A sensor-based evaluation of heart contractility in patients with head-up tilt-induced syncope

Pacing for Patients Suffering From Cardioinhibitory Vasovagal Syncope Using the Closed-Loop System

One in three vasovagal syncope (VVS) patients has syncopal recurrence after diagnosis, despite the standard recommendations for the avoidance of a recurrence, and one in five patients has more than one syncopal recurrence in the medium term. Given the high prevalence of VVS, there is a large population that continues to need effective treatment. There are numerous studies that use the implantable loop recorder (ILR) to document a cardioinhibitory response during VVS, with one study, ISSUE-3, demonstrating the efficacy of pacing using the rate-drop-response algorithm to trigger pacing and prevent syncopal recurrence in this population. There are more uncertainties in the studies that have used head-up tilt test (HUT) to select the population for pacing. We have recently performed the SPAIN randomized, controlled clinical trial using HUT to select the patients for pacing. The conclusion of the study was that, with the closed-loop system to introduce pacing, there was a significant reduction in the burden of syncope and a seven-fold increase in the time to first recurrence of syncope, which was greater than in the ISSUE-3 study. Since the completion of the SPAIN trial and its inclusion in the European guidelines, in our daily clinical practice, the use of this therapy is still recommended with caution in the context of the available literature, but it has increased our confidence in so doing. One in five patients with VVS needs treatment because of a high syncopal load. If an ILR is used to select the patients for pacing, the rate-drop-response algorithm can be recommended. In patients who have asystole on HUT, pacing with the closed-loop system has higher success and must now be considered as a tenable option for VVS patients.

Assessment of Myocardial Contractility by SonR Sensor in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

BACKGROUND

SonR sensor signal correlates well with myocardial contractility expressed in terms of left ventricular (LV) dP/dt max. The aim of our study was to evaluate the changes in myocardial contractility during isometric effort in heart failure patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with right atrial SonR sensor.

METHODS

Thirty-one patients (19 men, 65 ± 7 years, LV ejection fraction [LVEF] 28% ± 5%, in sinus rhythm) were implanted with a CRT-defibrillator (CRT-D) device equipped with SonR sensor, which was programmed in VVI mode at 40 beats/min. Twenty-four hours after implantation, each patient underwent a noninvasive hemodynamic evaluation at rest and during isometric effort, including: (1) measurement of beat-to-beat endocavitary SonR signal; (2) echocardiographic assessment; and (3) continuous measurement of blood pressure with Nexfin method (BMEYE, Amsterdam, the Netherlands). The following contractility parameters were considered: (1) mean value of beat-to-beat SonR signal; (2) mean value of LV dP/dt by Nexfin system; and (3) fractional shortening (FS) by echocardiography.

RESULTS

At the third minute of the isometric effort, mean value of SonR signal significantly increased from baseline (P < 0.001). Similarly, mean value of both LV dP/dt by Nexfin and FS significantly increased compared to the resting condition (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). While in 27 (88%) patients SonR signal increased at the third minute of the isometric effort, in four (12%) patients SonR signal decreased. In these patients, both LV dP/dt by Nexfin and FS consensually decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

In CRT patients, SonR sensor is able to detect changes in myocardial contractility in a consensual way like noninvasive methods such as Nexfin system and echocardiography.

Predicting the outcome of head-up tilt test using heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity parameters in patients with vasovagal syncope

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to investigate whether a statistical model could be used for an early prediction of the head-up tilt test (HUTT) outcome from heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) data obtained during early stages of the HUTT.

METHODS

A modified Italian protocol was used for HUTT in 105 patients with a previous history of vasovagal syncope. Beat-to-beat heart rate and blood pressure were continuously recorded. Fast Fourier transformation was used for spectral analysis of HRV and a sequence technique for measuring the BRS.

RESULTS

Linear statistical models based on HRV and BRS data from the first 15 min of HUTT were no more accurate than always naively predicted majority class that a syncope will occur (average model out-of-sample accuracy 56.2 ± 5.1 % vs. majority class relative frequency 54.2 %). Even when HRV and BRS data from the first 30 min were used in the model, we did not obtain any predictions of meaningful practical value (75.0 ± 5.1 % accuracy vs. 72.2 % majority class).

CONCLUSIONS

While there are discernible and meaningful differences between HUTT-P and HUTT-N subjects, they are not sufficient to discriminate between the two groups and predict a syncope early in the HUTT. The results might improve with a larger set of subjects; however, we can conclude that it is not likely that syncope predictions of practical value can be obtained from aggregate HRV spectral analysis and BRS values.

Recurrent orthostatic syncope due to left atrial and left ventricular collapse after a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have become an established treatment for patients with advanced heart failure as a bridge to transplantation or for permanent support as an alternative to heart transplantation. Continuous-flow LVADs have been shown to improve outcomes, including survival, and reduce device failure compared with pulsatile devices. Although LVADs have been shown to be a good option for patients with end-stage heart failure, unanticipated complications may occur. We describe dynamic left atrial and left ventricular chamber collapse related to postural changes in a patient with a recent continuous-flow LVAD implantation.

Validation of a peak endocardial acceleration-based algorithm to optimize cardiac resynchronization: early clinical results

Aims

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) involves time-consuming procedures to achieve an optimal programming of the system, at implant as well as during follow-up, when remodelling occurs. A device equipped with an implantable sensor able to measure peak endocardial acceleration (PEA) has been recently developed to monitor cardiac function and to guide CRT programming. During scanning of the atrioventricular delay (AVD), PEA reflects both left ventricle (LV) contractility (LV dP/dt_max) and transmitral flow. A new CRT optimization algorithm, based on recording of PEA (PEA_area method) was developed, and compared with measurements of LV dP/dt_max, to identify an optimal CRT configuration.

Methods and results

We studied 15 patients in New York Heart Association classes II–IV and with a QRS duration >130 ms, who had undergone implantation of a biventricular (BiV) pulse generator connected to a right ventricular (RV) PEA sensor. At a mean of 39 ± 15 days after implantation of the CRT system, the patients underwent cardiac catheterization. During single-chamber LV or during BiV stimulation, with initial RV or LV stimulation, and at settings of interventricular intervals between 0 and 40 ms, the AVD was scanned between 60 and 220 ms, while LV dP/dt_max and PEA were measured. The area of PEA curve (PEA_area method) was estimated as the average of PEA values measured during AVD scanning. A ≥10% increase in LV dP/dt_max was observed in 12 of 15 patients (80%), who were classified as responders to CRT. In nine of 12 responders (75%), the optimal pacing configuration identified by the PEA_area method was associated with the greatest LV dP/dt_max.

Conclusion

The concordance of the PEA_area method with measurements of LV dP/dt_max suggests that this new, operator-independent algorithm is a reliable means of CRT optimization.

Neurocardiogenic mechanisms of unexplained syncope in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

Syncope in patients with advanced heart failure is a sign of poor prognosis. The cause of syncope in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DC) is not fully recognized and may remain elusive even after standardized evaluation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the implication of neurally mediated mechanisms in the pathophysiology of syncopal episodes in patients with DC. Twenty-six patients (21 men, 5 women; mean age 59 +/- 2 years, range 38 to 79) with DC and left ventricular ejection fractions <or=40% were included in the study. Thirteen patients with unexplained syncope or presyncope and a control group of 13 patients without unexplained syncope underwent head-up tilt tests with clomipramine challenge. The 2 groups were matched with regard to age, gender, and left ventricular ejection fractions, and there were no major differences in terms of medication. Heart rate variability analysis and plethysmography of forearm flow were performed during the tilt tests. Blood samples were also drawn for catecholamine measurements. In the group with histories of unexplained syncope, the head-up tilt test results were positive in 11 patients (84.6%). Sympathetic and parasympathetic heart rate indexes were markedly stimulated, while catecholamine concentrations and blood flow changes indicated sympathetic withdrawal during tilting. In the control group, the head-up tilt test results were negative in 12 patients (92.3%). In conclusion, neurally mediated mechanisms seem to be implicated in the pathophysiology of syncope in patients with DC and should therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of syncopal episodes of unexplained origin.

Programming optimal atrioventricular delay in dual chamber pacing using peak endocardial acceleration: comparison with a standard echocardiographic procedure

Optimization of programmed atrioventricular delay in dual chamber pacing is essential to the hemodynamic efficiency of the heart. Automatic AV delay optimization in an implanted pacemaker is highly desirable. Variations of peak endocardial acceleration (PEA) with AV delay at rest correlate well with echocardiography derived observations, particularly with end-diastolic filling and mitral valve closure timings. This suggests the possibility of devicing a procedure for the automatic determination of the optimal AV delay. The aim of this study was to compare a proposed algorithm for optimal AV delay determination with an accepted echocardiographic method. Fifteen patients with high degree AV block received BEST-Living pacing systems. Automatic AV delay scans were performed at rest (60-300 ms in 20-ms steps with 60 beats per step) in DDD at 90 ppm, while simultaneously recording cycle-by-cycle PEA values, which were averaged for each AV delay to obtain a PEA versus AV delay curve. Nonlinear regression analysis based on a Boltzmann sigmoid curve was performed, and the optimal AV delay (OAVD) was chosen as the sigmoid inflection point of the regression curve. The OAVD was also evaluated for each patient using the Ritter echocardiographic method. Good sigmoid fit was obtained in 13 of 15 patients. The mean OAVD obtained by the PEA sigmoid algorithm was 146.9 +/- 32.1 ms, and the corresponding result obtained by echocardiography was 156.4 +/- 34.3 ms (range 31.8-39.7 ms). Correlation analysis yielded r = 0.79, P = 0.0012. In conclusion, OAVD estimates obtained by PEA analysis during automatic AV delay scanning are consistent with those obtained by echocardiography. The proposed algorithm can be used for automatic OAVD determination in an implanted pacemaker pulse generator.

Dual chamber rate responsive pacing system driven by contractility: final assessment after 1-year follow-up. The European PEA Clinical Investigation Group

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term performance of a new dual chamber rate responsive pacing system based on the dynamic measurement of the peak endocardial acceleration (PEA) index of cardiac contractility. Seventy patients who participated in the Multicenter European Clinical Evaluation were studied 1 year after implantation by continuously recording the PEA and the heart rate (HR) during exercise stress testing and during 24 hours of usual activities. A complete examination of standard parameters was also performed to assess the pacing/sensing lead characteristics. Statistical comparisons were performed with the data recorded with the same protocol at 1 month after implant for each patient. A linear correlation coefficient was calculated between PEA and sinus rate when the patient showed predominant atrial tracked rhythm. There were no significant differences between PEA values measured at 1 month and 1 year (PEA = 0.41 +/- 0.26 g vs 0.45 +/- 0.29 g at rest and PEA = 1.63 +/- 0.77 g vs 1.72 +/- 0.83 g during peak exercise). The correlation coefficient remained stable (0.67 +/- 0.15 vs 0.65 +/- 0.14 during daily life and 0.74 +/- 0.14 vs 0.77 +/- 0.11 during exercise). The PEA signal detected by the sensor was reliable and stable. No long-term complications or adverse effects were observed, and the lead performance was comparable to that of a standard lead.