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Introduction: Residual congestion at hospital discharge predicts adverse outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a reliable tool for assessing pulmonary congestion. This study aims to evaluate a simplified 4-zone LUS method for identifying heart failure patients at risk after discharge., Methods: This prospective study included adults hospitalized for ADHF without treatable secondary causes. We employed a 4-zone LUS method to quantify B-lines. The primary endpoint was a composite of mortality or rehospitalization within 180 days. We used univariate and multivariate Cox models to evaluate the prognostic value of B-lines. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve identified the optimal B-lines threshold., Results: We included 155 patients (median age: 81 years [IQR 75-85]; 52.9 % male). After the follow-up period, 53 (34.2 %) patients met the primary endpoint. The ROC curve for the number of B-lines at discharge showed an AUC of 0.8, with 7 B-lines identified as the optimal cutoff (sensitivity: 70 %, specificity: 82 %). In univariate analysis, the global B-line count at discharge (HR: 1.33, 95 % CI 1.22-1.45) was significantly associated with the primary endpoint. Using a cutoff of ≥7 B-lines, the association was stronger (HR: 6.92, 95 % CI 3.80-12.60). After multivariable adjustment, ≥7 B-lines at discharge remained significant (HR: 4.41, 95 % CI 1.98-9.81)., Conclusion: In our population, the detection of 7 or more B-lines at discharge serves as a reliable marker for identifying patients at risk of mortality or rehospitalization within 180 days., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) usually presents as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Its diagnosis has a significant clinical impact, as specific treatment is currently available. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of ATTR-CM in patients hospitalized for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and septal thickness in our region., Methods: Cross-sectional study. Patients over 18 years old hospitalized for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (greater than 50%) and septal thickness greater than or equal to 12 mm during the period from 8/2019 to 1/2023 were prospectively included. A pyrophosphate bone scintigraphy (PYP) was planned to assess cardiac involvement. The prevalence of ATTR-CM and its 95% confidence interval were calculated., Results: A PYP was performed in 59/82 patients. The median age was 85 [IQR 78-88] years old, 54% women. On admission, 61% had atrial fibrillation/flutter rhythm and the median NT-Pro-Bnp was 3536 [IQR 1700-7748] pg/nl. The mean ejection fraction was 57% (± 5). The prevalence of ATTR-CM diagnosed by bone scintigraphy with PYP was 19% (95%CI 9.7-30.1). No differences were found compared with those patients who did not perform a PYP., Conclusion: In patients admitted for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and septal thickness, the diagnosis of ATTR-CM was relatively common (1/5). We believe that it should be routinely explored.

Heart transplantation is currently a procedure of choice for patients with advanced heart failure. Despite a continuous improvement in morbidity and mortality made to date, complications requiring hospitalization continue to be high. The main objective of this study was to describe complications that required hospitalization after a heart transplant, and the secondary objective is to evaluate its incidence according to age group in a cohort of heart transplant recipients in Argentina. A retrospective cohort study was carried out. One hundred and ninety-eight heart transplant recipients were consecutively included in the period between January 2010 and May 2019. During follow-up, 105 patients (53%) had at least one readmission, and the most frequent cause of cardiovascular readmission was graft rejection (31%), while infections were the most frequent non-cardiovascular causes (21%). Mortality density incidence was 8 (95% CI 5.4-11.7) per 100-patients/year for the group that had readmission and 1 per 100-patients/year (95% CI 0.4-2.8) for the group that did not have. We conclude that complications requiring hospitalization are frequent in transplanted patients and affect long-term survival. The main causes of readmission are graft rejection and infections, and they had similar incidence in the age groups we analyzed.

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Limited information exists on the prevalence and outcomes of patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for aortic stenosis (AS) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study aims to describe the number of AS patients undergoing SAVR with LVEF less than 55 % and quantify LVEF improvement at follow-up. We analyzed patients undergoing SAVR with LVEF less than 55 % and the number of patients that improved the LVEF at 6 months. We defined 'improved LVEF' as a 10 % increase of LVEF compared to baseline. Out of 685 patients, 11.4 % (n = 78) had SAVR with LVEF <55 %. The median pre-surgery LVEF was 45 % [IQR 37–51]. In-hospital mortality was 5.1 % (n = 4). Follow-up data for 69 patients showed 50.7 % (n = 35) had improved LVEF. In our cohort, 10 % of severe AS patients underwent SAVR with LVEF <55 %, with half showing LVEF improvement at follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Argentina de Cardiología is the property of Sociedad Argentina de Cardiologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)