Project description:BACKGROUND:Complications associated with diagnostic native percutaneous renal biopsy (PRB) must be minimized. While life threatening major complications has been extensively investigated, there is little discussion regarding minor bleeding complications, such as a transient hypotension, which directly affect patients' quality of life. There is also little evidence supporting the need for conventional manual compression following PRB. Therefore, this study evaluated the relationship between minor and major complications incidence in patients following PRB with or without compression. METHODS:This single-center, retrospective study included 456 patients (compression group: n = 71; observation group: n = 385). The compression group completed 15 min of manual compression and 4 h of subsequent strict bed rest with abdominal bandage. The observation group completed 2 h of strict bed rest only. The primary outcome of interest was transient symptomatic hypotension (minor event). RESULTS:Of the 456 patients, 26 patients encountered intraoperative and postoperative transient hypotension, which were considered reflex syncope without tachycardia. Univariate analysis showed that symptomatic transient hypotension was significantly associated with compression. This association remained significant, even after adjustment of covariates using multivariate logistic regression analysis (adjusted odds ratio 3.27; 95% confidential interval 1.36-7.82; P = 0.0078). CONCLUSION:Manual compression and abdominal bandage significantly increased the frequency of reflex syncope during native PRB. It is necessary to consider the potential benefit and risk of compression maneuvers for each patient undergoing this procedure.
Project description:BackgroundWe hypothesized that cardiovascular physiology differs in reflex syncope patients compared with the general population, predisposing such individuals to vasovagal reflex.MethodsIn this multicohort cross-sectional study, we compared aggregate data of resting SBP, DBP, pulse pressure (PP) and heart rate (HR), collected from six community-based cohort studies (64 968 observations) with those from six databases of reflex syncope patients (6516 observations), subdivided by age decades and sex.ResultsOverall, in male individuals with reflex syncope, SBP (-3.4 mmHg) and PP (-9.2 mmHg) were lower and DBP (+2.8 mmHg) and HR (+5.1 bpm) were higher than in the general population; the difference in SBP was higher at ages above 60 years. In female individuals, PP (-6.0 mmHg) was lower and DBP (+4.7 mmHg) and HR (+4.5 bpm) were higher than in the general population; differences in SBP were less pronounced, becoming evident only above 60 years. Compared with male individuals, SBP in female individuals exhibited slower increase until age 40 years, and then demonstrated steeper increase that continued throughout remaining life.ConclusionThe patients prone to reflex syncope demonstrate a different resting cardiovascular haemodynamic profile as compared with a general population, characterized by lower SBP and PP, reflecting reduced venous return and lower stroke volume, and a higher HR and DBP, suggesting the activation of compensatory mechanisms. Our data contribute to a better understanding why some individuals with similar demographic characteristics develop reflex syncope and others do not.Video abstracthttp://links.lww.com/HJH/B580.
Project description:Visceral sensory pathways mediate homeostatic reflexes, the dysfunction of which leads to many neurological disorders1. The Bezold-Jarisch reflex (BJR), first described2,3 in 1867, is a cardioinhibitory reflex that is speculated to be mediated by vagal sensory neurons (VSNs) that also triggers syncope. However, the molecular identity, anatomical organization, physiological characteristics and behavioural influence of cardiac VSNs remain mostly unknown. Here we leveraged single-cell RNA-sequencing data and HYBRiD tissue clearing4 to show that VSNs that express neuropeptide Y receptor Y2 (NPY2R) predominately connect the heart ventricular wall to the area postrema. Optogenetic activation of NPY2R VSNs elicits the classic triad of BJR responses-hypotension, bradycardia and suppressed respiration-and causes an animal to faint. Photostimulation during high-resolution echocardiography and laser Doppler flowmetry with behavioural observation revealed a range of phenotypes reflected in clinical syncope, including reduced cardiac output, cerebral hypoperfusion, pupil dilation and eye-roll. Large-scale Neuropixels brain recordings and machine-learning-based modelling showed that this manipulation causes the suppression of activity across a large distributed neuronal population that is not explained by changes in spontaneous behavioural movements. Additionally, bidirectional manipulation of the periventricular zone had a push-pull effect, with inhibition leading to longer syncope periods and activation inducing arousal. Finally, ablating NPY2R VSNs specifically abolished the BJR. Combined, these results demonstrate a genetically defined cardiac reflex that recapitulates characteristics of human syncope at physiological, behavioural and neural network levels.
Project description:AimThe benefit of cardiac pacing in patients with severe recurrent reflex syncope and asystole induced by tilt testing has not been established. The usefulness of tilt-table test to select candidates for cardiac pacing is controversial.Methods and resultsWe randomly assigned patients aged 40 years or older who had at least two episodes of unpredictable severe reflex syncope during the last year and a tilt-induced syncope with an asystolic pause longer than 3 s, to receive either an active (pacing ON; 63 patients) or an inactive (pacing OFF; 64 patients) dual-chamber pacemaker with closed loop stimulation (CLS). The primary endpoint was the time to first recurrence of syncope. Patients and independent outcome assessors were blinded to the assigned treatment. After a median follow-up of 11.2 months, syncope occurred in significantly fewer patients in the pacing group than in the control group [10 (16%) vs. 34 (53%); hazard ratio, 0.23; P = 0.00005]. The estimated syncope recurrence rate at 1 year was 19% (pacing) and 53% (control) and at 2 years, 22% (pacing) and 68% (control). A combined endpoint of syncope or presyncope occurred in significantly fewer patients in the pacing group [23 (37%) vs. 40 (63%); hazard ratio, 0.44; P = 0.002]. Minor device-related adverse events were reported in five patients (4%).ConclusionIn patients aged 40 years or older, affected by severe recurrent reflex syncope and tilt-induced asystole, dual-chamber pacemaker with CLS is highly effective in reducing the recurrences of syncope. Our findings support the inclusion of tilt testing as a useful method to select candidates for cardiac pacing.Study registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02324920, Eudamed number CIV-05-013546.
Project description:AimsPathophysiology of reflex syncope is not fully understood but a vagal overactivity might be involved in this syncope. Previously, overexpression of muscarinic M2 receptors and acetylcholinesterase was found in particular in the heart and in lymphocytes of rabbits with vagal overactivity as well as in hearts of Sudden Infant Death Syndromes. The aim of this present study was to look at M2 receptor expression in blood of patients with reflex syncope. The second objective was to measure acetylcholinesterase expression in these patients.Methods and results136 subjects were enrolled. This monocenter study pooled 45 adults exhibiting recurrent reflex syncope compared with 32 healthy adult volunteers (18-50 years) and 38 children exhibiting reflex syncope requiring hospitalization compared with 21 controls (1-17 years). One blood sample was taken from each subject and blood mRNA expression of M2 receptors was assessed by qRT-PCR. Taking into account the non-symmetric distributions of values in both groups, statistical interferences were assessed using bayesian techniques. A M2 receptor overexpression was observed in adult and pediatric patients compared to controls. The medians [q1;q3] were 0.9 [0.3;1.9] in patients versus 0.2 [0.1;1.0] in controls; the probability that M2 receptor expression was higher in patients than in controls (Pr[patients>controls]) was estimated at 0.99. Acetylcholinesterase expression was also increased 0.7 [0.4;1.6] in patients versus 0.4 [0.2;1.1] in controls; the probability that acetylcholinesterase expression was higher in patients than in controls (Pr[patients>controls]) was estimated at 0.97. Both in adults and children, the expression ratio of M2 receptors over acetylcholinesterase was greater in the patient group compared with the control group.ConclusionM2 receptor overexpression has been detected in the blood of both, adults and children, exhibiting reflex syncope. As in our experimental model, i.e. rabbits with vagal overactivity, acetylcholinesterase overexpression was associated with M2 receptor overexpression. For the first time, biological abnormalities are identified in vagal syncope in which only clinical signs are, so far, taken into account for differential diagnosis and therapeutic management. Further work will be needed to validate potential biomarkers of risk or severity associated with the cholinergic system.
Project description:BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been recognized as a disease with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. In this report, we illustrate an extraordinary case of severe cardioinhibitory reflex syncope with prolonged asystole associated with COVID-19.Case summaryA 35-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with a 10-day history of postural syncope and fever. Electrocardiogram monitoring during positional change revealed reflex syncope with cardioinhibitory response, exhibiting sinus bradycardia, subsequent asystole, and syncope. The patient tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and was admitted to the intensive care unit where temporary transvenous pacing was necessary because of prolonged episodes of asystole. Work-up included extensive cardiac and neurological diagnostic testing, but did not yield any structural abnormalities. Although temporary pacing was able to abort syncope, a decision was made to hold off on permanent pacing as the most likely aetiology was felt to be temporary cardioinhibitory reflex syncope associated with COVID-19. The patient was discharged with mild symptoms of orthostatic intolerance and responded well to education and lifestyle modification. Outpatient follow-up with repeat tilt testing after 3 and 6 months initially showed residual inducible syncope but was eventually normal and the patient remained asymptomatic.DiscussionWe believe that autonomic imbalance with a strong vagal activation due to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection played a pivotal role in the occurrence of transient syncope in this patient's condition. Although pacemaker implantation would have been a reasonable alternative, a watch-and-wait approach should be considered in similar instances.
Project description:The goal of this observational population-based cohort study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of children and adolescents with primary gastrointestinal malignancies registered in the publicly available Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 17 database during 2000-2019.
Project description:It is well-known that between 40 and 50% of patients taking antidepressants do not respond to treatment or relapse. Genome wide gene expression studies can help us to understand better the response to antidepressants, revealing the effects of both genetic background and environmental/epigenetic factors. We used microarrays to detail the response to Fluoxetine in children and adolescents, analysing the expression just before intake of drug and 8 weeks after starting the treatment.