0000000000042910
AUTHOR
Jean Christophe Eicher
Permanent left atrial pacing therapy may improve symptoms in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction and atrial dyssynchrony: a pilot study prior to a national clinical research programme
Aims Our group has recently shown that in some patients, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) may be explained by ‘atrial dyssynchrony syndrome’ (ADS) due to interatrial conduction delay (IACD), a short left atrioventricular interval (LAVI), and increased left atrial (LA) stiffness. Our primary objective was to evaluate LA pacing therapy as a new treatment to restore left ventricular active filling in patients with no other known causes for HF than ADS. Methods and results Six patients with severe HFPEF with IACD (P wave duration >120 ms in lead II), short LAVI during electrophysiological studies ( 15), and no standard indication for a pacemaker were implanted with a lead …
Electrical Stimulation of Skeletal Muscles An Alternative to Aerobic Exercise Training in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure?
The aim of this study was to investigate whether electrical stimulation of skeletal muscles could represent a rehabilitation alternative for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Thirty patients with CHF and NYHA class II-III were randomly assigned to a rehabilitation program using either electrical stimulation of skeletal muscles or bicycle training. Patients in the first group (n = 15) had 8 weeks of home-based low-frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) applied simultaneously to the quadriceps and calf muscles of both legs (1 h/day for 7 days/week); patients in the second group (n = 15) underwent 8 weeks of 40 minute aerobic exercise (3 times a week). After the 8-week period signifi…
Low Systolic Blood Pressure and Mortality in Elderly Patients After Acute Myocardial Infarction
Background Optimal blood pressure in elderly patients after acute myocardial infarction is still a matter of debate. In a prospective observational study, we aimed to identify optimal systolic blood pressure during the 48 first hours after admission for acute myocardial infarction and its prognostic value for cardiovascular mortality. Methods and Results From the Observatoire des Infarctus de Côte d'Or survey, all consecutive patients aged >75 years admitted for an acute myocardial infarction in a coronary care unit from 2012 to 2015 and discharged alive were included (n=814). Exclusion criteria were in‐hospital death, cardiogenic shock, and end‐stage renal disease. Average systolic blo…
Low-Frequency Electrical Stimulation Increases Muscle Strength and Improves Blood Supply in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
This study was designed to evaluate the effects of low-frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) on muscle strength and blood flow in patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF).Patients with CHF (n=15; age 56.5 +/- 5.2 years; New York Heart Association III - IV; ejection fraction 18.7 +/- 3.3%) were examined before and after 6 weeks of LFES (10 Hz) of the quadriceps and calf muscles of both legs (1 h/day, 7 days/week). Dynamometry was performed weekly to determine maximal muscle strength (F(max); N) and isokinetic peak torque (PT(max); Nm); blood flow velocity (BFV) was measured at baseline and after 6 weeks of LFES using pulsed-wave Doppler velocimetry of the right femoral artery. Si…
Temporal Trends in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in France
Background - Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is standard therapy for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high surgical risk. However, national data regarding procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes over time are limited. Objectives - The aim of this study was to assess nationwide performance trends and clinical outcomes of TAVR during a 6-year period. Methods - TAVRs performed in 48 centers across France between January 2013 and December 2015 were prospectively included in the FRANCE TAVI (French Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) registry. Findings were further compared with those reported from the FRANCE 2 (French Aortic National CoreValve and Edwa…
Cardiomyopathy due to PRDM16 mutation: First description of a fetal presentation, with possible modifier genes
PRDM16 (positive regulatory domain 16) is localized in the critical region for cardiomyopathy in patients with deletions of chromosome 1p36, as defined by Gajecka et al., American Journal of Medical Genetics, 2010, 152A, 3074-3083, and encodes a zinc finger transcription factor. We present the first fetal case of left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) with a PRDM16 variant. The third-trimester obstetric ultrasound revealed a hydropic fetus with hydramnios and expanded hypokinetic heart. After termination of pregnancy, foetopathology showed a eutrophic fetus with isolated cardiomegaly. Endocardial fibroelastosis was associated with non-compaction of the myocardium of the left ventricle. Exom…