Mechanical circulatory support: when, how, and for whom.

Cardiogenic shock represents a critical condition in which the heart is unable to maintain adequate circulation leading to insufficient tissue perfusion and end-organ failure. Temporary mechanical circulatory support offers the potential to stabilize patients, provide a bridge-to-recovery, provide a bridge-to-decision, or facilitate definitive heart replacement therapies. Although randomized controlled trials have been performed in infarct-related cardiogenic shock and refractory cardiac arrest, the optimal timing, appropriate patient selection, and optimal implementation of these devices remain complex and predominantly based on observational data and expert consensus, especially in non-ischaemic shock.

The prognostic value of neurohormonal and inflammatory biomarkers in addition to the TIMI risk score in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score estimates mortality for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study aimed to investigate whether biomarkers reflecting the neurohormonal response (pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (proANP), mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM), and copeptin), inflammation (suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2), C-reactive protein (CRP), and leukocytes), and troponin add prognostic value to the TIMI risk score.

Methods: This sub-study of the prospective PREDICT cohort included 1700 non-comatose and non-cardiogenic shock STEMI patients upon admission.

Usefulness of Aortic Valve Calcification in Patients With Low-Flow Aortic Stenosis.

Background: Aortic valve calcification (AVC) has been shown to be a powerful assessment of aortic stenosis (AS) severity and a predictor of adverse outcomes. However, its accuracy in patients with low-flow AS has not yet been proven. The objective of the study was to assess the predictive value of AVC in patients with classical low-flow (CLF, that is, low-flow reduced left ventricular ejection fraction) or paradoxical low-flow (PLF, that is, low-flow preserved left ventricular ejection fraction) AS.

Hemodynamic Characteristics and Prognostic Implication of Modified Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Shock Classification in Comatose Patients With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

Background: Cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction is associated with a high mortality rate. Cardiogenic shock after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) can be due to transient myocardial stunning but also reflect the increasing severity of ongoing heart failure. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) proposed a division of cardiogenic shock into 5 phenotypes, with cardiac arrest being a modifier.

Nursing Home Admission and Home Care Initiation After Acute Aortic Dissection: A Nationwide Registry-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Little is known about long-term outcomes beyond survival following acute aortic dissection. The aim of this research was to evaluate rates of home care initiation and nursing home admission during the first year after discharge and to assess factors associated with these needs.

Methods: All patients in Denmark with a first-time diagnosis of acute aortic dissection type A or B between 2006 and 2015 were identified using national registries.

Lower versus higher blood pressure targets during intensive care of comatose patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - A Bayesian analysis of the BOX trial.

Background: The Blood Pressure and Oxygenation Targets After out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (BOX) trial found no statistically significant differences in mortality or neurological outcomes with mean arterial blood pressure targets of 63 versus 77 mmHg in patients receiving intensive care post-cardiac arrest. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect on 1-year mortality and assess heterogeneity in treatment effects (HTE) using Bayesian statistics.

Methods: We analyzed 1-year all-cause mortality, 1-year neurological outcomes, and plasma neuron-specific enolase (NSE) at 48 hours using Bayesian logistic and linear regressions primarily with weakly informative priors.

Neurohormonal response is associated with mortality in women with STEMI.

Background: The prognosis after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) continues to be worse in women. We hypothesize that sex-based differences in neurohormonal response may be a contributor to sex-specific differences in mortality risk.

Aims: To investigate whether the association between sex and mortality could in part be explained by levels of neurohormonal activation in patients with STEMI.

Interleukin-6 receptor antibodies (tocilizumab) in acute myocardial infarction with intermediate to high risk of cardiogenic shock development (DOBERMANN-T): study protocol for a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, single-center, randomized clinical trial.

Background: Inflammation and neurohormonal activation play a significant role in the adverse outcome seen in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the development of cardiogenic shock (CS), which is associated with a mortality rate up to 50%. Treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs such as tocilizumab, an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist, has been shown to reduce troponin release and reduce the myocardial infarct size in AMI patients and it may therefore have cardioprotective properties.

Methods: This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center randomized clinical trial, including adult AMI patients without CS at hospital arrival, undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 24 h from symptom onset, and at intermediate to high risk of developing CS (ORBI risk score ≥ 10).

Myocardial inflammation is associated with impaired mitochondrial oxidative capacity in ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Myocardial inflammation and impaired mitochondrial oxidative capacity are hallmarks of heart failure (HF) pathophysiology. The extent of myocardial inflammation in patients suffering from ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its association with mitochondrial energy metabolism are unknown. We aimed at establishing a relevant role of cardiac inflammation in the impairment of mitochondrial energy production in advanced ischaemic and non-ischaemic HF.

Microaxial Flow Pump Use and Renal Outcomes in Infarct-Related Cardiogenic Shock: A Secondary Analysis of the DanGer Shock Trial.

Background: In DanGer Shock (the Danish-German Cardiogenic Shock trial), use of a microaxial flow pump (mAFP) in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock led to lower all-cause mortality but higher rates of renal replacement therapy (RRT). In this prespecified analysis, rates and predictors of acute kidney injury (AKI) and RRT were assessed.

Methods: In this international, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial, 355 adult patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock were randomized to mAFP (n=179) or standard care alone (n=176).

Microaxial Flow Pump Hemodynamic and Metabolic Effects in Infarct-Related Cardiogenic Shock: A Substudy of the DanGer Shock Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Mechanical circulatory support with a microaxial flow pump (MAFP) has been shown to improve survival in ST-elevation myocardial infarction-induced cardiogenic shock (STEMI-CS). Understanding the impact on hemodynamic stability over time is crucial for optimizing patient treatment.

Objective: To determine if an MAFP reduces the need for pharmacological circulatory support without compromising hemodynamics compared with standard care in STEMI-CS.

Microaxial flow pump (Impella CP®) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.

Cardiogenic shock due to ST-elevation myocardial infarction remains a critical condition with a high mortality rate, even with current revascularization techniques. The use of mechanical circulatory support, such as the microaxial flow pump device (Impella CP®), presents a promising approach to enhance cardiac output and systemic perfusion. The DanGer Shock trial explored the efficacy of Impella CP® in addition to standard care compared to standard care alone in improving survival outcomes for these patients.

Utility of ultrasound in the diagnostic work-up of suspected pulmonary embolism: an open-label multicentre randomized controlled trial (the PRIME study).

Background: Prevalence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients referred to diagnostic imaging is decreasing, indicating a need for improving patient selection. The aim of this study was to assess reduction in referral to diagnostic imaging by integrating a bespoke ultrasound protocol and describe associated failure rate and adverse events in patients with suspected PE.

Methods: In a randomized open-label multicentre trial spanning June 18, 2021, through Feb 1, 2023, adult patients with suspected PE and 1) a Wells score of 0-6 and elevated age-adjusted D-dimer or 2) Wells score >6 were randomly assigned 1:1 to direct diagnostic imaging (controls) or focused lung, cardiac, and deep venous ultrasound by unblinded investigators.

Relevance of age and hypertension for blood pressure targets in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest: a BOX-trial sub-study.

Aims: To assess whether the optimal mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) target after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is influenced by age and a history of arterial hypertension.

Methods And Results: A post hoc analysis of data from the Blood Pressure and Oxygenation Targets in Post Resuscitation Care trial. The trial included 789 comatose patients randomized to a MAP target of 63 or 77 mmHg.

Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography in Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis.

Importance: Guidelines recommend the use of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in patients with low-gradient aortic stenosis (AS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50%. However, a paucity of DSE data exists when LVEF >35%.

Objective: To examine the diagnostic accuracy of DSE in patients with low-gradient AS with a wide range of LVEF and to examine the interaction between the diagnostic accuracy of DSE and LVEF.