Degenerative mitral valve regurgitation: best practice revolution

Degenerative mitral valve disease often leads to leaflet prolapse due to chordal elongation or rupture, and resulting in mitral valve regurgitation. Guideline referral for surgical intervention centres primarily on symptoms and ventricular dysfunction. The recommended treatment for degenerative mitral valve disease is mitral valve reconstruction, as opposed to valve replacement with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve, because valve repair is associated with improved event free survival. Recent studies have documented a significant number of patients are not referred in a timely fashion according to established guidelines, and when they are subjected to surgery, an alarming number of patients continue to undergo mitral valve replacement. The debate around appropriate timing of intervention for asymptomatic severe mitral valve regurgitation has put additional emphasis on targeted surgeon referral and the need to ensure a very high rate of mitral valve repair, particularly in the non-elderly population. Current clinical practice remains suboptimal for many patients, and this review explores the need for a ‘best practice revolution' in the field of degenerative mitral valve regurgitatio

Myocardial Work Assessment for the Prediction of Prognosis in Advanced Heart Failure

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether echocardiographic assessment of myocardial work is a predictor of outcome in advanced heart failure.Background: Global work index (GWI) and global constructive work (GCW) are calculated by means of speckle tracking, blood pressure measurement, and a normalized reference curve. Their prognostic value in advanced heart failure is unknown.Methods: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing and echocardiography with assessment of GWI and GCW was performed in patients with advanced heart failure caused by ischemic heart disease or dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 105). They were then followed up repeatedly. The combined endpoint was all-cause death, implantation of a left ventricular assist device, or heart transplantation.Results: The median patient age was 54 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 48–59.9). The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 27.8 ± 8.2%, the median NT-proBNP was 1,210 pg/ml (IQR: 435–3,696). The mean GWI was 603 ± 329 mmHg% and the mean GCW was 742 ± 363 mmHg%. The correlation between peak oxygen uptake and GWI as well as GCW was strongest in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (r = 0.56, p = 0.001 and r = 0.53, p = 0.001, respectively). The median follow-up was 16 months (IQR: 12–18.5). Thirty one patients met the combined endpoint: Four patients died, eight underwent transplantation, and 19 underwent implantation of a left ventricular assist device. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, only NYHA class, NT-proBNP and GWI (hazard ratio [HR] for every 50 mmHg%: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.77–0.94; p = 0.002) as well as GCW (HR for every 50 mmHg%: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.79–0.94; p = 0.001) were identified as independent predictors of the endpoint. The cut-off value for predicting the outcome was 455 mmHg% for GWI (AUC: 0.80; p < 0.0001; sensitivity 77.4%; specificity 71.6%) and 530 mmHg% for GCW (AUC: 0.80; p < 0.0001; sensitivity 74.2%; specificity 78.4%).Conclusions: GWI and GCW are powerful predictors of outcome in patients with advanced heart failure