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Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) and heart failure are mutually dependent. Secondary MR occurs as a consequence of heart failure in patients with impaired left ventricular (LV) function, decreasing cardiac efficiency, accelerating a decline in contractility and worsening the already dismal prognosis of these patients. Advances in transcatheter techniques have now given promise to improved survival, outcomes, and quality of life for patients with advanced heart failure and secondary MR. Although transcatheter edge-to-edge repair is well established, transapical transcatheter mitral valve implantation (TMVI) may represent a more durable solution for correction of secondary MR without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass. Correction of MR, however, is thought to acutely increase LV afterload due to the elimination of low afterload regurgitant flow. In high-risk patients, this may cause acute decompensated heart failure. Off-pump TMVI on a beating heart poses a number of unique challenges, but also the opportunity to study invasive haemodynamic indices in high-risk heart failure patients for the first time. In the following discussion, we review the acute haemodynamic changes during off-pump TMVI in patients with heart failure in order to better guide optimal patient selection and management., (Crown Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Up to 50% of heart transplant candidates require bridging with left ventricular assist devices (VAD). This study describes hospital activity and cost 1 year preceding and 1 year following VAD implant (pre-VAD) and for the year before transplant (pre-HTX). The sample comprises an Australian cohort and is the first study to investigate costs using both institutional and linked administrative data., Methods: Institutional activity was established for 77 consecutive patients actively listed for transplant between 2009 and 2012. Costs were sourced from the institution or Australian refined diagnosis groups (arDRGs) and the National Efficient Price for admissions to other public and private institutions. Data from 25/77 VAD recipients were analysed and compared with data from 52/77 pre-transplant patients. Total and per day at risk costs were assessed, as well as totals per resource., Results: Fifty per cent (50%) of the hospital costs in the pre-VAD year occurred during admission of VAD implant. Sixty-four per cent (64%) of costs in the pre-HTX and 38% in the pre-VAD period occurred outside the implanting centre. Costs in the year prior to VAD, $97,565 (IQR $86,907-$153,916), were significantly higher than costs accrued in the year prior to transplant, $40,250 ($13,493-$81,260), p < 0.0001. Once discharged, costs per day at risk for post-VAD patients approximated those from the pre-admission period, p = 0.16 and in the more clinically stable pre-HTX cohort, p = 0.08., Conclusion: Compared with the year prior, VAD implant stabilised hospital cost in patients discharged home. A high proportion of the hospital costs in the pre-implant year occur outside the implanting centre and should be considered in economic models assessing the impact of VAD implant., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Reliable markers of early disease are needed in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). As measures of the contribution of abnormal vascular compliance to overall vascular resistance, resting and exercise pulmonary capacitance-defined as the stroke volume divided by the change in pulmonary pulse pressure-may be sensitive markers of early disease., Methods: We examined all patients in our pulmonary hypertension database with idiopathic PAH, who had undergone rest and exercise right heart catheterisation in one sitting. Standard haemodynamic measurements were obtained, including pulmonary capacitance. These results were compared to age- and sex-matched normal controls., Results: We analysed 27 right heart catheterisations in idiopathic PAH patients and 23 in controls. Mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (mPCWP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and right ventricular stroke work index (RVSWI) were significantly higher at baseline in diseased patients, while Cardiac Index (CI) and pulmonary capacitance were significantly lower. MPAP, mPCWP, cardiac index and RVSWI increased significantly in both groups with exercise. Pulmonary capacitance decreased significantly in both groups. Pulmonary vascular resistance decreased with exercise in the control group only. Capacitance and PVR were inversely correlated at rest (time-constant of 0.79s) and with exercise (time-constant of 0.56s). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for capacitance as a diagnostic marker demonstrated an AUC of 0.96 at rest and 0.95 with exercise., Conclusions: In idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) there is a reduction in pulmonary capacitance at baseline and left-shift of the inverse capacitance-PVR relationship with exercise. Both resting and exercise pulmonary capacitance have potential as diagnostic markers in early disease., (Copyright © 2017 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Widespread application of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in advanced heart failure, is limited by costs, and access to technical expertise. Hospitalisation drives both cost and inversely, quality of life - but cross institutional and pre-surgical inpatient length of stay data is missing in the Australian literature. We describe changes in hospitalisation rates, in the year before and after bridge to transplant LVAD therapy and preceding heart transplant (HTX)., Methods: Hospitalisation, Australian refined diagnosis group (ArDRG), and clinical data were assessed for 77/100 consecutive patients listed for heart transplant between July of 2009 and June of 2012. Twenty-five of the patients required ventricular assist device (VAD) therapy whilst waitlisted. Hospitalisation was defined as the proportion of "days at risk" that were spent in hospital and included all public and private admissions identified in the year before and after VAD implant, or before HTX, in a linked administrative dataset of admissions across New South Wales., Results: Patients requiring VADs were clinically more unstable and spent proportionally more time in hospital than pre-HTX patients, (13% (IQR 10-20%) vs 4% (IQR1-10%), p<0.01). During the index admission, they spent 22days (IQR 10-33) in hospital before implantation, including 13 days in non-transplant centres (IQR 7-20). Following implantation, median inpatient stay was 31(IQR 26-70) - including rehabilitation in 8 of the 25 patients. The number of admissions per patient reduced in the year after VAD-implant to two (IQR1-3), from five pre-implant (IQR 3-7) p=0.002. This was similar to the pre-HTX group's three admissions (IQR1-6), p=0.33. Overall hospitalisation decreased in VAD patients beyond the first year - from 14% (IQR 10-20%) at 1-year to 0.5% (IQR 0-10%) at 2-years (p=0.002). A high percentage of hospitalisation prior to VAD (41%) and HTX (66%) occurred outside the transplant centre., Conclusions: A high proportion of activity in the pre-implant and transplant year occurs outside the implanting hospital with higher pre-implant hospitalisation in VAD patients reflecting clinical severity. Ventricular assist device implantation is significantly associated with reduced admissions, and hospitalisation once reconditioning has occurred., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Improved survival of heart transplant (HTx) recipients and increased acceptance of higher risk donors allows development of late pathology. However, there are few data to guide surgical options. We evaluated short-term outcomes and mortality to guide pre-operative assessment, planning, and post-operative care., Methods: Single centre, retrospective review of 912 patients who underwent HTx from February 1984 - June 2012, identified 22 patients who underwent subsequent cardiac surgery. Data are presented as median (IQR)., Results: Indications for surgery were coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) (n=10), valvular disease (n=6), infection (n=3), ascending aortic aneurysm (n=1), and constrictive pericarditis (n=2). There was one intraoperative death (myocardial infarction). Hospital stay was 10 (8-21) days. Four patients (18%) returned to theatre for complications. After cardiac surgery, survival at one, five and 10 years was 91±6%, 79±10% and 59±15% with a follow-up of 4.6 (1.7-10.2) years. High pre-operative creatinine was a univariate risk factor for mortality, HR=1.028, (95%CI 1.00-1.056; p=0.05). A time dependent Cox proportional hazards model of the risk of cardiac surgery post-HTx showed no significant hazard; HR=0.87 (95%CI 0.37-2.00; p=0.74)., Conclusions: Our experience shows cardiac surgery post-HTx is associated with low mortality, and confirms that cardiac surgery is appropriate for selected HTx recipients., (Copyright © 2014 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Screening of asymptomatic relatives of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has identified a population of individuals with left ventricular dilatation and/or minimally impaired contraction who are believed to have early disease. A proportion of these individuals with early disease progress to overt cardiomyopathy, however to our knowledge there have been no studies that have examined the impact of early intervention on disease progression., Methods: We evaluated 424 asymptomatic relatives in 110 families of probands with DCM and identified 102 individuals (24%) with suspected "early disease" (EDCM). Thirty-two EDCM subjects were randomised into a six-month placebo-controlled trial of the β-blocker, carvedilol. Transthoracic echocardiography and plasma nt-proBNP levels were measured at baseline and repeated at six months. The primary trial endpoint was change in left ventricular end-systolic diameter after six months. Subjects completing six months of blinded trial therapy were offered open-label carvedilol and then observed over an extended period with repeated clinical evaluation and echocardiography., Results: At baseline, left ventricular dimensions, systolic function and plasma nt-proBNP levels were similar in carvedilol and placebo groups. There were no significant changes observed in these parameters in either treatment group after six months, however reductions in end-diastolic diameter (% predicted) were observed in carvedilol-treated subjects (P=0.002) during an open-label median follow-up of 32 months (range: 13-56 months)., Conclusions: In an asymptomatic population of individuals with EDCM, treatment with carvedilol for six months had no effect on echocardiographic left ventricular dimensions or systolic function, however longer-term treatment may reverse left ventricular remodelling (Australian Clinical Trials Registry N012605000204640)., (Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.)