Matching Imaging and Remodulation Effects: Benefits of Cardiac Contractility Modulation Shown by Global Longitudinal Strain: A Case Report

Abstract

Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM) has been proposed for inpatients affected by heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), with relapsing HF symptoms. We present a case of a patient treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the setting of acute coronary syndrome without persistent ST-segment elevation, with the best medical therapy for decompensated HF. The patient refused the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), and to reduce the increasing number of hospitalizations for HF exacerbations, we proposed the use of the cardiac contractility modulation device. After the implant, the patient demonstrated a marked improvement in exercise effort and quality of life (QOL) with a six-minute walk test (SMWT), Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ), and echocardiographic parameters. At 9 months after discharge, no hospital admissions for HF were recorded. We showed with the speckle tracking imaging how the improvement in global longitudinal strain (GLS) correlates with the remodeling effects on myocardial cells.

Keywords

• GLS
• cardiac contractility modulation
• genetic rearrangement
• QOL