Conventional Radionuclide Imaging of Autonomic Function in Heart Failure

Radionuclide imaging remains an essential component of modern cardiology. There is overlap with the information from other imaging techniques, but no technique is static and new developments have expanded its role. This review focuses on ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, infection and inflammation. Radiopharmaceutical development includes the wider availability of positron emission tomography (PET) tracers such as rubidium-82, which allows myocardial perfusion to be quantified in absolute terms. Compared with alternative techniques, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy PET and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) have the advantages of being widely applicable using exercise or pharmacological stress, full coverage of the myocardium and a measure of ischaemic burden, which helps to triage patients between medical therapy and revascularisation. Disadvantages include the availability of expertise in some cardiac centres and the lack of simple SPECT quantification, meaning that global abnormalities can be underestimated. In patients with heart failure, despite the findings of the STICH (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure) trial, there are still data to support the assessment of myocardial hibernation in predicting when abolition of ischaemia might lead to improvement in ventricular function. Imaging of sympathetic innervation is well validated, but simpler markers of prognosis mean that it has not been widely adopted. There are insufficient data to support its use in predicting the need for implanted devices, but non-randomised studies are promising. Other areas where radionuclide imaging is uniquely valuable are detection and monitoring of endocarditis, device infection, myocardial inflammation in sarcoidosis, myocarditis and so on, and reliable detection of deposition in suspected transthyretin-related amyloidosis.

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Radionuclide Imaging in Heart Failure

Clinical Nuclear Cardiology ◽

10.1016/b978-0-323-05796-7.00048-5 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 468-482

Author(s):

Prem Soman

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Radionuclide Imaging

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Controlled Trial of Physical Training in Chronic Heart Failure, Exercise Performance, Hemodynamics, Ventilation, and Autonomic Function.

Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal ◽

10.1097/01823246-199405010-00005 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 17

Author(s):

Ethel Frese

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Chronic Heart Failure ◽

Exercise Performance ◽

Physical Training ◽

Autonomic Function ◽

Controlled Trial

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2402Reduced heart rate variability is linked to clinical status in patients with a systemic right ventricle

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehz748.0155 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

T E Zandstra ◽

P Kies ◽

S Man ◽

A C Maan ◽

M Bootsma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Congestive Heart Failure ◽

Autonomic Function ◽

Clinical Status ◽

Clinical Event ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Significant Determinant ◽

Systemic Right Ventricle ◽

Event Score

Abstract Background Adult patients with congenital heart disease and a systemic right ventricle (sRV) are prone to develop heart failure. Decreased heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of autonomic dysfunction, is associated with morbidity and mortality in patients with congestive heart failure. The standard deviation of all intervals between normal sinus beats (SDNN) is a HRV parameter commonly reported as an indicator of autonomic function in these patients. Data about HRV and its clinical implications in patients with a sRV are scarce. Purpose To compare HRV parameters between patients with a sRV and healthy controls, and to assess their association with clinical status. Methods All available 24-hour Holter monitoring records of sRV patients under follow-up in our center and one record per healthy control subject were analysed. Holters with non-sinus rhythm were excluded. Time and frequency domain parameters were calculated and compared between both groups. Clinical landmarks such as arrhythmias or an episode of congestive heart failure, which occurred up until the time of the ambulatory ECG, were combined in a clinical event score. Determinants of SDNN were investigated with mixed model linear regression in the patients and with multivariate linear regression in the controls. Baseline characteristics, medication use, global longitudinal strain, validity as measured with bicycle exercise testing, and the clinical event score were taken into account. Results 113 Holters of 43 patients and 39 Holters of healthy controls were analysed. The patient group included 30 patients (70%) late after Mustard or Senning correction for transposition of the great arteries, and 13 patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (30%). Age and gender were comparable in patients and controls. Several HRV parameters were significantly worse in patients compared with controls, including SDNN (138 in patients vs. 161 in controls, p=0.021). In the patients, clinical event score was the only significant determinant of a lower SDNN (p<0.001). In the controls, age was the only significant determinant of a lower SDNN (p=0.039). Conclusion Contrary to the healthy population, in patients with a sRV, HRV is associated with clinical status rather than age. This indicates that disease progression affects autonomic function more than ageing in this group. Further research is needed to clarify the relation between clinical outcome and autonomic function in sRV patients. Acknowledgement/Funding The Department of Cardiology of the LUMC received research grants from Medtronic, Biotronik, Boston Scientific and Edwards Lifesciences

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Sacubitril/Valsartan Improves Autonomic Function and Cardiopulmonary Parameters in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9061897 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 1897 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francesco Giallauria ◽

Giuseppe Vitale ◽

Mario Pacileo ◽

Anna Di Lorenzo ◽

Alessandro Oliviero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Ejection Fraction ◽

Autonomic Function ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Exercise Stress ◽

Left Ventricular Ejection ◽

Peak Exercise ◽

Ventricular Ejection Fraction ◽

Reduced Ejection Fraction

Background: Heart rate recovery (HRR) is a marker of vagal tone, which is a powerful predictor of mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. Sacubitril/valsartan (S/V) is a treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), which impressively impacts cardiovascular outcome. This study aims at evaluating the effects of S/V on HRR and its correlation with cardiopulmonary indexes in HFrEF patients. Methods: Patients with HFrEF admitted to outpatients’ services were screened out for study inclusion. S/V was administered according to guidelines. Up-titration was performed every 4 weeks when tolerated. All patients underwent laboratory measurements, Doppler-echocardiography, and cardiopulmonary exercise stress testing (CPET) at baseline and at 12-month follow-up. Results: Study population consisted of 134 HFrEF patients (87% male, mean age 57.9 ± 9.6 years). At 12-month follow-up, significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (from 28% ± 5.8% to 31.8% ± 7.3%, p < 0.0001), peak exercise oxygen consumption (VO2peak) (from 15.3 ± 3.7 to 17.8 ± 4.2 mL/kg/min, p < 0.0001), the slope of increase in ventilation over carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO2 slope )(from 33.4 ± 6.2 to 30.3 ± 6.5, p < 0.0001), and HRR (from 11.4 ± 9.5 to 17.4 ± 15.1 bpm, p = 0.004) was observed. Changes in HRR were significantly correlated to changes in VE/VCO2slope (r = −0.330; p = 0.003). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, multivariate analysis showed that changes in HRR were significantly associated to changes in VE/VCO2slope (Beta (B) = −0.975, standard error (SE) = 0.364, standardized Beta coefficient (Bstd) = −0.304, p = 0.009). S/V showed significant reduction in exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV) detection at CPET (28 EOV detected at baseline CPET vs. 9 EOV detected at 12-month follow-up, p < 0.001). HRR at baseline CPET was a significant predictor of EOV at 12-month follow-up (B = −2.065, SE = 0.354, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In HFrEF patients, S/V therapy improves autonomic function, functional capacity, and ventilation. Whether these findings might translate into beneficial effects on prognosis and outcome remains to be elucidated.

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