Rationale and design of the French cohort of acute myocarditis diagnosed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Clinical Research
• Cardiac Imaging

Background:

• Acute myocarditis presents with chest pain and elevated troponin, often leading to heart failure and sudden cardiac death in young adults.
• Current diagnostic and management guidelines lack specific recommendations due to limited large-scale data.
• Expert consensus guides current practice in the absence of robust evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the contemporary presentation, management, and in-hospital outcomes of acute myocarditis.
• To investigate long-term survival, event-free survival, prognostic determinants, and treatment strategies.
• To identify discrepancies between expert consensus and real-world clinical management.

Main Methods:

• The MyocarditIRM prospective multicentre cohort enrolled 803 patients with acute myocarditis.
• Diagnosis was confirmed using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) based on the Lake Louise Criteria.
• Ten-year follow-up data was obtained through linkage with the French National Health Database.

Main Results:

• This study represents the largest worldwide database on acute myocarditis.
• It provides comprehensive data on patient presentation, treatment, and clinical outcomes.
• Long-term follow-up will elucidate survival and event-free survival rates.

Conclusions:

• This prospective cohort study offers unprecedented insights into acute myocarditis.
• It will enhance understanding of the disease's presentation, management, and prognosis.
• The findings will contribute to evidence-based guidelines for acute myocarditis.