Can the Echocardiographic LV Mass Equation Reliably Demonstrate Stable LV Mass Following Acute Change in LV Load?

Background: Limited data are available on performance of the left ventricular (LV) mass equation when there is a dynamic change to LV load. We aimed to test this equation in the immediate post-operative period following aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic regurgitation (AR) to see if it would reliably demonstrate stable LV mass before and after surgery. Since LV mass would be unlikely to change in the immediate postoperative period, we hypothesized that a decrease in LV diameter postoperatively would be accompanied by concomitant increases in LV wall thickness as predicted by the LV mass equation. Methods: We reviewed echocardiograms of adult patients with AR who underwent AVR from 2007-2017 at Montefiore Medical Center (n=28). Three independent readers performed septal wall thickness (SWT), posterior wall thickness (PWT) and left ventricular internal diameter (LVID) measurements on pre-operative and post-operative echocardiograms. LV masses were calculated using the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) equation. Results: Post-operatively, LVID decreased from 5.7+/-1.2 to 4.9+/-1.0 cm, P\u3c0.001. SWT was noted to increase from 1.08+/-0.20 to 1.18+/-0.27 cm, P=0.03, but PWT was unchanged, 1.11+/-0.21 to 1.16+/-0.27 cm, P=0.21. Accordingly, the LV mass equation calculated a decrease in LV mass from 266+/-126 to 232+/-99 gm, P=0.01. A control group of coronary artery bypass grafting alone (n=14) did not demonstrate any significant change in SWT, LVID, PWT and LV mass measurements. Similar findings were found for all three readers. Conclusions: Following aortic valve replacement for regurgitation, the LV mass equation calculated a reduction in LV mass in the immediate postoperative period. Since an immediate change in LV mass after AVR is unlikely, we feel that these results highlight an important limitation of the mass equation, when used with acutely changing loading conditions

Infra-Hisian Conduction Disturbance and Alternating Left Anterior/Posterior Fascicular Block.

We present an unusual case of alternating left anterior and left posterior fascicular block. Given the known risk for progression to complete atrioventricular block with alternating right bundle and left bundle branch block, we performed an electrophysiological study. Findings were consistent with infra-Hisian disease, and the patient underwent pacemaker implantation

Relationship of Hospital Teaching Status with In-Hospital Outcomes for ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: Prior analyses have largely shown a survival advantage with admission to a teaching hospital for acute myocardial infarction. However, most prior studies report data on patients hospitalized over a decade ago. It is important to re-examine the association of hospital teaching status with outcomes of acute myocardial infarction in the current era. METHODS: We queried the 2010 to 2014 National Inpatient Sample databases to identify all patients aged \u3e/=18 years hospitalized with the principal diagnosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to compare rates of reperfusion and in-hospital outcomes between patients admitted to teaching vs nonteaching hospitals. RESULTS: Of 546,252 patients with STEMI, 273,990 (50.1%) were admitted to teaching hospitals. Compared with patients admitted to nonteaching hospitals, those at teaching hospitals were more likely to receive reperfusion therapy during the hospitalization (86.7% vs 81.5%; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-1.44; P\u3c.001) and had lower risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality (4.9% vs 6.9%; adjusted OR 0.84; 95% CI, 0.82-0.86; P\u3c.001). After further adjustment for differences in use of in-hospital reperfusion therapy, the association of teaching hospital status with lower risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality was significantly attenuated but remained statistically significant (adjusted OR 0.97; 95% CI, 0.94-0.99; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Patients admitted to teaching hospitals are more likely to receive reperfusion and have lower risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality after STEMI compared with those admitted to nonteaching hospitals. Our results suggest that hospital performance for STEMI continues to be better at teaching hospitals in the contemporary era