Contemporary Training in American Critical Care Cardiology: Minnesota Critical Care Cardiology Education Summit: JACC Scientific Expert Panel.

This consensus statement emerges from collaborative efforts among leading figures in critical care cardiology throughout the United States, who met to share their collective expertise on issues faced by those active in or pursuing contemporary critical care cardiology education. The panel applied fundamentals of adult education and curriculum design, reviewed requisite training necessary to provide high-quality care to critically ill patients with cardiac pathology, and devoted attention to a purposeful approach emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in developing this nascent field. The resulting paper offers a comprehensive guide for current trainees, with insights about the present landscape of critical care cardiology while highlighting issues that need to be addressed for continued advancement. By delineating future directions with careful consideration and intentionality, this Expert Panel aims to facilitate the continued growth and maturation of critical care cardiology education and practice.

Continuum of Preshock to Classic Cardiogenic Shock in the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network Registry.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic implications of phenotypes along the preshock to cardiogenic shock (CS) continuum remain uncertain. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to better characterize pre- or early shock and normotensive CS phenotypes and examine outcomes compared to those with conventional CS. METHODS: The CCCTN (Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network) is a registry of contemporary cardiac intensive care units. Consecutive admissions (N = 28,703 across 47 sites) meeting specific criteria based on hemodynamic variables, perfusion parameters, and investigator-reported CS were classified into 1 of 4 groups or none: isolated low cardiac output (CO), heart failure with isolated hypotension, normotensive CS, or SCAI (Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention) stage C CS. Outcomes of interest were in-hospital mortality and incidence of subsequent hypoperfusion among pre- and early shock states. RESULTS: A total of 2,498 admissions were assigned to the 4 groups with the following distribution: 4.8% isolated low CO, 4.4% isolated hypotension, 12.1% normotensive CS, and 78.7% SCAI stage C CS. Overall in-hospital mortality was 21.3% (95% CI: 19.7%-23.0%), with a gradient across phenotypes (isolated low CO 3.6% [95% CI: 1.0%-9.0%]; isolated hypotension 11.0% [95% CI: 6.9%-16.6%]; normotensive CS 17.0% [95% CI 13.0%-21.8%]; SCAI stage C CS 24.0% [95% CI: 22.1%-26.0%]; global P < 0.001). Among those with an isolated low CO and isolated hypotension on admission, 47 (42.3%) and 56 (30.9%) subsequently developed hypoperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: In a large contemporary registry of cardiac critical illness, there exists a gradient of mortality for phenotypes along the preshock to CS continuum with risk for subsequent worsening of preshock states. These data may inform refinement of CS definitions and severity staging.

Epidemiology of Cardiogenic Shock Using the Shock Academic Research Consortium (SHARC) Consensus Definitions.

BACKGROUND: The Shock Academic Research Consortium (SHARC) recently proposed pragmatic consensus definitions to standardize classification of cardiogenic shock (CS) in registries and clinical trials. We aimed to describe contemporary CS epidemiology using the SHARC definitions in a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) population. METHODS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network (CCCTN) is a multinational research network of advanced CICUs coordinated by the TIMI Study Group (Boston, MA). CS was defined as a cardiac disorder resulting in SBP<90mmHg for ≥30 minutes (or the need for vasopressors, inotropes, or mechanical circulatory support [MCS] to maintain SBP ≥90mmHg) with evidence of hypoperfusion. Primary etiologic categories included acute myocardial infarction-related CS (AMI-CS), heart failure-related CS (HF-CS), and non-myocardial (secondary) CS. Post-cardiotomy CS was not included. HF-CS was further subcategorized as de novo vs. acute-on-chronic HF-CS. Patients with both cardiogenic and non-cardiogenic components of shock were classified separately as mixed CS. RESULTS: Of 8,974 patients meeting shock criteria (2017-2023), 65% had isolated CS and 17% had mixed shock. Among patients with CS (n=5,869), 27% had AMI-CS (65% STEMI), 59% HF-CS (72% acute-on-chronic, 28% de novo), and 14% secondary CS. Patients with AMI-CS and de novo HF-CS were most likely to have had concomitant cardiac arrest (p<0.001). Patients with AMI-CS and mixed CS were most likely to present in more severe shock stages (SCAI D or E; p<0.001). Temporary MCS use was highest in AMI-CS (59%). In-hospital mortality was highest in mixed CS (48%), followed by AMI-CS (41%), similar in de novo HF-CS (31%) and secondary CS (31%), and lowest in acute-on-chronic HF-CS (25%; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: SHARC consensus definitions for CS classification can be pragmatically applied in contemporary registries and reveal discrete subpopulations of CS with distinct phenotypes and outcomes that may be relevant to clinical practice and future research.

Risk of new-onset diabetes and efficacy of pharmacological weight loss therapy.

AIMS: To develop a clinical risk model to identify individuals at higher risk of developing new-onset diabetes and who might benefit more from weight loss pharmacotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 21 143 patients without type 2 diabetes at baseline from two TIMI clinical trials of stable cardiovascular patients were divided into a derivation (~2/3) and validation (~1/3) cohort. The primary outcome was new-onset diabetes. Twenty-seven candidate risk variables were considered, and variable selection was performed using multivariable Cox regression. The final model was evaluated for discrimination and calibration, and for its ability to identify patients who experienced a larger benefit from the weight loss medication lorcaserin in terms of risk of new-onset diabetes. RESULTS: During a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 2.3 (1.8-2.7) years, new-onset diabetes occurred in 1013 patients (7.7%). The final model included five independent predictors (glycated haemoglobin, fasting glucose, age, body mass index, and triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein). The clinical risk model showed good discrimination (Harrell's C-indices 0.802, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.788-0.817 and 0.807, 95% CI 0.788-0.826) in the derivation and validation cohorts. The calibration plot demonstrated adequate calibration (2.5-year area under the curve was 81.2 [79.1-83.5]). While hazard ratios for new-onset diabetes with a weight-loss therapy were comparable across risk groups (annual risks of <1%, 1%-5%, and >5%), there was a sixfold gradient in absolute risk reduction from lowest to highest risk group (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: The developed clinical risk model effectively predicts new-onset diabetes, with potential implications for personalized patient care and therapeutic decision making.

Sex Differences in Characteristics, Resource Utilization, and Outcomes of Cardiogenic Shock: Data From the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network (CCCTN) Registry.

BACKGROUND: Sex disparities exist in the management and outcomes of various cardiovascular diseases. However, little is known about sex differences in cardiogenic shock (CS). We sought to assess sex-related differences in the characteristics, resource utilization, and outcomes of patients with CS. METHODS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a multicenter registry of advanced cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) in North America. Between 2018 and 2022, each center (N=35) contributed annual 2-month snapshots of consecutive CICU admissions. Patients with CS were stratified as either CS after acute myocardial infarction or heart failure-related CS (HF-CS). Multivariable logistic regression was used for analyses. RESULTS: Of the 22 869 admissions in the overall population, 4505 (20%) had CS. Among 3923 patients with CS due to ventricular failure (32% female), 1235 (31%) had CS after acute myocardial infarction and 2688 (69%) had HF-CS. Median sequential organ failure assessment scores did not differ by sex. Women with HF-CS had shorter CICU lengths of stay (4.5 versus 5.4 days; P<0.0001) and shorter overall lengths of hospital stay (10.9 versus 12.8 days; P<0.0001) than men. Women with HF-CS were less likely to receive pulmonary artery catheters (50% versus 55%; P<0.01) and mechanical circulatory support (26% versus 34%; P<0.0001) compared with men. Women with HF-CS had higher in-hospital mortality than men, even after adjusting for age, illness severity, and comorbidities (34% versus 23%; odds ratio, 1.76 [95% CI, 1.42-2.17]). In contrast, there were no significant sex differences in utilization of advanced CICU monitoring and interventions, or mortality, among patients with CS after acute myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Women with HF-CS had lower use of pulmonary artery catheters and mechanical circulatory support, shorter CICU lengths of stay, and higher in-hospital mortality than men, even after accounting for age, illness severity, and comorbidities. These data highlight the need to identify underlying reasons driving the differences in treatment decisions, so outcomes gaps in HF-CS can be understood and eliminated.

Targeted proteomic profiling of cardiogenic shock in the cardiac intensive care unit.

AIMS: We sought to characterize circulating protein biomarkers associated with cardiogenic shock (CS) using highly multiplex proteomic profiling. METHODS AND RESULTS: This analysis employed a cross-sectional case-control study design using a biorepository of patients admitted to a cardiac intensive care unit between 2017 and 2020. Cases were patients adjudicated to have CS, and controls were those presenting for cardiac critical care without shock, including subsets of patients with isolated hypotension or heart failure (HF). The Olink platform was used to analyse 359 biomarkers with Bonferroni correction. The analysis included 239 patients presenting for cardiac critical care (69 cases with CS, 170 non-shock controls). A total of 63 biomarkers (17.7%) were significantly associated with CS after Bonferroni correction compared with all controls. Of these, nine biomarkers remained significantly associated with CS when separately cross-validated in subsets of controls presenting with isolated hypotension and HF: cathepsin D, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-21 and -23, growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, osteopontin, oncostatin-M-specific receptor subunit beta (OSMR), and soluble ST2 protein (sST2). Four biomarkers were identified as providing complementary information for CS diagnosis with development of a multi-marker model: sST2, FGF-23, CTSD, and GDF-15. CONCLUSION: In this pilot study of targeted proteomic profiling in CS, we identified nine biomarkers significantly associated with CS when cross-validated against non-shock controls including those with HF or isolated hypotension, illustrating the potential application of a targeted proteomic approach to identify novel candidates that may support the diagnosis of CS.

Early Serial Assessment of Aggregate Vasoactive Support and Mortality in Cardiogenic Shock: Insights From the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network Registry.

BACKGROUND: Associations of early changes in vasoactive support with cardiogenic shock (CS) mortality remain incompletely defined. METHODS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a multicenter registry of cardiac intensive care units. Patients admitted with CS (2018-2023) had vasoactive dosing assessed at 4 and 24 hours from cardiac intensive care unit admission and quantified by the vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS). Prognostic associations of VIS at both time points, as well as change in VIS from 4 to 24 hours, were examined. Interaction testing was performed based on mechanical circulatory support status. RESULTS: Among 3665 patients, 82% had a change in VIS <10, with 7% and 11% having a ≥10-point increase and decrease from 4 to 24 hours, respectively. The 4 and 24-hour VIS were each associated with cardiac intensive care unit mortality (13%-45% and 11%-73% for VIS <10 to ≥40, respectively; Ptrend <0.0001 for each). Stratifying by the 4-hour VIS, changes in VIS from 4 to 24 hours had a graded association with mortality, ranging from a 2- to >4-fold difference in mortality comparing those with a ≥10-point increase to ≥10-point decrease in VIS (Ptrend <0.0001). The change in VIS alone provided good discrimination of cardiac intensive care unit mortality (C-statistic, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.70-0.75]) and improved discrimination of the 24-hour Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (0.72 [95% CI, 0.69-0.74] to 0.76 [95% CI, 0.74-0.78]) and the clinician-assessed Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions shock stage (0.72 [95% CI, 0.70-0.74] to 0.77 [95% CI, 0.75-0.79]). Although present in both groups, the mortality risk associated with VIS was attenuated in patients managed with versus without mechanical circulatory support (odds ratio per 10-point higher 24-hour VIS, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.23-1.49] versus 1.84 [95% CI, 1.69-2.01]; Pinteraction <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Early changes in the magnitude of vasoactive support in CS are associated with a gradient of risk for mortality. These data suggest that early VIS trajectory may improve CS prognostication, with the potential to be leveraged for clinical decision-making and research applications in CS.

Pulmonary Artery Diastolic Pressure as a Surrogate for Pulmonary Capillary Wedge Pressure in Cardiogenic Shock.

BACKGROUND: It is common for clinicians to use the pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (PADP) as a surrogate for the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP). Here, we determine the validity of this relationship in patients with various phenotypes of cardiogenic shock (CS). METHODS AND RESULTS: In this analysis of the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network registry, we identified 1225 people admitted with CS who received pulmonary artery catheters. Linear regression, Bland-Altman and receiver operator characteristic analyses were performed to determine the strength of the association between PADP and PCWP in patients with left-, right-, biventricular, and other non-myocardia phenotypes of CS (eg, arrhythmia, valvular stenosis, tamponade). There was a moderately strong correlation between PADP and PCWP in the total population (r = 0.64, n = 1225) and in each CS phenotype, except for right ventricular CS, for which the correlation was weak (r = 0.43, n = 71). Additionally, we found that a PADP ≥ 24 mmHg can be used to infer a PCWP ≥ 18 mmHg with ≥ 90% confidence in all but the right ventricular CS phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis validates the practice of using PADP as a surrogate for PCWP in most patients with CS; however, it should generally be avoided in cases of right ventricular-predominant CS.

Modes of Death in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit: A Report from the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on how patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) die. METHODS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a research network of cardiac intensive care units coordinated by the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Study Group (Boston, MA). Using standardized definitions, site investigators classified direct modes of in-hospital death for CS admissions (October 2021 to September 2022). Mutually exclusive categories included 4 modes of cardiovascular death and 4 modes of noncardiovascular death. Subgroups defined by CS type, preceding cardiac arrest (CA), use of temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS), and transition to comfort measures were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 1068 CS cases, 337 (31.6%) died during the index hospitalization. Overall, the mode of death was cardiovascular in 82.2%. Persistent CS was the dominant specific mode of death (66.5%), followed by arrhythmia (12.8%), anoxic brain injury (6.2%), and respiratory failure (4.5%). Patients with preceding CA were more likely to die from anoxic brain injury (17.1% vs 0.9%; P < .001) or arrhythmia (21.6% vs 8.4%; P < .001). Patients managed with tMCS were more likely to die from persistent shock (P < .01), both cardiogenic (73.5% vs 62.0%) and noncardiogenic (6.1% vs 2.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Most deaths in CS are related to direct cardiovascular causes, particularly persistent CS. However, there is important heterogeneity across subgroups defined by preceding CA and the use of tMCS.

Efficacy and Safety of Non-Vitamin-K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants Versus Warfarin Across the Spectrum of Body Mass Index and Body Weight: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis of 4 Randomized Clinical Trials of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of non-vitamin-K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) across the spectrum of body mass index (BMI) and body weight (BW) remain uncertain. METHODS: We analyzed data from COMBINE AF (A Collaboration Between Multiple Institutions to Better Investigate Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Use in Atrial Fibrillation), which pooled patient-level data from the 4 pivotal randomized trials of NOAC versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. The primary efficacy and safety outcomes were stroke or systemic embolic events (stroke/SEE) and major bleeding, respectively; secondary outcomes were ischemic stroke/SEE, intracranial hemorrhage, death, and the net clinical outcome (stroke/SEE, major bleeding, or death). Each outcome was examined across BMI and BW. Because few patients had a BMI <18.5 kg/m2 (n=598), the primary analyses were restricted to those with a BMI ≥18.5 kg/m2. RESULTS: Among 58 464 patients, the median BMI was 28.3 (interquartile range, 25.2-32.2) kg/m2, and the median BW was 81.0 (interquartile range, 70.0-94.3) kg. The event probability of stroke/SEE was lower at a higher BMI irrespective of treatment, whereas the probability of major bleeding was lower at a higher BMI with warfarin but relatively unchanged across BMI with NOACs. NOACs reduced stroke/SEE overall (adjusted hazard ratio [HRadj], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.73-0.88]; P<0.001), with a generally consistent effect across BMI (Ptrend across HRs, 0.48). NOACs also reduced major bleeding overall (HRadj, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.82-0.94]; P<0.001), but with attenuation of the benefit at a higher BMI (trend test across BMI [Ptrend], 0.003). The overall treatment effects of NOACs versus warfarin for secondary outcomes were consistent across BMI, with the exception of the net clinical outcome and death. While these outcomes were overall reduced with NOACs (net clinical outcome, HRadj, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.87-0.95]; P<0.001; death, HRadj, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.86-0.97]; P=0.003), these benefits were attenuated at higher BMI (Ptrend, 0.001 and 0.08, respectively). All findings were qualitatively similar when analyzed across BW. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment effect of NOACs versus warfarin in atrial fibrillation is generally consistent for stroke/SEE across the spectrum of BMI and BW, whereas the reduction in major bleeding is attenuated in those with higher BMI or BW. Death and the net clinical outcome are overall reduced with NOACs over warfarin, although there remain uncertainties for these outcomes at a very high BMI and BW.

Interhospital Variation in Admissions Managed With Critical Care Therapies or Invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring in Tertiary Cardiac Intensive Care Units: An Analysis From the Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network Registry.

BACKGROUND: Wide interhospital variations exist in cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU) admission practices and the use of critical care restricted therapies (CCRx), but little is known about the differences in patient acuity, CCRx utilization, and the associated outcomes within tertiary centers. METHODS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a multicenter registry of tertiary and academic CICUs in the United States and Canada that captured consecutive admissions in 2-month periods between 2017 and 2022. This analysis included 17 843 admissions across 34 sites and compared interhospital tertiles of CCRx (eg, mechanical ventilation, mechanical circulatory support, continuous renal replacement therapy) utilization and its adjusted association with in-hospital survival using logistic regression. The Pratt index was used to quantify patient-related and institutional factors associated with CCRx variability. RESULTS: The median age of the study population was 66 (56-77) years and 37% were female. CCRx was provided to 62.2% (interhospital range of 21.3%-87.1%) of CICU patients. Admissions to CICUs with the highest tertile of CCRx utilization had a greater burden of comorbidities, had more diagnoses of ST-elevation myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, or cardiogenic shock, and had higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores. The unadjusted in-hospital mortality (median, 12.7%) was 9.6%, 11.1%, and 18.7% in low, intermediate, and high CCRx tertiles, respectively. No clinically meaningful differences in adjusted mortality were observed across tertiles when admissions were stratified by the provision of CCRx. Baseline patient-level variables and institutional differences accounted for 80% and 5.3% of the observed CCRx variability, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a large registry of tertiary and academic CICUs, there was a >4-fold interhospital variation in the provision of CCRx that was primarily driven by differences in patient acuity compared with institutional differences. No differences were observed in adjusted mortality between low, intermediate, and high CCRx utilization sites.

Rationale and design of the effect of evolocumab in patients at high cardiovascular risk without prior myocardial infarction or stroke (VESALIUS-CV) trial.

BACKGROUND: The reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with evolocumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody inhibitor of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9i), reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) with a prior MI, prior stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease, with no offsetting safety concerns. The effect of evolocumab on CV outcomes in lower risk patients without a history of MI or stroke has not been explored. STUDY DESIGN: VESALIUS-CV is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global clinical trial designed to evaluate the effect of evolocumab on the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients at high cardiovascular risk but without a prior ischemic event. The study population consists of 12,301 patients with atherosclerosis or high-risk diabetes mellitus without a prior MI or stroke; an LDL-C ≥ 90 mg/dL, or non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) ≥ 120 mg/dL, or apolipoprotein B ≥ 80 mg/dL; and treated with optimized lipid-lowering therapy. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to evolocumab 140 mg subcutaneously every 2 weeks or matching placebo. The primary efficacy objective is to assess whether evolocumab reduces the risk of the dual primary composite endpoints of coronary heart disease (CHD) death, myocardial infarction (MI), or ischemic stroke (triple primary endpoint) and of CHD death, MI, ischemic stroke, or ischemia-driven arterial revascularization (quadruple primary endpoint). Recruitment began in June 2019 and completed in November 2021. The trial is planned to continue until at least 751 patients experience an adjudicated triple endpoint, at least 1254 experience an adjudicated quadruple endpoint, and the median follow-up is ≥4.5 years. CONCLUSION: VESALIUS-CV will determine whether the addition of evolocumab to optimized lipid-lowering therapy reduces cardiovascular events in patients at high cardiovascular risk without a prior MI or stroke. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03872401.

Natriuretic peptides, body mass index and heart failure risk: Pooled analyses of SAVOR-TIMI 53, DECLARE-TIMI 58 and CAMELLIA-TIMI 61.

AIM: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations are lower in patients with obesity. The interaction between body mass index (BMI) and NT-proBNP with respect to heart failure risk remains incompletely defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were pooled across three randomized clinical trials enrolling predominantly patients who were overweight or obese with established cardiometabolic disease: SAVOR-TIMI 53, DECLARE-TIMI 58 and CAMELLIA-TIMI 61. Hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) was examined across strata of baseline BMI and NT-proBNP. The effect of dapagliflozin versus placebo was assessed for a treatment interaction across BMI categories in patients with or without an elevated baseline NT-proBNP (≥125 pg/ml). Among 24 455 patients, the median NT-proBNP was 96 (interquartile range [IQR]: 43-225) pg/ml and the median BMI was 33 (IQR 29-37) kg/m2, with 68% of patients having a BMI ≥30 kg/m2. There was a significant inverse association between NT-proBNP and BMI which persisted after adjustment for all clinical variables (p < 0.001). Within any range of NT-proBNP, those at higher BMI had higher risk of HHF at 2 years (comparing BMI <30 vs. ≥40 kg/m2 for NT-proBNP ranges of <125, 125-<450 and ≥450 pg/ml: 0.0% vs. 0.6%, 1.3% vs. 4.0%, and 8.1% vs. 13.8%, respectively), which persisted after multivariable adjustment (adjusted hazard ratio [HRadj] 7.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.16-17.66, HRadj 3.22 [95% CI 2.13-4.86], and HRadj 1.87 [95% CI 1.35-2.60], respectively). In DECLARE-TIMI 58, dapagliflozin versus placebo consistently reduced HHF across BMI categories in those with an elevated NT-proBNP (p-trend for HR across BMI = 0.60), with a pattern of greater absolute risk reduction (ARR) at higher BMI (ARR for BMI <30 to ≥40 kg/m2: 2.2% to 4.7%; p-trend = 0.059). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of HHF varies across BMI categories for any given range of circulating NT-proBNP. These findings showcase the importance of considering BMI when applying NT-proBNP for heart failure risk stratification, particularly for patients with low-level elevations in NT-proBNP (125-<450 pg/ml) where there appears to be a clinically meaningful absolute and relative risk gradient.

Research Priorities in Critical Care Cardiology: JACC Expert Panel.

Over the last several decades, the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) has seen a substantial evolution in the patient population, comorbidities, and diagnoses. However, the generation of high-quality evidence to manage these complex and critically ill patients has been slow. Given the scarcity of clinical trials focused on critical care cardiology (CCC), CICU clinicians are often left to extrapolate from studies that either exclude or poorly represent the patient population admitted to CICUs. The lack of high-quality evidence and limited guidance from society guidelines has led to significant variation in practice patterns for many of the most common CICU diagnoses. Several barriers, both common to critical care research and unique to CCC, have impeded progress. In this multinational perspective, we describe key areas of priority for CCC research, current challenges for investigation in the CICU, and essential elements of a path forward for the field.

Prognostic significance of haemodynamic parameters in patients with cardiogenic shock.

AIMS: Invasive haemodynamic assessment with a pulmonary artery catheter is often used to guide the management of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) and may provide important prognostic information. We aimed to assess prognostic associations and relationships to end-organ dysfunction of presenting haemodynamic parameters in CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is an investigator-initiated multicenter registry of cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) in North America coordinated by the TIMI Study Group. Patients with CS (2018-2022) who underwent invasive haemodynamic assessment within 24 h of CICU admission were included. Associations of haemodynamic parameters with in-hospital mortality were assessed using logistic regression, and associations with presenting serum lactate were assessed using least squares means regression. Sensitivity analyses were performed excluding patients on temporary mechanical circulatory support and adjusted for vasoactive-inotropic score. Among the 3603 admissions with CS, 1473 had haemodynamic data collected within 24 h of CICU admission. The median cardiac index was 1.9 (25th-75th percentile, 1.6-2.4) L/min/m2 and mean arterial pressure (MAP) was 74 (66-86) mmHg. Parameters associated with mortality included low MAP, low systolic blood pressure, low systemic vascular resistance, elevated right atrial pressure (RAP), elevated RAP/pulmonary capillary wedge pressure ratio, and low pulmonary artery pulsatility index. These associations were generally consistent when controlling for the intensity of background pharmacologic and mechanical haemodynamic support. These parameters were also associated with higher presenting serum lactate. CONCLUSION: In a contemporary CS population, presenting haemodynamic parameters reflecting decreased systemic arterial tone and right ventricular dysfunction are associated with adverse outcomes and systemic hypoperfusion.

Pulmonary Artery Catheter Use and Mortality in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: The appropriate use of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) in critically ill cardiac patients remains debated. OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to characterize the current use of PACs in cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) with attention to patient-level and institutional factors influencing their application and explore the association with in-hospital mortality. METHODS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a multicenter network of CICUs in North America. Between 2017 and 2021, participating centers contributed annual 2-month snapshots of consecutive CICU admissions. Admission diagnoses, clinical and demographic data, use of PACs, and in-hospital mortality were captured. RESULTS: Among 13,618 admissions at 34 sites, 3,827 were diagnosed with shock, with 2,583 of cardiogenic etiology. The use of mechanical circulatory support and heart failure were the patient-level factors most strongly associated with a greater likelihood of the use of a PAC (OR: 5.99 [95% CI: 5.15-6.98]; P < 0.001 and OR: 3.33 [95% CI: 2.91-3.81]; P < 0.001, respectively). The proportion of shock admissions with a PAC varied significantly by study center ranging from 8% to 73%. In analyses adjusted for factors associated with their placement, PAC use was associated with lower mortality in all shock patients admitted to a CICU (OR: 0.79 [95% CI: 0.66-0.96]; P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: There is wide variation in the use of PACs that is not fully explained by patient level-factors and appears driven in part by institutional tendency. PAC use was associated with higher survival in cardiac patients with shock presenting to CICUs. Randomized trials are needed to guide the appropriate use of PACs in cardiac critical care.

Assessment of Atherothrombotic Risk in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Risk of atherothrombotic events is not uniform in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Tailored risk assessment may help guide selection of pharmacotherapies for cardiovascular primary and secondary prevention. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a risk model for atherothrombosis in patients with T2DM. METHODS: We developed and validated a risk model for myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke (IS) in a pooled cohort of 42,181 patients with T2DM from 4 TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) clinical trial cohorts. Candidate variables were assessed with multivariable Cox regression, and independent variables (P < 0.05) were retained in the final model. Discrimination and calibration were assessed. Treatment interactions with dapagliflozin (sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor) and evolocumab (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor) were explored in the DECLARE-TIMI 58 (Dapagliflozin Effect on CardiovascuLAR Events-Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction 58) and FOURIER (Further Cardiovascular Outcomes Research with PCSK9 Inhibition in Subjects with Elevated Risk) trials, respectively. RESULTS: Sixteen variables were independent predictors of MI or IS. The model identified a >8-fold gradient of MI or IS rates between the top vs bottom risk quintiles in the validation cohort (3-year Kaplan-Meier rate: 14.9% vs 1.4%; P < 0.0001). C-indexes were 0.704 and 0.706 in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. The model was well-calibrated in both primary and secondary prevention. Absolute reduction in the rates of MI or IS tended to be greater in patients with higher baseline predicted risk for both dapagliflozin (absolute risk reduction: 2.1% vs 0.2%) and evolocumab (absolute risk reduction: 3.2% vs 1.0%). CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated a risk score for atherothrombotic events, leveraging 16 routinely assessed clinical variables in patients with T2DM. The score has the potential to improve risk assessment and inform clinical decision-making.

Single-cell transcriptomics reveal a hyperacute cytokine and immune checkpoint axis after cardiac arrest in patients with poor neurological outcome.

BACKGROUND: Most patients hospitalized after cardiac arrest (CA) die because of neurological injury. The systemic inflammatory response after CA is associated with neurological injury and mortality but remains poorly defined. METHODS: We determine the innate immune network induced by clinical CA at single-cell resolution. FINDINGS: Immune cell states diverge as early as 6 h post-CA between patients with good or poor neurological outcomes 30 days after CA. Nectin-2+ monocyte and Tim-3+ natural killer (NK) cell subpopulations are associated with poor outcomes, and interactome analysis highlights their crosstalk via cytokines and immune checkpoints. Ex vivo studies of peripheral blood cells from CA patients demonstrate that immune checkpoints are a compensatory mechanism against inflammation after CA. Interferon γ (IFNγ)/interleukin-10 (IL-10) induced Nectin-2 on monocytes; in a negative feedback loop, Nectin-2 suppresses IFNγ production by NK cells. CONCLUSIONS: The initial hours after CA may represent a window for therapeutic intervention in the resolution of inflammation via immune checkpoints. FUNDING: This work was supported by funding from the American Heart Association, Brigham and Women's Hospital Department of Medicine, the Evergreen Innovation Fund, and the National Institutes of Health.