Effects of Surgical Ventricular Reconstruction and Mitral Complex Reconstruction on Cardiac Oxidative Metabolism and Efficiency in Nonischemic and Ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of surgical ventricular reconstruction (SVR) on cardiac efficiency as a surrogate marker for cardiac function and oxidative metabolism in patients with severe heart failure. BACKGROUND Our new integrated overlapping left ventriculoplasty, modified SVR, combined with mitral complex reconstruction, reduce left ventricular (LV) volume associated with improvement of symptoms of heart failure. METHODS Twelve consecutive patients with end-stage heart failure due to nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (n = 6) and ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (ICM) (n = 6) who underwent SVR were studied. Myocardial oxidative metabolism per gram of tissue was estimated by monoexponential clearance of (11)C-acetate positron emission tomography (K(mono)). Forward stroke volume at the LV outflow tract was measured by echocardiography. Cardiac efficiency was estimated by the ratio of external work (stroke volume at the LV outflow tract index x systolic blood pressure x heart rate) to K(mono) before and 1 month after SVR. RESULTS After SVR, medians of New York Heart Association functional class significantly improved from 3 to 1.5 (p < 0.01) in both DCM and ICM patients. End-systolic and end-diastolic volume and LV mass significantly decreased in both groups. Stroke volume at the LV outflow tract increased from 43 +/- 8 ml to 52 +/- 11 ml (p = 0.028) in DCM patients, but not in ICM patients (49 +/- 21 ml to 59 +/- 26 ml, p = 0.12). K(mono) x LV mass, as an index of global LV oxidative metabolism, decreased in DCM patients (13.6 +/- 1.9 g/min vs. 8.6 +/- 1.5 g/min, p = 0.03) and ICM patients (12.0 +/- 3.4 g/min vs. 9.2 +/- 1.0 g/min, p = 0.06). As a result, cardiac efficiency increased in all patients with DCM (3.34 +/- 0.46 x 10E6 vs. 4.74 +/- 0.88 x 10E6 mm Hg.ml.min/m(2), p = 0.03) and in 5 of 6 patients with ICM (4.54 +/- 1.66 x 10E6 vs. 5.99 +/- 2.11 x 10E6 mm Hg.ml.min/m(2), p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS Combined surgery with SVR and mitral complex reconstruction reduced LV volume in association with improvement of cardiac efficiency in patients with severe heart failure. (J Am Coll Cardiol Img 2011;4:762-70) (C) 2011 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation