syncope left ventricular dysfunction

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine the impact of cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (cPOCUS) in a pediatric emergency department (ED) on cardiology subspecialty utilization for subjects with chest pain or syncope. Diagnostic yield of cPOCUS and transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) for these subjects was also examined. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of subjects presenting to a tertiary pediatric ED with chest pain or syncope 1 year before (2015, pre-cPOCUS group) and 1 year after (2017, cPOCUS group) introduction of cPOCUS was conducted...

We report the case of a 17-year-old athlete who resorted to the emergency department for palpitations and dizziness while exercising. He mentioned two episodes of syncope associated with exercise in the last six months. He was tachycardic and hypotensive. The electrocardiogram showed regular wide complex tachycardia with left bundle branch block morphology with superior axis restored to sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion. In sinus rhythm, it showed T-wave inversion in V1-V5. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated mild dilation and dysfunction of the right ventricle (RV) with global hypocontractility...

BACKGROUND: Secondary bradyarrhythmias in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have been extensively reported. The prevalence and characteristics of primary bradyarrhythmias in HCM have yet to be investigated. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 101 consecutive patients with HCM who were referred to the arrhythmia center from May 2010 to October 2020. The clinical features of patients with bradyarrhythmias were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine (28...

Background: We aimed to determine the clinical, echocardiographic and hemodynamic correlates of syncope as a presenting symptom in pulmonary embolism and its impact on in-hospital and long-term outcomes. Methods: Between July 2012 and October 2019, a total of 641 patients with PE (277 males, 364 females; median age: 65 years; range, 51 to 74 years) in whom the diagnostic work-up and risk-based management were performed according to the current pulmonary embolism guidelines were retrospectively analyzed...

Background Patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) may develop adverse outcomes even in the absence of mitral regurgitation or left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Purpose To investigate the prognostic value of mitral annulus disjunction (MAD) and myocardial fibrosis at late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac MRI in patients with MVP without moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation or LV dysfunction. Materials and Methods In this longitudinal retrospective study, 118 144 cardiac MRI studies were evaluated between October 2007 and June 2020 at 15 European tertiary medical centers...

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is a hereditary myocardial condition in most cases that affects the right ventricle, but also the left ventricle with variable degree. It predisposes patients to ventricular arrhythmia, heart failure and sudden death. Its diagnosis remains challenging and is mostly based on reference task-force criteria. The latter, divided between major and minor criteria, include structural abnormalities (visualized on echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance), electrocardiographic anomalies, ventricular arrythmia documentation, histological proof of fibro-fatty infiltrates within myocardial tissue and family history...

Background: Clinical features and imaging presentation of myocarditis can overlap with other inflammatory or arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies. Desmoplakin (DSP) is an important structural cardiac protein. Mutations in the DSP gene are associated with a variant of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Interestingly, this distinct genetic cardiomyopathy can also present with a myocardial inflammation and fibrosis pattern that may mimic other forms of myocarditis including viral myocarditis, which can raise a clinical challenge...

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a vital role in cardiovascular homeostasis by regulating blood pressure, salt, and water balance. The kidneys produce renin which converts angiotensinogen to angiotensin-1 (AT-I) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) to angiotensin-II (AT-II). AT-II binds to receptors in the adrenal cortex to release aldosterone. AT-II and aldosterone promote water and salt retention, vascular tone, and myocardial contractility. These physiological changes raise blood pressure and circulation...

Background: Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is a rare and rapidly progressive disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Whilst patients more frequently present with acute heart failure, diagnosis is difficult due to heterogeneity in clinical presentations. Case summary: This case report presents a previously healthy 59-year-old Vietnamese woman who initially presented with syncope and a motor vehicle accident who developed rapid decline in left ventricular function...

A middle-aged pre-menopausal female presented with shortness of breath and syncope. She had a past history of acute onset chest pain with elevated cardiac enzyme, regional wall motion abnormality on echocardiography, and a coronary anomaly in angiogram. She was being treated as a case of coronary artery disease. On current evaluation, she had right bundle branch block with intermittent 2 : 1 AV block on ECG and a hyperechoic and hypo- kinetic interventricular septum with moderate left ventricular systolic dysfunction on echo- cardiography...

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most prevalent inherited neuromuscular dystrophy in adults. It is a multisystem disease with cardiac manifestations. Whilst these are well-defined in adults, there are scarce published data in the pediatric population. This study aimed to investigate the yield and progression of cardiac disease in pediatric DM1 patients, focusing on congenital DM1 (cDM1). Methods: A retrospective observational study of all pediatric DM1 patients referred to our center (December 2000-November 2020) was conducted...

AIMS: To investigate the incidence of major adverse ventricular arrhythmias and related events (MAREs) and to develop a stratification tool predicting MAREs in adults with a systemic right ventricle (sRV). METHODS AND RESULTS: In a multicentre approach, all adults (≥16 years old) with a sRV undergoing follow-up between 2000 and 2018 were identified. The incidence of MAREs, defined as sudden cardiac death, sustained ventricular tachycardia, and appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy, was analysed...

Background: Management of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in the setting of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) can be challenging. Herein, we describe the case of a patient with HFpEF and combined pre- and post-capillary PH who showed striking improvement with sildenafil. Case summary: A 74-year-old man presented with exertional dyspnea and near-syncope. He underwent a hemodynamic exercise study that showed evidence of HFpEF with pre- and post-capillary PH...

Context: Cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients are mostly asymptomatic due to autonomic neuropathy. Many patients with left ventricular dysfunction remain undiagnosed and untreated until advance disease causes disability. This delay could be avoided if screening techniques are used to identify left ventricular dysfunction in its preclinical phase. Aims: This study was undertaken to find out the incidence of electrocardiographic (ECG) and 2D echocardiographic (2 D Echo) abnormalities in diabetic patients without cardiovascular symptoms...

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of clinical data on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To investigate signalment, clinical signs, diagnostic findings, and survival in dogs with HCM. ANIMALS: Sixty-eight client-owned dogs. METHODS: Retrospective multicenter study. Medical records were searched between 2003 and 2015. The diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy was made by echocardiographic examination...

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC), or Takotsubo syndrome, is considered a reversible dysfunction of the left ventricle that may mimic an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Patients may present with chest pain, dyspnea, syncope, or other serious complications including cardiogenic shock, ventricular arrhythmias, and thrombus formation. Diagnostic criteria for SIC include several factors, including electrocardiogram changes, cardiac biomarker elevations, ventricular regional wall abnormalities on echocardiogram, and absence of occlusive coronary disease on coronary angiography...

BACKGROUND: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) results in progressive replacement of right ventricular myocardium with fibrofatty tissue. This condition commonly presents with sudden cardiac death, cardiac arrest, or sustained ventricular tachycardia among young adults. Considering the likelihood of sudden incapacitation, a diagnosis of ARVC usually signals the end of a career in aviation. However, the morbidity pattern among those diagnosed later in life may differ as compared to the young...

Anthracycline (AC) therapy is associated with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Left atrial (LA) size and function are used to assess LV diastolic function in heart failure in adults. Data on LA size and function following AC therapy in children is limited. We hypothesized that LA size and function will be abnormal in children following AC chemotherapy. This retrospective review included patients who received AC for pediatric cancers. Controls had normal echocardiograms performed for evaluation of chest pain, murmur, or syncope...

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Identifying adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) at high risk for sudden death who stand to benefit from primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) remains a major challenge. Inconsistencies among evidence-based recommendations by various professional societies can be a source of confusion to practicing clinicians. This article summarizes and compares recommendations from the Canadian Cardiovascular Society management guidelines on adults with CHD (2009), expert consensus from the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society and Heart Rhythm Society (2014), European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on sudden death (2015), position statement from the European Heart Rhythm Association, Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology, and ESC working group on grown-up CHD (2018), and ESC guidelines on adult CHD (2020)...