Clinical and echocardiographic predictors of mortality in acute pulmonary embolism

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of adding quantitative assessments of cardiac function from echocardiography to clinical factors in predicting the outcome of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of acute PE, based on a positive ventilation perfusion scan or computed tomography (CT) chest angiogram, were identified using the Duke University Hospital Database. Of these, 69 had echocardiograms within 24–48 h of the diagnosis that were suitable for offline analysis. Clinical features that were analyzed included age, gender, body mass index, vital signs and comorbidities. Echocardiographic parameters that were analyzed included left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), regional, free wall and global RV speckle-tracking strain, RV fraction area change (RVFAC), Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE), pulmonary artery acceleration time (PAAT) and RV myocardial performance (Tei) index. Univariable and multivariable regression statistical analysis models were used. Results: Out of 69 patients with acute PE, the median age was 55 and 48 % were female. The median body mass 2 index (BMI) was 27 kg/m . Twenty-nine percent of the cohort had a history of cancer, with a significant increase in cancer prevalence in non-survivors (57 % vs 29 %, p = 0.02). Clinical parameters including heart rate, respiratory rate, troponin T level, active malignancy, hypertension and COPD were higher among non-survivors when compared to survivors (p ≤ 0.05). Using univariable analysis, NYHA class III symptoms, hypoxemia on presentation, tachycardia, tachypnea, elevation in Troponin T, absence of hypertension, active malignancy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were increased in non-survivors compared to survivors (p ≤ 0.05). In multivariable models, RV Tei Index, global and free (lateral) wall RVLS were found to be negatively associated with survival probability after adjusting for age, gender and systolic blood pressure (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: The addition of echocardiographic assessment of RV function to clinical parameters improved the prediction of outcomes for patients with acute PE. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings

Quantitative assessment of systolic left ventricular function with speckle-tracking echocardiography in adult patients with repaired aortic coarctation

Despite successful aortic coarctation (CoA) repair, systemic hypertension often recurs which may influence left ventricular (LV) function. We aimed to detect early LV dysfunction using LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) in adults with repaired CoA, and to identify associations with patient and echocardiographic characteristics. In this cross-sectional study, patients with repaired CoA and healthy controls were recruited prospectively. All subjects underwent echocardiography, ECG and blood sampling within 1 day. With speckle-tracking echocardiography, we assessed LV GLS on the apical four-, three- and two-chamber views. We included 150 subjects: 75 patients (57 % male, age 33.4 ± 12.8 years, age at repair 2.5 [IQR: 0.1–11.1] years) and 75 healthy controls of similar sex and age. LV GLS was lower in patients than in controls (−17.1 ± 2.3 vs. −20.2 ± 1.6 %, P < 0.001). Eighty percent of the patients had a normal LV ejection fraction, but GLS was still lower than in controls (P < 0.001). In patients, GLS correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.32, P = 0.009; r = 0.31, P = 0.009), QRS duration (r = 0.34, P = 0.005), left atrial dimension (r = 0.27, P = 0.029), LV mass (r = 0.30, P = 0.014) and LV ejection fraction (r = −0.48, P < 0.001). Patients with either associated cardiac lesions, multiple cardiac interventions or aortic valve replacement had lower GLS than patients without. Although the majority of adults with repaired CoA seem to have a normal systolic LV function, LV GLS was decreased. Higher blood pressure, associated cardiac lesions, and larger left atrial dimension are related with lower GLS. Therefore, LV GLS may be used as objective criterion for early detection of ventricular dysfunction. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10554-016-0838-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Cyclo-oxygenase-2 mediated prostaglandin release regulates blood flow in connective tissue during mechanical loading in humans

Mechanical loading is known to increase connective tissue blood flow of human tendons and to cause local release of vasodilatory substances. The present study investigated the importance of prostaglandins (PG) formed by cyclo-oxygenase isoforms (COX-1 and 2) for the exercise-related increase in blood flow in connective tissue. Healthy individuals (n = 24, age: 23–31 years) underwent 30 min of intermittent, isometric, plantarflexion with both calf muscles either without (n = 6, Control, C) or with blockade of PG formation, either COX-2 specific (n = 10, Celecoxib 2 × 100 mg day(−1) for 3 days prior to the experiment) or COX unspecific (n = 8, indomethacin 100 mg (12 and 1 h pre-experiment) and acetyl salicylic acid 500 mg day(−1) for 3 days pre-experiment). Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) concentration was determined by microdialysis and blood flow by (133)Xe washout. In C, interstitial PGE(2) rose from (0.8 ± 0.2 (rest) to 1.4 ± 0.5 ng ml(−1) (exercise), P < 0.05), whereas during unspecific COX inhibition, tissue PGE(2) was completely inhibited at rest and during exercise. COX-2 specific blockade did not inhibit tissue PGE(2) at rest, but totally abolished the exercise induced increase. Blood flow was similar in the three groups at rest (P > 0.05), whereas the increase in flow with exercise was reduced by 35 and 43 % with COX-2 specific blockade (3.2 ± 0.7 to 6.1 ± 1.5 ml (100 g tissue)(−1) min(−1) or COX unspecific blockade (3.0 ± 0.8 to 7.6 ± 1.6), respectively, compared to C (2.7 ± 0.8 to 10.2 ± 2.0)(P < 0.05). The findings indicate that COX-2 specific mechanisms are responsible for the exercise-induced increase in prostaglandin synthesis, and that increase in tissue prostaglandin plays an important role for blood flow in peritendinous connective tissue during physical loading in vivo

Oral branched-chain amino acids have a beneficial effect on manifestations of hepatic encephalopathy in a systematic review with meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.

Supplements with branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) have cerebral, metabolic, and nutritional effects that may benefit patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). We therefore conducted a systematic review on the effects of oral BCAAs compared with control supplements or placebo for patients with cirrhosis and recurrent overt or minimal HE. The quantitative analyses included data from 8 trials (n = 382 patients). Individual patient data were retrieved from 4 trials to recalculate outcomes (n = 255 patients). The mean dose of the oral BCAA supplements was 0.25 g/(kg body weight . d). Random effects meta-analysis showed that improvements in HE manifestations were registered for 87 of 172 patients in the BCAA group compared with 56 of 210 controls [risk ratio = 1.71 (95% CI: 1.17, 2.51) number needed to treat = 5 patients]. The effect of BCAAs differed (P = 0.04) for patients with overt [risk ratio = 3.26 (95% CI: 1.47, 7.22)] and minimal HE [risk ratio = 1.32 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.79)]. Subgroup, sensitivity, regression, and sequential analyses found no other sources of heterogeneity or bias. BCAA supplements had no effect on mortality or markers of nutritional status and did not induce adverse events. In conclusion, oral BCAA supplements improve manifestations of HE but have no effect on survival