Atrial fibrillation-induced tachycardiomyopathy and heart failure: an underappreciated and elusive condition
AbstractMany patients with persistent, chronic, or frequently recurring paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) may develop a tachycardiomyopathy (TCM) with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and heart failure (HF), which is reversible upon restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm, when feasible, or via better and tighter ventricular rate (VR) control. Mechanisms involved in producing this leading cause of TCM (AF-TCM) include loss of atrial contraction, irregular heart rate, fast VR, neurohumoral activation, and structural myocardial changes. The most important of all mechanisms relates to optimal VR control, which seems to...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 23, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
The right ventricular involvement in dilated cardiomyopathy: prevalence and prognostic implications of the often-neglected child
AbstractDilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a primary heart muscle disease characterized by left or biventricular systolic impairment. Historically, most of the clinical attention has been devoted to the evaluation of left ventricular function and morphology, while right ventricle (RV) has been for many years the forgotten chamber. Recently, progresses in cardiac imaging gave clinicians precious tools for the evaluation of RV, raising the awareness of the importance of biventricular assessment in DCM. Indeed, RV involvement is far from being uncommon in DCM, and the presence of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is one of the...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 22, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Discussion of LBBP synchronization effects in HF patients with LBBB and comparison with BiV-CRT
AbstractLeft bundle branch block (LBBB) is common in heart failure patients, and could induce dyssynchrony of ventricular contraction, deterioration of cardiac function, and increased mortality. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with biventricular pacing reduces ventricular dyssynchrony, heart failure hospitalization, and all-cause mortality in heart failure patients with LBBB. However, there are approximately 30% nonresponders and 10% of patients remain untreated owing to an unsuitable coronary sinus vein. His bundle pacing (HBP) is a more physiological pacing modality which has showed inspiring outcomes in heart fa...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 14, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
The value of myocardial strain imaging in the evaluation of patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot: a review of the literature
AbstractTetralogy of Fallot (ToF) is considered to be the most common, complex, cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) representing 7 –10% of all congenital heart defects, whereas the patients with ToF are the most frequently operated in their early infancy or childhood. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) consists a valuable imaging technique for the diagnosis and serial follow-up of CHD patients. Furthermore, in recent years, ad vanced echocardiography imaging techniques have come to the fore, aiming to achieve a complete and more accurate evaluation of cardiac function using speckle tracking imaging modalities. We condu...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 14, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Endothelial-cell-mediated mechanism of coronary microvascular dysfunction leading to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
AbstractAlthough the prevalence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is growing worldwide, its complex pathophysiology has yet to be fully elucidated, and multiple hypotheses have all failed to produce a viable target for therapeutic action or provide effective treatment. Cardiac remodeling has long been considered an important mechanism of HFpEF. Strong evidence has been reported over the past years that coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), manifesting as structural and functional abnormalities of coronary microvasculature, also contributes to the evolution of HFpEF. However, the mechanisms of CM...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 9, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance for suspected cardiac amyloidosis: where are we now?
AbstractCardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an underdiagnosed form of restrictive cardiomyopathy leading to a rapid progression into heart failure. Evaluation of CA requires a multimodality approach making use of echocardiography, cardiac magnetic imaging (CMR), and nuclear imaging. With superior tissue characterization, high-resolution imaging, and precise cardiac assessment, CMR has emerged as a versatile tool in the workup of cardiac amyloidosis with a wide array of parameters both visual and quantitative. This includes late gadolinium enhancement patterns, T1/T2 mapping, and extracellular volume (ECV) measurement providing rob...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 4, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Optimal effectiveness of heart failure management — an umbrella review of meta-analyses examining the effectiveness of interventions to reduce (re)hospitalizations in heart failure
AbstractHeart failure (HF) is a major health concern, which accounts for 1 –2% of all hospital admissions. Nevertheless, there remains a knowledge gap concerning which interventions contribute to effective prevention of HF (re)hospitalization. Therefore, this umbrella review aims to systematically review meta-analyses that examined the effectiveness of interventions in r educing HF-related (re)hospitalization in HFrEF patients. An electronic literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo, Cochrane Reviews, CINAHL, and Medline to identify eligible studies published in the English language in the past ...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 3, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Reply to the letter to the editor
(Source: Heart Failure Reviews)
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 2, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Intermittent levosimendan infusion in ambulatory patients with end-stage heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 984 patients
In conclusion, intermittent LEVO infusions in ambulatory patients with end-stage HF is associated with less frequent cardiovascular death alongside with improved NYHA class, quality of life, BNP levels, and LV function. However, the current evidence is limited by heterogeneous and relatively small studies. (Source: Heart Failure Reviews)
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 1, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Obesity, inflammation, and heart failure: links and misconceptions
AbstractObesity has been linked with heart failure (HF) with preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (HFpEF). This link has been attributed to obesity-induced metabolic and inflammatory disturbances leading to HFpEF. However, HF is a syndrome in which disease evolvement is associated with a dynamic unraveling of functional and structural changes leading to unique disease trajectories, creating a spectrum of phenotypes with overlapping distinct characteristics extending beyond the LV ejection fraction (LVEF). In this regard, despite quantitative differences between the two extremes (HFpEF and HF with reduced LVEF,...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 1, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
The therapeutic effects of upgrade to cardiac resynchronization therapy in pacing-induced cardiomyopathy or chronic right ventricular pacing patients: a meta-analysis
AbstractPacing-induced cardiomyopathy (PICM) or heart failure accompanied with chronic right ventricular pacing (CRVP-HF) has no established treatments. We aimed to carry out a meta-analysis of published studies about the therapeutic effects of the upgrade to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients of PICM/CRVP-HF. The PUBMED, EMBASE, MEDLINE, OVID databases, and Cochrane Library were systemically searched for relevant publications. Data about the improvements of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), NYHA functional class (NYHA-FC), and the CRT response rate was extracted and synthesized. Mean difference (...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 1, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of heart failure
AbstractHeart failure (HF) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Circulating biomarkers reflecting pathophysiological pathways involved in HF development and progression may assist clinicians in early diagnosis and management of HF patients. Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are cardioprotective hormones released by cardiomyocytes in response to pressure or volume overload. The roles of B-type NP (BNP) and N-terminal pro-B-type NP (NT-proBNP) for diagnosis and risk stratification in HF have been extensively demonstrated, and these biomarkers are emerging tools for population screening and as guides to the s...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 1, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Is heart failure with preserved ejection fraction a ‘dementia’ of the heart?
AbstractHeart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains an elusive entity, due to its heterogeneous clinical profile and an arbitrarily defined nosology. Several pathophysiological mechanisms recognized as central for the development of HFpEF appear to be in common with the process of physiological aging of the heart. Both conditions are characterized by progressive impairment in cardiac function, accompanied by left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, sarcomeric, and metabolic abnormalities. The neurological paradigm of dementia —intended as a progressive, multifactorial organ damage with decl...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 1, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Letter to the Editor
(Source: Heart Failure Reviews)
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - March 1, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
Alterations of sodium-hydrogen exchanger 1 function in response to SGLT2 inhibitors: what is the evidence?
AbstractThis review summarizes and describes the current evidence addressing how sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors alter the function of sodium-hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE-1), in association with their protective effects against adverse cardiovascular events. In the heart, SGLT2 inhibitors modulate the function of NHE-1 (either by direct inhibition or indirect attenuation of protein expression), which promotes cardiac contraction and an enhanced energy supply, in association with improved mitochondrial function, reduced inflammation/oxidative/endoplasmic reticulum stress, and attenuated fibrosis and apoptotic...
Source: Heart Failure Reviews - February 18, 2022 Category: Cardiology Source Type: research
