Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2018
Review Meta AnalysisMedical Therapy Versus Balloon Angioplasty for CTEPH: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
A significant number of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) patients will have an inoperable disease. Medical therapy and balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) have provided alternate therapeutic options for patients with inoperable CTEPH, although there are a limited number of published studies examining the outcomes. Thus, our study aims to evaluate and compare the efficacy of medical therapy and BPA in patients with inoperable CTEPH. ⋯ High-quality evidence supports the use of targeted medical therapy in improving haemodynamics in patients with inoperable CTEPH. There is only moderate-quality evidence from observational studies supporting the efficacy of BPA in improving both haemodynamics and exercise capacity. Further RCTs and prospective observational studies comparing medical therapy and BPA in patients with inoperable CTEPH are required.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2018
Prevalence and Impact of Coexistent Bicuspid Aortic Valve in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.
The association between bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has been reported but its true prevalence is unknown. This study investigated the prevalence and clinical impact of coexistent BAV in a large referral HCM population. ⋯ This study reported a 0.9% prevalence of BAV among HCM population, similar to the general population. Aortopathy and LVOT obstruction were common, necessitating cardiac interventions in over one-third of cases. Long-term survival appeared favourable.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2018
Mitochondrial DAMPs Are Released During Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery and Are Associated With Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent complication of surgery performed on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and recent work associates CPB with postoperative inflammation. We have shown that all tissue injury releases mitochondrial damage associated molecular patterns (mtDAMPs) including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). This can act as a direct, early activator of neutrophils (PMN), eliciting a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) while suppressing PMN function. Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) are crucial to host defence. They carry out NETosis wherein webs of granule proteins and chromatin trap and kill bacteria. We hypothesised that surgery performed on CPB releases mtDAMPs into the circulation. Molecular patterns thus mobilised during CPB might then participate in the pathogenesis of SIRS and predict postoperative complications like AF [1]. ⋯ Mitochondrial DNA is released by CPB surgery and is associated with POAF. IL-6 gene expression increases after CPB, demonstrating the evolution of postoperative SIRS. Lastly, cardiac surgery on CPB also suppressed PMN NETosis. Taken together, our data suggest that mtDNA released during surgery on CPB, may be involved in the pathogenesis of SIRS and related postoperative inflammatory events like POAF and infections. Mitochondrial DNA may therefore prove to be an early biomarker for postoperative complications with the degree of association to be determined in appropriately sized studies. If mtDNA is directly involved in cardiac inflammation, mtDNA-induced toll-like receptor-9 (TLR9) signalling could also be targeted therapeutically.
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2018
Observational StudyLactate and Echocardiography Before Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support.
Lactate has been recognised as a prognostic factor in several critical conditions. Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is a well-established therapy in patients with Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome (ARDS) unresponsive to conventional therapy and echocardiography pre ECMO initiation has been recently reported to help in risk stratifying these patients. ⋯ In refractory ARDS, hyperlactataemia before VVV-ECMO identified a subset of patients at higher risk of death, being an independent predictor of in-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) mortality. Lactate values are mainly related to disease severity (as indicated by SAPS II) and haemodynamic impairment (as inferred by LVEF) and RV failure, as (indicated by TAPSE).
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Heart, lung & circulation · Dec 2017
Multicenter StudyImproving Guideline Compliance in Australia With a National Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Outcomes Registry.
Secondary prevention strategies after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) include statins and dual anti-platelet therapy, however there are significant gaps between guidelines and practice. Contemporary PCI practice requires comprehensive data collection to allow dynamic auditing and benchmarking of key performance and safety indices. Genesis HeartCare is Australia's largest collaborative venture of cardiologists, practising at over 40 public and private hospitals. We hypothesised that measurement and local reporting of data would improve patient outcomes through improving compliance with guideline therapies. ⋯ This large-scale collaboration provides a platform for the development of quality improvement initiatives. Establishment of this clinical quality registry improved patient care by identifying and monitoring gaps in delivery of appropriate therapies, driving key practice change.