Heart rate and early progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy: A prospective study using highly automated 3-D optical coherence tomography analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Heart rate slowing agents are frequently prescribed to manage heart transplant (HTx) patients with the assumption that higher heart rate is a risk factor in cardiovascular disease.

Patients and methods

This prospective two-center study investigated early progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in 116 HTx patients. Examinations by coronary optical coherence tomography and 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring were performed both at baseline (1 month after HTx) and during follow-up (12 months after HTx).

Results

During the first post-HTx year, we observed a significant reduction in the mean coronary luminal area from 9.0 ± 2.5 to 8.0 ± 2.4 mm² (P < .001), and progression in mean intimal thickness (IT) from 106.5 ± 40.4 to 130.1 ± 53.0 µm

SUBMITTER: Pazdernik M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7220813 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature