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Cardiac Sarcoidosis (CS) is a chronic granulomatous disease that can recur in transplanted hearts. There are currently no standardized guidelines for management of CS in heart transplant recipients. A 58-year-old male with end-stage NICM (presumed chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity) presented with shortness of breath, and persistent low flow alarms on his HVAD. His past medical history was significant for leukemia (treated with doxorubicin), non-sustained VT s/p ICD and HVAD as bridge-to-transplant (2016). RHC showed evidence of cardiogenic shock. He was upgraded to UNOS Status 2 and underwent orthotropic heart transplant (OHT) on 7/30/21. He received standard induction (Basiliximab) and maintenance (Tacrolimus, MMF, prednisone) immunosuppression regimen. Unexpectedly, his explanted heart was noted to have non-necrotizing granulomatous myocarditis consistent with CS. He was switched from MMF to Sirolimus at 7 months post-OHT after TTE showed normal biventricular function and surveillance biopsy revealed 0R, AMR0. He was weaned off prednisone at 8 months. Subsequent cardiac biopsy showed recurrence of non-necrotizing granulomas with focal infiltrates (Fig A), suggesting recurrence of CS and mild acute cellular rejection (1R, AMR0). Patient remained asymptomatic with normal biventricular function. He was restarted on high dose prednisone and switched from Sirolimus to MMF. Tacrolimus goal was kept at 8-10. Five months following CS recurrence, cardiac PET showed no evidence of CS on Tacrolimus, MMF and low-dose prednisone. Recurrent CS in a transplanted heart is rare and usually manifests itself once immunosuppression is weaned. While there are no standard guidelines for its management, standard dose MMF plus low-dose prednisone in addition to Tacrolimus was effective in preventing further recurrence in our patient. Routine monitoring for recurrence is important for early detection and prevention of life-threatening complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the event-driven FREEDOM-EV trial, oral treprostinil delayed clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Open-label extension studies offer additional data about tolerability, efficacy, and survival, especially for those initially assigned placebo. The aim of the current study was to determine if oral treprostinil changed survival when considering the parent and extension study, if treprostinil provides functional benefits for participants initially assigned to placebo, and if the benefits observed for those treated with treprostinil were durable., Methods: Both active and placebo participants from FREEDOM-EV could enroll in the FREEDOM-EV open-label extension (OLE) study after experiencing an investigator-assessed clinical worsening event or after parent study closure. All participants in the OLE were offered open-label oral treprostinil. Previously assigned placebo participants titrated to maximally tolerated doses; previously assigned treprostinil participants continued dose titration. We repeated assessments including functional class and 6-min walk distance (6MWD) at 12-week intervals and measured N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) at week 48. Survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and we estimated hazard ratio (HR) using Cox proportional hazards., Results: Of 690 FREEDOM-EV participants, 470 enrolled in the OLE; vital status was available for 89% of initial Freedom-EV participants. When considering the combined parent and open-label data, initial assignment to oral treprostinil reduced mortality (HR 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.46-0.91, p = 0.013); absolute risk reduction was 9%. Participants randomized to placebo who initiated oral treprostinil after clinical worsening and tolerated treatment through week 48 demonstrated favorable shifts in functional class (p < 0.0001), 6MWD improvements of + 84 m (p < 0.0001), and a reduction in NT-proBNP of - 778 pg/mL (p = 0.02), compared to OLE baseline. Modest trends toward benefit were measured for those initially assigned placebo who did not have clinical worsening, and 132/144 (92%) of treprostinil assigned participants without clinical worsening remained on drug at week 48 in the OLE study. Adverse events were consistent with FREEDOM-EV., Conclusion: Initial treprostinil assignment improved survival in the entire data set; those who began treprostinil after a clinical worsening in the placebo arm and tolerated drug to week 48 enjoyed substantial functional gains., Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01560637., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The outlook for ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure (HF) and the appropriate timing for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) or transplant remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to better understand disease trajectory and rates of progression to subsequent LVAD therapy and transplant in ambulatory advanced HF., Methods: Patients with advanced HF who were New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV and Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) Profiles 4 to 7, despite optimal medical therapy (without inotropic therapy), were enrolled across 11 centers and followed for the end-points of survival, transplantation, LVAD placement, and health-related quality of life. A secondary intention-to-treat survival analysis compared outcomes for MedaMACS patients with a matched group of Profile 4 to 7 patients with LVADs from the INTERMACS registry., Results: Between May 2013 and October 2015, 161 patients were enrolled with INTERMACS Profiles 4 (12%), 5 (32%), 6 (49%), and 7 (7%). By 2 years after enrollment, 75 (47%) patients had reached a primary end-point with 39 (24%) deaths, 17 (11%) undergoing LVAD implantation, and 19 (12%) receiving a transplant. Compared with 1,753 patients with Profiles 4 to 7 receiving LVAD therapy, there was no overall difference in intention-to-treat survival between medical and LVAD therapy, but survival with LVAD therapy was superior to medical therapy among Profile 4 and 5 patients (p = 0.0092). Baseline health-related quality of life was lower among patients receiving a LVAD than those enrolled on continuing oral medical therapy, but increased after 1 year for survivors in both cohorts., Conclusions: Ambulatory patients with advanced HF are at high risk for poor outcomes, with only 53% alive on medical therapy after 2 years of follow-up. Survival was similar for medical and LVAD therapy in the overall cohort, which included the lower severity Profiles 6 and 7, but survival was better with LVAD therapy among patients in Profiles 4 and 5. Given the poor outcomes in this group of advanced HF patients, timely consideration of transplant and LVAD is of critical importance., (Copyright © 2018 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This study assessed patient and physician perceptions of heart failure (HF) disease severity and treatment options., Background: The prognosis for ambulatory patients with advanced HF on medical therapy is uncertain, yet has important implications for decision making regarding transplantation and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) placement., Methods: Ambulatory patients with advanced HF (New York Heart Association functional class III to IV, Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support profiles 4 to 7) on optimized medical therapy were enrolled across 11 centers. At baseline, treating cardiologists rated patients for perceived risk for transplant, LVAD, or death in the upcoming year. Patients were also surveyed about their own perceptions of life expectancy and willingness to undergo various interventions., Results: At enrollment, physicians regarded 111 of 161 patients (69%) of the total cohort to be at high risk for transplant, LVAD, or death, whereas only 23 patients (14%) felt they were at high risk. After a mean follow-up of 13 months, 61 patients (38%) experienced an endpoint of 33 deaths (21%), 13 transplants (8%), and 15 LVAD implants (9%). There was poor discrimination between risk prediction among both patients and physicians. Among physician-identified high-risk patients, 77% described willingness to consider LVAD, but 63% indicated that they would decline 1 or more other simpler forms of life-sustaining therapy such as ventilation, dialysis, or a feeding tube., Conclusions: Among patients with advanced HF, physicians identified most to be at high risk for transplantation, LVAD, or death, whereas few patients recognized themselves to be at high risk. Patients expressed inconsistent attitudes toward lifesaving treatments, possibly indicating poor understanding of these therapies. Educational interventions regarding disease severity and treatment options should be introduced prior to the need for advanced therapies such as intravenous inotropic therapy, transplantation, or LVAD., (Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The prognosis of ambulatory patients with advanced heart failure (HF) who are not yet inotrope dependent and implications for evaluation and timing for transplant or destination therapy with a left ventricular assist device (DT-LVAD) are unknown. We hypothesized that the characteristics defining eligibility for advanced HF therapies would be a primary determinant of outcomes in these patients., Methods: Ambulatory patients with advanced HF (New York Heart Association class III-IV, Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support profiles 4-7) were enrolled across 11 centers from May 2013 to February 2015. Patients were stratified into 3 groups: likely transplant eligible, DT-LVAD eligible, and ineligible for both transplant and DT-LVAD. Clinical characteristics were collected, and patients were prospectively followed for death, transplant, and left ventricular assist device implantation., Results: The study enrolled 144 patients with a mean follow-up of 10 ± 6 months. Patients in the ineligible cohort (n = 43) had worse congestion, renal function, and anemia compared with transplant (n = 51) and DT-LVAD (n = 50) eligible patients. Ineligible patients had higher mortality (23.3% vs 8.0% in DT-LVAD group and 5.9% in transplant group, p = 0.02). The differences in mortality were related to lower rates of transplantation (11.8% in transplant group vs 2.0% in DT-LVAD group and 0% in ineligible group, p = 0.02) and left ventricular assist device implantation (15.7% in transplant group vs 2.0% in DT-LVAD group and 0% in ineligible group, p < 0.01)., Conclusions: Ambulatory patients with advanced HF who were deemed ineligible for transplant and DT-LVAD had markers of greater HF severity and a higher rate of mortality compared with patients eligible for transplant or DT-LVAD. The high early event rate in this group emphasizes the need for timely evaluation and decision making regarding lifesaving therapies., (Copyright © 2016 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)