[Management of comorbidities in heart failure]

We will review some diseases that interfere most with management of heart failure : anemia, chronic renal failure, chronic pulmonary diseases, diabetes, atrial fibrillation/flutter, sleep apnea, angina, systemic arterial hypertension, rheumatic disease, depression and anticancer chemotherapy. We will retain principally their therapeutic implications. Anemia can be partially corrected by administration of intravenous iron or erythropoietin. Chronic renal failure requires adaptation of the treatment, in particular for drugs of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Chronic pulmonary diseases complicate diagnosis of heart failure and may lead to sub prescription of beta-blockers. Diabetes does not alter the usual recommendations for the treatment of heart failure but some hypoglycemic medications should be prescribed with caution. In the presence of atrial fibrillation or flutter, the main purpose of the treatment is to improve the quality of live and to diminish the thromboembolic risk ; it may be obtained by rhythm or rate control. Therapeutic approach of sleep apnea is based on optimal treatment of heart failure and weight loss. In the presence of angina, systemic arterial hypertension, rheumatic disease or depression, certain drugs usually prescribed are contraindicated or must be prescribed with caution. Finally, chemotherapy can be cardiotoxic and require careful monitoring of cardiac function.

[Management of atrial fibrillation in 2011]

Some new guidelines have been published by European (2010) and American (2011) Societies of Cardiology regarding to the management of atrial fibrillation, the most frequent arrhythmia affecting from 1 to 2% of the global population. In this article we summarize and analyse the new aspects of these guidelines in which the different types of atrial fibrillation are redefined, as well as new criterias for the indication of oral anticoagulation and bleeding risk. New antiarrhythmic and anticoagulant molecules also appear in these guidelines, and there is growing evidence for the use of catheter ablation.

[Particular aspects of heart failure in elderly patients]

The prognosis of heart failure in elderly patients is poor. The knowledge of the particular aspects of this pathology could certainly increase the prevention and the therapeutic approach of this disease. The presence of many precipitating factors and comorbidities is typical of this pathology. The clinical diagnosis is particularly difficult, especially because the signs and symptoms are similar to those of frequent disorders in elderly patients. Moreover, cognition and sensory impairments and the spontaneous reduction of the physical activity, masking symptoms, may also disturb the diagnosis. Diastolic heart failure, frequent in old patients, contributes sometimes to perturb the diagnosis. The treatment of heart failure in elderly people is based in first line on the control of the precipitating factors. The pharmacotherapy is not fundamentally different from the younger patient and must follow the recommendations of the literature (Evidence Based Medicine). The underutilization of proven therapy must indeed be avoided. However, the careful beginning, at very low doses, and a careful titration to obtain the recommended doses, is essential. Moreover, the susceptibility to side effects and the frequent contra-indications in the elderly require meticulous precautions in the prescription of the drugs. Diuretics remain the cornerstone to promptly control the pulmonary congestion and the edema. The angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, the antagonists of the angiotensin-receptors and the beta-blockers must be prescribed as in the younger patients. Digoxin plays also a role in several precise indications. Coronary angioplasty, heart surgery and technique of resynchronization have indications in certain cases. Multidisciplinary approach and vigilant follow-up are essential to improve the prognostic of heart failure in elderly patients.

HIV Lipodystrophy Case Definition using Artificial Neural Network Modelling

Objective

A case definition of HIV lipodystrophy has recently been developed from a combination of clinical, metabolic and imaging/body composition variables using logistic regression methods. We aimed to evaluate whether artificial neural networks could improve the diagnostic accuracy.

Methods

The database of the case-control Lipodystrophy Case Definition Study was split into 504 subjects (265 with and 239 without lipodystrophy) used for training and 284 independent subjects (152 with and 132 without lipodystrophy) used for validation. Back-propagation neural networks with one or two middle layers were trained and validated. Results were compared against logistic regression models using the same information.

Results

Neural networks using clinical variables only (41 items) achieved consistently superior performance than logistic regression in terms of specificity, overall accuracy and area under the ROC curve. Their average sensitivity and specificity were 72.4 and 71.2%, as compared with 73.0 and 62.9% for logistic regression, respectively (area under the ROC curve, 0.784 vs 0.748). The discriminating performance of the neural networks was largely unaffected when built excluding 13 parameters that patients may not have readily available. The average sensitivity and specificity of the neural networks remained the same when metabolic variables were also considered (total 60 items) without a clear advantage against logistic regression (overall accuracy 71.8%). The performance of networks considering also body composition variables was similar to that of logistic regression (overall accuracy 78.5% for both).

Conclusions

Neural networks may offer a means to improve the discriminating performance for HIV lipodystrophy, when only clinical data are available and a rapid approximate diagnostic decision is needed. In this context, information on metabolic parameters is apparently not helpful in improving the diagnosis of HIV lipodystrophy, unless imaging and body composition studies are also obtained.

Clinical usefulness of biplane transesophageal echocardiography

The clinical usefulness of biplane color Doppler transesophageal echocardiography is illustrated by the results obtained in 300 successive examinations. The additional contribution of the newer longitudinal plane was judged significant or major in 64% of the cases. The method was useful mainly for intraoperative examinations, assessment of native valvular disease, prosthetic valve evaluation, search for tumors, and assessment of endocarditis, congenital heart disease, and aortic disease. In contrast, the longitudinal plane option was not contributory in 68% of the cases of thromboembolism. Typically, the technique aided in the evaluation of mitral valve insufficiency and the detection of paraprosthetic leaks. Lesions located at the level of the ascending aorta, the left and right ventricular outflow tracts, and the interatrial septum were also visualized best. The limitations of the method were negligible and the duration of the examination was not significantly increased in comparison to the monoplane method. When available, biplane transesophageal echocardiography seems to be preferred in most clinical settings.

[Current status of transluminal coronary angioplasty]

The morphological and clinical indications of coronary angioplasty have been widely extended. This technique occupies now a place of choice in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. The high success rate is obtained with a minimal rate of complications and death. New technical approaches are now proposed in order to reduce the incidence of the restenosis, which remains the major problem limiting the long-term efficacy of the procedure.

Assay of serum cardiac myosin heavy chain fragments in patients with acute myocardial infarction: determination of infarct size and long-term follow-up

To evaluate the correlation between myosin heavy chain release and the necrosis mass, serum levels of myosin heavy chain fragments were determined serially in 55 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Eight of these patients were successfully treated with thrombolytic agents: the others were not treated. The same myosin titration was applied to the sera of 25 dogs with an experimental myocardial infarction. Six of the dogs were successfully treated with thrombolytic agents. The time courses of the myosin concentrations are typical and monophasic for all patients with a noncomplex myocardial infarction. The values for the kinetic parameters of myosin release are comparable to those previously reported. We have now determined that cumulative myosin release significantly correlates with cumulative creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, and lactate dehydrogenase release, as well as with thallium-201 distribution, as determined for different patient groups. Thrombolytic treatment does not seem to qualitatively upset myosin kinetics. The results obtained in dogs with or without thrombolysis conclusively indicate that myosin release is a quantitative index of the necrosis mass. From a practical point of view, a few serial determinations of serum levels of myosin heavy chains are enough to estimate the necrosed mass in patients with acute myocardial infarction. More generally, serum myosin titration could be useful in detecting any cardiac disturbance involving myocardial injury resulting in membrane leakage of cardiac cells.

Transaortic saphenous patch angioplasty for left main coronary artery stenosis. An alternative to coronary artery bypass

We present two cases of isolated proximal left main coronary artery stenosis treated by direct transaortic angioplasty. In selected patients this technique offers a valuable alternative to CAB graft with the advantage of restoring unobstructed antegrade flow.

Predictors of the variation of the ejection fraction during exercise in patients with and without coronary heart disease

The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing the different response of the ejection fraction (EF) of the left ventricle at exercise observed in patients with and without significant coronary heart disease. We have studied 98 patients referred for coronary angiography (82 men, 16 women), of whom 49 patients had a previous myocardial infarction and 71 patients had significant coronary heart disease. Exercise testing was performed and combined with a cardiac blood pool imaging at equilibrium. The variation of the EF between rest and peak exercise (delta EF) was measured. Twelve clinical, exercise-related, isotopic, and coronary arteriographic variables were examined in a linear univariate and statistical analysis. In the univariate regression, seven variables were significant regressors on the delta EF. In the multivariate regression, only four variables were significant regressors on the delta EF. Three independent predictors were found: the rate-pressure product, the ST depression, and the occurrence of a previous myocardial infarction. These three independent predictors reflect the myocardial functional reserve.