Influence of aetiology on long-term effects of resynchronization on cardiac structure and function in patients treated with β-blockers.

Objectives: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) elicits more beneficial effects on left-ventricular (LV) structure and function, and long-term clinical outcomes in nonischemic heart failure patients. Rates of β-blocker use in recent heart failure trials are higher than in CRT trials and this may influence the response to CRT. This study examined the long-term effects of CRT on LV structure and function in New York Heart Association class III-IV β-blocker-treated patients.

Profiling cardiac resynchronization therapy patients: responders, non-responders and those who cannot respond--the good, the bad and the ugly?

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective option for the management of heart failure (HF) patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and prolongation of the QRS interval. Unfortunately, a variable proportion of eligible patients fail to benefit from this treatment, the so-called "non-responders". Despite intensive investigations aimed at identifying reliable diagnostic tools, additional to standard criteria, for the selection of responders, partly due to the complexity and multi-factorial nature of the mechanism underlying response, no conclusive evidence is currently available about which of the many variables assessed may predict individual response and should be included in selection criteria.

Cardiogenic shock complicating myocardial infarction in a doped athlete.

Abuse of doping agents may pose a higher risk for heart disease including acute myocardial infarction. We report the case of a 50-year-old body-builder Caucasian man with a long-standing abuse of nandrolone and erythropoietin that developed a ventricular septal defect following acute myocardial infarction. This mechanical complication led to cardiogenic shock ultimately treated with the implantation of a circulatory support by means of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

[An unusual cause of syncope in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

Syncope and pre-syncope represent common symptoms in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The clinical scenario of recurrent and frequent syncopal episodes is one of the most challenging in the management of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Syncope in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients usually recognizes two underlying mechanisms: arrhythmias or primary hemodynamic mechanism.