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Journal of Cardiology Jun 2024Palliative care (PC) benefits cancer patients and those with heart failure (HF), improving quality of life and symptom burden. Despite guidelines recommending the...
BACKGROUND
Palliative care (PC) benefits cancer patients and those with heart failure (HF), improving quality of life and symptom burden. Despite guidelines recommending the integration of PC into HF care, its use remains inadequate, partly due to insufficient public awareness. This study aimed to assess the public awareness of PC for HF in Japan and identify factors associated with awareness.
METHODS
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from March 6-13, 2023, using a panel operated by Intage Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), which has a pool of 3.78 million potential Japanese respondents. The survey included 51,790 participants, matched for sex, age, and region of residence. Participants were asked about their awareness of PC eligibility for HF, along with demographic information, history of hospitalization for sudden illness, outpatient visits, and health status in the previous 2 years. The χ test and Cramer's V were used to analyze associations between awareness and variables, and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate awareness predictors.
RESULTS
In total, 91 % of participants were unaware of PC eligibility for HF. Age group, healthcare professional occupation, and history of hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction, acute HF, acute pulmonary embolism, and ruptured aortic aneurysm had weak to moderate associations with awareness. Multivariate analysis revealed that a history of hospitalization for sudden cardiovascular illness and being a healthcare professional were positively related to awareness, while age, female sex, and being married were associated with lower odds of awareness.
CONCLUSION
The low public awareness of PC for HF in Japan underscores the importance of increasing awareness of the eligibility of PC for HF, as well as cancer, to integrate PC into HF practice as basic care.
PubMed: 38839041
DOI: 10.1016/j.jjcc.2024.05.012 -
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Jun 2024Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is an effective treatment for a wide range of shoulder pathologies. Literature investigating the impact of COVID-19 diagnosis on...
BACKGROUND
Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is an effective treatment for a wide range of shoulder pathologies. Literature investigating the impact of COVID-19 diagnosis on outcomes following TSA is limited. The objective of this study was to perform a retrospective multi-institutional database analysis to investigate the association between preoperative COVID-19 diagnosis and 60-day complications following TSA.
METHODS
We queried the TriNetX database using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes for patients who underwent a TSA from January 1, 2018 to July 1, 2023. Patients were categorized by those who had and those who did not have a diagnosis of COVID-19 within 30 days prior to surgery. The cohorts were matched based on age, gender, ethnicity, race, and past medical history. Chi-square analysis was performed to determine the relationship between COVID-19 diagnosis and 60-day postoperative complications including pneumonia, sepsis, emergency department (ED) visit, hospital admission, mortality, periprosthetic fracture, superficial wound infection, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), acute myocardial infarction (MI), and revision surgery. The search results identified a total 63,768 patients who met study criteria. Of these patients, 7,118 (11.08%) were diagnosed with COVID-19 within 30 days prior to their TSA procedure. Propensity score matching resulted in 6,982 patients in each of the two cohorts.
RESULTS
Patients with a recent COVID-19 diagnosis prior to surgery had 1.96 (P = 0.0005) times the odds of sepsis, 1.42 (P = 0.0032) times the odds of superficial wound infections, 1.42 (P < 0.0001) times the odds of DVT, 1.52 (P = 0.0001) times the odds of PE, 1.10 (P = 0.0249) and 1.79 (P < 0.0001) times the odds of ED visits and hospital admissions, respectively, and 3.10 (P < 0.0001) and 2.87 (P < 0.0001) times the odds of periprosthetic fracture and revision surgery within 60 days of TSA.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests an increased risk of sepsis, ED visits, hospital admissions, periprosthetic fracture, superficial wound infection, DVT, PE, and revision surgery in TSA patients with a recent COVID-19 diagnosis. There may be significant benefit to closer monitoring and greater preventive measures to reduce the occurrence of postoperative complications in this setting. In addition, patients may benefit from postponing elective TSA procedures in the setting of a recent COVID-19 infection.
PubMed: 38838844
DOI: 10.1016/j.jse.2024.04.007 -
International Journal of Cardiology Sep 2024Extensive ablation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) has not yielded consistent results, indicating... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Extensive ablation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) has not yielded consistent results, indicating diversity in their efficacy. Mitral regurgitation (MR) associated with AF may indicate a higher prevalence of arrhythmogenic substrate, suggesting potential benefits of extensive ablation for these patients.
METHODS
This post-hoc analysis of the EARNEST-PVI trial compared PVI alone versus an extensive ablation strategy (PVI-plus) in persistent AF patients, stratified by MR presence. The primary endpoint of the study was the recurrence of AF. The secondary endpoints included death, cerebral infarction, and procedure-related complications.
RESULTS
The trial included 495 eligible patients divided into MR and non-MR groups. The MR group consisted of 192 patients (89 in the PVI-alone arm and 103 in the PVI-plus arm), while the non-MR group had 303 patients (158 in the PVI-alone arm and 145 in the PVI-plus arm). In the non-MR group, recurrence rates were similar between PVI-alone and PVI-plus arms (Log-rank P = 0.47, Hazard ratio = 0.85 [95%CI: 0.54-1.33], P = 0.472). However, in the MR group, PVI-plus was significantly more effective in preventing AF recurrence (Log-rank P = 0.0014, Hazard ratio = 0.40 [95%CI: 0.22-0.72], P = 0.0021). No significant differences were observed in secondary endpoints between the two arms.
CONCLUSIONS
For persistent AF patients with mild or greater MR, receiving PVI-plus was superior to PVI-alone in preventing AF recurrence. Conversely, for patients without MR, the effectiveness of extensive ablation was not demonstrated. These findings suggest tailoring ablation strategies based on MR presence can lead to better outcomes in AF management.
Topics: Humans; Atrial Fibrillation; Male; Female; Mitral Valve Insufficiency; Prospective Studies; Catheter Ablation; Middle Aged; Aged; Treatment Outcome; Pulmonary Veins; Follow-Up Studies; Recurrence
PubMed: 38838745
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2024.132231 -
The Journal of Heart and Lung... Jun 2024The Impella 5.0 and 5.5 pumps (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) are large-bore transvalvular micro-axial assist devices used in cardiogenic shock (CS) for patients requiring...
BACKGROUND
The Impella 5.0 and 5.5 pumps (Abiomed, Danvers, MA) are large-bore transvalvular micro-axial assist devices used in cardiogenic shock (CS) for patients requiring high-capacity flow. Despite their increasing use, real-world data regarding indications, rates of utilization and clinical outcomes with this therapy are limited. The objective of our study was to examine clinical profiles and outcomes of patients in a contemporary, real-world CS registry of patients who received an Impella 5.0/5.5 alone or in combination with other temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) devices.
METHODS
The CS Working Group (CSWG) Registry includes patients from 34 US hospitals. For this analysis, data from patients who received an Impella 5.0/5.5 between 2020-2023 were analyzed. Use of Impella 5.0/5.5 with or without additional tMCS therapies, duration of support, adverse events and outcomes at hospital discharge were studied. Adverse events including stroke, limb ischemia, bleeding and hemolysis were not standardized by the registry but reported per individual CSWG Primary Investigator discretion. For those who survived, rates of native heart recovery (NHR) or heart replacement therapy (HRT) including heart transplant (HT), or durable ventricular assist device (VAD) were recorded. We also assessed outcomes based on shock etiology (acute myocardial infarction or MI-CS vs. heart failure-related CS or HF-CS).
RESULTS
Among 6,205 patients, 754 received an Impella 5.0/5.5 (12.1%), including 210 MI-CS (27.8%) and 484 HF-CS (64.1%) patients. Impella 5.0/5.5 was used as the sole tMCS device in 32% of patients, while 68% of patients received a combination of tMCS devices. Impella cannulation sites were available for 524/754 (69.4%) of patients, with 93.5% axillary configuration. Survival to hospital discharge for those supported with an Impella 5.0/5.5 was 67%, with 20.4% NHR and 45.5% HRT. Compared to HF-CS, patients with MI-CS supported on Impella 5.0/5.5 had higher in-hospital mortality (45.2% vs 26.2%, p < 0.001) and were less likely to receive HRT (22.4% vs 56.6%, p < 0.001. For patients receiving a combination of tMCS during hospitalization, this was associated with higher rates of limb ischemia (9% vs. 3%, p < 0.01), bleeding (52% vs 33%, p < 0.01), and mortality (38% vs 25%; p < 0.001) compared to Impella 5.0/5.5 alone. Among Impella 5.0/5.5 recipients, the median duration of pump support was 12.9 days (IQR: 6.8-22.9) and longer in patients bridged to HRT (14 days; IQR: 7.7-28.4).
CONCLUSIONS
In this multi-center cohort of patients with CS, use of Impella 5.0/5.5 was associated with an overall survival of 67.1% and high rates of HRT. Lower adverse event rates were observed when Impella 5.0/5.5 was the sole support device used. Further study is required to determine whether a strategy of early Impella 5.0/5.5 use for CS improves survival.
CONDENSED ABSTRACT
High capacity Impella heart pumps are capable of provide up to 5.5 liter/min of flow while upper body surgical placement allows for ambulation. Patients with advanced cardiogenic shock from acute myocardial infarction or heart failure requiring temporary mechanical circulatory support may benefit from upfront use of Impella 5.5 to improve overall survival, including native heart recovery or successful bridge to durable left ventricular assist device surgery or heart transplantation.
PubMed: 38834162
DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2024.05.015 -
Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... Jun 2024While most cases of venous thromboembolism follow a benign course, occasionally the condition may manifest a complex clinical presentation and need a comprehensive...
BACKGROUND
While most cases of venous thromboembolism follow a benign course, occasionally the condition may manifest a complex clinical presentation and need a comprehensive diagnostic workup to identify the underlying cause and provide the patient with appropriate treatment.
CASE PRESENTATION
A woman in her late thirties presented to the emergency department with a five-day history of dyspnoea. She had recently undergone liposuction surgery after pregnancy. Upon admission, initial investigations revealed a pulmonary embolism with right heart strain, and she was treated with anticoagulants. The following day, she complained of acute-onset right flank pain without fever or other accompanying symptoms. A CT scan of the abdomen confirmed a right-side renal infarction. Further investigations revealed patent foramen ovale between the right and left atria of the heart, believed to be the source of a right-to-left shunt of arterial emboli. Although the patient had not suffered a clinical stroke, it was decided to close this defect using percutaneous technique.
INTERPRETATION
Patent foramen ovale is a common condition in adults, but in most cases it remains asymptomatic. However, patients with patent foramen ovale have an elevated risk of arterial emboli affecting multiple organs. The diagnosis depends on thorough assessment to prevent potentially fatal outcomes.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adult; Foramen Ovale, Patent; Dyspnea; Abdominoplasty; Pulmonary Embolism; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Infarction; Postoperative Complications
PubMed: 38832610
DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.23.0742 -
BMJ Open Jun 2024Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an inexpensive and widely available medication that reduces blood loss and red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in cardiac and orthopaedic... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION
Tranexamic acid (TXA) is an inexpensive and widely available medication that reduces blood loss and red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in cardiac and orthopaedic surgeries. While the use of TXA in these surgeries is routine, its efficacy and safety in other surgeries, including oncologic surgeries, with comparable rates of transfusion are uncertain. Our primary objective is to evaluate whether a hospital-level policy implementation of routine TXA use in patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery reduces RBC transfusion without increasing thrombotic risk.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
A pragmatic, registry-based, blinded, cluster-crossover randomised controlled trial at 10 Canadian sites, enrolling patients undergoing non-cardiac surgeries at high risk for RBC transfusion. Sites are randomised in 4-week intervals to a hospital policy of intraoperative TXA or matching placebo. TXA is administered as 1 g at skin incision, followed by an additional 1 g prior to skin closure. Coprimary outcomes are (1) effectiveness, evaluated as the proportion of patients transfused RBCs during hospital admission and (2) safety, evaluated as the proportion of patients diagnosed with venous thromboembolism within 90 days. Secondary outcomes include: (1) transfusion: number of RBC units transfused (both at a hospital and patient level); (2) safety: in-hospital diagnoses of myocardial infarction, stroke, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism; (3) clinical: hospital length of stay, intensive care unit admission, hospital survival, 90-day survival and the number of days alive and out of hospital to day 30; and (4) compliance: the proportion of enrolled patients who receive a minimum of one dose of the study intervention.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
Institutional research ethics board approval has been obtained at all sites. At the completion of the trial, a plain language summary of the results will be posted on the trial website and distributed in the lay press. Our trial results will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT04803747.
Topics: Humans; Tranexamic Acid; Antifibrinolytic Agents; Canada; Blood Loss, Surgical; Cross-Over Studies; Erythrocyte Transfusion; Organizational Policy
PubMed: 38830735
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084847 -
EFORT Open Reviews Jun 2024This study sought to determine if the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in preexisting thromboembolic risk patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) was linked to an...
PURPOSE
This study sought to determine if the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in preexisting thromboembolic risk patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) was linked to an increased risk of death or postoperative complications.
METHODS
We conducted a comprehensive search for studies up to May 2023 in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. We included randomized clinical trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies examining the use of TXA during TJA surgeries on high-risk patients. The Cochrane Risk of Bias instrument was used to gauge the excellence of RCTs, while the MINORS index was implemented to evaluate cohort studies. We used mean difference (MD) and relative risk (RR) as effect size indices for continuous and binary data, respectively, along with 95% CIs.
RESULTS
Our comprehensive study, incorporating data from 11 diverse studies involving 812 993 patients, conducted a meta-analysis demonstrating significant positive outcomes associated with TXA administration. The findings revealed substantial reductions in critical parameters, including overall blood loss (MD = -237.33; 95% CI (-425.44, -49.23)), transfusion rates (RR = 0.45; 95% CI (0.34, 0.60)), and 90-day unplanned readmission rates (RR = 0.86; 95% CI (0.76, 0.97)). Moreover, TXA administration exhibited a protective effect against adverse events, showing decreased risks of pulmonary embolism (RR = 0.73; 95% CI (0.61, 0.87)), myocardial infarction (RR = 0.47; 95% CI (0.40-0.56)), and stroke (RR = 0.73; 95% CI (0.59-0.90)). Importantly, no increased risk was observed for mortality (RR = 0.53; 95% CI (0.24, 1.13)), deep vein thrombosis (RR = 0.69; 95% CI (0.44, 1.09)), or any of the evaluated complications associated with TXA use.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study indicate that the use of TXA in TJA patients with preexisting thromboembolic risk does not exacerbate complications, including reducing mortality, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. Existing evidence strongly supports the potential benefits of TXA in TJA patients with thromboembolic risk, including lowering blood loss, transfusion, and readmission rates.
PubMed: 38828967
DOI: 10.1530/EOR-23-0140 -
Coronary Artery Disease Jun 2024The aim of this study was to determine the best clinical predictors of acute heart failure needing mechanical ventilation (MV) in the first 48 h of evolution of...
AIM
The aim of this study was to determine the best clinical predictors of acute heart failure needing mechanical ventilation (MV) in the first 48 h of evolution of patients admitted because of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
METHODS
We analyzed a cohort of patients admitted for ACS between February 2017 and February 2018. A pulmonary ultrasound was performed on admission and was considered positive (PE+) when there were three or more B-lines in two quadrants or more of each hemithorax. It was compared with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), peak troponin T-us value GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events), CRUSADE (Can Rapid risk stratification of Unstable angina patients Suppress ADverse outcomes with Early implementation of the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines - Bleeding Score), CACS (Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome risk score), and HAMIOT (Heart Failure after Acute Myocardial Infarction with Optimal Treatment score) scores, shock index, ejection fraction, chest X-ray, and Killip class at admission as predictors of MV in the first 48 h of admission.
RESULTS
A total of 119 patients were included: 54.6% with ST elevation and 45.4% without ST elevation. Twelve patients (10.1%) required MV in the first 48 h of evolution. The sensitivity of PE+ was 100% (73.5-100%), specificity 91.6% (84.6-96.1%), and area under the curve was 0.96 (0.93-0.96). The sensitivity of an NT-proBNP value more than 3647 was 88.9% (51.9-99.7%), specificity 92.1% (84.5-96.8%), and area under the curve was 0.905 (0.793-1). The κ statistic between both predictors was 0.579. All the other scores were significantly worse than PE + .
CONCLUSION
Lung ultrasound and a high NT-proBNP (3647 ng/L in our series) on admission are the best predictors of acute heart failure needing MV in the first 48 h of ACS. The agreement between both tests was only moderate.
PubMed: 38828510
DOI: 10.1097/MCA.0000000000001396 -
European Heart Journal Jun 2024
PubMed: 38822728
DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae304 -
Internal and Emergency Medicine May 2024Low-dose azithromycin prophylaxis is associated with improved outcomes in people suffering frequent exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but...
Low-dose azithromycin prophylaxis is associated with improved outcomes in people suffering frequent exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the use of macrolides in patients with cardiovascular disease has been debated. To investigate the risk of adverse events after COPD exacerbations in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with azithromycin prophylaxis. Retrospective cohort study within the TriNetX Platform, including AF patients with COPD exacerbations. Risks of primary and secondary outcomes were recorded up to 30 days post-COPD exacerbations and compared between azithromycin users and azithromycin non-users. The primary outcomes were the risks for a composite of (1) cardiovascular (all-cause death, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrest), and (2) hemorrhagic events (intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and gastro-intestinal bleeding). Cox-regression analyses compared outcomes between groups after propensity score matching (PSM). After PSM, azithromycin users (n = 2434, 71 ± 10 years, 49% females) were associated with a lower 30-day risk of post-exacerbation cardiovascular (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.61-0.73) and hemorrhagic composite outcome (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.32-0.64) compared to azithromycin non-users (n = 2434, 72 ± 11 years, 51% females). The beneficial effect was consistent for each secondary outcomes, except ICH. On sensitivity analyses, the reduced risk of adverse events in azithromycin users was irrespective of smoking status, exacerbation severity, and type of oral anticoagulation. Azithromycin prophylaxis is associated with a lower risk of all-cause death, thrombotic and hemorrhagic events in AF patients with COPD. The possible role of azithromycin prophylaxis as part of the integrated care management of AF patients with COPD needs further study.
PubMed: 38819711
DOI: 10.1007/s11739-024-03653-0