CA125 but not NT-proBNP predicts the presence of a congestive intrarenal venous flow in patients with acute heart failure
Abstract Background Intrarenal venous flow (IRVF) measured by Doppler ultrasound has gained interest as a potential surrogate marker of renal congestion and adverse outcomes in heart failure. In this work, we aimed to determine if antigen carbohydrate 125 (CA125) and plasma amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are associated with congestive IRVF patterns (i.e., biphasic and monophasic) in acute heart failure (AHF). Methods and results We prospectively enrolled a consecutive cohort of 70 patients hospitalized for AHF. Renal Doppler ultrasound was assessed within the first 24-h of hospital admission. The mean age of the sample was 73.5 ± 12.3 years; 47.1% were female, and…
Exercise ECG Testing and Stress Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for Risk Prediction in Patients With Chronic Coronary Syndrome
Vasodilator stress cardiac magnetic resonance (VS-CMR) has become crucial in the workup of patients with known or suspected chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). Whether traditional exercise ECG testing (ExECG) contributes prognostic information beyond VS-CMR is unclear.We retrospectively included 288 patients with known or suspected CCS who had undergone ExECG and subsequent VS-CMR in our institution. Clinical, ExECG, and VS-CMR variables were recorded. We defined the serious adverse events (SAE) as a combined endpoint of acute coronary syndrome, admission for heart failure, or all-cause death.During a mean follow-up of 4.2 ± 2.15 yr, we registered 27 SAE (15 admissions for acute coronary syndr…
Applicability of Echocardiographic Strict Negative Criteria for Suspected Infective Endocarditis.
Echocardiography is the cornerstone imaging technique in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) but is often misused in clinical practice. Recently, strict negative criteria have been proposed to avoid unnecessary follow-up echocardiograms. We aimed to evaluate the use of echocardiography in real-world clinical daily practice and the usefulness of these criteria in the diagnosis of IE. We retrospectively retrieved every echocardiogram performed in our center for suspected IE between 2014 and 2018, including 905 transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs). Of these, 451 (49.8%) fulfilled the strict negative criteria (group 1). In this group, IE was seldom diagnosed (n = 4, 0.9%). In 338 patie…