Amyloid deposition as a cause of atrial remodelling in persistent valvular atrial fibrillation.

AIM: The spectrum of histological alterations, namely atrial amyloidosis, in the right and left atria of patients with chronic persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) and rheumatic heart disease is not completely known. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-eight atrial appendages (66 left and 62 right), obtained from 72 patients with rheumatic valve disease and chronic AF undergoing cardiac surgery for valve replacement or repair and AF treatment were histologically evaluated for the presence of amyloid deposits. One hundred and four specimens of left and right auricles from 52 patients in sinus rhythm with severe chronic heart failure undergoing heart transplant were also analyzed (controls). Amyloid was found in 33 (46%) valvular patients with chronic persistent AF and in 6 (12%) controls. Amyloid was related to the presence and duration of AF, was more frequently found in left atrial samples and was independent of age. On stepwise logistic regression analysis, AF duration and female gender were independently related to amyloid deposition. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with long-standing AF and rheumatic heart disease have a very high prevalence of atrial amyloidosis. Amyloid deposition is more frequent in left than in right atrial appendage and correlates with AF duration and female gender. Amyloid deposition could constitute an additional histological feature in the structural remodeling of atria during long-standing AF, at least in rheumatic valve disease. Persistence of AF might play a pivotal role in promoting amyloid deposition.     

Prevalence of heart diseases in patients with pulmonary embolism with and without peripheral venous thrombosis: Findings from a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundIn up to 80% of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) no peripheral symptomatic thrombosis can be identified. Whether the heart may represent a source of PE is unknown.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of patients who were 60 years or older and were discharged from the hospitals of Veneto region, Italy between 2000 and 2006 with the diagnosis of PE. We compared the prevalence of several acute and chronic heart diseases in patients discharged with the diagnosis of PE alone with that of patients with co-occurring symptomatic peripheral deep venous thrombosis (PE/DVT).ResultsOut of 11,236 eligible patients, 9079 (81%) were discharged with the diagnosis of PE alone, and 2157 with that of PE/DVT. 3239 of the 9079 (35.7%) patients with isolated PE, and 666 of the 2157 (30.9%) with PE/DVT had at least one heart disease. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for having at least one heart disease in patients with isolated PE as compared to those with PE/DVT was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.13–1.40). The heart diseases that significantly contributed to the study results were all-cause cardiomyopathies (adjusted OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.37–3.89), all-cause heart failure (1.82; 1.45–2.27), coronary heart disease (1.28; 1.08–1.52), and atrial fibrillation or flutter (1.28; 1.08–1.51).ConclusionsThere is an association between isolated PE and a number of heart diseases. The results of our survey generate the hypothesis that in older patients several heart diseases may directly account for the development of PE. Prospective studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.     

Right atrial spontaneous echo contrast indicates a high incidence of perfusion defects in pulmonary scintigraphy in patients with atrial fibrillation

This study investigated the relationship between right atrial SEC (RA-SEC) and silent pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) within the cardiac chambers is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism. However, most studies have examined the relationship between left atrial SEC and systemic thromboembolic disease. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed in 210 patients with NVAF to assess a risk of thromboembolism. Right atrial SEC was detected in 37 patients, and 35 of these patients with RA-SEC and 29 patients without RA-SEC were enrolled in this study. However, patients with a history of symptomatic PE or deep vein thrombosis were excluded. Spontaneous echo contrast was diagnosed by TEE as the presence of smokelike echoes that swirled in a circular pattern. PE was diagnosed by pulmonary scintigraphy. Thrombotic and thrombolytic parameters, including serum concentrations of plasmin-α-plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), D-dimer, and fibrinogen were measured in all patients. Left ventricular dimension, cardiac function, and hematologic parameters were similar in the two groups. Nevertheless, the incidence of perfusion defects in pulmonary scintigraphy was significantly higher in the group with RA-SEC (40%) than in the group without RA-SEC (7%; chi-square, P = 0.006). The increased incidence of perfusion defects in pulmonary scintigraphy in patients with RA-SEC indicates that right atrial SEC may be a predictable factor at a high risk of PE.     

Medical management of connector pin thrombosis with the Amplatzer cardiac plug left atrial closure device

Transcatheter closure of the left atrial appendage with the Amplatzer™ cardiac plug device and double antiplatelet treatment for 3 mo has become an alternative treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation at high embolism risk and contraindications for chronic oral anticoagulation. The inadequate implantation of the left atrial appendage closure device and the discontinuation of double antiplatelet therapy are well-known as factors related to device thrombosis. Nevertheless, device thrombosis after adequate implantation requiring surgical treatment or restarting chronic oral anticoagulation has been reported and can reach 15% of patients. The connector pin thrombosis of the Amplatzer™ cardiac plug, despite a good adherence to antiplatelet treatment, has been recently described as a potential mechanism for device thrombosis. Our clinical case reports the management of this condition for the first time, showing that the early detection of thrombotic complications by transesophageal echocardiography permits solving this serious complication with medical treatment only.     

Thromboembolic risk in atrial flutter. The FLASIEC (FLutter Atriale Società Italiana di Ecografia Cardiovascolare) multicentre study.

AIMS: Patients with atrial flutter are believed to be at lower risk of thromboembolism than patients with atrial fibrillation. However, the incidence of atrial thrombi and the need for anticoagulation in patients with atrial flutter is not well established. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective observational multicentre study was undertaken to assess the frequency of atrial thrombi and spontaneous echocontrast and the prevalence for aortic complex atherosclerotic lesions in a cohort of unselected patients with atrial flutter. We evaluated 134 patients (102 male, aged 70+/-9 years); exclusion criteria were history of atrial fibrillation, rheumatic mitral valve disease and mitral mechanical prosthesis. The median of atrial flutter duration was 33 days. Twelve patients had been taking warfarin for more than 7 days. One hundred and twenty-four patients (94%) underwent a transoesophageal echocardiogram, which revealed left atrial appendage thrombi in two patients (1.6%) and right atrial thrombi in one patient (1%). At least moderate left atrial echocontrast was found in 16/124 patients (13%). Complex atherosclerotic aortic plaques were detected in 10 patients (8%). Atrial flutter conversion was attempted in 93/134 patients (69%). At the 1-month follow-up, two patients experienced a thromboembolic event following restoration of sinus rhythm. CONCLUSIONS: Atrial thrombi and echocontrast, and complex aortic atherosclerotic plaques are relatively uncommon in patients with atrial flutter. Post-cardioversion embolism was observed in two patients in our study population.     

Echocardiographic diagnosis and significance of atrial isomerism]

Forty-nine patients with atrial isomerism (right atrial isomerism 27, left atrial isomerism 22) diagnosed by 2DE of the abdominal great vessels were reported in this paper. Compared with the results of high kilovolt filtered chest film and autopsy, atrial situs determined by 2DE was concordant with bronchial morphology in 43 patients, 25 (93%) of right atrial isomerism, 18 (82%) of left isomerism. 25 patients who had angiocardiography or autopsy were associated with other cardiac malformations which were severe and complicated in right atrial isomerism. The results of this series showed that ultrasonography of the abdominal great vessels could be a reliable guide to the diagnosis of atrial isomerism, 2DE diagnosis is useful for angiocardiography.     

Prevalence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A mutations in unselected patients with venous thromboembolism

We determined the prevalence of factor V Leiden and of prothrombin G20210A mutations in a cohort of unselected outpatients (n = 748) referred for suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) and a pooled analysis of similar studies was also performed. Based on the clinical presentation, the prevalence of factor V Leiden was 15.7% in the 83 patients with DVT and 14.1% in the 99 patients with PE compared with 5.3% in patients without DVT and/or PE (control group). The prevalence of the prothrombin G20210A mutation did not differ among the three groups (3.9% for controls, 4. 8% for DVT and 3.9% for PE patients). We then divided the 99 patients with PE by separately analysing those with PE but without DVT (n = 57) and those with PE and DVT (n = 42). Compared with the control group, the prevalence of factor V Leiden was 10.5%, odds ratio (OR) 2.10 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.68-5.45] in patients with primary PE and 19.1%, OR 4.20 (95% CI 1.54-10.30) in patients with DVT and PE. For the prothrombin G20210A mutation, no statistically significant differences were found between the control group and the three other groups. In conclusion, our data and the pooled analysis indicate that patients with primary PE are less often affected by the factor V Leiden mutation. No statistically significant differences were observed between patients and controls for the prothrombin G20210A mutation.     

慢性心房颤动患者左心房扩大与左心房血栓形成的相关性

目的:探讨慢性心房颤动患者左心房扩大与左心房血栓形成的相关性。方法:选择我院确诊的80例慢性心房颤动伴左心房扩大患者为左心房扩大组,80例慢性心房颤动左心房无扩大患者为心房无扩大组,应用经食管超声检测左心房大小及观察有无血栓。根据食管超声检查结果分为血栓形成组(22例)和无血栓组(138例),通过单因素及多元逐步Logistic回归分析,分析左心房血栓形成的危险因素。结果:超声心动图显示左心房扩大组心房内血栓形成率明显高于左心房无扩大组(17.5%比10.0%,P<0.05)。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,与心房内血栓形成的相关的危险因素有:左心房直径(OR=4.514,95%CI:1.243～14.206,P=0.01)、病程(OR=1.106,95%CI:0.898～1.071,P=0.035)。结论:心房颤动患者的左心房扩大,可导致心肌收缩力下降,增加左心房内血栓形成的危险性,是左心房内血栓形成的有意义的预测因子。     

阵发性心房颤动进展为永久性心房颤动的临床观察

通过对阵发性心房颤动 (简称房颤 )患者的长期观察 ,分析阵发性房颤进展为永久性房颤的影响因素。 35 8例阵发性房颤患者 ,男 178例、女 180例 ,年龄 6 6 .86± 12 .2 7岁。当患者经心电图和动态心电图均未再记录到窦性心律 ,时间持续 6个月以上时判定转归为永久性房颤。结果 :随访 4 .9± 2 .7年 ,共有 6 4例阵发性房颤进展为永久性房颤 (17.9% ) ,永久性房颤组与阵发性房颤组比较 ,瓣膜性心脏病 (2 9.3%vs 16 .4 % ,P =0 .0 4 3)和心力衰竭明显增多 (P =0 .0 0 1) ,孤立性房颤较少。在合并用药中 ,永久性房颤组应用地高辛明显多于阵发性房颤组(P <0 .0 0 1)。超声心动图结果显示永久性房颤组左房内径≥ 4 0mm明显多于阵发性房颤组 (P =0 .0 2 4 )。多因素回归分析 :左房扩大 (OR 2 .0 73,95 %CI 1.80 1～ 3.4 94 ,P =0 .0 4 7)和服用地高辛 (OR 4 .15 3,95 %CI 2 .0 13～ 8.5 71,P =0 .0 0 1)为阵发性房颤进展为永久性房颤的独立危险因素。结论 :左房扩大和应用地高辛可能是预测阵发性房颤进展的危险因素。     

老年慢性心房颤动患者左心房内血栓形成的危险因素与预测

目的　研究老年慢性非瓣膜病心房颤动患者中左心房内血栓形成的危险因素与预测 ,并探讨其可能的原因。方法　 6 4例老年慢性心房颤动患者 ,通过单因素及多元逐步logistic回归分析 ,首次将轻度二尖瓣反流作为一项待选变量 ,结合超声影像学和其他临床指标 ,对左心房内血栓形成的危险因素进行分析。结果　与左心房内血栓相关的因素有 :轻度二尖瓣反流、心房颤动持续时间、血小板表面P 选择素表达、血浆 β 血小板球蛋白 (P <0 .0 5 )。轻度二尖瓣反流与心房颤动持续时间是左心房内血栓形成的独立危险因素。结论　轻度二尖瓣反流增加而非降低心房颤动患者左心房内血栓形成 ,其原因可能与轻度二尖瓣反流激活血小板有关。持续的心房颤动可能通过心房肌的结构重构导致心肌收缩力进一步下降 ,增加血栓形成的危险性