Characterization of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls via spectral causality analysis in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement during a three-month follow-up

Objective.Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) induces left ventricular function adaptations and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) restores blood flow profile across aortic valve. Modifications of cardiac hemodynamics induced by AVS and SAVR might alter cardiovascular (CV) and cerebrovascular (CBV) controls. The study aims at characterizing CV and CBV regulations one day before SAVR (PRE), within one week after SAVR (POST), and after a three-month follow-up (POST3) in 73 AVS patients (age: 63.9 ± 12.9 yrs; 48 males, 25 females) from spontaneous fluctuations of heart period (HP), systolic arterial pressure, mean arterial pressure and mean cerebral blood velocity.Approach.CV and CBV regulations were typified via a bivariate autoregressive approach computing traditional frequency domain markers and causal squared coherence (CK2) from CV and CBV variabilities. Univariate time and frequency domain indexes were calculated as well. Analyses were carried out in frequency bands typical of CV and CBV controls at supine rest and during active standing. A surrogate method was exploited to check uncoupling condition.Main results.We found that: (i) CV regulation is impaired in AVS patients; (ii) CV regulation worsens in POST; (iii) CV regulation recovers in POST3 and CV response to active standing is even better than in PRE; (iv) CBV regulation is preserved in AVS patients; (v) SAVR does not affect CBV control; (vi) parameters of the CBV control in POST3 and PRE are similar.Significance.CK2is particularly useful to characterize CV and CBV controls in AVS patients and to monitor of patient's evolution after SAVR.

Adults with tetralogy of Fallot show specific features of cerebral small vessel disease: the BACH San Donato study

Life expectancy in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) has increased. As these patients grow older, they experience aging-related diseases more than their healthy peers. To better characterize this field, we launched the multi-disciplinary BACH (Brain Aging in Congenital Heart disease) San Donato study, that aimed at investigating signs of brain injury in ACHD. Twenty-three adults with repaired tetralogy of Fallot and 23 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were prospectively recruited and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) were segmented using a machine-learning approach and automatically split into periventricular and deep. Cerebral microbleeds were manually counted. A subset of 14 patients were also assessed with an extensive neuropsychological battery. Age was 41.78 ± 10.33 years (mean ± standard deviation) for patients and 41.48 ± 10.28 years for controls (p = 0.921). Albeit not significantly, total brain (p = 0.282) and brain tissue volumes (p = 0.539 for cerebrospinal fluid, p = 0.661 for grey matter, p = 0.793 for white matter) were lower in ACHD, while total volume (p = 0.283) and sub-classes of WMHs (p = 0.386 for periventricular WMHs and p = 0.138 for deep WMHs) were higher in ACHD than in controls. Deep WMHs were associated with poorer performance at the frontal assessment battery (r = -0.650, p = 0.012). Also, patients had a much larger number of microbleeds than controls (median and interquartile range 5 [3–11] and 0 [0–0] respectively; p < 0.001). In this study, adults with tetralogy of Fallot showed specific signs of brain injury, with some clinical implications. Eventually, accurate characterization of brain health using neuroimaging and neuropsychological data would aid in the identification of ACHD patients at risk of cognitive deterioration.

Respiration is a Confounder of the Closed Loop Relationship Between Mean Arterial Pressure and Mean Cerebral Blood Flow

This study tested the hypothesis that respiration (RESP) is a confounder or suppressor of the closed loop relationship responsible for the cerebrovascular dynamical interactions as assessed from spontaneous variability of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and mean cerebral blood flow (MCBF). The evaluation was carried out in the information domain via transfer entropy (TE) estimated through a linear model-based approach comparing TE markers computed solely over MAP and MCBF series with TE indexes accounting for the eventual action of RESP over MAP and MCBF. We considered 11 patients (age: 76±5 yrs, 7 males) undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) at supine resting (REST) and during active standing (STAND) before and after SAVR surgery. The decrease of the predictive ability of MCBF to MAP when accounting for RESP compared to the one assessed when disregarding RESP suggested that RESP is a confounder of the link from MCBF to MAP along the Cushing reflex instead of being a suppressor. This result was more evident in POST when autonomic control was dramatically depressed and in an unchallenged condition such as REST. RESP did not affect significantly the link from MAP to MCBF along the pressure-to-flow relationship. Clarification of the type of RESP influence on the MAP-MCBF closed loop relationship could favor a deeper characterization of cerebrovascular interactions and the comprehension of cerebral autoregulation mechanisms.Clinical Relevance- This study suggests that respiration is a confounder of the closed loop relationship between MAP and MCBF, especially of the flow-to-pressure causal link. This result might open new possibilities in elucidating the mechanisms of cerebral autoregulation in healthy and pathological populations.

Clinical Psychology Services for Patients Hospitalized Due to COVID-19 During the Pandemic in Northern Italy: From Isolation to Rehabilitation

The objective of this paper is to describe the organization and modality of provision of clinical psychology services for those patients who had to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 during the pandemic in Northern Italy. The IRCCS Policlinico San Donato hospital in Milan was converted into a COVID-19 center in March 2020, and all the staff, including the Clinical Psychology Service Team, were diverted to assist these patients. A description is given of how the service was organized and the modalities which were utilized to assist the patients. Following the pertinent ministerial decrees, guidelines, and relevant literature, the patients were followed up through telehealth (via phone, smartphone, or tablet with audio or audio-visual calls). A COVID-19 rehabilitation unit was later opened in April 2020, where all patients were seen and followed up by the Clinical Psychology team, the last patient being discharged at the end of June. Details are given about the type of services provided during the hospitalization at the different points in time. At admittance and subsequent isolation, patients indicated by the medical and nursing staff, and those who specifically requested it, were given psychological support. Patients transferred to the COVID-19 rehabilitation unit were all evaluated for anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and sleep disorders both on admission and at discharge when possible.

Stress Reduction Techniques for Health Care Providers Dealing With Severe Coronavirus Infections (SARS, MERS, and COVID-19): A Rapid Review

OBJECTIVE

A rapid review was conducted to identify the most effective stress reduction techniques for health care providers dealing with patients infected with severe coronavirus (SARS, MERS, and COVID-19).

METHODS

PubMed, PsychInfo, Embase, and CINAHL databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Searches were restricted by date (2000 until present). All empirical quantitative and qualitative studies in which relaxation techniques of various types implemented on health care providers caring for patients during severe coronavirus pandemics and articles that consider the implementation of mental health care services considered to be pertinent, such as commentaries, were included.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies met the selection criteria, most of which were recommendations. Only one study described a digital intervention, and user satisfaction was measured. In the recommendations, both organizational and individual self-care interventions were suggested.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is necessary to establish tailor-made effective stress reduction interventions for this population, during these challenging and particular times.

Evaluation of the impact of surgical aortic valve replacement on short-term cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls through spontaneous variability analysis

We assessed the effect of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls via spontaneous variability analyses of heart period, approximated as the temporal distance between two consecutive R-wave peaks on the electrocardiogram (RR), systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure (SAP, DAP and MAP) and mean cerebral blood flow (MCBF). Powers in specific frequency bands, complexity, presence of nonlinear dynamics and markers of cardiac baroreflex and cerebral autoregulation were calculated. Variability series were acquired before (PRE) and after (POST) SAVR in 11 patients (age: 76±5 yrs, 7 males) at supine resting and during active standing. Parametric spectral analysis was performed based on the autoregressive model. Complexity was assessed via a local nonlinear prediction approach exploiting the k-nearest-neighbor strategy. The presence of nonlinear dynamics was checked by comparing the complexity marker computed over the original series with the distribution of the same index assessed over a set of surrogates preserving distribution and power spectral density of the original series. Cardiac baroreflex and cerebral autoregulation were estimated by assessing the transfer function from SAP to RR and from MAP to MCBF and squared coherence function via the bivariate autoregressive approach. We found that: i) orthostatic challenge had no effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular control markers in PRE; ii) RR variance was significantly reduced in POST; iii) complexity of SAP, DAP and MAP variabilities increased in POST with a greater likelihood of observing nonlinear dynamics over SAP compared to PRE at supine resting; iv) the amplitude of MCBF variations and MCBF complexity in POST remained similar to PRE; v) cardiac baroreflex sensitivity decreased in POST, while cerebrovascular autoregulation was preserved. SAVR induces important changes of cardiac and vascular autonomic controls and baroreflex regulation in patients exhibiting poor reactivity of cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms, while cerebrovascular autoregulation seems to be less affected.

Complexity and Nonlinearities of Short-Term Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Controls after Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement

We assessed the effect of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular controls with particular attention to their complexity and presence of nonlinear behaviors via the analysis of spontaneous variability of heart period (HP), systolic and diastolic arterial pressure (SAP and DAP) and mean cerebral blood flow (MCBF). Variability series were acquired before (PRE) and after (POST) SAVR in 12 patients (age: 76±4.7 yrs, 7 males) at rest in supine position and during active standing. Complexity was assessed via a local nonlinear prediction approach exploiting the k-nearest neighbor strategy. The presence of nonlinear dynamics was checked by comparing the complexity marker computed over the original series with the distribution of values assessed over 100 surrogates preserving distribution and power spectral density of the original series but with random phases. We found that: i) HP variance was significantly reduced in POST; ii) the complexity of SAP and DAP variabilities increased in POST with a greater likelihood of observing nonlinear dynamics over SAP compared to PRE at supine rest; iii) the amplitude of MCBF fluctuations and its complexity in POST remained similar to PRE. SAVR induces important changes of the cardiac and vascular autonomic controls, while cerebrovascular regulation seems to be less affected.

The Monitoring of Psychosocial Factors During Hospitalization Before and After Cardiac Surgery Until Discharge From Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Research Protocol

Introduction: There is considerable evidence that psychosocial factors contribute to the etiology and prognosis of cardiac illness. Currently, in Italy, psychologists are only obligatory in the cardiac rehabilitation setting, although there are indications that patients could be experiencing distress also during other moments of hospitalization, such as on admission for cardiac surgery. Objective and Methods: The objective of this protocol is to gain more information about cardiac patients, specifically during the various moments of hospitalization for cardiac surgery, by collecting data at admission before cardiac surgery (t0), at admission to cardiac rehabilitation (t1), and at discharge (t2) at the Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Policlinico San Donato hospital. A psychosocial questionnaire was constructed after consulting the relevant national and international guidelines. Patients admitted for cardiac surgery and attending a rehabilitation program will be evaluated by acquiring data about their civil status, religiosity, education and work capacity, social condition (including the presence and quality of intimate relationships and support received), previous psychological and psychiatric histories, psychological status, lifestyle (including questions on nutrition, smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse), adherence to therapy, quality of life (QoL), health perception, anxiety, and depression at t0. Health perception, anxiety, and depression are also measured at t1 and t2. Discussion and Conclusion: This study is an attempt to identify the recommended psychosocial variables which need to be monitored during cardiac patients' hospitalization for cardiac surgery, through to the completion of cardiac rehabilitation. After implementing this study at the IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, attempts will be made to create studies on a national and international level to generate more evidence regarding these variables, in order to create tailor-made interventions for these patients during these specific and delicate moments.