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AIMS Heart failure (HF) is an impending complication to myocardial infarction. We hypothesized that the degree of complement activation reflects severity of HF following acute myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS The LEAF trial (LEvosimendan in Acute heart Failure following myocardial infarction) evaluating 61 patients developing HF within 48 h after percutaneous coronary intervention-treated ST-elevation myocardial infarction herein underwent a post hoc analysis. Blood samples were drawn from inclusion to Day 5 and at 42 day follow-up, and biomarkers were measured with enzyme immunoassays. Regional myocardial contractility was measured by echocardiography as wall motion score index (WMSI). The cardiogenic shock group (n = 9) was compared with the non-shock group (n = 52). Controls (n = 44) were age-matched and sex-matched healthy individuals. C4bc, C3bc, C3bBbP, and sC5b-9 were elevated in patients at inclusion compared with controls (P

Aims The calcium sensitizer levosimendan may counteract stunning after reperfusion of ischaemic myocardium, but no randomized placebo-controlled trials exist regarding its use in PCI-treated ST-segment elevation infarction (STEMI). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of levosimendan in patients with a primary PCI-treated STEMI complicated by symptomatic heart failure (HF). Methods and results A total of 61 patients developing clinical signs of HF within 48 h after a primary PCI-treated STEMI (including cardiogenic shock) were randomized double-blind to a 25 h infusion of levosimendan or placebo. The primary endpoint was change in wall motion score index (WMSI) from baseline to day 5 measured by echocardiography. There was a significantly larger improvement in WMSI from baseline to day 5 in the levosimendan group compared with placebo (from 1.94 ± 0.20 to 1.66 ± 0.31 vs. 1.99 ± 0.22 to 1.83 ± 0.26, respectively, P = 0.031). There were significantly more episodes of hypotension during study drug infusion in the levosimendan group (67% vs. 36%, P = 0.029), but no significant difference in blood pressure at the end of infusion or in use of vasopressors. No significant between-group differences in changes in NT-proBNP levels, clinical composite score, frequency of atrial fibrillation or ventricular arrhythmia, infarct size at 6 weeks, or new clinical events up to 6 months were found. One and four patients died in the levosimendan and placebo group, respectively. Conclusions Levosimendan treatment improved contractility in post-ischaemic myocardium in patients with PCI-treated STEMI complicated by HF. The treatment was well tolerated, without any increase in arrhythmias. Trial registration: NCT00324766

Objectives To examine the prognostic value of osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels in relation to all-cause mortality in patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis (AS). Design We measured plasma OPG levels in 136 patients with symptomatic severe AS and investigated associations with transvalvular gradients, valve area, valve calcification (using ultrasonic backscatter analysis as an estimate) and measures of heart failure. Then, we assessed the prognostic value of elevated plasma OPG in determining all-cause mortality (n = 29) in these patients. Results Elevated OPG was poorly correlated with the degree of AS but was associated with increased backscatter measurements and impaired cardiac function. Furthermore, OPG was associated with all-cause mortality in patients with symptomatic AS, even after adjustment for conventional risk markers. The strongest association was obtained by using a combination of high levels of both OPG and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), suggesting that these markers may reflect distinct pathways in the development and progression of AS. Conclusion The level of circulating OPG is significantly associated with all-cause mortality alone and in combination with NT-proBNP in patients with severe symptomatic AS.

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is synthesized in cardiac tissue in response to increased wall stress and myocardial hypertrophy. Aims: In patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) we examined the effect of aortic valve replacement (AVR) on plasma BNP and association between BNP and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) preoperatively and in the reverse-remodeling phase twelve months postoperatively. We also examined the correlation between BNP and NYHA-class and between BNP and age. Methods and Results: Plasma BNP analyses and echocardiographic measurements were performed preoperatively, before discharge after AVR, and at twelve months in twenty-two patients. BNP was additionally measured at six months. Preoperatively, BNP was 283±45 pg/ml (mean±SEM). Following an immediate postoperative increase (441±38 pg/ml), BNP values decreased towards normal values at six and twelve months (139±25 and 130±18 pg/ml, respectively). LVMI was 206.5±15.8 g/m2 preoperatively and decreased to 119.7±7.2 g/m2 at twelve months with a correlation between LVMI and BNP preoperatively only (r=0.45, p

Objectives. The aims of the study were to: (i) determine the prevalence of panic disorder (PD) in patients referred to cardiological outpatient clinics for evaluation of chest pain; (ii) compare psychiatric comorbidity, psychological distress, pain characteristics and suicidal ideation in PD and non-PD patients; (iii) compare the prevalence of coronary risk factors and medical comorbidity in PD and non-PD patients; and (iv) describe current PD treatment and need for PD treatment as expressed by PD patients. Design. A cross-sectional study based on psychiatric and cardiological investigation. Setting. Four cardiological outpatient clinics in Oslo, Norway. Subjects. One-hundred and ninety-nine consecutive patients without known heart disease referred to outpatient clinics for investigation of chest pain. Main outcome measures. Psychiatric state diagnosis (axis I); scores on self-assessment rating scales of psychological factors and pain modalities; cardiological diagnosis. Results. Thirty-eight per cent of the patients met criteria for current panic disorder (PD). Panic disorder was associated with psychological distress, comorbid psychiatric disorders, medical disorders and significantly higher prevalence of coronary risk factors (P