Comparison of Heart Failure Cardiogenic Shock patients with Axillary and Femoral Intra-aortic Balloon Pump: A CSWG report.

Objective: To describe the outcomes of patients receiving axillary (Ax) IABP and compare with those receiving Femoral (Fem) IABP for heart failure related cardiogenic shock (HF-CS).

Background: IABPs are traditionally placed via the femoral artery. Single center studies have shown the utility of axillary placement to promote ambulation.

Apparent End-Stage Heart Failure Forced Toward a Successful Myocardial Recovery.

Background: Strategies to promote myocardial recovery from cardiogenic shock (CS) remain understudied.

Case Summary: A 51-year-old woman with recently diagnosed heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction <10%) presented in CS requiring milrinone and temporary mechanical circulatory support (t-MCS). Multimodality testing revealed no specific etiology, but cardiac positron emission tomography-flourodeoxyglucose imaging showed uptake in the colon.

Long-term outcomes of light chain amyloidosis patients receiving heart transplant: A single-center experience.

Background: Cardiac amyloidosis is a less common indication for orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). Light chain (AL) amyloidosis specifically poses challenges. While previous small studies have established the validity of OHT for AL amyloidosis, we present experience from a large contemporary series at a single center.

Differences in wait-list mortality: Temporary vs durable circulatory support devices.

Background: In 2018, changes in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) allocation system led to a shift in practices, making durable left ventricular assist devices less desirable as a bridge to transplantation compared to temporary mechanical circulatory support. This study compares the composite outcome of waitlist mortality and delisting incidence at 1 year between these two support types.

Methods: All actively listed adult patients on mechanical circulatory support listed for heart transplantation under the current UNOS system from October 2018 to October 2021 were included, excluding those with right ventricular devices, biventricular devices, total artificial hearts, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenators.

Impact of optimal medical therapy in heart failure certification for hospitalists on guideline-directed medical therapy utilization.

Background: Significant gaps in guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure (HF) stem from shortages of cardiologists and advanced HF providers, as well as a lack of optimal HF management knowledge among hospitalists. This study compared the impact of optimal medical therapy in HF (OMT-HF) certification on GDMT implementation and patient outcomes between an intervention group (IG) of hospitalists and a standard-of-care comparison group (SOC-CG).

Aim: To evaluate if OMT-HF has a difference in GDMT and patients in outcomes between IG and SOC-CG.

Lack of genetic recovery despite phenotypic recovery - are these the key to understanding remission vs recovery from heart failure? - Genetic analysis of a mouse model of recovery.

Heart failure (HF) remission involves the normalization of cardiac function but is accompanied by a risk of relapse. The key to achieving (complete) recovery may lie in identifying genes that remain persistently dysregulated despite phenotypic normalization. We used a mouse model of non-ischemic HF recovery to identify persistently dysregulated genes in phenotypically recovered myocardium compared to HF.

Outcomes With Femoral IABP in Heart Failure and Acute Myocardial Infarction-Related Cardiogenic Shock.

Background: Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) insertion has not been shown to improve mortality rates in acute myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS) but is increasingly used in heart failure-related cardiogenic shock (HF-CS).

Objective: We sought to compare IABP-related outcomes in patients with HF-CS and AMI-CS.

Methods: The Cardiogenic Shock Working Group registry was queried for patients with CS receiving femoral IABPs as the first temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) device.

CT-guided biopsy in heterotopic heart transplant: A case report.

Background: Heterotopic heart transplantation is a surgical technique that has not been embraced broadly. In this historic technique, the donor heart is sutured in parallel to the recipient heart with both hearts in place.

Case Summary: We report a patient who received a heterotopic heart transplant at our institution more than 15 years ago with preserved cardiac function and who needed a myocardial biopsy due to heart failure symptoms.

Worsening Renal Function Is Common and Is Associated With Higher Mortality Rates in Cardiogenic Shock: A Cardiogenic Shock Working Group Report.

Background: Outcomes associated with worsening renal function (WRF) in cardiogenic shock (CS) remain poorly understood.

Objectives: To study the incidence of WRF in heart failure-CS (HF-CS) and acute myocardial infarction CS (AMI-CS), examine its association with in-hospital mortality (IHM) rates, define the trajectory of renal function in CS, and identify independent predictors of WRF in HF-CS vs AMI-CS.

Methods: Patients in the Cardiogenic Shock Working Group registry (CSWG) from 2021-2024 were analyzed; those with baseline end-stage renal disease were excluded.

Corrigendum to ''Outcomes related to hospital characteristics of heart transplant centers: A national readmission database analysis'' [JHLT Open (2024) 100085].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jhlto.

Outcomes related to hospital characteristics of heart transplant centers: A National Readmission Database analysis.

Background: This study showcases an analysis performed using the National Readmission Database (NRD) from 2016 to 2019 to analyze the impact of ownership, location, size, and teaching status of transplant centers on cardiac transplant outcomes.

Methods: Demographic variables and hospital characteristics were identified using NRD data and International Classification of Diseases,10th revision codes. Comorbidities were assessed using the Elixhauser comorbidity index.

Understanding the Effects of Mitral Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair on Left Ventricular Function Using Pressure-Volume Loops.

Background: Mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) is an effective treatment for mitral regurgitation (MR) patients.

Objectives: The aim of this research was to study M-TEER effects on left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) functions.

Methods: LV function was evaluated using conductance catheters for pressure volume loops in 22 patients with primary MR and a control group of 17 heart transplant recipients with normal function.

Cardiac Recovery: Webcast September 24 2024.

This 61-minute webcast features a conversation about "Cardiac Recovery"-the focus of Issue 20.4. Led by the issue's editors, the discussion engages the authors on emerging themes and lessons learned while researching and writing the articles.

Terbutaline for Management of Relative Bradycardia Post-Orthotopic Heart Transplant: A Single Center Experience.

Background: Vagal nerve denervation during the heart transplant procedure results in higher resting heart rates in these recipients compared to the general population. Relative bradycardia (RB) is a common and often temporary post-operative complication that can be managed with agents like terbutaline; however, little data exist on the efficacy, safety, and necessity of long-term terbutaline use post-heart transplant.

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective, descriptive study conducted at a large academic medical center investigating oral terbutaline use for RB management in heart transplant recipients.

Learnings from the 2024 Utah Cardiac Recovery Symposium: A Roadmap for the Field of Myocardial Recovery.

The 12th annual Utah Cardiac Recovery Symposium (U-CARS) in 2024 continued its mission to advance cardiac recovery by uniting experts across various fields. The symposium featured key presentations on cutting-edge topics such as CRISPR gene editing for heart failure, guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure (HF) with improved/recovered ejection fraction (HFimpEF), the role of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in treating cardiac arrest, and others. Discussions explored genetic and metabolic contributions to HF, emphasized the importance of maintaining pharmacotherapy in HFimpEF to prevent relapse, and identified future research directions including refining ECPR protocols, optimizing patient selection, and leveraging genetic insights to enhance therapeutic strategies.