Effect of Heart Rate on Early Progression of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy: A Prospective Study Using Highly Automated 3-D Optical Coherence Tomography Analysis

Purpose Despite the controversial effect of elevated heart rate on progression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), heart-rate-slowing agents are frequently prescribed with the assumption that higher heart rate predicts worse outcomes in cardiovascular disease. Methods This prospective 2-center trial investigated progression of CAV in 116 heart transplant (HTx) patients. Both baseline (1 month after HTx) and follow-up (12 months after HTx) examinations by coronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) were analyzed using highly automated 3D graph-based segmentation software. Mean heart rate was assessed by 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring at baseline and at 12-month follow-ups after HTx. Results During the first post-transplant ...
Mentions:
University of Iowa