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Sixtus RP, Gray C, Berry MJ, Dyson RM. Preterm-born individuals: a vulnerable population at risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during thermal extremes? Exp Physiol 2023; 108:1011-1025. [PMID: 37084061 PMCID: PMC10988436 DOI: 10.1113/ep091152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
NEW FINDINGS What is the topic of this review? Thermal extremes disproportionately affect populations with cardiovascular conditions. Preterm birth, across all gestational age ranges below 37 weeks, has been identified as a non-modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The hypothesis is presented that individuals born preterm are at an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during thermal extremes. What advances does it highlight? Cardiovascular stress tests performed in preterm-born populations, from infancy through adulthood, highlight a progression of cardiovascular dysfunction accelerating through adolescence and adulthood. This dysfunction has many similarities with populations known to be at risk in thermal extremes. ABSTRACT Preterm-born individuals are a uniquely vulnerable population. Preterm exposure to the extrauterine environment and the (mal)adaptations that occur during the transitional period can result in alterations to their macro- and micro-physiological state. The physiological adaptations that increase survival in the short term may place those born preterm on a trajectory of lifelong dysfunction and later-life decompensation. Cardiovascular compensation in children and adolescents, which masks this trajectory of dysfunction, is overcome under stress, such that the functional cardiovascular capacity is reduced and recovery impaired following physiological stress. This has implications for their response to thermal stress. As the Anthropocene introduces greater changes in our environment, thermal extremes will impact vulnerable populations as yet unidentified in the climate change context. Here, we present the hypothesis that individuals born preterm are a vulnerable population at an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality during thermal extremes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Phillip Sixtus
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthUniversity of OtagoWellingtonNew Zealand
| | - Clint Gray
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthUniversity of OtagoWellingtonNew Zealand
| | - Mary Judith Berry
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthUniversity of OtagoWellingtonNew Zealand
| | - Rebecca Maree Dyson
- Department of Paediatrics and Child HealthUniversity of OtagoWellingtonNew Zealand
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Schuermans A, den Harink T, Raman B, Smillie RW, Alsharqi M, Mohamed A, Lapidaire W, van Deutekom AW, Leeson P, Lewandowski AJ. Differing Impact of Preterm Birth on the Right and Left Atria in Adulthood. J Am Heart Assoc 2022; 11:e027305. [PMID: 36453643 PMCID: PMC9851437 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.122.027305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Background Preterm birth affects 10% of live births and is associated with an altered left ventricular and right ventricular phenotype and increased cardiovascular disease risk in young adulthood. Because left atrial (LA) and right atrial (RA) volume and function are known independent predictors of cardiovascular outcomes, we investigated whether these were altered in preterm-born young adults. Methods and Results Preterm-born (n=200) and term-born (n=266) adults aged 18 to 39 years underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. LA and RA maximal and minimal volumes (absolute, indexed to body surface area, and as a ratio to ventricular volumes) were obtained to study atrial morphology, while LA and RA stroke volume, strain, and strain rate were used to assess atrial function. Secondary analyses consisted of between-group comparisons based on degree of prematurity. Absolute RA volumes and RA volumes indexed to right ventricular volumes were significantly smaller in preterm-born compared with term-born adults. In addition, RA reservoir and booster strain were higher in preterm-born adults, possibly indicating functional compensation for the smaller RA volumes. LA volumes indexed to left ventricular volumes were significantly greater in preterm-born adults as compared with term-born adults, although absolute LA volumes were similar between groups. LA and RA changes were observed across gestational ages in the preterm group but were greatest in those born very-to-extremely preterm. Conclusions Preterm-born adults show changes in LA and RA structure and function, which may indicate subclinical cardiovascular disease. Further research into underlying mechanisms, opportunities for interventions, and their prognostic value is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Art Schuermans
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Cardiovascular SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Tamara den Harink
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMCUniversity of AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Betty Raman
- Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Robert W. Smillie
- Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Maryam Alsharqi
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Cardiac TechnologyCollege of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal UniversityDammamSaudi Arabia
| | - Afifah Mohamed
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging & Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Health SciencesUniversiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaKuala LumpurMalaysia
| | - Winok Lapidaire
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Arend W. van Deutekom
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Paediatrics, Division of Paediatric CardiologyErasmus MC‐Sophia Children’s HospitalRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Paul Leeson
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Adam J. Lewandowski
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of MedicineUniversity of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOxfordUnited Kingdom
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Schuermans A, Van den Eynde J, Jacquemyn X, Van De Bruaene A, Lewandowski AJ, Kutty S, Geva T, Budts W, Gewillig M, Roest AAW. Preterm Birth Is Associated With Adverse Cardiac Remodeling and Worse Outcomes in Patients With a Functional Single Right Ventricle. J Pediatr 2022; 255:198-206.e4. [PMID: 36470462 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.11.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the effects of preterm birth on cardiac structure and function and transplant-free survival in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and associated anomalies throughout the staged palliation process. STUDY DESIGN Data from the Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial were used to assess the impact of prematurity on echocardiographic measures at birth, Norwood, Stage II, and 14 months in 549 patients with a single functional right ventricle. Medical history was recorded once a year using medical records or telephone interviews. Cox regression models were applied to analyze transplant-free survival to age 6 years. Causal mediation analysis was performed to estimate the mediating effect of birth weight within this relationship. RESULTS Of the 549 participants, 64 (11.7%) were born preterm. Preterm-born participants had lower indexed right ventricle end-diastolic volumes at birth but higher volumes than term-born participants by age 14 months. Preterm-born participants had an increased risk of death or heart transplantation from birth to age 6 years, with an almost linear increase in the observed risk as gestational age decreased below 37 weeks. Of the total effect of preterm birth on transplant-free survival, 27.3% (95% CI 2.5-59.0%) was mediated through birth weight. CONCLUSIONS Preterm birth is associated with adverse right ventricle remodeling and worse transplant-free survival throughout the palliation process, in part independently of low birth weight. Further investigation into this vulnerable group may allow development of strategies that mitigate the impact of prematurity on outcomes in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Art Schuermans
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jef Van den Eynde
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Helen B. Taussig Heart Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Xander Jacquemyn
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alexander Van De Bruaene
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Congenital and Structural Cardiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Adam J Lewandowski
- Oxford Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Shelby Kutty
- Helen B. Taussig Heart Center, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Tal Geva
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Werner Budts
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Congenital and Structural Cardiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marc Gewillig
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Pediatric Cardiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arno A W Roest
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Steenhorst JJ, Hirsch A, Verzijl A, Wielopolski P, de Wijs-Meijler D, Duncker DJ, Reiss IKM, Merkus D. Exercise and hypoxia unmask pulmonary vascular disease and right ventricular dysfunction in a 10-12 week old swine model of neonatal oxidative injury. J Physiol 2022; 600:3931-3950. [PMID: 35862359 PMCID: PMC9542957 DOI: 10.1113/jp282906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract Prematurely born young adults who experienced neonatal oxidative injury (NOI) of the lungs have increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. Here, we investigated the long‐term effects of NOI on cardiopulmonary function in piglets at the age of 10–12 weeks. To induce NOI, term‐born piglets (1.81 ± 0.06 kg) were exposed to hypoxia (10–12% FiO2), within 2 days after birth, and maintained for 4 weeks or until symptoms of heart failure developed (range 16–28 days), while SHAM piglets were normoxia raised. Following recovery (>5 weeks), NOI piglets were surgically instrumented to measure haemodynamics during hypoxic challenge testing (HCT) and exercise with modulation of the nitric‐oxide system. During exercise, NOI piglets showed a normal increase in cardiac index, but an exaggerated increase in pulmonary artery pressure and a blunted increase in left atrial pressure – suggesting left atrial under‐filling – consistent with an elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), which correlated with the duration of hypoxia exposure. Moreover, hypoxia duration correlated inversely with stroke volume (SV) during exercise. Nitric oxide synthase inhibition and HCT resulted in an exaggerated increase in PVR, while the PVR reduction by phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibition was enhanced in NOI compared to SHAM piglets. Finally, within the NOI piglet group, prolonged duration of hypoxia was associated with a better maintenance of SV during HCT, likely due to the increase in RV mass. In conclusion, duration of neonatal hypoxia appears an important determinant of alterations in cardiopulmonary function that persist further into life. These changes encompass both pulmonary vascular and cardiac responses to hypoxia and exercise.
![]() Key points Children who suffered from neonatal oxidative injury, such as very preterm born infants, have increased risk of cardiopulmonary disease later in life. Risk stratification requires knowledge of the mechanistic underpinning and the time course of progression into cardiopulmonary disease. Exercise and hypoxic challenge testing showed that 10‐ to 12‐week‐old swine that previously experienced neonatal oxidative injury had increased pulmonary vascular resistance and nitric oxide dependency. Duration of neonatal oxidative injury was a determinant of structural and functional cardiopulmonary remodelling later in life. Remodelling of the right ventricle, as a result of prolonged neonatal oxidative injury, resulted in worse performance during exercise, but enabled better performance during the hypoxic challenge test. Increased nitric oxide dependency together with age‐ or comorbidity‐related endothelial dysfunction may contribute to predisposition to pulmonary hypertension later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarno J Steenhorst
- Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander Hirsch
- Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Annemarie Verzijl
- Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Piotr Wielopolski
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Daphne de Wijs-Meijler
- Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dirk J Duncker
- Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Irwin K M Reiss
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam
| | - Daphne Merkus
- Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands.,Institute for Surgical Research, Walter Brendel Center of Experimental Medicine (WBex), University Clinic Munich, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
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Vrselja A, Pillow JJ, Bensley JG, Ellery SJ, Ahmadi-Noorbakhsh S, Moss TJ, Black MJ. Intrauterine inflammation exacerbates maladaptive remodeling of the immature myocardium after preterm birth in lambs. Pediatr Res 2022; 92:1555-65. [PMID: 35277596 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-01955-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antenatal conditions that are linked with preterm birth, such as intrauterine inflammation, can influence fetal cardiac development thereby rendering the heart more vulnerable to the effects of prematurity. We aimed to investigate the effect of intrauterine inflammation, consequent to lipopolysaccharide exposure, on postnatal cardiac growth and maturation in preterm lambs. METHODS Preterm lambs (~129 days gestational age) exposed antenatally to lipopolysaccharide or saline were managed according to contemporary neonatal care and studied at postnatal day 7. Age-matched fetal controls were studied at ~136 days gestational age. Cardiac tissue was sampled for molecular analyses and assessment of cardiac structure and cardiomyocyte maturation. RESULTS Lambs delivered preterm showed distinct ventricular differences in cardiomyocyte growth and maturation trajectories as well as remodeling of the left ventricular myocardium compared to fetal controls. Antenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide resulted in further collagen deposition in the left ventricle and a greater presence of immune cells in the preterm heart. CONCLUSIONS Adverse impacts of preterm birth on cardiac structure and cardiomyocyte growth kinetics within the first week of postnatal life are exacerbated by intrauterine inflammation. The maladaptive remodeling of the cardiac structure and perturbed cardiomyocyte growth likely contribute to the increased vulnerability to cardiac dysfunction following preterm birth. IMPACT Preterm birth induces maladaptive cardiac remodeling and adversely impacts cardiomyocyte growth kinetics within the first week of life in sheep. These effects of prematurity on the heart are exacerbated when preterm birth is preceded by exposure to intrauterine inflammation, a common antecedent of preterm birth. Inflammatory injury to the fetal heart coupled with preterm birth consequently alters neonatal cardiac growth and maturation and thus, may potentially influence long-term cardiac function and health.
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