Análisis tiempo-frecuencia de mapas de activación cardíaca en fibrilación ventricular

El análisis de mapas de activación permite investigar la estructura de la fibrilación ventricular cardíaca (FV). El presente trabajo plantea una revisión de la utilización de objetos de interés (blobs), usados en procesado de imágenes y aplicados también a mapas de activación cerebral y cardíaca, mediante su generación a partir de representaciones tiempo-frecuencia de registros FV. Su estudio proporciona información sobre qué frecuencias de la señal están presentes en un instante dado, así como su distribución espacial. También permiten determinar el momento en que una determinada frecuencia aparece y desaparece de cada electrodo, por lo que constituye una herramienta interesante para analizar los mecanismos de generación y mantenimiento de la FV

Heart rate response and functional capacity in patients with chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Aims: The mechanisms of exercise intolerance in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are not yet elucidated. Chronotropic incompetence has emerged as a potential mechanism. We aimed to evaluate whether heart rate (HR) response to exercise is associated to functional capacity in patients with symptomatic HFpEF. Methods and results We prospectively studied 74 HFpEF patients [35.1% New York Heart Association Class III, 53% fe- male, age (mean ± standard deviation) 72.5 ± 9.1 years, and 59.5% atrial fi brillation]. Functional performance was assessed by peak oxygen consumption (peak VO 2 ). The mean (standard deviation) peak VO 2 was 10 ± 2.8 mL/min/kg. The following chronotropic parameters were calculated: Delta-HR (HR at peak exercise - HR at rest), chronotropic index (CI) = (HR at peak exercise - resting HR)/[(220 - age) - resting HR], and CI according to the equation developed by Keteyian et al . (CIK) (HR at peak exercise - HR at rest)/[119 + (HR at rest/2) (age/2) - 5 - HR at rest]. In a bivariate setting, peak VO 2 was positively and signi fi cantly correlated with Delta-HR ( r = 0.35, P = 0.003), CI ( r = 0.27, P = 0.022), CIK ( r = 0.28, P = 0.018), and borderline with HR at peak exercise ( r = 0.22, P = 0.055). In a multivariable linear regression analysis that included clinical, analytical, echocardiographic, and functional capacity covariates, the chronotropic parameters were positively associated with peak VO 2 . We found a linear relationship between Delta-HR and peak VO 2 ( β coef fi cient of 0.03; 95% con fi dence interval: 0.004 – 0.05; P = 0.030); conversely, the association among CIs and peak VO 2 was exponen- tially shaped. Conclusions In patients with chronic HFpEF, the HR response to exercise was positively associated to patient ’ s functional capacity

Rehospitalization burden and morbidity risk in patients with heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction

Heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF) has been proposed as a distinct HF phenotype, but whether patients on this category fare worse, similarly, or better than those with HF with reduced EF (HFrEF) or preserved EF (HFpEF) in terms of rehospitalization risks over time remains unclear. We prospectively included 2961 consecutive patients admitted for acute HF (AHF) in our institution. Of them, 158 patients died during the index admission, leaving the sample size to be 2803 patients. Patients were categorized according to their EF: HFrEF if EF ≤ 40% (n = 908, 32.4%); HFmrEF if EF = 41-49% (n = 449, 16.0%); and HFpEF if EF ≥ 50% (n = 1446, 51.6%). Covariate-adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were used to evaluate the association between EF status and recurrent all-cause and HF-related admissions. At a median follow-up of 2.6 years (inter-quartile range: 1.0-5.3), 1663 (59.3%) patients died, and 6035 all-cause readmissions were registered in 2026 patients (72.3%), 2163 of them HF related. Rates of all-cause readmission per 100 patients-years of follow-up were 150.1, 176.9, and 163.6 in HFrEF, HFmrEF, and HFpEF, respectively (P = 0.097). After multivariable adjustment, when compared with that of patients with HFrEF and HFpEF, HFmrEF status was not significantly associated with a different risk of all-cause readmissions (IRR = 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77-1.27; P = 0.926; and IRR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.74-1.18; P = 0.621, respectively) or HF-related readmissions (IRR = 1.06; 95% CI, 0.77-1.46; P = 0.725; and IRR = 1.11; 95% CI, 0.82-1.50; P = 0.511, respectively). Following an admission for AHF, patients with HFmrEF had a similar rehospitalization burden and a similar risk of recurrent all-cause and HF-related admissions than had patients with HFrEF or HFpEF. Regarding morbidity risk, HFmrEF seems not to be a distinct HF phenotype

Right Ventricular Dysfunction Staging System for Mortality Risk Stratifiction in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) parameters are increasingly important features in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We sought to evaluate the prognostic impact of a progressive RVD staging system by combining the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) to pulmonary artery systolic pressure (TAPSE/PASP) ratio with functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) severity. We prospectively included 1355 consecutive HFpEF patients discharged for acute heart failure (HF). Of them, in 471 (34.7%) patients, PASP could not be accurately measured, leaving the final sample size to be 884 patients. Patients were categorized as Stage 1: TAPSE/PASP ≥ 0.36 without significant TR; stage 2: TAPSE/PASP ≥ 0.36 with significant TR; stage 3: TAPSE/PASP < 0.36 without significant TR; and stage 4: TAPSE/PASP < 0.36 with significant TR. By the 1 year follow-up, 207 (23.4%) patients had died. We found a significant and graded association between RVD stages and mortality rates (15.8%, 25%, 31.2%, and 45.4% from stage 1 to stage 4, respectively; log-rank test, p < 0.001). After multivariable adjustment, and compared to stage 1, stages 3 and 4 were independently associated with mortality risk (HR: 1.8219; 95% CI 1.308-2.538; p < 0.001 and HR = 2.2632; 95% CI 1.540-3.325; p < 0.001, respectively). A RVD staging system, integrating TAPSE/PASP and TR, provides a comprehensive and widely available tool for risk stratification in HFpEF

An open access database for the evaluation of heart sound algorithms

This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article published in Physiological Measurement. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://doi.org/10.1088/0967-3334/37/12/2181In the past few decades, analysis of heart sound signals (i.e. the phonocardiogram or PCG), especially for automated heart sound segmentation and classification, has been widely studied and has been reported to have the potential value to detect pathology accurately in clinical applications. However, comparative analyses of algorithms in the literature have been hindered by the lack of high-quality, rigorously validated, and standardized open databases of heart sound recordings. This paper describes a public heart sound database, assembled for an international competition, the PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology (CinC) Challenge 2016. The archive comprises nine different heart sound databases sourced from multiple research groups around the world. It includes 2435 heart sound recordings in total collected from 1297 healthy subjects and patients with a variety of conditions, including heart valve disease and coronary artery disease. The recordings were collected from a variety of clinical or nonclinical (such as in-home visits) environments and equipment. The length of recording varied from several seconds to several minutes. This article reports detailed information about the subjects/patients including demographics (number, age, gender), recordings (number, location, state and time length), associated synchronously recorded signals, sampling frequency and sensor type used. We also provide a brief summary of the commonly used heart sound segmentation and classification methods, including open source code provided concurrently for the Challenge. A description of the PhysioNet/CinC Challenge 2016, including the main aims, the training and test sets, the hand corrected annotations for different heart sound states, the scoring mechanism, and associated open source code are provided. In addition, several potential benefits from the public heart sound database are discussed.This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant R01-EB001659 from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) and R01GM104987 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.Liu, C.; Springer, DC.; Li, Q.; Moody, B.; Abad Juan, RC.; Li, Q.; Moody, B.... (2016). An open access database for the evaluation of heart sound algorithms. Physiological Measurement. 37(12):2181-2213. doi:10.1088/0967-3334/37/12/2181S21812213371

Role of PCSK9 in the course of ejection fraction change after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction : a pilot study

Altres ajuts: Conselleria d'Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport GV/2018/116Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has emerged as a therapeutic target for reducing plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Beyond lipid control, recent findings suggest a deleterious effect of this protein in the pathogenesis of postmyocardial infarction left ventricle remodelling and heart failure-related complications. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between circulating PCSK9 and 6 month cardiac magnetic resonance imaging-derived left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after a first ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We prospectively evaluated 40 patients with a first STEMI, LVEF < 50% and treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention in which PCSK9 was measured 24 h postreperfusion. All patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging 1 week and 6 months after STEMI. Baseline characteristics were compared across median values of PCSK9. The association between PCSK9 levels and LVEF at 6 months was evaluated by analysis of covariance. The mean age of the sample was 60 ± 12 years and 33 (82.5%) were male patients. The infarct location was anterior in 27 patients (67.5%), and 9 patients (22.5%) were Killip class ≥ II. The mean 1 week and 6 month LVEF were 41 ± 7% and 48 ± 10%, respectively. The mean PCSK9 was 1.93 ± 0.38 U/mL. Testing the association between serum PCSK9 and 6 month LVEF with analysis of covariance revealed an inverse relationship (r = −0.35, P = 0.028). After multivariate adjustment, circulating PCSK9 remained significant and inversely associated with 6 month LVEF (P = 0.002). In patients with a first STEMI with reduced ejection fraction at index admission and treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention, circulating PCSK9 was associated with lower LVEF at 6 months

A Novel Clinical and Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (C-CMR-10) Score to Predict Long-Term All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Known or Suspected Chronic Coronary Syndrome

[EN] Vasodilator stress cardiac magnetic resonance (stressCMR) has shown robust diagnostic and prognostic value in patients with known or suspected chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). However, it is unknown whether integration of stressCMR with clinical variables in a simple clinical-imaging score can straightforwardly predict all-cause mortality in this population. We included 6187 patients in a large registry that underwent stressCMR for known or suspected CCS. Several clinical and stressCMR variables were collected, such as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and ischemic burden (number of segments with stress-induced perfusion defects (PD)). During a median follow-up of 5.56 years, we registered 682 (11%) all-cause deaths. The only independent predictors of all-cause mortality in multivariable analysis were age, male sex, diabetes mellitus (DM), LVEF and ischemic burden. Based on the weight of the chi-square increase at each step of the multivariable analysis, we created a simple clinical-stressCMR (C-CMR-10) score that included these variables (age >= 65 years = 3 points, LVEF 5 segments = 1 point). This 0 to 10 points C-CMR-10 score showed good performance to predict all-cause annualized mortality rate ranging from 0.29%/year (score = 0) to >4.6%/year (score >= 7). The goodness of the model and of the C-CMR-10 score was separately confirmed in 2 internal cohorts (n> 3000 each). We conclude that a novel and simple clinical-stressCMR score, which includes clinical and stressCMR variables, can provide robust prediction of the risk of long-term all-cause mortality in a population of patients with known or suspected CCS.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (grant numbers PI17/01836 and CIBERCV16/11/00486).Marcos-Garces, V.; Gavara-Doñate, J.; Monmeneu-Menadas, JV.; Lopez-Lereu, MP.; Pérez, N.; Rios-Navarro, C.; De Dios, E.... (2020). A Novel Clinical and Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (C-CMR-10) Score to Predict Long-Term All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Known or Suspected Chronic Coronary Syndrome. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 9(6):1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9061957S11396Hendel, R. C., Friedrich, M. G., Schulz-Menger, J., Zemmrich, C., Bengel, F., Berman, D. S., … Nagel, E. (2016). CMR First-Pass Perfusion for Suspected Inducible Myocardial Ischemia. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 9(11), 1338-1348. doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2016.09.010Chang, S.-A., & Kim, R. J. (2016). The Use of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Patients with Suspected Coronary Artery Disease: A Clinical Practice Perspective. Journal of Cardiovascular Ultrasound, 24(2), 96. doi:10.4250/jcu.2016.24.2.96Kiaos, A., Tziatzios, I., Hadjimiltiades, S., Karvounis, C., & Karamitsos, T. D. (2018). Diagnostic performance of stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance for the detection of coronary artery disease. International Journal of Cardiology, 252, 229-233. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2017.11.066Li, M., Zhou, T., Yang, L., Peng, Z., Ding, J., & Sun, G. (2014). Diagnostic Accuracy of Myocardial Magnetic Resonance Perfusion to Diagnose Ischemic Stenosis With Fractional Flow Reserve as Reference. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 7(11), 1098-1105. doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2014.07.011Siontis, G. C., Mavridis, D., Greenwood, J. P., Coles, B., Nikolakopoulou, A., Jüni, P., … Windecker, S. (2018). Outcomes of non-invasive diagnostic modalities for the detection of coronary artery disease: network meta-analysis of diagnostic randomised controlled trials. BMJ, k504. doi:10.1136/bmj.k504Nagel, E., Greenwood, J. P., McCann, G. P., Bettencourt, N., Shah, A. M., Hussain, S. T., … Berry, C. (2019). Magnetic Resonance Perfusion or Fractional Flow Reserve in Coronary Disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 380(25), 2418-2428. doi:10.1056/nejmoa1716734Siontis, G. C., Branca, M., Serruys, P., Silber, S., Räber, L., Pilgrim, T., … Hunziker, L. (2019). Impact of left ventricular function on clinical outcomes among patients with coronary artery disease. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 26(12), 1273-1284. doi:10.1177/2047487319841939Buckert, D., Kelle, S., Buss, S., Korosoglou, G., Gebker, R., Birkemeyer, R., … Bernhardt, P. (2016). Left ventricular ejection fraction and presence of myocardial necrosis assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging correctly risk stratify patients with stable coronary artery disease: a multi-center all-comers trial. Clinical Research in Cardiology, 106(3), 219-229. doi:10.1007/s00392-016-1042-5Catalano, O., Moro, G., Perotti, M., Frascaroli, M., Ceresa, M., Antonaci, S., … Priori, S. G. (2012). Late gadolinium enhancement by cardiovascular magnetic resonance is complementary to left ventricle ejection fraction in predicting prognosis of patients with stable coronary artery disease. Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, 14(1). doi:10.1186/1532-429x-14-29Lipinski, M. J., McVey, C. M., Berger, J. S., Kramer, C. M., & Salerno, M. (2013). Prognostic Value of Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 62(9), 826-838. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2013.03.080Gargiulo, P., Dellegrottaglie, S., Bruzzese, D., Savarese, G., Scala, O., Ruggiero, D., … Filardi, P. P. (2013). The Prognostic Value of Normal Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Patients With Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, 6(4), 574-582. doi:10.1161/circimaging.113.000035Kwong, R. Y., Ge, Y., Steel, K., Bingham, S., Abdullah, S., Fujikura, K., … Simonetti, O. P. (2019). Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Stress Perfusion Imaging for Evaluation of Patients With Chest Pain. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 74(14), 1741-1755. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2019.07.074Marcos-Garces, V., Gavara, J., Monmeneu, J. V., Lopez-Lereu, M. P., Bosch, M. J., Merlos, P., … Bodi, V. (2020). Vasodilator Stress CMR and All-Cause Mortality in Stable Ischemic Heart Disease. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 13(8), 1674-1686. doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2020.02.027Heitner, J. F., Kim, R. J., Kim, H. W., Klem, I., Shah, D. J., Debs, D., … Judd, R. M. (2019). Prognostic Value of Vasodilator Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging. JAMA Cardiology, 4(3), 256. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2019.0035Bodi, V., Sanchis, J., Lopez-Lereu, M. P., Nunez, J., Mainar, L., Monmeneu, J. V., … Llacer, A. (2007). Prognostic Value of Dipyridamole Stress Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 50(12), 1174-1179. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2007.06.016Bodi, V., Husser, O., Sanchis, J., Núñez, J., Monmeneu, J. V., López-Lereu, M. P., … Llacer, Á. (2012). Prognostic Implications of Dipyridamole Cardiac MR Imaging: A Prospective Multicenter Registry. Radiology, 262(1), 91-100. doi:10.1148/radiol.11110134Ponikowski, P., Voors, A. A., Anker, S. D., Bueno, H., Cleland, J. G. F., Coats, A. J. S., … van der Meer, P. (2016). 2016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. European Heart Journal, 37(27), 2129-2200. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehw128Marschner, I. C., Colquhoun, D., Simes, R. J., Glasziou, P., Harris, P., Singh, B. B., … Tonkin, A. (2001). Long-term risk stratification for survivors of acute coronary syndromes. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 38(1), 56-63. doi:10.1016/s0735-1097(01)01360-2Knuuti, J., Wijns, W., Saraste, A., Capodanno, D., Barbato, E., Funck-Brentano, C., … Cuisset, T. (2019). 2019 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic coronary syndromes. European Heart Journal, 41(3), 407-477. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehz425Klem, I., Shah, D. J., White, R. D., Pennell, D. J., van Rossum, A. C., Regenfus, M., … Kim, R. J. (2011). Prognostic Value of Routine Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Assessment of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction and Myocardial Damage. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, 4(6), 610-619. doi:10.1161/circimaging.111.964965Grothues, F., Smith, G. C., Moon, J. C. ., Bellenger, N. G., Collins, P., Klein, H. U., & Pennell, D. J. (2002). Comparison of interstudy reproducibility of cardiovascular magnetic resonance with two-dimensional echocardiography in normal subjects and in patients with heart failure or left ventricular hypertrophy. The American Journal of Cardiology, 90(1), 29-34. doi:10.1016/s0002-9149(02)02381-0Timmis, A., Raharja, A., Archbold, R. A., & Mathur, A. (2018). Validity of inducible ischaemia as a surrogate for adverse outcomes in stable coronary artery disease. Heart, 104(21), 1733-1738. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2018-313230Pontone, G., Andreini, D., Bertella, E., Loguercio, M., Guglielmo, M., Baggiano, A., … Masci, P. G. (2015). Prognostic value of dipyridamole stress cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease: a mid-term follow-up study. European Radiology, 26(7), 2155-2165. doi:10.1007/s00330-015-4064-xHeydari, B., Juan, Y.-H., Liu, H., Abbasi, S., Shah, R., Blankstein, R., … Kwong, R. Y. (2016). Stress Perfusion Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Effectively Risk Stratifies Diabetic Patients With Suspected Myocardial Ischemia. Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, 9(4). doi:10.1161/circimaging.115.004136Vincenti, G., Masci, P. G., Monney, P., Rutz, T., Hugelshofer, S., Gaxherri, M., … Schwitter, J. (2017). Stress Perfusion CMR in Patients With Known and Suspected CAD. JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, 10(5), 526-537. doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2017.02.006Buckert, D., Cieslik, M., Tibi, R., Radermacher, M., Rottbauer, W., & Bernhardt, P. (2017). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging derived quantification of myocardial ischemia and scar improves risk stratification and patient management in stable coronary artery disease. Cardiology Journal, 24(3), 293-304. doi:10.5603/cj.a2017.0036Zemrak, F., & Petersen, S. E. (2011). Late Gadolinium Enhancement CMR Predicts Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes and Mortality in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 54(3), 215-229. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2011.07.003El Aidi, H., Adams, A., Moons, K. G. M., Den Ruijter, H. M., Mali, W. P. T. M., Doevendans, P. A., … Leiner, T. (2014). Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings and the Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Recent Myocardial Infarction or Suspected or Known Coronary Artery Disease. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 63(11), 1031-1045. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2013.11.048Fox, K. A. A., Metra, M., Morais, J., & Atar, D. (2019). The myth of ‘stable’ coronary artery disease. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 17(1), 9-21. doi:10.1038/s41569-019-0233-ySchiele, F., Ecarnot, F., & Chopard, R. (2017). Coronary artery disease: Risk stratification and patient selection for more aggressive secondary prevention. 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Sex-Related Differences in Mortality Following Admission for Acute Heart Failure Across the Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Spectrum

Following a heart failure (HF)-decompensation, there is scarce data about sex-related prognostic differences across left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) status. We sought to evaluate sex-related differences in 6-month mortality risk across LVEF following admission for acute HF. We retrospectively evaluated 4812 patients consecutively admitted for acute HF in a multicenter registry from 3 hospitals. Study end points were all-cause, cardiovascular, and HF-related mortality at 6-month follow-up. Multivariable Cox regression models were fitted to investigate sex-related differences across LVEF. A total of 2243 (46.6%) patients were women, 2569 (53.4%) were men, and 2608 (54.2%) showed LVEF≥50%. At 6-month follow-up, 645 patients died (13.4%), being 544 (11.3%) and 416 (8.6%) cardiovascular and HF-related deaths, respectively. LVEF was not independently associated with mortality (HR, 1.02; 95% CI 0.99-1.05; P =0.135). After multivariable adjustment, we found no sex-related differences in all-cause mortality (P value for interaction=0.168). However, a significant interaction between sex and cardiovascular and HF mortality risks was found across LVEF (P value for interaction=0.030 and 0.007, respectively). Compared with men, women had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular and HF-mortality at LVEF80%). Following an admission for acute HF, no sex-related differences were found in all-cause mortality risk. However, when compared with men, women showed a lower risk of cardiovascular and HF-mortality at the lower extreme of LVEF. On the contrary, they showed a higher risk of HF death at the upper extreme

Coronary Revascularization and Long-Term Survivorship in Chronic Coronary Syndrome

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) persists as the leading cause of death in the Western world. In recent decades, great headway has been made in reducing mortality due to IHD, based around secondary prevention. The advent of coronary revascularization techniques, first coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery in the 1960s and then percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the 1970s, has represented one of the major breakthroughs in medicine during the last century. The benefit provided by these techniques, especially PCI, has been crucial in lowering mortality rates in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, in the setting where IHD is most prevalent, namely chronic coronary syndrome (CCS), the increase in life expectancy provided by coronary revascularization is controversial. Over more than 40 years, several clinical trials have been carried out comparing optimal medical treatment (OMT) alone with a strategy of routine coronary revascularization on top of OMT. Beyond a certain degree of symptomatic improvement and lower incidence of minor events, routine invasive management has not demonstrated a convincing effect in terms of reducing mortality in CCS. Based on the accumulated evidence more than half a century after the first revascularization procedures were used, invasive management should be considered in those patients with uncontrolled symptoms despite OMT or high-risk features related to left ventricular function, coronary anatomy, or functional assessment, taking into account the patient expectations and preferences

Effect of chronic exercise on myocardial electrophysiological heterogeneity and stability. Role of intrinsic cholinergic neurons: A study in the isolated rabbit heart

[EN] A study has been made of the effect of chronic exercise on myocardial electrophysiological heterogeneity and stability, as well as of the role of cholinergic neurons in these changes. Determinations in hearts from untrained and trained rabbits on a treadmill were performed. The hearts were isolated and perfused. A pacing electrode and a recording multielectrode were located in the left ventricle. The parameters determined during induced VF, before and after atropine (1 mu M), were: fibrillatory cycle length (VV), ventricular functional refractory period (FRPVF), normalized energy (NE) of the fibrillatory signal and its coefficient of variation (CV), and electrical ventricular activation complexity, as an approach to myocardial heterogeneity and stability. The VV interval was longer in the trained group than in the control group both prior to atropine (78 +/- 10 vs. 68 +/- 10 ms) and after atropine (76 +/- 8 vs. 67 +/- 10 ms). Likewise, FRPVF was longer in the trained group than in the control group both prior to and after atropine (53 +/- 8 vs. 42 +/- 7 ms and 50 +/- 6 vs. 40 +/- 6 ms, respectively), and atropine did not modify FRPVF. The CV of FRPVF was lower in the trained group than in the control group prior to atropine (12.5 +/- 1.5% vs. 15.1 +/- 3.8%) and, decreased after atropine (15.1 +/- 3.8% vs. 12.2 +/- 2.4%) in the control group. The trained group showed higher NE values before (0.40 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.05) and after atropine (0.37 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.34 +/- 0.06; p = 0.08). Training decreased the CV of NE both before (23.3 +/- 2% vs. 25.2 +/- 4%; p = 0.08) and after parasympathetic blockade (22.6 +/- 1% vs. 26.1 +/- 5%). Cholinergic blockade did not modify these parameters within the control and trained groups. Activation complexity was lower in the trained than in the control animals before atropine (34 +/- 8 vs. 41 +/- 5), and increased after atropine in the control group (41 +/- 5 vs. 48 +/- 9, respectively). Thus, training decreases the intrinsic heterogeneity of the myocardium, increases electrophysiological stability, and prevents some modifications due to muscarinic block.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, (DEP2007-73234-C03-01 to AMA), http://www.mecd.gob.es/portada-mecd/; and the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO 2010/093 to FJC, and FPI/2008/003 to MZ), http://www.gva.es/va/inicio/presentacion; jsessionid=ydprbDQZTsCTz85W1Such-Miquel, L.; Brines-Ferrando, L.; Alberola, A.; Zarzoso Muñoz, M.; Chorro Gasco, FJ.; Guerrero-Martínez, JF.; Parra-Giraldo, G.... (2018). Effect of chronic exercise on myocardial electrophysiological heterogeneity and stability. Role of intrinsic cholinergic neurons: A study in the isolated rabbit heart. 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