Sex-Based Differences in the Epidemiology, Clinical Characteristics, and Outcomes Associated with Worsening Heart Failure Events in a Learning Health System.

BACKGROUND: Differences in demographics, risk factors, and clinical characteristics may contribute to variations in men and women in terms of the prevalence, clinical setting, and outcomes associated with worsening heart failure (WHF) events. We sought to describe sex-based differences in the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes associated with WHF events across clinical settings. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined adults diagnosed with HF from 2010 to 2019 within a large, integrated health care delivery system. Electronic health record data were accessed for hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits and observation stays, and outpatient encounters. WHF was identified using validated natural language processing algorithms and defined as ≥1 symptom, ≥2 objective findings (including ≥1 sign), and ≥1 change in HF-related therapy. Incidence rates and associated outcomes for WHF were compared across care setting by sex. We identified 1,122,368 unique clinical encounters with a diagnosis code for HF, with 124,479 meeting WHF criteria. These WHF encounters existed among 102,116 patients, of whom 48,543 (47.5%) were women and 53,573 (52.5%) were men. Women experiencing WHF were older and more likely to have HF with preserved ejection fraction compared with men. The clinical settings of WHF were similar among women and men: hospitalizations (36.8% vs 37.7%), ED visits or observation stays (11.8% vs 13.4%), and outpatient encounters (4.4% vs 4.9%). Women had lower odds of 30-day mortality after an index hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.83-0.93) or ED visit or observation stay (adjusted odds ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval 0.75-0.98) for WHF. CONCLUSIONS: Women and men contribute similarly to WHF events across diverse clinical settings despite marked differences in age and left ventricular ejection fraction.

Eligibility and Potential Benefit of Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair in a Contemporary Cohort With Heart Failure: Evidence From a Large Integrated Health Care Delivery System.

Background: The eligibility and potential benefit of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) in addition to guideline-directed medical therapy to treat moderate-severe or severe secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) has not been reported in a contemporary heart failure (HF) population. Methods: Eligibility for TEER based on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling: (1) HF symptoms, (2) moderate-severe or severe MR, (3) left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 20% to 50%, (4) left ventricular end-systolic dimension 7.0 cm, and (5) receiving GDMT (blocker + angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker). The proportion (%) of patients eligible for TEER. The hypothetical number needed to treat to prevent or postpone adverse outcomes was estimated using relative risk reductions from published hazard ratios in the registration trial and the observed event rates. Results: We identified 50,841 adults with HF and known LVEF. After applying FDA criteria, 2461 patients (4.8%) were considered eligible for transcatheter mitral valve replacement (FDA+), with the vast majority of patients excluded (FDA-) based on a lack of clinically significant MR (N = 47,279). FDA+ patients had higher natriuretic peptide levels and were more likely to have a prior HF hospitalization compared to FDA- patients. Although FDA+ patients had a more dilated left ventricle and lower LVEF, median (25th-75th) left ventricular end-systolic dimension (cm) was low at 4.4 (3.7-5.1) and only 30.8% had severely reduced LVEF. FDA+ patients were at higher risk of HF-related morbidity and mortality. The estimated number needed to treat to potentially prevent or postpone all-cause hospitalization was 4.4, 8.8 for HF hospitalization, and 5.3 for all-cause death at 24 months in FDA+ patients. Conclusions: There is a low prevalence of TEER eligibility based on FDA criteria primarily due to absence of moderate-severe or severe MR. FDA+ patients are a high acuity population and may potentially derive a robust clinical benefit from TEER based on pivotal studies. Additional research is necessary to validate the scope of eligibility and comparative effectiveness of TEER in real-world populations.

Outcomes of Adults with Severe Aortic Stenosis Undergoing Urgent or Emergent vs. Elective Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Within an Integrated Health Care Delivery System.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may be used to urgently or emergently treat severe aortic stenosis, but outcomes for this high-risk population have not been well-characterized. We sought to describe the incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients undergoing urgent or emergent vs. elective TAVR. Methods: We identified all adults who received TAVR for primary aortic stenosis between 2013 and 2019 within an integrated health care delivery system in Northern California. Elective or urgent/emergent procedure status was based on standard Society of Thoracic Surgeons definitions. Data were obtained from electronic health records, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons-American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry, and state/national reporting databases. Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were performed. Results: Among 1564 eligible adults that underwent TAVR, 81 (5.2%) were classified as urgent/emergent. These patients were more likely to have heart failure (63.0% vs. 47.4%), reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (21.0% vs. 11.8%), or a prior aortic valve balloon valvuloplasty (13.6% vs. 5.0%) and experienced higher unadjusted rates of 30-day and 1-year morbidity and mortality. Urgent/emergent TAVR status was independently associated with non-improved quality of life at 30-days (hazard ratio, 4.87; p < 0.01) and acute kidney injury within 1-year post-TAVR (hazard ratio, 2.11; p = 0.01). There was not a significant difference in adjusted 1-year mortality with urgent/emergent TAVR. Conclusions: Urgent/emergent TAVR status was uncommon and associated with high-risk clinical features and higher unadjusted rates of short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. Procedure status may be useful to identify patients less likely to experience significant short term improvement in health-related quality of life post-TAVR.

Temporal trends in the prevalence and severity of aortic stenosis within a contemporary and diverse community-based cohort.

BACKGROUND: Data on the epidemiology of aortic stenosis (AS) are primarily derived from single center experiences and administrative claims data that do not delineate by degree of disease severity. METHODS: An observational cohort study of adults with echocardiographic AS was conducted January 1st, 2013-December 31st, 2019 at an integrated health system. The presence/grade of AS was based on physician interpretation of echocardiograms. RESULTS: A total of 66,992 echocardiogram reports for 37,228 individuals were identified. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 77.5 ± 10.5, 50.5% (N = 18,816) were women, and 67.2% (N = 25,016) were non-Hispanic whites. The age-standardized AS prevalence increased from 589 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 580-598) to 754 (95% CI 744-764) cases per 100,000 during the study period. The age-standardized AS prevalences were similar in magnitude among non-Hispanic whites (820, 95% CI 806-834), non-Hispanic blacks (728, 95% CI 687-769), and Hispanics (789, 95% CI 759-819) and substantially lower for Asian/Pacific Islanders (511, 95% CI 489-533). Finally, the distribution of AS by degree of severity remained relatively unchanged over time. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The population prevalence of AS has grown considerably over a short timeframe although the distribution of AS severity has remained stable.

The anticoagulation length of therapy and risk of new adverse events in venous thromboembolism (ALTERNATIVE) study: Design and survey results.

The Anticoagulation Length of Therapy and Risk of New Adverse Events In Venous Thromboembolism (ALTERNATIVE) study was designed to compare the benefits and harms of different treatment options for extended treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In this paper, we describe the study cohort, survey data collection, and preliminary results. We identified 39,605 adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) from two large integrated health care delivery systems who were diagnosed with incident VTE and received initial anticoagulation therapy of 3 months or longer. A subset of the cohort (12,737) was invited to participate in a survey. Surveys were completed in English, Spanish or Mandarin via a mailed questionnaire, an online secure web link, or telephone. The survey domains included demographics, personal medical history, anticoagulant treatment history, anticoagulant treatment satisfaction, health-related quality of life and health literacy. A total of 5,017 patients participated in the survey for an overall response rate of 39.4%. The mean (SD) age of the survey respondents was 63.0 (14.5) years and self-reported race was 76.0% White/European, 11.1% Black/African American, and 3.8% Asian/Pacific Islander and 14.0% reported Hispanic ethnicity. Sixty percent of respondents completed the web survey, while 29.0% completed the mail-in paper survey, and 11.0% completed the survey via telephone. The ALTERNATIVE Study will address knowledge gaps by comparing several treatment alternatives for the extended management of VTE so that this information could be used by patients and clinicians to make more informed, patient-centered treatment choices.

Contemporary Burden and Correlates of Symptomatic Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary data about symptomatic paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) epidemiology are limited. We characterized prevalence and correlates of symptomatic PSVT within a large healthcare delivery system and estimated national PSVT burden. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified adults with an encounter for potential PSVT between 2010 and 2015 in Kaiser Permanente Northern California, excluding those with prior known atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. We adjudicated medical records, ECGs, and other monitoring data to estimate positive predictive values for targeted International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 9th and 10th Revisions codes in inpatient, emergency department, and outpatient settings. Combinations of diagnosis codes and settings were used to calculate PSVT prevalence, and PSVT correlates were identified using multivariable regression. We estimated national rates by applying prevalence estimates in Kaiser Permanente to 2010 US Census data. The highest positive predictive values included codes for "PSVT" in the emergency department (82%), "unspecified cardiac dysrhythmia" in the emergency department (27%), "anomalous atrioventricular excitation" as a primary inpatient diagnosis (33%), and "unspecified paroxysmal tachycardia" as a primary inpatient diagnosis (23%). Prevalence of symptomatic PSVT was 140 per 100 000 (95% confidence interval, 100-179) and was higher for individuals who were older, women, white or black, or who had valvular heart disease, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, lung disease, or prior bleeding. We estimate the national prevalence of symptomatic PSVT to be 168 per 100 000 (95% confidence interval, 120-215). CONCLUSIONS: Selected diagnostic codes in inpatient and emergency department settings may be useful to identify symptomatic PSVT episodes. We project that at least 0.168% of US adults experience symptomatic PSVT, and certain characteristics can identify people at higher risk.