Aim      To determine the neuregulin-1β concentration in patients with chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and the association of this biomarker with the functional status of patients, echocardiographic parameters of the structural and functional condition of the heart, and the risk of unfavorable outcome.

Material and methods  This observational, prospective study included 47 patients with HFpEF; 32 (68%) of them were females. Mean age was 70 [66–77] years, EF was 57 [56; 58] %. The group of healthy volunteers consisted of 40 people; 32 (55 %) of them were females; mean age was 56 [53–61] years. For all patients, the functional status was evaluated (6-min walk test, 6MWT); standard echocardiography (EchoCG) was performed; and concentrations of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and neuregulin-1β were measured. The follow-up period was two years. Cases of cardiovascular (CV) death and hospitalizations for decompensated chronic heart failure (CHF) were recorded.

Results Median concentration of neuregulin-1β was 0.969 [0.348; 1.932] ng/ml in the HFpEF group, which was significantly higher than 0.379 [0.195; 0.861] ng/ml in the group of healthy volunteers (р=0.003). Significant correlations between the neuregulin-1β concentration and the distance walked in 6MWT or with EchoCG parameters of left ventricular diastolic function were not found. Mean observation time was 456 [244; 730] days. 21 outcomes were observed, including 2 CV deaths and 19 hospitalizations for CHF. Patients with high concentrations of neuregulin-1β (≥Me) had a greater frequency of hospitalizations for CHF (Log-rank, p=0.046) and a higher risk of this outcome (risk ratio, 1.30; 95 % confidence interval, 1.01–1.66; p=0.037).

Conclusion      Patients with HFpEF had increased concentrations of neuregulin-1β. High levels of neuregulin-1β were associated with a higher risk of hospitalization for decompensated CHF.

Aim      To study a possibility of using the left atrial strain (LAS) for predicting results of the noninvasive diastolic stress test (DST) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH).

Material and methods  The study included 98 patients previously diagnosed with AH. As a part of evaluation for complaints of dyspnea, palpitation or pain in the area of the heart, DST and transthoracic echocardiography were performed. Echocardiography included measurements of LAS in the reservoir phase, left atrial volume index (LAVI), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), and ratio of early filling transmitral flow velocity to mitral annular velocity (Е / е’).

Results The DST was negative in 52 patients (group 1) and positive in 46 patients (group 2). Group 2 had greater values of mean Е / е’ (11.0 [9.4; 12.6] vs 9.0 [7.9; 11.1], р=0.0003); LAVI (33.8 [29.0; 40.0] ml /m² vs 28.0 ml /m² [25.0; 32.9], р=0.0001); and PASP (29.0 mm Hg [28.0; 30.0] vs 26.0 mm Hg [25.0; 28.0], р<0.0001 were greater, but LAS values were lower (19.0 % [18.0; 21.0] vs 24.0 % [22.0; 28.0], р<0.0001. The predictive capability of LAS with respect of heart failure was higher than of other echocardiographic parameters. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for the reservoir strain was 0.922 (95 % confidence interval, CI, 0.851–0.967), which was significantly greater than for Е / е’: 0.713 (0.613–0.800); the LAVI was 0.724 (0.624–0.809); and the PASP was 0.764 (0.668–0.844). A LAS value in the reservoir phase less than 22 % predicts a positive result of DST with a probability of 88.9 % (76.5–95.2 %). Higher values of the strain allow expecting a negative DST result with a probability of 88.7 % (77.4–94.7 %).

Conclusion      If the DST cannot be performed for a noninvasive diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a positive result of this test can be predicted by a decrease of LAS in the reservoir phase to 21 % or lower. The diagnostic accuracy of this criterion is 88.8 % (81.0–93.6 %).

Aim      To evaluate in a pilot study time-related changes in the clinical state, indexes of the acute phase of inflammation, parameters of blood lipid profile, intracardiac hemodynamics, and disorders of cardiac rhythm/conduction in patients who are not candidates for autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, during three bortezomib-containing chemotherapy courses (VCD) followed by a correlation analysis.

Material and methods  This pilot study included 20 patients diagnosed with myeloma, who were not candidates for autologous hemopoietic stem cell transplantation and who had undergone three courses of VCD chemotherapy (bortezomib, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone). In addition to mandatory examinations, measurement of blood lipid profile, transthoracic echocardiography (EchoCG), and 24-h Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring were performed for all participants before and after a specific therapy.

Results Following three bortezomib-containing courses of chemotherapy, patients of the study group had significant increases in the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (1.6±0.2 and 2.5±0.4; р=0.05), cholesterol concentration (4.8±1.1 and 5.6±1.1 mmol/l, р=0.05), and low-density lipoprotein concentration (2.8±0.4 and 3.5±0.8 mmol/l, р=0.02). In comparing the changes in parameters of intracardiac hemodynamics, criteria for genuine cardiotoxicity were not met, however, a tendency to emergence/progression of myocardial diastolic dysfunction was noted. No clinically significant disorders of cardiac rhythm/conduction were observed. The correlation analysis performed prior to the start of chemotherapy, showed significant strong, direct correlations between the C-protein concentration and left atrial (LA) volume (r=0.793; p=0.006), right atrial (RA) volume (r=0.857; p=0.002), left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic dimension (EDD) (r=0.589; p=0.043), and LV end-diastolic volume (EDV) (r=0.726; p=0.017). Following the specific treatment, significant, medium-power and strong correlations were found between NLR and EDV (r= –0.673; p=0.033), NLR and end systolic volume (ESV) (r= –0.710; p=0.021), respectively. Significant direct correlations were found between the bortezomib dose per one injection and the serum concentration of triglycerides following the treatment (r=0.78; p=0.05); a single bortezomib dose and parameters of intracardiac hemodynamics: LA (r=0.71; p=0.026), RA (r=0.74; p=0.014), EDD (r=0.837; p=0.003), EDV (r=0.749; p=0.013), ESV (r=0.553; p=0.049).

Conclusion      For the first time, a comprehensive evaluation was performed in patients with multiple myeloma, including the dynamics of blood lipid profile, intracardiac hemodynamics and disorders of cardiac rhythm/conduction during bortezomib-containing antitumor therapy, with an analysis of correlation with levels of acute inflammation phase markers. Although in the observation window for genuine cardiotoxicity, clinically significant cardiovascular complications were not detected, the found correlations may evidence a potential role of systemic inflammation activity in myocardial remodeling in the studied patient cohort.

Aim      To evaluate the effectivity of secondary prevention/rehabilitation programs with remote support for the psychological condition of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) following interventional procedures (radiofrequency catheter ablation and cryoablation).

Material and methods  This prospective, controlled, randomized clinical study was performed in three parallel groups. Each group consisted of 45 patients with AF after interventional procedures. In groups 1 and 2, secondary prevention/rehabilitation programs with remote support were performed, including a single individual in-hospital counseling (on risk factors of AF and their control and on major aspects of the disease, treatment and prevention of complications) and three months of remote support (by phone in group 1 and by e-mail in group 2). Patients of group 3 (control group) received standard recommendations at discharge from the hospital. The psychological status was evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the PHQ-9 questionnaire, the Spielberg-Hanin scale for reactive and personal anxiety, and the visual analogue scale for stress assessment. The follow-up duration was 12 months.

Results At the end of the follow-up period, the proportion of patients with anxiety symptoms considerably decreased in both intervention groups (р<0.001 for each group) and was significantly less than in the control group (р<0.001 for both comparisons). Also, in intervention group 1, the proportion of patients with clinically pronounced anxiety symptoms was significantly decreased. For 12 months of follow-up, the severity of depressive symptoms significantly decreased in all three groups. However, in both intervention groups, this decrease was significantly greater than in the control group (р<0.001 for group 1 and р=0.020 for group 2). In both intervention groups at 12 months, the stress level was significantly reduced whereas in the control group, it remained practically unchanged. The greatest (50% on average) decrease in the stress level was observed in intervention group 2.

Conclusion      Secondary prevention and rehabilitation programs with remote support during a 12-month follow-up resulted in improvement of the psychological status in patients with AF after interventional procedures.

Aim      To compare long-term outcomes of x-ray endovascular (percutaneous coronary intervention, PCI, and lower limb angioplasty with stent placement, LLA; group 1) and combination treatments (PCI and open LLA surgery; group 2) in patients with chronic lower limb ischemia (CLLI) associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD).

Material and methods  This retrospective study has been conducted in the Vishnevsky National Medical Research Center of Surgery since 2019. The study includes 92 patients with stage 2B CLLI associated with IHD who were managed from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2020. Long-term outcomes were evaluated in 76 (82.6 %) patients. The endpoint was severe cardiovascular complications (CVC), including death, myocardial infarction, and acute cerebrovascular disease (ACVD).

Results In group 1 during the long-term period, 1 (2.7%) fatal outcome due to pneumonia was observed. In group 2, 4 (10 %) patients died: 1 (2.5 %) patient due to ACVD, 1 (2.5 %) patient due to progression of oncological process, and 2 2 (5 %) patients due to COVID-19. Also, 2 (5.5 %) and 1 (2.5 %) cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were observed in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p=0.61).

Conclusion      In the x-ray endovascular (group1) and the combination (group 2) intervention groups, lethal outcomes due to myocardial infarction were absent. This fact confirms the importance of PCI in patients with CLLI for prevention of possible ACS in the long-term. Both therapeutic tactics in managing CLLI patients with IHD demonstrated high safety and clinical efficacy during the hospital and long-term periods and can be extensively used in routine clinical practice.

Aim    To study specific features of administering platelet P2Y12 receptor inhibitors to patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in real-life clinical practice; to reveal a possible inconsistency of the therapy with clinical guidelines; to evaluate the patients’ compliance with the medication at the outpatient stage; and to outline major direction for improving quality of the antiplatelet treatment.
Material and methods    REGION-MI is a multicenter prospective, observational study. The observational period is divided into 3 stages: during the stay in the hospital and at 3 and 12 months following the inclusion into the registry. Information about the drug therapy (used at the time of hospitalization, administered before the hospitalization, received in the hospital, and prescribed at discharge from the hospital) was recorded in the patient’s individual registration card. Information about the antiplatelet treatment at 6 months following enrollment into the study was obtain by phone.
Results    The study included 4 553 patients. Dual antiplatelet therapy was administered after MI to 94.4 % patients: clopidogrel was administered to 52 %, ticagrelor to 42.2 %, and prasugrel to 11 patients (0.2 %). Ticagrelor was administered significantly more frequently in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) than in NSTEMI, 45 % and 33 %, respectively (p<0.001); clopidogrel was also administered more frequently to patients with STEMI than with NSTEMI, 59 % and 50 %, respectively. According to ARC-HBR criteria, in MI and a high risk of bleeding, clopidogrel was administered more frequently than ticagrelor (p <0.001). Ticagrelor was significantly more frequently administered to patients with MI and a low risk of bleeding than to patients with a high risk (p<0.001). In STEMI and a low risk of bleeding, ticagrelor was administered somewhat more frequently than clopidogrel, 56 % and 44 %, respectively (р<0.05). In NSTEMI and a low risk of bleeding, clopidogrel was administered more frequently than ticagrelor, 53 % and 47 %, respectively (p<0.05). At 6 months post-MI, 94 % of patients continued taking one of the P2Y12 inhibitors.
Conclusion    According to data of the REGION-MI registry, the frequency of administering P2Y12 inhibitors to patients with acute MI was high, and the patients’ compliance with this therapy was high at 6 months following MI. Although ticagrelor (the most available drug of all powerful platelet P2Y12 receptor inhibitors) has been prescribed more frequently in the recent years, a definite reserve exists for increasing the frequency of its administration. This is particularly important with a low risk of bleeding and the absence of requirement for anticoagulants. Thus, the prognosis for MI patients can be considerably improved.

Aim    This study evaluated the prognostic ability of the APACHE II score and compared it with inflammatory indices in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
Material and Methods    A total of 525 patients with ACS were retrospectively enrolled in the study. APACHE II scores were calculated and C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) were recorded. The APACHE II score was compared with inflammatory indices for predicting in-hospital mortality.
Results    Univariate logistic regression (LR) analysis showed that CRP, SII, NLR, ejection fraction, chronic kidney disease, gender, and APACHE II score were significant predictors of mortality. In multiple LR analysis, the APACHE II score was found to be a solitary, significant predictor of in-hospital mortality (OR: 1.201, 95 % CI: 1.122–1.285; p<0.001). In the Receiver Operating Characteristics curve, using a cut-off point of 16.5, the APACHE II score predicted in-hospital mortality with 70.4 % sensitivity and 92.9 % specificity.
Conclusion    The APACHE II score may be used as a predictor of in-hospital mortality better than inflammatory markers in ACS patients.

Aim    Concentrations of classical lipoproteines have a well-established role in non-invasive cardiology. The efficacy of the Castelli Risk Index I (CRI I), Castelli Risk Index II (CRI II), and triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG / HDL-C) ratio in clinical practice are currently under evaluation. The study aimed to assess the predictive value of CRI I, CRI II and TG / HDL-C for the incidence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) and for all-cause mortality during 1‑year follow-up of patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
Material and Methods    1,301 patients were enrolled in the study. Associations between CRI I, CRI II, TG / HDL-C and occurrence of MACE and 1‑year mortality were studied. Moreover correlations between CRI I, CRI II, and TG / HDL-C and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) were assessed.
Results    MACE occurred in 10.9 % (142) of patients, and 1‑year mortality was 13.4 % (174). None of the evaluated indices appeared to be an independent predictor of MACE in either the entire population or subpopulations, as divided according to the presence of diabetes or CAD diagnosed prior to admission. Furthermore, no dependence between 1‑year mortality and the examined indices was found. Additionally, only a weak correlation between CAD severity and CRI I was observed (R=0.08, p=0.02). No significant correlations for CRI II (p=0.07) and TG / HDL-C (p=0.6) were detected.
Conclusions    CRI I, CRI II and TG / HDL-C should not be used as predictors of MACE or all-cause mortality among patients with NSTEMI. Moreover, these indices do not reflect CAD severity.

Aim    Comprehensive studies on the coexistence of COVID-19 and pericardial effusion (PEff) are limited. In this study, we investigated the relationship between pneumonia severity and PEff, predisposing factors, and the effect of PEff on clinical prognosis and mortality in COVID-19 patients.
Material and methods    Between March and November 2020, 5 575 patients were followed up in our pandemic hospital due to COVID-19. 3 794 patients with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results and thoraxcomputerized tomography (CT) imaging at admission were included in the study. The clinical and demographic characteristics, CT images, hematological and biochemical parameters of these patients were retrospectively examined. Pulmonary involvement of 3794 patients was divided into three groups and its relationship with PEff was investigated retrospectively.
Results    There were 560 patients who did not have pulmonary involvement, 2 639 patients with pulmonary involvement below 50 %, and 595 patients with 50 % or more pulmonary involvement. As pulmonaryinvolvement or the severity of the disease increased, male gender and advanced age become statistically significant. The mean age of patients with PEff was higher, and PEff was more common in males. Patients with PEff had more comorbid diseases and significantly elevated serum cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers. The need for intensive care and mortality rates were higher in these patients. While the in-hospital mortality rate was 56.9 % in patients with PEff and pulmonary involvement above 50 %, in-hospital mortality rate was 34.4 % in patients with pulmonary involvement above 50 % and without PEff (p<0.001).The presence of PEff during admission for COVID-19 disease, the appearance of PEff or increase in the degree of PEff during follow-up were closely related to mortality and prognosis.
Conclusion    As the severity of pulmonary involvement or the clinical severity of the disease increased, PEff occurred in patients or the degree of PEff increased. The clinical prognosis of patients presenting with PEff was quite poor, and the frequency of intensive care admissions and mortality were significantly higher. PEff was an important finding in the follow-up and management of patients with COVID-19, and it reflected the clinical prognosis.

This article presents a clinical case of urgent, life-saving surgical intervention in a 69-year-old woman with left atrial myxoma with rapid morphological and clinical progression and a history of COVID-19 and breast cancer in remission. However, the concurrent (perhaps secondary) thrombophilic condition facilitated the complication development in the form of superior vena caval orifice thrombosis in the early postoperative period. For this complication, repeated surgery in the volume of thrombectomy was performed, which resulted in stabilization of the patient’s condition.