Öner Özdoğan

Correction: Volume: 292 Pages: 160-162 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2019.11.020 Published: JAN 2020

BACKGROUND: Most haemodialysis (HD) centres use anti-hypertensive drugs for the management of hypertension, whereas some centres apply dietary salt restriction strategy. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we assessed the effectiveness and cardiac consequences of these two strategies. METHODS: We enrolled all patients from two dialysis centres, who had been on a standard HD programme at the same centre for at least 1 year. All patients underwent echocardiographic evaluation. Clinical data were obtained from patients' charts. Centre A (n = 190) practiced 'salt restriction' strategy and Centre B (n = 204) practiced anti-hypertensive-based strategy. Salt restriction was defined as managing high blood pressure (BP) via lowering dry weight by strict salt restriction and insistent ultrafiltration without using anti-hypertensive drugs. RESULTS: There was no difference regarding age, gender, diabetes, history of cardiovascular disease and efficiency of dialysis between centres. Antihypertensive drugs were used in 7% of the patients in Centre A and 42% in Centre B (P < 0.01); interdialytic weight gain was significantly lower in Centre A (2.29 +/- 0.83 kgversus 3.31 +/- 1.12 kg, P < 0.001). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were similar in the two centres. However, Centre A had lower left ventricular (LV) mass (indexed for height(2.7): 59 +/- 16 versus 74 +/- 27 g/m(2.7), P < 0.0001). The frequency of LV hypertrophy was lower in Centre A (74% versus 88%, P < 0.001). Diastolic and systolic functions were better preserved in Centre A. Intradialytic hypotension (hypotensive episodes/100 patient sessions) was more frequent in Centre B (11 versus 27, P <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This cross-sectional study suggests that salt restriction and reduced prescription of antihypertensive drugs may limit LV hypertrophy, better preserve LV functions and reduce intradialytic hypotension in HD patients.

BACKGROUND: Chronic fluid overload (FO) is frequently present in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and is associated with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy and dysfunction, which are important predictors of death in dialysis patients. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between nutrition, inflammation, atherosclerosis and body fluid volumes measured by multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis (m-BIA) in PD patients. In addition, we analysed the relationship of extracellular volume values by m-BIA to echocardiographic parameters in order to define its usefulness as a measure of FO. METHODS: Ninety-five prevalent PD patients (mean age 50 ± 13 years, 10 of them diabetic) were enrolled. Extracellular water (ECW), total body water (TBW), dry lean mass (DLM) and phase angle (PA) were measured by m-BIA. Volume status was determined by measuring left atrium diameter (LAD) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD). Measurement of carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) was used to assess the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. Serum albumin was used as a nutritional marker, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was used as an inflammatory marker. RESULTS: Mean ECW/height was 10.0 ± 1.0 L/m for whole group and 9.3 ± 0.6 L/m in patients with normal clinical hydration parameters. In correlation analysis, markers of nutrition, inflammation and atherosclerosis correlated well with m-BIA parameters. When we used echographically measured LAD (> 40 mm) or LVEDD (> 55 mm) as a confirmatory parameter, a cut-off value of 10.48 L/m ECW/height (78% specificity, with a sensitivity of 77% for LAD and 72% specificity, with a sensitivity of 70% for LVEDD) was found in ROC analysis for the diagnosis of FO. Patients with FO were older and had higher systolic blood pressure, cardiothoracic index, serum CRP level and mean CA-IMT than patients without FO. Patients with inflammation had higher CA-IMT values. In multivariate analysis, only two factors-low urine output and ECW/height-were independently associated with the presence of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: FO defined by m-BIA is significantly correlated with markers of malnutrition, inflammation and atherosclerosis in PD patients. The indices obtained from m-BIA, especially ECW/height, correlated well with volume overload as assessed by echocardiography and might be a measure worth testing in a properly designed clinical study.

BACKGROUND: A subgroup of outflow tract (OT) ventricular tachycardias (VT) originate from the aortic sinuses or the main stem of the pulmonary artery. The anatomic substrate for these tachycardias is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of ventricular myocardial extensions (VME) into the pulmonary artery (PA) and aorta (Ao) beyond the ventriculo-arterial junction (VAJ) and determine the anatomical and histological characteristics of these muscle extensions. METHODS: Ninety-five consecutive human hearts obtained at autopsy were studied. Longitudinal strips of tissue containing each cusp, aortic, and pulmonary artery walls and left and right ventricular outflow tracts were excised and histologically analyzed. Anatomical measurements, including length and thickness of VMEs, obtained at autopsy, were made. RESULTS: VMEs beyond the VAJ were found in 21 of 95 (22%) patients studied. VMEs were found in 16 of 95 PAs (17%) and 7 of 95 Aos (7%) were examined. VMEs were located within the adventitia in 23 (88%) and on the epicardial surface in three (12%). The majority of VMEs were in continuity with the underlying ventricular OT muscle tissue. Myocellular hypertrophy and fibrosis were present in 19 (73%) and fatty tissue between the layers of VME in 18 (69%). Clinical data were available in 14 of 21 patients with positive VME. None of the patients (clinical data available group) had history of cardiac disease or signs or symptoms (palpitations or syncope) of cardiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: VMEs into the PA and Ao beyond the VAJ are relatively common. It seems that their mere presence does not predispose to OT VTs. There are probably intrinsic arrhythmogenic properties in tissues specific to these regions in those patients who develop OT VTs.