae of left ventricular dysfunction.

Mixed aortic valve disease: association with paravalvular leak and reduced survival after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Aims: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) revolutionized the therapy of severe aortic stenosis (AS) with rising numbers. Mixed aortic valve disease (MAVD) treated by TAVR is gaining more interest, as those patients represent a more complex cohort as compared with isolated AS. However, concerning long-term outcome for this cohort only, limited data are available.

Cardiac Amyloidosis and Valvular Heart Disease.

Growing interest has accrued in the co-existence of cardiac amyloidosis and valvular heart disease. Amyloid infiltration from either transthyretin (ATTR) or of light chain (AL) origin may affect any structure of the heart, including the valves. The recent literature has mainly focused on aortic stenosis and cardiac amyloidosis, improving our understanding of the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this dual pathology.

Annular remodelling predicts outcome in isolated severe tricuspid regurgitation: a registry-based echocardiographic analysis.

Aims: Depending on volume status, secondary tricuspid regurgitation (sTR) has a strong dynamic component. In contrast, associated structural dilatation of the tricuspid annulus and the right heart chambers may be less volume dependent. This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of right heart remodelling in isolated severe sTR (isoTR).

CILP-1 Is a Biomarker for Backward Failure and Right Ventricular Dysfunction in HFrEF.

Background: CILP-1 regulates myocardial fibrotic response and remodeling and was reported to indicate right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) in pulmonary hypertension (PH) and heart failure (HF). This study examines CILP-1 as a potential biomarker for RVD and prognosis in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients on guideline-directed medical therapy.

Methods: CILP-1 levels were measured in 610 HFrEF patients from a prospective registry with biobanking (2016-2022).

Renin Trajectories and Outcome in Stable Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) on Contemporary Therapy: A Monocentric Study from an Austrian Tertiary Hospital Outpatient Clinic.

Introduction: The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is the main target of neurohumoral therapy in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) effectively reducing mortality. Reasonably, renin might serve as a biomarker for risk prediction and therapy response. Renin indeed bears some additional value to clinical risk models, albeit the effect is not pronounced.

Impact of right ventricular-to-pulmonary artery coupling on remodeling and outcome in patients undergoing transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair.

Background: Right ventricular-to-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) coupling has recently been shown to be associated with outcome in valvular heart disease. However, longitudinal data on RV dysfunction and reverse cardiac remodeling in patients following transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (M-TEER) are scarce.

Methods: Consecutive patients with primary as well as secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) were prospectively enrolled and had comprehensive echocardiographic and invasive hemodynamic assessment at baseline.