Protocol-driven approach to guideline-directed medical therapy optimization for heart failure: A real-world application to recovery.

The objective of our study was to evaluate the real-world effects of an aggressive, personalized protocol for guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) titration in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We conducted a two-center retrospective cohort study. Patients with HFrEF who presented to a HF clinic from January 2020 to December 2022 were placed on a GDMT protocol. 180 patients were included in the study. Mean GDMT score significantly increased from 4.7 to 5.9 (p < 0.001) between initial and final visits. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) significantly increased from 28 % to 33 % (+5 %, p < 0.001). 27 (15.7 %) of the 172 patients with complete New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification data had improvement by at least 1 class, while 2 (1.2 %) patients had worsening NYHA classification. 140 (77.8 %) patients had no unplanned hospitalizations between visits. 21 (11.7 %) patients had an unplanned hospitalization for acute HF during the study period with a mean time from first clinic visit to hospitalization of 183 days (range: 13-821 days). 2 (1.1 %) patients were hospitalized due to GDMT-associated adverse drug events (i.e. hypotension, hyperkalemia). 7 (3.9 %) patients died during the study period, which was lower than the predicted 1-year death rate for our cohort (12.3 %) using the MAGGIC score. In conclusion, an aggressive, personalized protocol for GDMT titration in patients with HFrEF led to significant improvements in LVEF, NYHA classification, hospitalization, and mortality in a real-world setting. This protocol may help serve as a road map to lessen the gap between clinical knowledge and practice surrounding optimization of GDMT and move HFrEF patients toward a path to recovery.

Transthyretin cardiac amyloid: Broad heart failure phenotypic spectrum and implications for diagnosis.

AIMS: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) is most often associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, patients may present with impaired systolic function at the time of diagnosis, which has not been widely investigated. We sought to explore the prevalence of various heart failure (HF) phenotypes and their associated clinical characteristics at the time of ATTR-CA diagnosis. METHODS: We performed a single-centre retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with ATTR-CA evaluated between February 2016 and December 2022. Data on patient demographics, comorbidities, imaging and laboratory findings were compared across HF phenotypes (age: 78.1 ± 8.6 years, with 91.1% male). A total of 21.6% (n = 46) presented with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), 17.8% (n = 38) with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and 60.6% (n = 129) with HFpEF at the time of diagnosis with ATTR-CA. Those presenting with HFrEF or HFmrEF were more likely to be African American and had significantly worse New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, higher N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and higher serum creatinine levels as compared with those with HFpEF. CONCLUSIONS: Although ATTR-CA is traditionally thought to be seen primarily among patients with HFpEF, our data suggest that ATTR-CA has a higher prevalence among patients with HFrEF, which underscores the importance of heightened clinical suspicion regardless of ejection fraction when considering ATTR-CA. Furthermore, although comorbidities are similar, patients with HFmrEF and HFrEF had a worse symptom burden.

Guide to Temporary Mechanical Support in Cardiogenic Shock: Choosing Wisely.

Cardiogenic shock is a multisystem pathology that carries a high mortality rate, and initial pharmacotherapies include the use of vasopressors and inotropes. These agents can increase myocardial oxygen consumption and decrease tissue perfusion that can oftentimes result in a state of refractory cardiogenic shock for which temporary mechanical circulatory support can be considered. Numerous support devices are available, each with its own hemodynamic blueprint. Defining a patient's hemodynamic profile and understanding the phenotype of cardiogenic shock is important in device selection. Careful patient selection incorporating a multidisciplinary team approach should be utilized.

Defining optimal left ventricular assist device short-term outcomes may provide insight into programmatic quality assessment.

BACKGROUND: Patients have substantial variability in perioperative outcomes after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant. A perioperative multidimensional tool integrating mortality, adverse events (AEs), and patient-reported outcomes to assist in quality improvement initiatives is needed. METHODS: Patients undergoing HeartMate 3 LVAD implant (January 1, 2017 to January 31, 2024) in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' Intermacs registry were studied. Cox proportional hazard multivariable analyses incorporating AEs as time-varying covariates for mortality out to 180 days was used to generate the INtermacs Short term composITE quality score (INSITE score derivation), reflecting the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for mortality contributed by each AE, applying the global ranking methodology. In those alive and on support at 6 months, multivariable logistic regression (odds ratio) was used to examine the impact of AEs on health-related quality of life (QOL) at 180 days, captured through the INSITE-QOL score. Failure to achieve ≥1 point increase in visual analog scale from baseline was the event. RESULTS: Of 13,148 patients, 4,389 (33.4%) suffered at least 1 AE or death through 180 days. Stroke (survival: HR 13.1; QOL: HR 1.7), dialysis (survival: HR 31.4; QOL: HR 4.2), prolonged respiratory failure (survival: HR 5.7; QOL: HR 2.3), reoperation (survival: HR 3.4; QOL: HR 1.6), and right heart failure (survival: 5.0; QOL: HR 1.4), contributed to both mortality and failure to improve QOL at 180 days (all p < 0.05). The median INSITE and INSITE-QOL scores were 0.0 [0.0, 1.6] and 0.0 [0.0, 0.0], respectively. At 9.4% (n = 17) of centers, a high INSITE score (≥13) was present in 15% of patients, while the top 25% of centers had perfect INSITE-QOL scores in at least 75% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: AEs after LVAD confer differential impact on mortality and QOL, enabling the development of global rank outcome scores. Given the high mortality hazard conferred by 180-day AEs, center-specific quality interventions aimed at reducing early complications provide the greatest opportunity to improve long-term survival and QOL.

Skeletal muscle quantity and quality evaluation in heart failure: comparing thoracic versus abdominopelvic CT approaches.

Given the critical role of skeletal muscle in healthy aging, low muscle mass (myopenia) and quality (myosteatosis) can be used as predictors of poor functional and cardiometabolic outcomes. Myopenia is also a part of sarcopenia and malnutrition diagnostic criteria. However, there is limited evidence for using chest computed tomography (CT) to evaluate muscle health. We aimed to compare chest CT landmarks to the widely used L3 vertebra for single-slice skeletal muscle evaluation in patients with heart failure (HF). Patients admitted for acute decompensated HF between January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Body composition measurements were made on CT of the chest and abdomen/pelvis with or without contrast one month before discharge. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) and intermuscular adipose tissue percentage (IMAT%) were calculated at several thoracic levels (above the aortic arch, T8, and T12) and correlated to the widely used L3 level. A total of 200 patients were included, 89 (44.5%) female. The strongest correlation of thoracic SMI (for muscle quantity) and IMAT% (for muscle quality) with L3 was at the T12 level (r = 0.834, p < 0.001 and r = 0.757, p < 0.001, respectively). Cutoffs to identify low muscle mass for T12 SMI (derived from the lowest sex-stratified L3 SMI tertile) were 31.1 cm²/m² in men and 26.3 cm²/m² in women. SMI and IMAT% at T12 had excellent correlations with the widely used L3 level for muscle quantity and quality evaluation in patients with HF.

Predictors of developing renal dysfunction following diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis.

BACKGROUND: In patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA), renal dysfunction is a poor prognostic indicator. Limited data are available on variables that portend worsening renal function (wRF) among ATTR-CA patients. OBJECTIVES: This study assesses which characteristics place patients at higher risk for the development of wRF (defined as a drop of ≥10% in glomerular filtration rate [GFR]) within the first year following diagnosis of ATTR-CA. METHODS: We included patients with ATTR-CA (n = 134) evaluated between 2/2016 and 12/2022 and followed for up to 1 year at our amyloid clinic. Patients were stratified into two groups: a group with maintained renal function (mRF) and a group with wRF and compared using appropriate testing. Significant variables in the univariate analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression model to determine characteristics associated with wRF. RESULTS: Within a follow-up period of 326 ± 118 days, the median GFR% change measured -6% [-18%, +8]. About 41.8% (n = 56) had wRF, while the remainder had mRF. In addition, in patients with no prior history of chronic kidney disease (CKD), 25.5% developed de novo CKD. On multivariable logistic regression, only New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ≥III (odds ratio [OR]: 3.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.6-9.3]), history of ischemic heart disease (IHD) (OR: 0.3, 95% CI: [0.1-0.7]), and not receiving SGLT-2i (OR: 0.1, 95% CI: [0.02-0.5]) were significant predictors of wRF. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that the development of de novo renal dysfunction or wRF is common following the diagnosis of ATTR-CA. Additionally, we identified worse NYHA class and no prior history of IHD as significant predictors associated with developing wRF, while receiving SGLT-2i therapy appeared to be protective in this population.

Race, Genotype, and Prognosis in Black Patients With Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Previous studies suggest worse outcomes in patients with variant transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) because of valine-to-isoleucine substitution at Position 122 (V122I) (ATTRv-CA) compared with patients with wild-type (WT) disease (ATTRwt-CA). Given V122I is almost exclusively found in Black patients, it is unclear if this is attributable to the biology of genotype or racial differences. Patients with ATTR-CA diagnosed between January 2001 and August 2021 were characterized into 3 categories: (1) White with ATTRwt-CA (White-WT); (2) Black with V122I ATTRv-CA (Black-V122I), and (3) Black with ATTRwt-CA (Black-WT). Event-free survival (composite of death, left ventricular assist device, or cardiac transplant) was evaluated using univariable and multivariable analyses over a median follow-up of 1.6 (0.7 to 2.90) years. Of 694 ATTR-CA patients, 502 (72%) were White-WT, 139 Black-V122I (20%), and 53 Black-WT (8%). Notably, 28% of Black patients with ATTR-CA had WT disease and not the V122I variant. Using multivariable modeling to adjust for several prognostic features, Black-V122I had higher risk of the composite adverse outcome compared with a grouped cohort of patients with WT disease (White-WT and Black-WT) (hazard ratio [HR] 1.82, confidence interval [CI] 1.30-2.56, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the Black cohort as a whole (Black-V122I and Black-WT) demonstrated greater risk of adverse outcomes compared with White-WT (HR 1.63, CI 1.19-2.24, p = 0.002). Black-V122I had greater risk of the primary end point compared with White-WT (HR 1.80, CI 1.27-2.56, p = 0.001). Black patients with ATTR-CA have worse event-free survival than White-WT despite risk adjustment. However, it remains unclear whether this is driven by differences in race or genotype given the smaller number of Black-WT patients. Approximately one-quarter of Black patients had WT, of which a greater proportion were female compared with White-WT.

Combined Prognostic Impact of Low Muscle Mass and Hypoalbuminemia in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia and hypoalbuminemia have been identified as independent predictors of increased adverse outcomes, including mortality and readmissions, in hospitalized older adults with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). However, the impact of coexisting sarcopenia and hypoalbuminemia on morbidity and death in adults with ADHF has not yet been investigated. We aimed to investigate the combined effects of lower muscle mass (LMM) as a surrogate for sarcopenia and hypoalbuminemia on in-hospital and postdischarge outcomes of patients hospitalized for ADHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 385 patients admitted for ADHF between 2017 and 2020 at a single institution were retrospectively identified. Demographic and clinical data were collected, including serum albumin levels at admission and discharge. Skeletal muscle indices were derived from semi-automated segmentation software analysis on axial chest computed tomography at the twelfth vertebral level. Our analysis revealed that patients who had LMM with admission hypoalbuminemia experienced increased diagnoses of infection and delirium with longer hospital length of stay and more frequent discharge to a facility. Upon discharge, 27.9% of patients had higher muscle mass without discharge hypoalbuminemia (reference group), 9.7% had LMM without discharge hypoalbuminemia, 38.4% had higher muscle mass with discharge hypoalbuminemia, and 24.0% had LMM with discharge hypoalbuminemia; mortality rates were 37.6%, 51.4%, 48.9%, and 63.2%, respectively. 1- and 3-year mortality risks were highest in those with LMM and discharge hypoalbuminemia; this relationship remained significant over a median 23.6 (3.1-33.8) months follow-up time despite multivariable adjustments (hazard ratio, 2.03 [95% CI, 1.31-3.16]; P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalization with ADHF, LMM, and hypoalbuminemia portend heightened mortality risk.

Patients' and physicians' beliefs and attitudes towards integrating personalized risk estimates into patient education about left ventricular assist device therapy.

BACKGROUND: Personalized risk (PR) estimates may enhance clinical decision making and risk communication by providing individualized estimates of patient outcomes. We explored stakeholder attitudes toward the utility, acceptability, usefulness and best-practices for integrating PR estimates into patient education and decision making about Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). METHODS AND RESULTS: As part of a 5-year multi-institutional AHRQ project, we conducted 40 interviews with stakeholders (physicians, nurse coordinators, patients, and caregivers), analyzed using Thematic Content Analysis. All stakeholder groups voiced positive views towards integrating PR in decision making. Patients, caregivers and coordinators emphasized that PR can help to better understand a patient's condition and risks, prepare mentally and logistically for likely outcomes, and meaningfully engage in decision making. Physicians felt it can improve their decision making by enhancing insight into outcomes, enhance tailored pre-emptive care, increase confidence in decisions, and reduce bias and subjectivity. All stakeholder groups also raised concerns about accuracy, representativeness and relevance of algorithms; predictive uncertainty; utility in relation to physician's expertise; potential negative reactions among patients; and overreliance. CONCLUSION: Stakeholders are optimistic about integrating PR into clinical decision making, but acceptability depends on prospectively demonstrating accuracy, relevance and evidence that benefits of PR outweigh potential negative impacts on decision making quality.

The spectrum of post-myocardial infarction care: From acute ischemia to heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), with incidence ranging from 14% to 36% in patients admitted due to AMI. HF post-MI develops due to complex inter-play between macrovascular obstruction, microvascular dysfunction, myocardial stunning and remodeling, inflammation, and neuro-hormonal activation. Cardiogenic shock is an extreme presentation of HF post-MI and is associated with a high mortality. Early revascularization is the only therapy shown to improve survival in patients with cardiogenic shock. Treatment of HF post-MI requires prompt recognition and timely introduction of guideline-directed therapies to improve mortality and morbidity. This article aims to provide an up-to-date review on the incidence and pathogenesis of HF post-MI, current strategies to prevent and treat onset of HF post-MI, promising therapeutic strategies, and knowledge gaps in the field.

Validation of the Minnesota Pectoralis Risk Score to predict mortality in the HeartMate 3 population.

BACKGROUND: The Minnesota Pectoralis Risk Score (MPRS) utilizes computed tomography-quantified thoracic muscle and clinical variables to predict survival after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The model has not been prospectively tested in HeartMate 3 recipients. METHODS: A single-center HeartMate 3 cohort from July 2016 to July 2021 (n = 108) was utilized for this analysis. Cohort subjects with complete covariates for MPRS calculation (pectoralis muscle measures, Black race, creatinine, total bilirubin, body mass index, bridge to transplant status, and presence/absence of contrast) implanted after MPRS development were included. MPRS were calculated on each subject. Receiver operating characteristic curves were generated to test model discrimination at 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality post-LVAD. Next, the performance of the 1-year post-LVAD outcome was compared to the HeartMate 3 survival risk score (HM3RS). RESULTS: The mean age was 58 (15 years), 80% (86/108) were male, and 26% (28/108) were destination therapy. The area under the curve (AUC) for the MPRS model to predict post-LVAD mortality was 0.73 at 30 days, 0.78 at 90 days, and 0.81 at 1 year. The AUC for the HM3RS for the 1-year outcome was 0.693. Each 1-unit point of the MPRS was associated with a significant increase in the hazard rate of death after LVAD (hazard ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.5-3.0, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The MPRS had high performance in this prospective validation, particularly with respect to 90-day and 1-year post-LVAD mortality. Such a tool can provide additional information regarding risk stratification to aid informed decision-making.

Changes in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction and Clinical Trajectories of Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis with Systolic Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) is classically thought of as a progressive disease with preserved systolic function. The longitudinal clinical trajectories of ATTR-CM with impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) remain unclear. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with ATTR-CM who underwent two or more echocardiograms with baseline LVEF < 50%. Patients were stratified according to the presence of ≥5% change in LVEF. A Cox proportional hazard model examined hazard of a composite outcome of death, transplant, or LVAD insertion over the two years following diagnosis. RESULTS: In our study cohort of 179 patients, 62 patients (34.6%) experienced an increase in LVEF while 33 (18.4%) experienced a decrease in LVEF. After adjusting for covariates, patients with a decrease in EF experienced increased hazard of death (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.05-4.40, p = 0.038) compared to those with stable or an increase in LVEF. Changes in LVEF corresponded with significant differences in NT proBNP trajectories, but initial biomarker levels or clinical staging were not predictive of LVEF trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: in ATTR-CM patients with impaired LVEF, over a third demonstrated improved LVEF over time, while those with a decrease in LVEF had worse long-term outcomes.

Aspirin and Hemocompatibility Events With a Left Ventricular Assist Device in Advanced Heart Failure: The ARIES-HM3 Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) enhance quality and duration of life in advanced heart failure. The burden of nonsurgical bleeding events is a leading morbidity. Aspirin as an antiplatelet agent is mandated along with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) with continuous-flow LVADs without conclusive evidence of efficacy and safety. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether excluding aspirin as part of the antithrombotic regimen with a fully magnetically levitated LVAD is safe and decreases bleeding. DESIGN, SETTING, and PARTICIPANTS: This international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of aspirin (100 mg/d) vs placebo with VKA therapy in patients with advanced heart failure with an LVAD was conducted across 51 centers with expertise in treating patients with advanced heart failure across 9 countries. The randomized population included 628 patients with advanced heart failure implanted with a fully magnetically levitated LVAD (314 in the placebo group and 314 in the aspirin group), of whom 296 patients in the placebo group and 293 in the aspirin group were in the primary analysis population, which informed the primary end point analysis. The study enrolled patients from July 2020 to September 2022; median follow-up was 14 months. Intervention: Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive aspirin (100 mg/d) or placebo in addition to an antithrombotic regimen. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The composite primary end point, assessed for noninferiority (-10% margin) of placebo, was survival free of a major nonsurgical (>14 days after implant) hemocompatibility-related adverse events (including stroke, pump thrombosis, major bleeding, or arterial peripheral thromboembolism) at 12 months. The principal secondary end point was nonsurgical bleeding events. RESULTS: Of the 589 analyzed patients, 77% were men; one-third were Black and 61% were White. More patients were alive and free of hemocompatibility events at 12 months in the placebo group (74%) vs those taking aspirin (68%). Noninferiority of placebo was demonstrated (absolute between-group difference, 6.0% improvement in event-free survival with placebo [lower 1-sided 97.5% CI, -1.6%]; P < .001). Aspirin avoidance was associated with reduced nonsurgical bleeding events (relative risk, 0.66 [95% confidence limit, 0.51-0.85]; P = .002) with no increase in stroke or other thromboembolic events, a finding consistent among diverse subgroups of patient characteristics. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In patients with advanced heart failure treated with a fully magnetically levitated LVAD, avoidance of aspirin as part of an antithrombotic regimen, which includes VKA, is not inferior to a regimen containing aspirin, does not increase thromboembolism risk, and is associated with a reduction in bleeding events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04069156.

Guide to Temporary Mechanical Support in Cardiogenic Shock: Choosing Wisely.

Cardiogenic shock is a multisystem pathology that carries a high mortality rate, and initial pharmacotherapies include the use of vasopressors and inotropes. These agents can increase myocardial oxygen consumption and decrease tissue perfusion that can oftentimes result in a state of refractory cardiogenic shock for which temporary mechanical circulatory support can be considered. Numerous support devices are available, each with its own hemodynamic blueprint. Defining a patient's hemodynamic profile and understanding the phenotype of cardiogenic shock is important in device selection. Careful patient selection incorporating a multidisciplinary team approach should be utilized.

Significance of Adipose Tissue Quantity and Distribution on Obesity Paradox in Heart Failure.

Obesity is a predictor of the development of systolic and diastolic heart failure (HF), but once established, patients with HF and obesity have better outcomes than their leaner counterparts, a phenomenon termed the "obesity paradox." We sought to investigate the impact of adipose tissue quantity and distribution, measured by way of computed tomography, on outcomes in patients with HF. Patients admitted for acute decompensated HF between January 2017 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Body composition measurements were made on computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis. Visceral, subcutaneous, and intermuscular adipose tissues were measured at the mid-third lumbar vertebra, along with skeletal muscle and waist circumference. Paracardial (pericardial and epicardial) adipose tissue was measured at the mid-eight thoracic vertebra. Visceral adipose tissue index (VATI) and subcutaneous adipose tissue index (SATI), along with skeletal muscle index, were indexed for patient height. A total of 200 patients were included, 44.5% female. Body mass index and waist circumference did not significantly predict outcomes. Patients with high SATI (highest sex-stratified tertile) had significantly better survival (hazard ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval 0.39 to 0.87, p = 0.009), whereas high VATI was nonsignificant. Patients were further divided into 4 groups based on both VATI and SATI. One- and 4-year mortality risks were lowest in those with low VATI high SATI compared with the other groups; this persisted after multivariable adjustment for covariates, including albumin and skeletal muscle index. In conclusion, the "obesity paradox" appears to be largely driven by subcutaneous adipose tissue, independent of nutrition or skeletal muscle.