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Children (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2023This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the quality of the peer-reviewed literature and evaluated the usefulness of eye-tracking technology in evaluating... (Review)
Review
This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the quality of the peer-reviewed literature and evaluated the usefulness of eye-tracking technology in evaluating observers' perceptions of pediatric patients with orofacial clefts. PubMed, Science Direct, Wiley, and Web of Science were searched. Articles were screened in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines, and their methodological quality was assessed. Of the 10,254 identified studies, 12 were included. Eleven studies were cross-sectional, and one was a prospective cohort study. The main areas of interest analyzed were the eyes, nose, and mouth. Nine studies used assessment scales to analyze the link between perceived attractiveness and visualization patterns and measures. For the fixation duration outcome, six studies were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. All studies reported on fixation duration in milliseconds and reported on a standard deviation. The meta-analysis demonstrated a significant difference in the measurements between the control groups and the patients with orofacial clefts. This might indicate the usefulness of eye-tracking technology as a metric for assessing the success of cleft repairs based on the perceptions of different populations. Future studies should be comprehensively reported on for comparability and reproducibility purposes.
PubMed: 37628424
DOI: 10.3390/children10081425 -
Journal of Cardiovascular... Sep 2023Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBP) is a novel conduction system pacing method to achieve effective physiological pacing and an alternative to cardiac... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
INTRODUCTION
Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBP) is a novel conduction system pacing method to achieve effective physiological pacing and an alternative to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with biventricular pacing (BVP) for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We conduted this meta-analysis and systemic review to review current data comparing BVP and LBBP in patients with HFrEF and indications for CRT.
METHODS
We searched PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from the inception of the database to November 2022. All studies that compared LBBP with BVP in patients with HFrEF and indications for CRT were included. Two reviewers performed study selection, data abstraction, and risk of bias assessment. We calculated risk ratios (RRs) with the Mantel-Haenszel method and mean difference (MD) with inverse variance using random effect models. We assessed heterogeneity using the I index, with I > 50% indicating significant heterogeneity.
RESULTS
Ten studies (9 observational studies and 1 randomized controlled trial; 616 patients; 15 centers) published between 2020 and 2022 were included. We observed a shorter fluoroscopy time (MD: 9.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.49-14.87, I = 95%, p < .01, minutes) as well as a shorter procedural time (MD 33.68, 95% CI: 17.80-49.55, I = 73%, p < .01, minutes) during the implantation of LBBP CRT compared to conventional BVP CRT. LBBP was shown to have a greater reduction in QRS duration (MD 25.13, 95% CI: 20.06-30.20, I = 51%, p < .01, milliseconds), a greater left ventricular ejection fraction improvement (MD: 5.80, 95% CI: 4.81-6.78, I = 0%, p < .01, percentage), and a greater left ventricular end-diastolic diameter reduction (MD: 2.11, 95% CI: 0.12-4.10, I = 18%, p = .04, millimeter). There was a greater improvement in New York Heart Association function class with LBBP (MD: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.05-0.68, I = 61%, p = .02). LBBP was also associated with a lower risk of a composite of heart failure hospitalizations (HFH) and all-cause mortality (RR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.25-0.90, I = 0%, p = .02) driven by reduced HFH (RR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.19-0.82, I = 0%, p = .01). However, all-cause mortality rates were low in both groups (1.52% vs. 1.13%) and similar (RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.21-4.68, I = 0%, p = .87).
CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis of primarily nonrandomized studies suggests that LBBP is associated with a greater improvement in left ventricular systolic function and a lower rate of HFH compared to BVP. There was uniformity of these findings in all of the included studies. However, it would be premature to conclude based solely on the current meta-analysis alone, given the limitations stated. Dedicated, well-designed, randomized controlled trials and observational studies are needed to elucidate better the comparative long-term efficacy and safety of LBBP CRT versus BIV CRT.
Topics: Humans; Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy; Heart Failure; Stroke Volume; Ventricular Function, Left; Ventricular Septum; Treatment Outcome; Bundle of His; Electrocardiography; Cardiac Pacing, Artificial
PubMed: 37548113
DOI: 10.1111/jce.16013 -
Cureus Aug 2023It is expected that the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia among people aged 65 to 85, would be mostly classified using the... (Review)
Review
It is expected that the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia among people aged 65 to 85, would be mostly classified using the CHAS2DS2-VASc approach for anticoagulation therapy. A high number of people in the entire world will be living with AF by 2030. Long-term follow-up data are sparse, although radiofrequency catheter ablation (CA) for symptomatic AF patients has the potential to be a curative therapy. Although women are referred later and less often than men, the outcomes following ablation are comparable across both genders. Health-related quality of life suffers from AF, and patients often find themselves less active as a result of their condition. AF may have a wide variety of symptoms and signs from the clinic's point of view. Women are more likely to exhibit symptoms than men; one reason for this is that women have an average QT interval that is 10-20 milliseconds longer than men, which is more likely to exacerbate tachycardia symptoms. In search of medical databases for relevant medical literature, we looked at PubMed/Medline, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Ten publications were gathered after the papers were located, assessed, and qualifying criteria applied were used to select them. The finished articles were done to give an overview of the effectiveness of ablation therapy for AF. Some studies showed that there was no statistical significance between invasive and pharmacological treatments. Other research found no difference in the recurrence of atrial arrhythmia between pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) CA alone and PVI + enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided fibrosis ablation in individuals with persistent AF. The oldest individuals in studies comparing CA to medical treatment for AF demonstrated no improvement in prognosis after CA. Also, complications from therapy and CA's efficacy in preventing future atrial arrhythmias were similarly low across all age groups. Based on the above, we concluded that more studies are required to establish the most effective approach to treating AF to apply it in daily practice and gain more knowledge about it.
PubMed: 37641724
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.43992 -
Pediatric Blood & Cancer May 2024Previous studies have documented that electrocardiography (ECG) can reveal a range of abnormalities, offering valuable insights into the cardiac evaluation of patients... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have documented that electrocardiography (ECG) can reveal a range of abnormalities, offering valuable insights into the cardiac evaluation of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The objective of this study is to assess the patterns of ECG abnormalities observed in these patients with SCD, and to determine their prevalence.
METHOD
We systematically reviewed the literature using online databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar to identify original studies that reported findings of standard ECG assessments in patients with SCD. Statistical analyses were performed using the random effects model. Additional analyses including sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were also conducted.
RESULTS
Analysis of data from 59 studies involving 897,920 individuals with SCD revealed that 75% of these patients had abnormal ECG findings (67%-81%), which were predominantly nonspecific ST-T changes, left ventricular hypertrophy, T-wave changes, prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval, and ischemic changes. Besides, it was shown that these patients had significantly higher odds of having any ECG abnormalities (OR of 17.50, 4.68-65.49), right atrial enlargement (6.09, 1.48-25.09), left ventricular hypertrophy (3.45, 1.73-6.89), right ventricular hypertrophy (7.18, 2.28-22.57), biventricular hypertrophy (10.11, 1.99-51.38), prolonged QTc interval (5.54, 2.44-12.59), ST depression (3.34, 1.87-5.97), and T-wave changes (5.41, 1.43-20.56). Moreover, the mean of QTc interval was significantly higher among those with SCD (23.51 milliseconds, 16.08-30.94).
CONCLUSION
Our meta-analysis showed a higher prevalence of abnormal ECG findings among individuals with SCD. A significant proportion of these patients had various ECG abnormalities, suggesting a potential need for regular ECG assessments for patients with SCD.
Topics: Humans; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Electrocardiography
PubMed: 38348531
DOI: 10.1002/pbc.30916 -
Radiology. Cardiothoracic Imaging Jun 2024Purpose To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of enzyme replacement therapy on cardiac MRI parameters in patients with Fabry disease.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Purpose To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of enzyme replacement therapy on cardiac MRI parameters in patients with Fabry disease. Materials and Methods A systematic literature search was conducted from January 1, 2000, through January 1, 2024, in PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Study outcomes were changes in the following parameters: left ventricular wall mass (LVM), measured in grams; LVM indexed to body mass index, measured in grams per meters squared; maximum left ventricular wall thickness (MLVWT), measured in millimeters; late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) extent, measured in percentage of LVM; and native T1 mapping, measured in milliseconds. A random-effects meta-analysis of the pooled mean differences between baseline and follow-up parameters was conducted. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022336223). Results The final analysis included 11 studies of a total of 445 patients with Fabry disease (mean age ± SD, 41 years ± 11; 277 male, 168 female). Between baseline and follow-up cardiac MRI, the following did not change: T1 mapping (mean difference, 6 msec [95% CI: -2, 15]; two studies, 70 patients, = 88%) and LVM indexed (mean difference, -1 g/m [95% CI: -6, 3]; four studies, 290 patients, = 81%). The following measures minimally decreased: LVM (mean difference, -18 g [95% CI: -33, -3]; seven studies, 107 patients, = 96%) and MLVWT (mean difference, -1 mm [95% CI: -2, -0.02]; six studies, 151 patients, = 90%). LGE extent increased (mean difference, 1% [95% CI: 1, 1]; three studies, 114 patients, = 85%). Conclusion In patients with Fabry disease, enzyme replacement therapy was associated with stabilization of LVM, MLVWT, and T1 mapping values, whereas LGE extent mildly increased. Fabry Disease, Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT), Cardiac MRI, Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE) © RSNA, 2024.
Topics: Fabry Disease; Humans; Enzyme Replacement Therapy; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Heart Ventricles
PubMed: 38842453
DOI: 10.1148/ryct.230154