Placental Sonomorphologic Appearance and Fetomaternal Outcome in Fontan Circulation.

Pregnancies in women with Fontan circulation are on the rise, and they are known to imply high maternal and fetal complication rates. The altered hemodynamic profile of univentricular circulation affects placental development and function. This study describes placental sonomorphologic appearance and Doppler examinations and correlates these to histopathologic findings and pregnancy outcomes in women with Fontan circulation.

The Arg389Gly β1-adrenoceptor gene polymorphism influences the acute effects of β-adrenoceptor blockade on contractility in the human heart.

Background: The β(1)-adrenoceptor (β(1)AR) mediates cardiostimulatory effects of catecholamines in the heart. The Arg389Gly polymorphism of the β(1)AR gene has recently been shown to determine the responsiveness to catecholamines in vitro, and we previously reported that dobutamine induced an augmented contractile response in humans homozygous for the Arg389 allele. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the Arg389Gly β(1)AR gene polymorphism influences the responsiveness to β-blocker treatment on cardiac contractility.

Prevalence and inter-relationship of different Doppler measures of dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure and prolonged QRS: a report from CARE-HF.

Background: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) improves mortality and morbidity in heart failure patients with wide QRS. Observational studies suggest that patients having more left ventricular dyssynchrony pre-implantation obtain greater benefit on ventricular function and symptoms with CRT.

Aim: To provide an analysis of the prevalence and type of dyssynchrony in patients included in the CARE-HF trial.