Optimal medical therapy improves outcomes in patients with diabetes mellitus and acute myocardial infarction.

AIMS: We aimed to explored the association between the use of optimal medical therapy (OMT) in patients with myocardial infarction (AMI) and diabetes mellitus (DM) and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Bleeding complications in a Multicenter registry of patients discharged with diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome (BleeMACS) is an international registry that enrolled participants with acute coronary syndrome followed up for at least 1 year across 15 centers from 2003 to 2014. Baseline characteristics and endpoints were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 3095 (23.2%) patients with AMI and DM, 1898 (61.3%) received OMT at hospital discharge. OMT was associated with significantly reduced mortality (4.3% vs. 10.8%, p < 0.001), re-AMI (4.4% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.001), and composite endpoint of death/re-AMI (8.0% vs. 17.6%, p < 0.001). No difference was observed among regions. Propensity score matching confirmed that OMT significantly associated with lower mortality. After adjusting for confounding variables, OMT, drug-eluting stents, and complete revascularization were independent protective factors of 1-year mortality, whereas left ventricular ejection fraction and age were risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Guideline-recommended OMT was prescribed at suboptimal frequencies with geographic variations in this worldwide cohort. OMT can improve long-term clinical outcomes in patients with DM and AMI. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02466854 June 9, 2015.

SOD2 Gene Variants (rs4880 and rs5746136) and Their Association with Breast Cancer Risk.

The superoxide dismutase (SOD) is the principal antioxidant defense system in the body that is activated by a reactive oxygen species. Some variants of the SOD2 gene have been associated with cancer. The rs4880 variant was determined by PCR real-time and the rs5746136 variant by PCR-RFLP in healthy subjects and in breast cancer (BC) patients. The rs4880 and rs5746136 variants were associated with BC susceptibility when BC patients and the control group were compared for the CT, TT, CTCC, and the T alleles (p < 0.05). The CT genotype of the rs4880 variant showed significant statistical differences in patients and controls aged ≤ 45 years old, and with hormonal consumption (p < 0.05). The rs4880 variant was associated with BC patients with CTTT genotype and obesity, the presence of DM2-SAH, and a non-chemotherapy response (p < 0.05). Additionally, the rs5746136 variant was associated with susceptibility to BC with Ki-67 (≥20%), luminal A type BC, and a chemotherapy partial response (p < 0.05) in BC patients who carry TT, TC, and CTTT genotypes, respectively. The haplotype T/T (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.20−3.26, p = 0.005) was observed to be a risk factor for BC. The rs4880 and rs5746136 variants in the SOD2 gene were associated with BC susceptibility.

GC/MS Analysis, Antioxidant Activity, and Antimicrobial Effect of Pelargonium peltatum (Geraniaceae).

In recent years, the increase in antibiotic resistance demands searching for new compounds with antimicrobial activity. Phytochemicals found in plants offer an alternative to this problem. The genus Pelargonium contains several species; some have commercial use in traditional medicine such as P. sinoides, and others such as P. peltatum are little studied but have promising potential for various applications such as phytopharmaceuticals. In this work, we characterized the freeze-dried extracts (FDEs) of five tissues (root, stem, leaf, and two types of flowers) and the ethyl acetate fractions from leaf (Lf-EtOAc) and flower (Fwr-EtOAc) of P. peltatum through the analysis by thin-layer chromatography (T.L.C.), gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), phytochemicals quantification, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity. After the first round of analysis, it was observed that the FDE-Leaf and FDE-Flower showed higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activities compared to the other FDEs, for which FDE-Leaf and FDE-Flower were fractionated and analyzed in a second round. The antioxidant activity determined by ABTS showed that Lf-EtOAc and Fwr-EtOAc had the lowest IC50 values with 27.15 ± 1.04 and 28.11 ± 1.3 µg/mL, respectively. The content of total polyphenols was 264.57 ± 7.73 for Lf-EtOAc and 105.39 ± 4.04 mg G.A./g FDE for Fwr-EtOAc. Regarding the content of flavonoid, Lf-EtOAc and Fw-EtOAc had the highest concentration with 34.4 ± 1.06 and 29.45 ± 1.09 mg Q.E./g FDE. In addition, the minimum inhibitory concentration (M.I.C.) of antimicrobial activity was evaluated: Lf-EtOAc and Fwr-EtOAc were effective at 31.2 µg/mL for Staphylococcus aureus and 62.5 µg/mL for Salmonella enterica, while for the Enterococcus feacalis strain, Fwr-EtOAc presented 31.2 µg/mL of M.I.C. According to the GC-MS analysis, the main compounds were 1,2,3-Benzenetriol (Pyrogallol), with 77.38% of relative abundance in the Lf-EtOAc and 71.24% in the Fwr-EtOAc, followed by ethyl gallate (13.10%) in the Fwr-EtOAc and (Z)-9-Octadecenamide (13.63% and 6.75%) in both Lf-EtOAc and Fwr-EtOAc, respectively.

Mild haemoglobin drop and clinical outcomes in acute coronary syndrome patients: finding from the BleeMACS registry.

BACKGROUND: Haemoglobin drop is common in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients and correlates with poor prognosis. However, the association between mild haemoglobin drop and adverse clinical outcome remains insufficiently investigated. This study aimed to examine the association between in-hospital haemoglobin drop and risk for adverse clinical outcomes in ACS patients, especially those with mild drop. METHODS: Included patients from the BleeMACS (Bleeding complications in a Multicenter registry of patients discharged after an Acute Coronary Syndrome) registry were categorized into three groups by the presence and amount of in-hospital haemoglobin drop (non-drop, mild drop and severe drop). The cut-off point between mild drop and severe drop is ≥ 3 g/dL. Multivariate Cox regression was used to assess the association between haemoglobin drop and major adverse cardiac endpoints (MACE). Patients taking potent P2Y12 inhibitors were selected for the additional analysis. Propensity score matching was used to avoid selective bias in the additional analysis. RESULTS: Of 6911 patients, 4949 patients (71.6%) experienced in-hospital haemoglobin drop. Compare with non-drop group, patients with haemoglobin drop had higher risk of MACE [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.03-1.80 for mild drop group; adjusted HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.07-2.68 for severe drop group]. Patients in mild drop group were less likely to receive potent P2Y12 inhibitors at discharge (mild drop group vs. severe drop group vs. non-drop group: 10.9% vs. 10.7% vs. 23.8%). After propensity score matching adjustment among patients with potent P2Y12 inhibitors, patients in mild drop group were not associated with an increased risk of MACE than those in non-drop group (adjusted HR = 1.52, 95% CI: 0.49-4.72). CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital haemoglobin drop was common in ACS patients and associated with a higher risk for adverse events. Reduced prescription for potent P2Y12 inhibitors may be responsible for poor prognoses among patients with mild haemoglobin drop.

Evaluation of optimal medical therapy in acute myocardial infarction patients with prior stroke.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with prior stroke is a common clinical dilemma. Currently, the application of optimal medical therapy (OMT) and its impact on clinical outcomes are not clear in this patient population. METHODS: We retrieved 765 AMI patients with prior stroke who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during the index hospitalization from the international multicenter BleeMACS registry. All of the subjects were divided into two groups based on the prescription they were given prior to discharge. Baseline characteristics and procedural variables were compared between the OMT and non-OMT groups. Mortality, re-AMI, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and bleeding were followed-up for 1 year. RESULTS: Approximately 5% of all patients presenting with AMI were admitted to the hospital for ischemic stroke. Although the prescription rate of each OMT medication was reasonably high (73.3%-97.3%), 47.7% lacked at least one OMT medication. Patients receiving OMT showed a significantly decreased occurrence of mortality (4.5% vs 15.1%, p < 0.001), re-AMI (4.2% vs 9.3%, p = 0.004), and the composite endpoint of death/re-AMI (8.6% vs 20.5%, p < 0.001) compared to those without OMT. No significant difference was observed between the groups regarding bleeding. After adjusting for confounding factors, OMT was the independent protective factor of 1-year mortality, while age was the independent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: OMT at discharge was associated with a significantly lower 1-year mortality of patients with AMI and prior stroke in clinical practice. However, OMT was provided to just half of the eligible patients, leaving room for substantial improvement. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02466854.

Influenza Vaccination for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in the Americas: Consensus document of the Inter-American Society of Cardiology and the Word Heart Federation.

Background: Cardiovascular mortality is decreasing but remains the leading cause of death world-wide. Respiratory infections such as influenza significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. Despite of proven benefits, influenza vaccination is not fully implemented, especially in Latin America. Objective: The aim was to develop a regional consensus with recommendations regarding influenza vaccination and cardiovascular disease. Methods: A multidisciplinary team composed by experts in the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease from the Americas, convened by the Inter-American Society of Cardiology (IASC) and the World Heart Federation (WHF), participated in the process and the formulation of statements. The modified RAND/UCLA methodology was used. This document was supported by a grant from the WHF. Results: An extensive literature search was divided into seven questions, and a total of 23 conclusions and 29 recommendations were achieved. There was no disagreement among experts in the conclusions or recommendations. Conclusions: There is a strong correlation between influenza and cardiovascular events. Influenza vaccination is not only safe and a proven strategy to reduce cardiovascular events, but it is also cost saving. We found several barriers for its global implementation and potential strategies to overcome them.

Prospective Evaluation of Transseptal TMVR for Failed Surgical Bioprostheses: MITRAL Trial Valve-in-Valve Arm 1-Year Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess 1-year clinical outcomes among high-risk patients with failed surgical mitral bioprostheses who underwent transseptal mitral valve-in-valve (MViV) with the SAPIEN 3 aortic transcatheter heart valve (THV) in the MITRAL (Mitral Implantation of Transcatheter Valves) trial. BACKGROUND: The MITRAL trial is the first prospective study evaluating transseptal MViV with the SAPIEN 3 aortic THV in high-risk patients with failed surgical mitral bioprostheses. METHODS: High-risk patients with symptomatic moderate to severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR) or severe mitral stenosis due to failed surgical mitral bioprostheses were prospectively enrolled. The primary safety endpoint was technical success. The primary THV performance endpoint was absence of MR grade ≥2+ or mean mitral valve gradient ≥10 mm Hg (30 days and 1 year). Secondary endpoints included procedural success and all-cause mortality (30 days and 1 year). RESULTS: Thirty patients were enrolled between July 2016 and October 2017 (median age 77.5 years [interquartile range (IQR): 70.3 to 82.8 years], 63.3% women, median Society of Thoracic Surgeons score 9.4% [IQR: 5.8% to 12.0%], 80% in New York Heart Association functional class III or IV). The technical success rate was 100%. The primary performance endpoint in survivors was achieved in 96.6% (28 of 29) at 30 days and 82.8% (24 of 29) at 1 year. Thirty-day all-cause mortality was 3.3% and was unchanged at 1 year. The only death was due to airway obstruction after swallowing several pills simultaneously 29 days post-MViV. At 1-year follow-up, 89.3% of patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II, the median mean mitral valve gradient was 6.6 mm Hg (interquartile range: 5.5 to 8.9 mm Hg), and all patients had MR grade ≤1+. CONCLUSIONS: Transseptal MViV in high-risk patients was associated with 100% technical success, low procedural complication rates, and very low mortality at 1 year. The vast majority of patients experienced significant symptom alleviation, and THV performance remained stable at 1 year.

A virtual-hybrid approach to launching a cardio-oncology clinic during a pandemic.

BACKGROUND: As cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in cancer survivors, the new subspecialty of Cardio-Oncology has emerged to address prevention, monitoring, and management of cardiovascular toxicities to cancer therapies. During the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we developed a Virtual-Hybrid Approach to build a de novo Cardio-Oncology Clinic. METHODS: We conceptualized a Virtual-Hybrid Approach including three arms: information seeking in locations with existing Cardio-Oncology clinics, information gathering at the location for a new clinic, and information sharing to report clinic-building outcomes. A retrospective review of outcomes included collection and synthesis of data from our first 3 months (at pandemic peak) on types of appointments, cancers, drugs, and cardiotoxicities. Data were presented using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A de-novo Cardio-Oncology clinic was developed structured from the ground up to integrate virtual and in-person care in a hybrid and innovative model, using the three arms of the Virtual-Hybrid Approach. First, we garnered in-person and virtual preparation through hands-on experiences, training, and discussions in existing Cardio-Oncology Clinics and conferences. Next, we gleaned information through virtual inquiry and niche-building. With partners throughout the institution, a virtual referral process was established for outpatient referrals and inpatient e-consult referrals to actualize a hybrid care spectrum for our patients administered by a multidisciplinary hybrid care team of clinicians, ancillary support staff, and clinical pharmacists. Among the multi-subspecialty clinic sessions, approximately 50% were in Cardio-Oncology, 20% in Preventive Cardiology, and 30% in General Cardiology. In the hybrid model, the Heart & Vascular Center had started to re-open, allowing for 65% of our visits to be in person. In additional analyses, the most frequent cardiovascular diagnosis was cardiomyopathy (34%), the most common cancer drug leading to referral was trastuzumab (29%), and the most prevalent cancer type was breast cancer (42%). CONCLUSION: This Virtual-Hybrid Approach and retrospective review provides guidance and information regarding initiating a brand-new Cardio-Oncology Clinic during the pandemic for cancer patients/survivors. This report also furnishes virtual resources for patients, virtual tools for oncologists, cardiologists, and administrators tasked with starting new clinics during the pandemic, and innovative future directions for this digital pandemic to post-pandemic era.

Antitumor Effect of Zwitterions of Imidazolium Derived from L-methionine in BALB/c Mice with Lymphoma L5178Y.

BACKGROUND: In the therapy of cancer, several treatments have been designed using nanomaterials, among which gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been featured as a promising antitumoral agent. Our research group has developed the synthesis of gold nanoparticles L-AuNPs and D-AuNPs stabilized with zwitterions of imidazolium (L-1 and D-1) derived from L-methionine and D-methionine. Because the stabilizer agent is chiral, we observed through circular dichroism that AuNPs also present chirality; such chirality as well as the fact that the stabilizing agent contains fragments of methionine and imidazolium that are commonly involved in biological processes, opens up the possibility that this system may have biological compatibility. Additionally, the presence of methionine in the stabilizing agent opens the application of this system as a possible antitumor agent because methionine is involved in methylation processes of molecules such as DNA. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research is the evaluation of the antitumor activity of gold nanoparticles stabilized with zwitterions of imidazolium (L-AuNPs) derived from L-methionine in the model of BALB/c mice with lymphoma L5178Y. METHODS: Taking as a parameter cell density, the evaluation of the inhibitory effect of L-AuNPs was carried out with a series of in vivo tests in BALB/c type mice; three groups of five mice each were formed (Groups 1, 2 and 3); all mice were i.p. inoculated with the lymphoblast murine L5178Y. Group 1 consisted of mice without treatment. In the Groups 2 and 3 the mice were treated with L-AuNPs at 0.3 mg/Kg on days 1, 7 and 14 by orally and intraperitonally respectively. RESULTS: These results show low antitumor activity of these gold nanoparticles (L-NPsAu) but interestingly, the imidazolium stabilizing agent of gold nanoparticle (L-1) displayed promising antitumor activity. On the other hand, the enantiomer of L-1, (D-1) as well as asymmetric imidazole derivate from L-methionine (L-2), do not exhibit the same activity as L-1. CONCLUSION: The imidazolium stabilizing agent (L-1) displayed promising antitumor activity. Modifications in the structure of L-1 showed that, the stereochemistry (like D-1) and the presence of methionine fragments (like L-2) are determinants in the antitumor activity of this compound.

National Physician Survey for Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation (NVAF) Anticoagulation Comparing Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Cardiologist to PCPs.

INTRODUCTION: NVAF is estimated to affect between 6.4 and 7.4 million Americans in 2018, and increases the risk of stroke 5-fold. To mitigate this risk, guidelines recommend anticoagulating AF patients unless their stroke risk is very low. Despite these recommendations, 30.0-60.0% of NVAF patients do not receive indicated anticoagulation. To better understand why this may be, we surveyed PCPs and cardiologists nationwide on their attitudes, knowledge and practices toward managing NVAF with warfarin and direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs). METHODS: We surveyed 1,000 PCPs and 500 cardiologists selected randomly from a master list of the American Medical Association, using a paper based, anonymous, self-administered, mailed scannable survey. The survey contained questions on key demographics and data concerning attitudes, knowledge and practices related to prescribing DOACs. The surveys went out in the fall/winter of 2017-8 with a $10 incentive gift card. Survey responses were scanned into an Excel database and analyzed using SAS 9.3 (Cary, NC) for descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-nine providers (167 PCPs, 82 cardiologists) participated in the study with a response rate of 18.8% (249/1320). Respondent mean years ±SD of experience since completing residency was 23.2 ± 13.8. Relative to cardiologists, less PCPs use CHADsVASC (36.8% vs. 74.4%) (p < 0.0001); more have never used HAS-BLED, HEMORR2HAGES, or ATRIA (38.5% vs. 9.8%) (p < .0001); more felt that their lack of knowledge/experience with DOACs was a barrier to prescribing the agents (p = 0.005); and more reported that they could use additional education on DOACs (87.0% vs. 47.0%) (p < 0.0001). Overall, cardiologists were more concerned about ischemic stroke outcomes, while PCPs were more concerned with GI bleeding. Cardiologists also felt that clinical trial data were most helpful in choosing the most appropriate DOAC for their patients, while PCPs felt that Real World Data was most useful. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiologists were more concerned with ischemic stroke while anticoagulating patients and utilized screening instruments like CHADsVASC in a majority of their patients. PCPs were concerned with GI bleeds when anticoagulating but nearly 40.0% utilized no screening tools to assess bleeding risk. Our findings show that future education about DOACs would be warranted especially with PCPs.

Trends and Outcomes of Restenosis After Coronary Stent Implantation in the United States.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data on the burden of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in the United States as well as on its presentation and appropriate treatment strategies. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to provide an analysis of the temporal trends, clinical presentation, treatment strategies, and in-hospital outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ISR in the United States. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of data collected in the Diagnostic Catheterization and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (CathPCI) registry of the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) between 2009 and 2017. Of the total patients undergoing PCI, we identified those undergoing PCI for ISR lesions. For comparison of in-hospital outcomes, propensity-score matching was employed. RESULTS: Among the 5,100,394 patients undergoing PCI, 10.6% of patients underwent PCI for ISR lesions. Patients with bare-metal stent ISR declined from 2.6% in 2009 Q3 to 0.9% in 2017 Q2 (p < 0.001), and drug-eluting stent ISR rose from 5.4% in 2009 Q3 to 6.3% in 2017 Q2 (p < 0.001). Patients with ISR PCI were less likely to present with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) (18.7% vs. 22.5%; p < 0.001) or ST-segment elevation MI (8.5% vs. 15.7%; p < 0.001). In the propensity-matched population of patients, there were no significant differences between patients with ISR and non-ISR PCI for in-hospital complications and hospital length of stay. CONCLUSIONS: ISR represents approximately 10% of all PCI and is treated most commonly with another stent. Approximately 25% of patients present with acute MI. In-hospital outcomes of patients with ISR PCI are comparable with those undergoing non-ISR PCI.

Medical Marijuana, Recreational Cannabis, and Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Cannabis, or marijuana, has potential therapeutic and medicinal properties related to multiple compounds, particularly Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol. Over the past 25 years, attitudes toward cannabis have evolved rapidly, with expanding legalization of medical and recreational use at the state level in the United States and recreational use nationally in Canada and Uruguay. As a result, the consumption of cannabis products is increasing considerably, particularly among youth. Our understanding of the safety and efficacy of cannabis has been limited by decades of worldwide illegality and continues to be limited in the United States by the ongoing classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. These shifts in cannabis use require clinicians to understand conflicting laws, health implications, and therapeutic possibilities. Cannabis may have therapeutic benefits, but few are cardiovascular in nature. Conversely, many of the concerning health implications of cannabis include cardiovascular diseases, although they may be mediated by mechanisms of delivery. This statement critically reviews the use of medicinal and recreational cannabis from a clinical but also a policy and public health perspective by evaluating its safety and efficacy profile, particularly in relationship to cardiovascular health.

Drug-Coated Balloons for Coronary Artery Disease: Third Report of the International DCB Consensus Group.

Although drug-eluting stents are still the default interventional treatment of coronary artery disease, drug-coated balloons (DCBs) represent a novel alternative therapeutic strategy in certain anatomic conditions. The effect of DCBs is based on the fast and homogenous transfer of antiproliferative drugs into the vessel wall during single balloon inflation by means of a lipophilic matrix without the use of permanent implants. Although their use is established for in-stent restenosis of both bare-metal and drug-eluting stents, recent randomized clinical data demonstrate a good efficacy and safety profile in de novo small-vessel disease and high bleeding risk. In addition, there are other emerging indications (e.g., bifurcation lesions, large-vessel disease, diabetes mellitus, acute coronary syndromes). Because the interaction among the different delivery balloon designs, doses, formulations, and release kinetics of the drugs used is important, there seems to be no "class effect" of DCBs. On the basis of the amount of recently published data, the International DCB Consensus Group provides this update of previous recommendations summarizing the historical background, technical considerations such as choice of device and implantation technique, possible indications, and future perspectives.

The impact of optimal medical therapy on patients with recurrent acute myocardial infarction: Subanalysis from the BleeMACS study.

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) recurrence is still high despite great progress in secondary prevention. Patients with recurrent AMI suffer worse prognosis compared to those with first AMI. The objective was to evaluate the effect of optimal medical therapy (OMT) on these patients with recurrent AMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sub-analysis was performed including 13,343 patients with AMI from the international multicenter Bleeding complications in a Multicenter registry of patients discharged with diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome (BleeMACS) registry. OMT was defined as the combination of aspirin, any P2Y12 inhibitor, statin, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, and beta-blocker. Among 1285 patients with prior AMI, 56.8% received OMT prescription. Patients receiving OMT suffered from less congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease, malignancy, and bleeding history. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates revealed that OMT was strongly related to decreased in all-cause death (4.2% vs. 10.1%, p < .001) and the composite endpoint of death/re-AMI (11.1% vs. 16.9%, p = .005) at 1-year follow-up. OMT was the independent protect factor of primary endpoint even after adjusting for multiple possible confounders (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.27-0.78; p = .004). However, no significant difference was observed regarding re-AMI between OMT and non-OMT groups. OMT also reduced all-cause death in patients with recurrent AMI after propensity score matching. CONCLUSIONS: The prescription of OMT was seriously insufficient in patients with recurrent AMI, especially high-risk patients, even though OMT was associated with improved prognosis. Further improvements in pharmacological therapy are needed to reduce subsequent recurrent events.

Thirty-Day Outcomes of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement for Degenerated Mitral Bioprostheses (Valve-in-Valve), Failed Surgical Rings (Valve-in-Ring), and Native Valve With Severe Mitral Annular Calcification (Valve-in-Mitral Annular Calcification) in the United States: Data From the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology/Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry.

BACKGROUND: Transcatheter mitral valve replacement using aortic transcatheter heart valves has recently become an alternative for patients with degenerated mitral bioprostheses, failed surgical repairs with annuloplasty rings or severe mitral annular calcification who are poor surgical candidates. Outcomes of these procedures are collected in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology/Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry. A comprehensive analysis of mitral valve-in-valve (MViV), mitral valve-in-ring (MViR), and valve-in-mitral annular calcification (ViMAC) outcomes has not been performed. We sought to evaluate short-term outcomes of early experience with MViV, MViR, and ViMAC in the United States. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry. RESULTS: Nine hundred three high-risk patients (median Society of Thoracic Surgeons score 10%) underwent MViV (n=680), MViR (n=123), or ViMAC (n=100) between March 2013 and June 2017 at 172 hospitals. Median age was 75 years, 59.2% female. Technical and procedural success were higher in MViV. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction occurred more frequently with ViMAC (ViMAC=10%, MViR=4.9%, MViV=0.7%; P<0.001). In-hospital mortality (MViV=6.3%, MViR=9%, ViMAC=18%; P=0.004) and 30-day mortality (MViV=8.1%, MViR=11.5%, ViMAC=21.8%; P=0.003) were higher in ViMAC. At 30-day follow-up, median mean mitral valve gradient was 7 mm Hg, most patients (96.7%) had mitral regurgitation grade ≤1 (+) and were in New York Heart Association class I to II (81.7%). CONCLUSIONS: MViV using aortic balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valves is associated with a low complication rate, a 30-day mortality lower than predicted by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, and superior short-term outcomes than MViR and ViMAC. At 30 days, patients in all groups experienced improvement of symptoms, and valve performance remained stable. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02245763.

The American Heart Association 2030 Impact Goal: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association.

Each decade, the American Heart Association (AHA) develops an Impact Goal to guide its overall strategic direction and investments in its research, quality improvement, advocacy, and public health programs. Guided by the AHA's new Mission Statement, to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives, the 2030 Impact Goal is anchored in an understanding that to achieve cardiovascular health for all, the AHA must include a broader vision of health and well-being and emphasize health equity. In the next decade, by 2030, the AHA will strive to equitably increase healthy life expectancy beyond current projections, with global and local collaborators, from 66 years of age to at least 68 years of age across the United States and from 64 years of age to at least 67 years of age worldwide. The AHA commits to developing additional targets for equity and well-being to accompany this overarching Impact Goal. To attain the 2030 Impact Goal, we recommend a thoughtful evaluation of interventions available to the public, patients, providers, healthcare delivery systems, communities, policy makers, and legislators. This presidential advisory summarizes the task force's main considerations in determining the 2030 Impact Goal and the metrics to monitor progress. It describes the aspiration that these goals will be achieved by working with a diverse community of volunteers, patients, scientists, healthcare professionals, and partner organizations needed to ensure success.

Incidence, predictors and prognostic impact of intracranial bleeding within the first year after an acute coronary syndrome in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: The rate of intracranial haemorrhage after an acute coronary syndrome has been studied in detail in the era of thrombolysis; however, in the contemporary era of percutaneous coronary intervention, most of the data have been derived from clinical trials. With this background, we aim to analyse the incidence, timing, predictors and prognostic impact of post-discharge intracranial haemorrhage in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS: We analysed data from the BleeMACS registry (patients discharged for acute coronary syndrome and undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention from Europe, Asia and America, 2003-2014). Analyses were conducted using a competing risk framework. Uni and multivariate predictors of intracranial haemorrhage were assessed using the Fine-Gray proportional hazards regression analysis. The endpoint was 1-year post-discharge intracranial haemorrhage. RESULTS: Of 11,136 patients, 30 presented with intracranial haemorrhage during the first year (0.27%). The median time to intracranial haemorrhage was 150 days (interquartile range 55.7-319.5). The fatality rate of intracranial haemorrhage was very high (30%). After multivariate analysis, only age (subhazard ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.07) and prior stroke/transient ischaemic attack (hazard ratio 3.29, 95% confidence interval 1.36-8.00) were independently associated with a higher risk of intracranial haemorrhage. Hypertension showed a trend to associate with higher intracranial haemorrhage rate. The combination of older age (⩾75 years), prior stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and/or hypertension allowed us to identify most of the patients with intracranial haemorrhage (86.7%). The annual rate of intracranial haemorrhage was 0.1% in patients with no risk factors, 0.2% in those with one factor, 0.6% in those with two factors and 1.3% in those with three factors. CONCLUSION: The incidence of intracranial haemorrhage in the first year after an acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention is low. Advanced age, previous stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and hypertension are the main predictors of increased intracranial haemorrhage risk.