The Index of Exercise Tolerance in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction is Gait Speed

Introduction: Exercise tolerance, an important factor affecting life prognosis and rehospitalization in patients with chronic heart failure, is a major outcome of cardiac rehabilitation. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) from reduced diastolic capacity has recently increased among patients with chronic heart failure. This study evaluated and clarified the factors indicating exercise tolerance in patients with HFpEF from various perspectives, including cardiac and skeletal muscle functions. Material and Methods: The subjects were 31 patients with HFpEF who underwent cardiac rehabilitation. Exercise tolerance was assessed using a 6-minute walking test. Physical function, physical activity, body composition test, baseline characteristics, blood data, and echocardiography results were extracted from medical records to identify the indicators of exercise tolerance. Results: Gait speed was significantly different in exercise tolerance for HFpEF patients (β=0.75, p<0.01). Unlike HFrEF, HFpEF were no significant differences in brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and cardiac function. Conclusion: Gait speed is an indicator of exercise tolerance in HFpEF patients. However, its pathological course differs from HFrEF, indicating that it is poorly related to BNP, a biomarker for heart failure and cardiac function

ヒ キョケツセイ シンフゼン カンジャ デワ コウカンド アッセイ オ モチイテ ヒョウカ シタ シンキン トロポニンT ノ ホウシュツ ワ カン ビショウ ジュンカン ショウガイ オヨビ サシツ カクチョウ マッキアツ ジョウショウ ト カンレン スル

博士（医学）熊本大

Repetitive early stent thrombosis in a patient with the CYP2C19*3/*3 genotype

SummaryA 45-year-old man presented with acute inferior myocardial infarction and underwent emergent coronary angiography (CAG). CAG revealed total occlusion of both the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) and distal left circumflex artery, and two bare-metal stents were deployed in the RCA. After the procedure, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAT) with 100mg aspirin and 75mg clopidogrel daily were given as usual, however, stent thrombosis occurred three times and he underwent repeat interventions. To investigate the cause of repeated stent thrombosis, the platelet function during DAT was measured. The result showed that he did not achieve an adequate antiplatelet effect.Clopidogrel is a prodrug that requires biotransformation by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme in the liver. Recently, the carriers of CYP2C19*2 or *3 null-of-function allele, have been shown to demonstrate an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including stent thrombosis, compared with non-carriers. This patient carried the CYP2C19*3/*3 genotype.This is the first report of repetitive stent thrombosis in a poor metabolizer carrying two loss-of-function alleles (CYP2C19*3/*3)

When Is the Optimal Timing of Surgical Intervention for Severe Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation?

Functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a serious pathology to be noted for severe right heart failure (HF) and poor prognosis; however, the conventional assessment of TR has some limitations and the optimal timing of surgical intervention remains unclear. A 79-year-old Japanese female was admitted to our hospital to undergo cardiac surgery, because edema gradually got worse despite the increase in diuretics. She had a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic HF due to severe TR and had been treated with a furosemide for leg edema 4 years ago. A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), transesophageal echocardiogram, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and cardiac pool scintigraphy demonstrated severe functional TR with tricuspid annular dilation, insufficient tricuspid valve coaptation, and reduced right ventricular ejection fraction (EF) but preserved left ventricular EF. In addition, Swan-Ganz catheter study showed normal pulmonary arterial wedge pressure and mean pulmonary arterial pressure. Tricuspid ring annuloplasty was performed with MC3 ring. Postoperative TTE showed trivial TR, and she had no edema with normal sinus rhythm two months later. Annuloplasty to severe functional TR caused by tricuspid annular dilation due to AF dramatically improved right HF. Cardiologist should pay strict attention to the optimal timing of surgical intervention for TR

Double‐chambered right ventricle complicated by hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy diagnosed as Noonan syndrome

Abstract We present a case of double‐chambered right ventricle (DCRV) complicated by hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) in KRAS mutation‐associated Noonan syndrome. The diagnosis was incidental and made during diagnostic testing for an intradural extramedullary tumour. Spinal compression, if not surgically treated, may cause paralysis of the extremities. We decided to pursue pharmacological therapy to control biventricular obstructions and reduce the perioperative complication rate. We initiated treatment with cibenzoline and bisoprolol; the doses were titrated according to the response. After 2 weeks, the peak pressure gradient of the two RV chambers decreased from 101 to 68 mmHg, and the LV peak pressure gradient decreased from 109 to 14 mmHg. Class 1A antiarrhythmic drugs and β‐blockers decreased the severe pressure gradients of biventricular obstructions caused by DCRV and HOCM. The patient was able to undergo surgery to remove the intradural extramedullary tumour, which was diagnosed as schwannoma

CYP2C19 variants and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids in patients with microvascular angina

Categorization as a cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 poor metabolizer (PM) is reported to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are metabolites of arachidonic acid by CYP2C19 epoxygenases and anti-inflammatory properties, especially in microvascular tissues. We examined the impact of CYP2C19 polymorphisms and EETs on the patients with microvascular angina (MVA) caused by coronary microvascular dysfunction. We examined CYP2C19 genotypes in patients with MVA (n = 81). MVA was defined as absence of coronary artery stenosis and epicardial spasms, and the presence of inversion of lactic acid levels between intracoronary and coronary sinuses in acetylcholine-provocation test or the adenosine-triphosphate-induced coronary flow reserve ratio was below 2.5. CYP2C19 PM have two loss-of-functon alleles (*2, *3). We measured serum dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (DHET) as representative EET metabolite. In MVA, the patients with CYP2C19 PM were 34.6% and high sense C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in CYP2C19 PM were significantly higher than that of non-PM group (0.165 ± 0.116 vs. 0.097 ± 0.113 mg/dL, P = 0.026). Moreover, DHET levels in CYP2C19 PM were significantly lower than that of non-PM (10.4 ± 4.58 vs. 15.6 ± 11.1 ng/mL, P = 0.003 (11, 12-DHET), 12.1 ± 3.79 vs. 17.3 ± 6.49 ng/mL, P = 0.019 (14, 15-DHET)). The decline of EET owing to CYP2C19 variants may affects coronary microvascular dysfunction via chronic inflammation