Predictors of Long-Term Aortic Growth and Disease Progression in Patients with Aortic Dissection, Intramural Hematoma, and Penetrating Aortic Ulcer.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify predictors of long-term aortic diameter change and disease progression in a population cohort of patients with newly diagnosed aortic dissection (AD), intramural hematoma (IMH), or penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU). METHODS: We used the Rochester Epidemiology Project record linkage system to identify all Olmsted County, MN-USA, residents diagnosed with AD, IMH, and PAU (1995-2015). The endpoints were aortic diameter change, freedom from clinical disease progression (any related intervention, aortic aneurysm, new aortic syndrome, rupture or death) and disease resolution (complete spontaneous radiological disappear). Linear regression was used to assess aortic growth rate; predictors of disease progression were identified with Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS: Of 133 incident cases, 46 ADs, 12 IMHs, and 28 PAUs with sufficient imaging data were included. Overall median follow-up was 8.1 years. Aortic diameter increase occurred in 40 ADs (87%, median 1.0 mm/year), 5 IMHs (42%, median 0.2 mm/year) and 14 PAUs (50%, median 0.4 mm/year). Symptomatic presentation (P = 0.045), connective tissue disorders (P = 0.005), and initial aortic diameter >42 mm (P = 0.013) were associated with AD growth rate. PAU depth >9 mm (P = 0.047) and female sex (P = 0.013) were associated with aortic growth rate in PAUs and IMHs. At 10 years, freedom from disease progression was 22% (95% CI 12-41) for ADs, 44% (95% CI 22-92) for IMHs, and 46% (95% CI 27-78) for PAUs. DeBakey I/IIIB AD (HR 3.09; P = 0.038), initial IMH aortic diameter (HR 1.4; P = 0.037) and PAU depth >10 mm (HR 3.92; P = 0.018) were associated with disease progression. No AD spontaneously resolved; resolution rate at 10 years was 22% (95% CI 0-45) for IMHs and 11% (95% CI 0-23) for PAUs. CONCLUSIONS: Aortic growth and clinical disease progression are observed in most patients with aortic syndromes, while spontaneous resolution is uncommon. Predictors of aortic growth and disease progression may be used to tailor appropriate follow-up and eventual early intervention.

The 5 Phenotypes of Tricuspid Regurgitation: Insight From Cluster Analysis of Clinical and Echocardiographic Variables.

BACKGROUND: The recent morphologic classification of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) (ie, atrial functional, ventricular functional, lead related, and primary) does not capture underlying comorbidities and clinical characteristics. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the different phenotypes of TR using unsupervised cluster analysis and to determine whether differences in clinical outcomes were associated with these phenotypes. METHODS: We included 13,611 patients with ≥moderate TR from January 2004 to April 2019 in the final analyses. Baseline demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic data were obtained from electronic medical records and echocardiography reports. Ward's minimum variance method was used to cluster patients based on 38 variables. The analysis of all-cause mortality was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and groups were compared using log-rank test. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 72 ± 13 years, and 56% were women. Cluster analysis identified 5 distinct phenotypes: cluster 1 represented "low-risk TR" with less severe TR, a lower prevalence of right ventricular enlargement, atrial fibrillation, and comorbidities; cluster 2 represented "high-risk TR"; and clusters 3, 4, and 5 represented TR associated with lung disease, coronary artery disease, and chronic kidney disease, respectively. Cluster 1 had the lowest mortality followed by clusters 2 (HR: 2.22 [95% CI: 2.1-2.35]; P < 0.0001) and 4 (HR: 2.19 [95% CI: 2.04-2.35]; P < 0.0001); cluster 3 (HR: 2.45 [95% CI: 2.27-2.65]; P < 0.0001); and, lastly, cluster 5 (HR: 3.48 [95% CI: 3.07-3.95]; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Cluster analysis identified 5 distinct novel subgroups of TR with differences in all-cause mortality. This phenotype-based classification improves our understanding of the interaction of comorbidities with this complex valve lesion and can inform clinical decision making.

Escalating incidence of infective endocarditis in Europe in the 21st century.

AIM: To provide a contemporary analysis of incidence trends of infective endocarditis (IE) with its changing epidemiology over the past two decades in Europe. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Ovid EBM Reviews, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for studies published between 1 January 2000 and 30 November 2020. All studies were independently reviewed by four referees and those that included a population-based incidence of IE in patients, irrespective of age, in Europe were included. Least squares regression was used to estimate pooled temporal trends in IE incidence. RESULTS: Of 9138 articles screened, 18 studies were included in the review. Elderly men predominated in all studies. IE incidence increased 4.1% per year (95% CI 1.8% to 6.4%) in the pooled regression analysis of eight studies that included comprehensive and consistent trends data. When trends data were weighted according to population size of individual countries, an increase in yearly incidence of 0.27 cases per 100 000 people was observed. Staphylococci and streptococci were the most common pathogens identified. The rate of surgical intervention ranged from 10.2% to 60.0%, and the rate of inpatient mortality ranged from 14.3% to 17.5%. In six studies that examined the rate of injection drug use, five of them reported a rate of less than 10%. CONCLUSION: Based on findings from our systematic review, IE incidence in Europe has doubled over the past two decades in Europe. Multiple factors are likely responsible for this striking increase. TRIAL REGISTERATION NUMBER: CRD42020191196.