Echocardiography in the intensive care unit: an essential tool for diagnosis, monitoring and guiding clinical decision-making

In the last years, new trends on patient diagnosis for admission in cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) have been observed, shifting from acute myocardial infarction or acute heart failure to non-cardiac diseases such as sepsis, acute respiratory failure or acute kidney injury. Moreover, thanks to the advances in scientific knowledge and higher availability, there has been increasing use of positive pressure mechanical ventilation which has its implications on the heart. Therefore, there is a growing need for Cardiac intensivists to quickly, noninvasively and repeatedly evaluate various hemodynamic conditions and the response to therapy.Transthoracic critical care echocardiography (CCE) currently represents an essential tool in CICU, as it is used to evaluate biventricular function and complications following acute coronary syndromes, identify the mechanisms of circulatory failure, acute valvular pathologies, tailoring and titrating intravenous treatment or mechanical circulatory support. This could be completed with trans-oesophageal echocardiography (TOE), advanced echocardiography and lung ultrasound to provide a thorough evaluation and monitoring of CICU patients. However, CCE could sometimes be challenging as the acquisition of good-quality images is limited by mechanical ventilation, suboptimal patient position or recent surgery with drains on the chest. Moreover, there are some technical caveats that one should bear in mind while performing CCE in order to optimize its use and avoid misleading findings. The aim of this review is to highlight the key role of CCE, providing an updated overview of its main applications and possible pitfalls in order to facilitate its use in CICU for clinical decision-making.

Pulmonary Embolism and Computed Tomography Angiography: characteristic findings and technical advices

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a condition due to blood clots obstructing pulmonary arteries, often related to deep venous thrombosis (DVT). PE can be responsible for acute and even life-threatening clinical situations and it may also lead to chronic sequelae such as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Signs and symptoms associated to PE may overlap those of many other diseases (e.g. chest pain, dyspnea, etc.), therefore an accurate clinical evaluation is mandatory before referring the patient to the most appropriate imaging technique. Pulmonary angiography (PA) has been traditionally considered the gold standard regarding the diagnosis of PE and it is also useful regarding the treatment of said condition. However, PA is an invasive technique, implying all the known risks concerning endovascular procedures. Nowadays, computed tomography angiography (CTA) is considered the imaging technique of choice regarding the diagnosis of PE. This technique is readily-available in most centers and it is able to provide high resolution images, although it implies the administration of ionizing radiations and iodinated contrast medium. Conventional CTA has further been improved with the use of ECG-gated protocols, aimed to reduce motion artifacts due to heartbeat and to evaluate other causes of sudden onset chest pain. Moreover, another interesting technique is dual-energy computed tomography (DECT), which allows to elaborate iodine maps, allowing to detect areas of hypoperfusion due to the presence of emboli in pulmonary arteries. This review is aimed to describe the main findings related to PE with an emphasis on CTA, also discussing technical aspects concerning image acquisition protocol.

Massive necrotizing myocarditis in a young patient with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome

A 27-years-old female with multiple autoimmune disorders presented to our cardiology unit for acute chest pain and worsening dyspnoea. Admission blood tests revealed increased serum levels of high-sensitive cardiac troponin, eosinophilic count and C-reactive protein. Laboratory findings, low QRS voltages by ECG, mildly reduced left ventricular systolic function in the context of pseudohypertrophy, mild and diffuse late gadolinium enhancement associated with markedly increased native T1 and T2 mapping levels assessed by echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, raised the suspicion of massive eosinophilic myocarditis, subsequently confirmed by histological examination of endomyocardial biopsy. Prompt initiation of immunosuppressive treatment allowed swift regression of myocardial inflammation and full recovery of left ventricular systolic function within one month. After ruling-out clonal myeloid disorder, lymphocyte-variant and reactive hypereosinophilia, the young lady was eventually diagnosed with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. This case report turns the spotlight on the role and importance of advanced multi-modality cardiovascular imaging for raising clinical suspicion of acute eosinophilic myocarditis, guiding diagnostic work-up and monitoring response to treatment.

Diagnostic and prognostic potential of kallistatin in assessment of liver parenchyma changes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hypertension kallistatin in patients with NAFLD and hypertension

Background and aim Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely linked to hypertension (HT). An important issue remains the search for non-invasive tests to NAFLD detection in the early stages of liver fibrosis. The objective of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of kallistatin in assessing the liver fibrosis progression in NAFLD and HT patients. Patients and methods One hundred fifteen patients with NAFLD with and without HT were examined, the control group consisted of 20 relatively healthy volunteers. Plasma kallistatin level measurement, ultrasound steatometry and elastography were performed in all patients. Results Kallistatin level was 65.03 ng mL−1 (95% CI 61.38; 68.68), 83.42 ng mL−1 (95% CI 81.89; 84.94) and 111.70 ng mL−1 (95% CI 106.14; 113.22) in patients with NAFLD and HT, isolated NAFLD and control group, respectively. There were significant differences in the liver parenchyma condition between groups. Kallistatin levels strongly inversely correlated with the attenuation coefficient and the mean liver stiffness in NAFLD and HT (rs = −0.70) and in the isolated NAFLD patients (rs = −0.56; rs = −0.68, respectively). Kallistatin level was 71.82 ng mL−1 (95% CI 70.16; 79.51) and 58.62 ng mL−1 (95% CI 55.81; 64.45) in patients with HT stage I and HT stage II, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusions Concomitant HT in NAFLD patients is associated with greater severity of fatty and fibrotic liver changes. The course of NAFLD is accompanied by decrease in kallistatin level. Increased degree of liver steatosis and fibrosis, inflammation activity, increased BMI and increased stage of HT lead to inhibition of kallistatin activity. Kallistatin may be considered as a biomarker for progression assessment of NAFLD with or without HT.

The role of imaging in the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

ABSTRACTIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive disease lacking a definite etiology, characterized by the nonspecific symptoms of dyspnea and dry cough. Due to its poor prognosis, imaging techniques play an essential role in diagnosing and managing IPF. High resolution computed tomography (HRCT) has been shown to be the most sensitive modality for the diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. It is the primary imaging modality used for the assessment and follow-up of patients with IPF. Other not commonly used imaging methods are under research, such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography-computed tomography are alternative imaging techniques. This literature review aims to provide a brief overview of the imaging of IPF-related alterations.

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southern Hungary: Epidemiology, symptoms and signs

BackgroundIn December 2019, pneumonia caused by coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Currently, COVID-19 has spread worldwide. In accordance with the restrictions of the Hungarian Government, several epidemic hospitals and centers have been established in Hungary. The first infected patient was detected on 4th March, 2020 in our country, who was not a Hungarian citizen. The first patient died of pneumonia caused by COVID-19 was on 15th March. The Hungarian epidemic curve is flattened and more prolonged. We aimed to report our computer tomography (CT) findings in correlation with clinical status in patients with COVID-19 infection.Material and methodsAll patients with laboratory-identified Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and who underwent chest CT were collected between March 26, 2020, and April 20, 2020, in our hospital. In our centre we had 107 PCR confirmed COVID-19 positive patients in this period. 52 patient (male: female 1:2, average age: 67.94) were admitted to our central epidemic hospital, according to their complains: fever, dyspnoea, hypoxaemia, altered mental status, comorbidity, sepsis or if patient isolation could not be performed. In case of every patient we took blood test, nasopharyngeal sample and a chest CT without contrast agent. In our CT report we used a score system to characterize the severity.ResultsThe majority of infected patients had a history of exposure in nursing homes and mostly presented with fever and cough. The present study confirmed the findings about results of other researches. The COVID-19 pneumonia affected the elderly patients, caused hypoxia, cough and sepsis. On the CT scan, typical signs were seen in the cases of PCR confirmed patients.ConclusionThe limitations of the present study include the low number of patients. Collectively, our results appear consistent with previous studies. Chest CT examination plays an important role in the diagnosis and estimation of the severity of the novel coronavirus pneumonia. Future research should examine strategically the features of the Hungarian population.

Vascular procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic in a high volume Eastern European interventional radiology department •

AimTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on trends in hospital admissions and number of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the largest tertiary vascular center in Hungary.Patients and MethodsA retrospective analysis was carried out. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred approximately from March 15 until June 1 in Hungary. We have compared the same period of 2020 to 2019. Electronic medical records were reviewed for the clinical status of the patients and treatment-related information.ResultsThe total number of diagnostic angiographies and therapeutic interventions in 2020 (N=233) decreased significantly (P=0.046) compared to 2019 (N=373). The ratio of Fontaine stage I–II cases to Fontaine stage III–IV cases for both diagnostic angiographies and therapeutic interventions was significantly lower (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.26–3.59; P=0.007 and OR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.67–6.52; P<0.001) in 2020 (0.36 and 0.27) than in 2019 (0.77 and 0.89). There was also a negative but not significant change in the number of supra-aortic (including internal carotid artery stenting) (P=0.128) and other vascular therapeutic interventions (superior vena caval stenting, hemodialysis access percutaneous transluminal angioplasty [PTA], visceral artery/vein PTA/stenting, embolization) (P=0.452) in 2020 (N=16 and N=21) compared to 2019 (N=39 and N=37).ConclusionThe first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the total number of endovascular procedures in the largest tertiary vascular center in Hungary.

“Heart full of thrombi”. Post COVID-19 multisite thrombosis assessed by echocardiography and pulmonary CT

Thrombosis in general, and especially venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the most common complications associated with COVID-19 infection. We present a 48 years old male patient with dyspnea and severe multisite post Covid-19 disease thrombotic complications, with pattern never seen before, that includes both ventricles, pulmonary arteries and peripheral vein involvement, assessed by echocardiography, vascular ultrasound and pulmonary CT angiography.

Added predictive value of right ventricular ejection fraction compared with conventional echocardiographic measurements in patients who underwent diverse cardiovascular procedures

ABSTRACTBackground and AimRight ventricular (RV) ejection fraction (EF) assessed by 3D echocardiography is a powerful measure to detect RV dysfunction. However, its prognostic value in routine clinical practice has been scarcely explored. Accordingly, we aimed at investigating whether RVEF is associated with 2-year all-cause mortality in patients who underwent diverse cardiovascular procedures and to test whether RVEF can overcome conventional echocardiographic parameters in terms of outcome prediction.Patients and MethodsOne hundred and seventy-four patients were retrospectively identified who underwent clinically indicated transthoracic echocardiography comprising 3D acquisitions. The patient population consisted of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients (44%), heart transplanted patients (16%), and severe valvular heart disease patients (39%). Beyond conventional echocardiographic measurements, RVEF was quantified by 3D echocardiography. The primary endpoint of our study was all-cause mortality at two years.ResultsTwenty-four patients (14%) met the primary endpoint. Patients with adverse outcomes had significantly lower RVEF (alive vs. dead; 48±9 vs. 42±9%, p<0.01). However, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (21±7 vs. 18±4mm), and RV systolic pressure (36±15 vs. 39±15mmHg) were similar. By Cox analysis, RVEF was found to be associated with adverse outcomes (HR [95% CI]: 0.945 [0.908 – 0.984], p<0.01). By receiver-operator characteristic analysis, RVEF exhibited the highest AUC value compared with the other RV functional measures (0.679; 95% CI: 0.566 – 0.791).ConclusionsConventional echocardiographic measurements may be inadequate to support a granular risk stratification in patients who underwent different cardiac procedures. RVEF may be a robust clinical parameter, which is significantly associated with adverse outcomes