Abstract 810: Impact of Elevated Plasma Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 on Prognosis in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Evidence from Long-Term Follow-Up of Genotyped Patients

Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiichi Masuta ◽  
Hidekazu Ino ◽  
Noboru Fujino ◽  
Katsuharu Uchiyama ◽  
Kenshi Hayashi ◽  
...  

Background: Previous studies suggest that production of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) which is responsible for cardiac remodeling could determine prognosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopahty (HCM). However, few data exist regarding the importance of MMP-2 production in clinical settings. Therefore, we determined MMP-2 levels correlated to prognosis in HCM with sarcomere gene mutations. Methods and Results: Echocardiography and determination of plasma MMP-2 levels by enzyme-linked immunoassay were simultaneously performed in 31 HCM patients (22 women, mean age 56±12 years) with sarcomere protein gene mutation including 22 for cardiac troponin I, 5 for cardiac myosin binding-protein C, 3 for cardiac troponin T and 1 for beta-myosin heavy chain. Major cardiac events such as hospitalization due to congestive heart failure or ventricular fibrillation and mortality were prospectively examined for follow-up period of 48.4±29.1 months. When patients were divided into two groups (Group A: MMP-2 ≥800 ng/ml n=16 and Group B: MMP-2<800ng/ml n=15), there was no differences in mean age (59.4±11.7 year vs 53.1±11.3 year, p=0.13). On echocardiograms, interventricular septal thickness in group A (11.7±4.2 mm) was smaller than that in group B (15.9±4.8 mm, p<0.05) and percent fractional shortening (FS) was significantly impaired in group A (24.8±12.5%) in comparison with that in group B (37.7±8.1%, p=0.002). There was negative correlation between the MMP-2 levels and FS (p<0.001, r=0.76). The frequency of cardiac events was significantly higher in group A (10 patients of 16 patients) than in group B (1 patient of 15 patients, p=0.0012). Importantly, 5 patients of group A died, although none of groupB patients did (p=0.018). Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the high plasma concentration of MMP-2 (≥800 ng/ml) could be a predictor of prognosis in HCM with sarcomere mutations probably through reflecting impaired left ventricular function.

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (18_suppl) ◽  
pp. 9536-9536
Author(s):  
E. C. Benites ◽  
M. G. Paiva ◽  
A. M. Cappellano ◽  
O. M. Felix ◽  
S. B. Marinelli ◽  
...  

9536 Background: To evaluate whether clinical signs or symptoms of congestive heart failure, serial assessment of systolic and diastolic cardiac function by low dose dobutamine stress echo (LDSE) and serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) can predict doxorubicin (DOXO) cardiotoxicity. Methods: Twenty five patients with osteosarcoma enrolled in the Brazilian osteosarcoma treatment group study 2000, from january 2000 to may 2004, were studied with LDSE (>5μg/kg/min) before chemotherapy, 160 mg/m2 DOXO and after 160 mg/m2 DOXO. cTnT were measured before and during DOXO infusion. Cardiotoxicity was defined as shortening fraction (SF) less than 30% assessed by rest echo 1 to 6 months off chemotherapy. Group A comprised those without cardiotoxicity (16 patients, 10 male, 14.3 ± 4.7 years) whereas group B included those with a SF < 30% (9 patients, 6 male, 15.4 ± 3 years). Elevated serum cTnT was defined as seric levels above 0.01ng/ml. Results: Patients were submitted to a mean 3.4 LDSE and a mean of 32.5 serum cTnT. One patient (group B) presented clinical manifestation of cardiotoxicity. There was no statistical difference of elevated serum cTnT between the group B and group A (87.5% vs 46.2%; p=0,06). Left ventricular dimensions by M- MODE and transmitral Doppler inflow diastolic parameters were not significantly different between the two groups. Resting SF showed comparable values in both groups until cumulative doses of DOXO reached 160mg/m2, then the resting SF in group B was significant lower than group A (27% ± 2 and 34.1% ± 2, p<0.01). During dobutamine infusion, SF and ΔSF (dobutamine-rest) were significantly lower in group B as compared to group A at a DOXO dose 160mg/m2 (SF 36.1%±3,4 and ΔSF 2.1±2.3 vs. SF 45.2%±4.9 and ΔSF 9.4±3; p< 0.01 and p < 0.01) as well as at a DOXO dose > 160mg/m2 (30.3%±3 and 3.1±1.9 vs. 40.8%±5.9 and 7.2±4.2;p<0.01 and p<0.01). Conclusions: This study suggests that LDSE is more reliable than cTnT and clinical evaluation for predicting future subclinical cardiotoxicity,even at lower doxorubicin dose. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1510.1-1511
Author(s):  
T. Kuga ◽  
M. Matsushita ◽  
K. Tada ◽  
K. Yamaji ◽  
N. Tamura

Background:Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is detected in up to 50% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients1and major cause of death2. Even clinically silent SLE patients can develop left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction3. Proper echocardiographic follow up of SLE patients is required.Objectives:To clarify how the prevalence of LV abnormalities changes over follow-up period and identify the associated clinical factors, useful in suspecting LV abnormalities.Methods:29 SLE patients (24 females and 5 men, mean age 52.8±16.3 years, mean disease duration 17.6±14.5 years) were enrolled. All of them underwent echocardiography as the baseline examination and reexamined over more than a year of follow-up period(mean 1075±480 days) from Jan 2014 to Sep 2019. Patients complicated with pulmonary artery hypertension, deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism and underwent cardiac surgery during the follow-up period were excluded. Left ventricular(LV) systolic dysfunction was defined as ejection fraction (EF) < 50%. LV diastolic dysfunction was defined according to ASE/EACVI guideline4. LV dysfunction (LVD) includes one or both of LV systolic dysfunction and LV diastolic function. Monocyte to HDL ratio (MHR) was calculated by dividing monocyte count with HDL-C level.Prevalence of left ventricular abnormalities was analysed at baseline and follow-up examination. Clinical characteristics and laboratory data were compared among patient groups as follows; patients with LV dysfunction (Group A) and without LV dysfunction (Group B) at the follow-up echocardiography, patients with LV asynergy at any point of examination (Group C) and patients free of LV abnormalities during the follow-up period (Group D).Results:At the baseline examination, LV dysfunction (5/29 cases, 13.8%), LV asynergy (6/29 cases, 21.7%) were detected. Pericarditis was detected in 7 patients (24.1%, LVD in 3 patients, LV asynergy in 2 patients) and 2 of them with subacute onset had progressive LV dysfunction, while 5 patients were normal in echocardiography after remission induction therapy for SLE. At the follow-up examination, LV dysfunction (9/29 cases, 31.0%, 5 new-onset and 1 improved case), LV asynergy (6/29 cases, 21.7%, 2 new-onset and 2 improved cases) were detected. Though any significant differences were observed between Group A and Group B at the baseline, platelet count (156.0 vs 207.0, p=0.049) were significantly lower in LV dysfunction group (Group A) at the follow-up examination. Group C patients had significantly higher uric acid (p=0.004), monocyte count (p=0.009), and MHR (p=0.003) than Group D(results in table).Conclusion:LV dysfunction is progressive in most of patients and requires regular follow-up once they developed. Uric acid, monocyte count and MHR are elevated in SLE patients with LV asynergy. Since MHR elevation was reported as useful marker of endothelial dysfunction5, our future goal is to analyse involvement of monocyte activation and endothelial dysfunction in LV asynergy of SLE patients.References:[1]Doria A et al. Lupus. 2005;14(9):683-6.[2]Manger K et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2002 Dec;61(12):1065-70.[3]Leone P et al. Clin Exp Med. 2019 Dec 17.[4]Nagueh SF et al. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2016 Apr;29(4):277-314.[5]Acikgoz N et al. Angiology. 2018 Jan;69(1):65-70.Numbers are median (interquartile range), Mann-Whitney u test were performed, p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Disclosure of Interests: :None declared


2003 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 2020-2026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junnichi Ishii ◽  
Wei Cui ◽  
Fumihiko Kitagawa ◽  
Takahiro Kuno ◽  
Yuu Nakamura ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Recent studies have suggested that cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and troponin I may detect ongoing myocardial damage involved in the progression of chronic heart failure (CHF). This study was prospectively designed to examine whether the combination of cTnT, a marker for ongoing myocardial damage, and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a marker for left ventricular overload, would effectively stratify patients with CHF after initiation of treatment. Methods: We measured serum cTnT, plasma BNP, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on admission for worsening CHF [New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class III to IV] and 2 months after initiation of treatment to stabilize CHF (n = 100; mean age, 68 years). Results: Mean (SD) concentrations of cTnT [0.023 (0.066) vs 0.063 (0.20) μg/L] and BNP [249 (276) vs 753 (598) ng/L], percentage increased cTnT (&gt;0.01 μg/L; 35% vs 60%), NYHA functional class [2.5 (0.6) vs 3.5 (5)], and LVEF [43 (13)% vs 36 (12)%] were significantly (P &lt;0.01) improved 2 months after treatment compared with admission. During a mean follow-up of 391 days, there were 44 cardiac events, including 12 cardiac deaths and 32 readmissions for worsening CHF. On a stepwise Cox regression analysis, increased cTnT and BNP were independent predictors of cardiac events (P &lt;0.001). cTnT &gt;0.01 μg/L and/or BNP &gt;160 ng/L 2 months after initiation of treatment were associated with increased cardiac mortality and morbidity rates. Conclusion: The combination of cTnT and BNP measurements after initiation of treatment may be highly effective for risk stratification in patients with CHF.


Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 654
Author(s):  
Weinmann ◽  
Werner ◽  
Koenig ◽  
Rottbauer ◽  
Walcher ◽  
...  

Immunoadsorption and subsequent administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) have shown beneficial effects on cardiac function and symptoms in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Biomarkers play an emerging role in disease monitoring and outcome prediction of heart failure (HF) patients. We aimed to analyze cardiac biomarkers as predictor for improvement of left ventricular (LV) function after immunoadsorption treatment in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Thirty-one patients with dilated cardiomyopathy on optimized HF pharmacotherapy received a single cycle of immunoadsorption for five days followed by IVIG administration. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and heart failure biomarkers (hs troponin T, hs troponin I, NT-proBNP and sST2) were evaluated before treatment, after the last cycle of immunoadsorption and during a median follow-up of 30.5 months. We correlated HF biomarkers before immunoadsorption and acute changes of HF biomarkers by immunoadsorption with LV improvement during the long-term follow-up. LV function improved significantly after immunoadsorption from 28.0 to 42.0% during the long-term follow-up (p < 0.0001). Evaluation of biomarker levels showed a significant decrease for hs troponin I (from 9.2 to 5.5 ng/L, p < 0.05) and NT-proBNP (from 789.6 to 281.2 pg/mL, p < 0.005). Correlation of biomarker levels before immunoadsorption and LVEF at the long-term follow-up show good results for hs troponin T (r = −0.40, r2 = 0.16, p < 0.05), hs troponin I (r = −0.41, r2 = 0.17, p < 0.05) and sST2 (r = −0.46, r2 = 0.19, p < 0.05). Correlation of biomarker levels before immunoadsorption and the individual increase in LV function was significant for hs troponin T (r = −0.52, r2 = 0.27, p < 0.005) and hs troponin I (r = −0.53, r2 = 0.29, p < 0.005). To imply a tool for monitoring outcome immediately after immunoadsorption treatment, we investigated the correlation of acute changes of biomarker levels by immunoadsorption treatment and individual increase in LV function. A drop in hs troponin T (r = −0.41, r2 = 0.17, p < 0.05) and hs troponin I (r = −0.53, r2 = 0.28, p < 0.005) levels demonstrate a good correlation to improvement in LVEF during the long-term follow-up. Conclusion: Hs troponin T and I levels correlate with LV function improvement during long-term follow-up. Acute decrease of troponins by immunoadsorption treatment is paralleled by individual improvement of LVEF at the long-term follow-up. Thus, troponins could serve as a monitoring tool for the improvement of LV function after immunoadsorption treatment in dilated cardiomyopathy.


2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred S Apple ◽  
Stephen W Smith ◽  
Lesly A Pearce ◽  
Karen M Schulz ◽  
Ranka Ler ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND We assessed the ability of myeloperoxidase (MPO) to identify the risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients who present with ischemic symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome and have a normal cardiac troponin I (cTnI) value. METHODS We used Siemens (n = 400) and Abbott (n = 350) assays to measure MPO and cTnI in plasma samples from 400 patients. Event rates (myocardial infarction, cardiac death, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting) were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared with the log-rank statistic. RESULTS At the 30-day follow-up, the adjusted hazard ratios for MACE were 3.9 (P &lt; 0.001) for increased cTnI and 2.7 (P = 0.006) for increased MPO for the Siemens assays and were 5.5 (P &lt; 0.001) for increased cTnI and 2.9 (P = 0.001) for increased MPO for the Abbott assays. Similar findings were observed with 6 months of follow-up. Patients who initially had a normal cTnI value and an increased Siemens MPO value demonstrated a higher rate of MACE at 30 days than those in whom both values were normal (16.1% vs 3.6%, P = 0.002) and 6 months (18.1% vs 5.0%, P = 0.002). Similarly, patients who had an increased Abbott MPO result demonstrated a higher MACE rate at 30 days (12.3% vs 3.9%, P = 0.03) and at 6 months (16.2% vs 5.1%, P = 0.01) than those with normal values. CONCLUSIONS A combination of MPO and cTnI allowed the identification of a greater proportion of patients at risk for MACE than the use of cTnI alone. Increased MPO values remained predictive of future cardiac events even when the cTnI value was normal.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Nucifora ◽  
D Muser ◽  
S Castro ◽  
R Casado Arroyo ◽  
D Benhayon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The presence of left ventricular (LV) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) at cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has been correlated to life-threatening arrhythmic events in patients with apparently idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic significance of a specific LV-LGE phenotype characterized by a subepicardial/midmyocardial “ring-like” pattern of fibrosis. Methods Out of a total of 518 consecutive patients with apparently idiopathic VAs who underwent CMR study, 79 (15%) had evidence of LV-LGE. Of these, 23 (4%) patients had LV LGE with ring-like pattern, defined as subepicardial or midmyocardial LGE involving at least 3 contiguous segments in the same slice (group A), while 56 (11%) patients had LV LGE with no ring-like pattern (group B). The remaining 439 patients had no LGE (group C). The end-point of the study was a composite SCD, resuscitated cardiac arrest and nonfatal episodes of ventricular fibrillation or documented sustained ventricular tachycardia. Results Group A patients were more frequently males compared to groups B and C (96% vs. 79% vs. 52%; p&lt;0.01) and had more frequently a family history of SCD and/or cardiomyopathy (30% vs. 11% vs. 5%; p&lt;0.01). All patients in Group A showed VAs with a predominant RBBB morphology vs. 38 (68%) patients in Group B and 65 (15%) in Group C (p&lt;0.01). During a follow-up of 63±39 months, the composite outcome occurred in 13 patients (57%) in Group A vs. 11 (20%) in Group B and 2 (1%) in Group C (p&lt;0.01). Conclusion In patients with apparently idiopathic VAs, a nonischemic LV-LGE with a ring-like pattern at CMR is associated with a high rate of malignant arrhythmic events during follow-up. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasutaka Oguchi ◽  
Hiroshi Takaki ◽  
Shuji Hashimoto ◽  
Mitsuru Wada ◽  
Ikutaro Nakajima ◽  
...  

Background: Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is known to be a risk factor in patients with heart failure or structural heart diseases. We have already reported that the fragmented QRS (fQRS) activity on QRS vector magnitude waveform (VMW) derived from high-resolution multi-channel magnetocardiography (MCG) represents heterogeneous left ventricular (LV) activation sequences due to myocardial scar and can predict adverse outcomes in patients with dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Therefore, we investigated whether MCG also can predict the outcome of patients with LBBB noninvasively using fQRS. Methods: 64-ch MCG was recorded in 58 patients with LV dysfunction (LVEF<45%) and LBBB (QRS interval ≥120ms). Clinical characteristics, electrocardiographic parameters, and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with and without fQRS on the QRS VMW, which was constructed from 64 superimposed signals during sinus rhythm. The fQRS on MCG was defined as the presence of ≥1 discrete component larger than 20% of the maximum amplitude within QRS complex. Results: The fQRS was identified on MCG in 29 patients (Group-A), but not in the rest of 29 patients (Group-B). Age, Sex, presence of structural heart disease, QRS or QTc interval, fQRS (≥8 spikes in leads I, aVL, V5 and V6) on 12-lead ECG, history of arrhythmias, LVEF, and medications were not different between 2 groups. During the follow-up of 30 ± 23 months, cardiac events (sudden cardiac death, heart failure, hospitalization, and life-threatening arrhythmia) occurred more frequently in the Group-A (17/29, 58.6%) than in the Group-B (3/29, 10.3%; p < 0.0002), although patients with fQRS on ECG showed the similar event rate to those without. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of fQRS on MCG was only an independent predictor of poor outcome (p=0.0137). Conclusions: The prognosis of LBBB patients with fQRS on MCG was poor. The fQRS on MCG, which indicates the presence of inhomogeneous LV conduction, can be a reliable marker for predicting adverse outcomes in patients not only with cardiomyopathy but also with LBBB.


Circulation ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi Sugioka ◽  
Takeshi Hozumi ◽  
Yasuhiko Takemoto ◽  
Shoichi Ehara ◽  
Yasushi Kono ◽  
...  

Background: Beta-blocker therapy reverses left ventricular (LV) remodeling in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). Improvement in coronary circulation by beta-blocker could play a role in theses circumstances. This study investigated the relationship between change in coronary flow reserve (CFR), as a marker of coronary circulation, and subsequent improvement in LV ejection fraction (LVEF) at follow-up during carvedilol therapy in IDC patients. Methods: We studied 20 patients with IDC (mean age 56 ± 15 years, NYHA I–II) who were scheduled to receive carvedilol therapy. All patients were stabilized using an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker and diuretic treatment. Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography with intravenous infusion of adenosine triphosphate was used to assess CFR in the left anterior descending artery at baseline and after 1 month of treatment with carvedilol. A follow-up echocardiographic assessment of LVEF was done at 12 ± 6 months of treatment. The patients were classified by the degree of improvement in LVEF in the follow-up study, as Group A (LVEF change ≥10%) and Group B (LVEF change <10%). Results: Although there was no significant difference in CFR between the 2 groups at baseline (Group A vs. Group B, 2.4 ± 1.0 vs. 2.2 ± 0.8; P =NS), CFR was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B at 1 month of therapy (3.7 ± 0.5 vs. 2.5 ± 0.9; P <0.01). The magnitude of CFR change after 1 month of therapy was significantly greater in Group A than in Group B (1.3 ± 0.6 vs. 0.4 ± 0.5; P <0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that CFR change predicted a significant improvement in LVEF at follow-up ( P <0.05). Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the change in CFR after 1 month and that in LVEF on follow-up (r=0.65, P <0.01). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that early change in CFR is associated with subsequent improvement in LVEF, suggesting the potential predictive value of coronary circulation for subsequent LV reverse remodeling after beta-blocker therapy in patients with IDC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Tavernese ◽  
V Cammalleri ◽  
A Sanseviero ◽  
P De Vico ◽  
S Muscoli ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been shown to impact negatively the prognosis of patients with heart failure, coronary artery or valvular heart disease and emerged as predictor of poor outcomes in mitraclip population. Purpose Aim of our study was to evaluate three-year echocardiographic outcomes in CKD patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) treated with mitraclip. Methods This in an observational study including patients treated with mitraclip in our institution, who completed three years of follow up. Patients population was divided into two groups according to basal creatinine clearance (CrCl): group A, including patients with normal/mild decline of renal function (CrCl &gt; 60 ml/min) and group B, including patients with CKD (CrCl &lt; 60 ml/min). Demographic and procedural characteristics were compared, as well as echocardiographic data, including grade of MR, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), mean transmitral gradient and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP). Kaplan-Meier survival curves were obtained. Results The study population consists of 107 patients (mean age 71 ± 9 years, 69% male): 57 belonging to group A and 50 to group B. Patients of group B had higher values of LogEuroScore (22 ± 10 vs.15 ± 9 p = 0,0002), systemic hypertension (92% vs. 74%, p = 0,026), complicated diabetes (46% vs. 24% p = 0,034) and NYHA IV before the procedure (24% vs 9 %, p = 0,059). Additionally, patients of group B had lower baseline LVEF (35 ± 11 vs. 41 ± 13; p = 0,012). Procedural success was similar between the two groups without significant difference in degree of MR reduction after mitraclip implantation. Echocardiographic follow-up showed that in group B, the LVEF did not improve after the treatment (more than 50% had LVEF &lt; 35% at 1,2 and 3 years) while in the group A it improved significantly (LVEF &lt; 35% from 47,6% at discharge to 29%, 32% and 31% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively). In comparison to group A, in group B a progressive increase in residual MR grade was observed (moderate-to-severe MR from 2% at discharge to 14%, 15%, and 27% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively) as well as in the mean transmitral gradient (from 3,90 ±1,6 mmHg after the mitraclip implantation to 5,28 ± 1,7; 5,73 ± 1,75; 6,06 ±1,75 at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively) and sPAP (from 47 ± 12 mmHg at discharge to 49 ± 21; 51 ± 20; 48 ± 22 at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively). Kaplan Meier estimate of survival free from in-hospital readmission was 77% in group A and 61% in group B (Log-Rank 4.563, p = 0,033) and survival free from cardiovascular death was 95% and 81,5%, in group A and B, respectively (Log-Rank 4.806, p = 0,028). Conclusion Our results suggest that CKD patients have poorer outcomes after mitraclip implantation with worsening of some echocardiographic parameters, particularly for residual MR degree, mean transmitral gradient and sPAP, without improvement in LVEF at one, two and three years of follow-up.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_G) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Riverso ◽  
Antonio Curcio ◽  
Alessia Tempestini ◽  
Emilia De Luca ◽  
Sabrina La Bella ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Complications of acute myocardial infarction (MI) can be life-threatening leading to sudden cardiac death. While guidelines recommend prompt revascularization and prolonged intensive care hospitalization, predictors of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes are yet poorly understood. The role of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, even in cases of non-sustained arrhythmias is still debated. To date, it is unknown how to follow-up patients with mild cardiac dysfunction after MI. Implantable cardiac monitors (ICMs) can be helpful for stratifying patients in the early discharge period, and remote monitoring might speed up arrhythmia recognition and treatment. We investigated the role of remote monitoring of ICMs to detect arrhythmic events in post-MI patients without overt cardiac dysfunction. Methods and results We enrolled 13 patients (9 males; 69.8 years) after either ST-segment (N = 7) or non-ST-segment elevation (N = 6) MI with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) &gt;35%, admitted to our coronary care unit for urgent revascularization between September 2019 and September 2021. Twelve patients underwent percutaneous myocardial revascularization, whereas one was treated with medical therapy only. All patients received an ICM during hospitalization according to echo and EKG parameters. We considered LVEF ≤ 40% as sole risk factor or LVEF between 40% and 50% in addition to either PQ length prolongation, or QRS widening, or pathologic heart rate variability, or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia/paroxysmal advanced second degree atrioventricular block. Patients with multiple revascularization procedures and several hospital admissions were excluded. Implanted ICM were frequently monitored both remotely and in-office when required. During follow-up, brady- and tachy-arrhythmias were recorded in four patients (30.8%). The remote monitoring of the ICM documented new-onset atrial fibrillation, high-degree atrioventricular block, severe bradycardia, and sustained ventricular tachycardia. Three patients required hospitalization and upgrade of the implanted device with pacemakers and cardioverter/defibrillator. For arrhythmic risk stratification, patients were divided into two subgroups; group A included patients with LVEF 40% associated with heart rate &gt; 60 b.p.m., PQ length &gt;160 ms and QRS width &gt;86 ms (N = 4); group B included patients with EF 41%/50%, PQ length &lt;159 and QRS width &lt;85 ms (N = 10). First group experienced more advanced rhythm disorders than group B (P &lt; 0.05). Device implantation was significantly higher in group A (P &lt; 0.05%). Conclusions OFF-label implementation of ICMs coupled with remote device monitoring may be effective for early detection of serious adverse cardiac rhythm alterations in patients after MI and LVEF higher than 35%. Further monitoring is ongoing for assessing the occurrence of multiple arrhythmias or their increased occurrence.


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