The effect of Trimetazidine on the left ventricular global longitudinal strain assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance in stable angina patients with previous myocardial infarction and left ventricular

Abstract Introduction Trimetazidine (TMZ) is an anti-ischemic metabolic agent that is indicated in adults as add-on therapy for the symptomatic treatment of patients with stable angina pectoris (SA). Global left ventricular (LV) systolic function is an important predictor of outcomes in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has now evolved into a major tool for the evaluation of patients with LV dysfunction, providing precise measurements of ejection fraction (EF) and viability assessment but also now allowing assessment of global longitudinal strain (GLS) from standard cine CMR images. We hypothesized that the use of TMZ 80 mg as an anti-ischemic agent in patients with SA, history of MI, reduced EF and in the presence of viable myocardium may produce an early modification of GLS. Methods TRIM-AZ - was a non-interventional, prospective Azerbaijan study to analyze the capacity of short-term therapy with TMZ 80 mg on LV GLS evaluated by CMR in patients with previous MI. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure (HF) with impaired LV systolic function and SA in the presence of viable myocardium were included. The treatment of all patients was optimized according to the latest ESC guidelines before entry in the study. Patients were randomized into two groups, one received TMZ 80 mg on top of guidelines directed medical therapies, and the other was the control group. A CMR as well as a transthoracic echography were performed for all patients at the inclusion visit and 8 weeks later. Results 52 patients were included in the study, 30 patients in the TMZ group and 22 in the control group,. At baseline, the mean age was 62±7 years , 63% were smokers, 60% hypertensive, 60% diabetics, 48% had a family history of MI, 12% had typical symptoms of SA while 88% had atypical form (e.g. like shortness of breath). All patients received baseline therapy with ARNI/ACE-i, SGLT2 inhibitors, beta-blockers, MRA, ASA, and statin. 8 weeks after the initiation of TMZ, there were no significant changes in LVEF assessed both by Echo and CMR (29,8%±3,2% vs 30,1%±3,5% by echo in TMZ group; 31,3%±2,7% vs 31,6%±2,7% by echo in the control group; 25,9%±3,1% vs 26,9±4,1% by CMR in TMZ group; 26,9%±2,1% vs 30,1%±2,3% by CMR in the control group), however GLS was significantly improved in TMZ group (-9,9%±1,1% to -12,7%±1,2%, p=0,00), but not in control group (-9,3%±1,3% vs -10,3%±1,4% p=0,3). No adverse event related to TMZ use was reported during the study. Conclusion These findings suggest that the use of trimetazidine in patients with stable angina , previous MI and heart failure in the presence of viable myocardium could improve the left ventricular global longitudinal strain assessed by CMR.