Trial of an Intervention to Improve Acute Heart Failure Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute heart failure are frequently or systematically hospitalized, often because the risk of adverse events is uncertain and the options for rapid follow-up are inadequate. Whether the use of a strategy to support clinicians in making decisions about discharging or admitting patients, coupled with rapid follow-up in an outpatient clinic, would affect outcomes remains uncertain. METHODS: In a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial conducted in Ontario, Canada, we randomly assigned 10 hospitals to staggered start dates for one-way crossover from the control phase (usual care) to the intervention phase, which involved the use of a point-of-care algorithm to stratify patients with acute heart failure according to the risk of death. During the intervention phase, low-risk patients were discharged early (in ≤3 days) and received standardized outpatient care, and high-risk patients were admitted to the hospital. The coprimary outcomes were a composite of death from any cause or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes within 30 days after presentation and the composite outcome within 20 months. RESULTS: A total of 5452 patients were enrolled in the trial (2972 during the control phase and 2480 during the intervention phase). Within 30 days, death from any cause or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes occurred in 301 patients (12.1%) who were enrolled during the intervention phase and in 430 patients (14.5%) who were enrolled during the control phase (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.78 to 0.99; P = 0.04). Within 20 months, the cumulative incidence of primary-outcome events was 54.4% (95% CI, 48.6 to 59.9) among patients who were enrolled during the intervention phase and 56.2% (95% CI, 54.2 to 58.1) among patients who were enrolled during the control phase (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92 to 0.99). Fewer than six deaths or hospitalizations for any cause occurred in low- or intermediate-risk patients before the first outpatient visit within 30 days after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with acute heart failure who were seeking emergency care, the use of a hospital-based strategy to support clinical decision making and rapid follow-up led to a lower risk of the composite of death from any cause or hospitalization for cardiovascular causes within 30 days than usual care. (Funded by the Ontario SPOR Support Unit and others; COACH ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02674438.).

Prospective Study of Tricuspid Regurgitation Associated With Permanent Leads After Cardiac Rhythm Device Implantation.

BACKGROUND: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) has been associated with cardiac rhythm device (CRD) implantation with intracardiac lead insertion. However, data on the incidence of postdevice TR are limited and largely from retrospective studies. We hypothesized that permanent lead implantation would be associated with an increase in TR. METHODS: We prospectively included consecutive patients with a clinical indication for CRD. Patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography 1 month before and 1 year after CRD implantation. RESULTS: A total of 328 patients were prospectively enrolled (69 ± 15 years, 38% female). Echocardiograms before and 1 year after CRD were available in 290 patients (15 died, 23 lost to follow-up). Compared with baseline, there was a significant change in TR grade 1 year after CRD insertion (no/trivial TR: 66% vs 29%; mild TR: 29% vs 61%; moderate TR: 3% vs 8%; severe TR 2% vs 2%; P < 0.001 for an increase in TR by at least 1 grade). Compared with baseline, there was a higher prevalence of moderate or severe TR in the 247 patients with CRD without cardiac resynchronization therapy (4% vs 10%, P = 0.004), but no progression in the 43 patients who received cardiac resynchronization therapy (14% vs 11%, P = 1). Multivariable analysis in the patients with less than moderate TR at baseline (n = 274) showed that only a history of atrial fibrillation was independently associated with progression to moderate or severe TR after correction for baseline TR grade (P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: One year after endocardial lead insertion, there was a 5% increase in the prevalence of moderate or severe TR, which may be clinically relevant.

Factors Associated with Low Flow in Aortic Valve Stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Low-flow low-gradient aortic stenosis (AS) is a predictor of worse outcome compared with normal-flow AS. Although depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is associated with low flow, there is less evidence to support the role of other indices of cardiac structure and function. METHODS: Clinical and echocardiographic data from patients with native AS and valve areas ≤ 1.0 cm(2) were retrospectively analyzed to identify characteristics that are associated with low-flow low-gradient AS. RESULTS: In total, 941 patients were included. On multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with low flow (stroke volume index < 35 mL/m(2)) included worse right ventricular systolic function, atrial fibrillation, lower LVEF, and higher left ventricular mass, with moderate or severe mitral regurgitation independently associated with low flow in the 694 patients (74%) with preserved LVEFs. CONCLUSIONS: Right ventricular dysfunction and atrial fibrillation are independently associated with low-flow low-gradient AS, while moderate or severe MR is independently associated with low flow in patients with preserved LVEF. These associations with low flow in AS are clinically important to recognize, to avoid underestimation of AS severity.

Prospective study of tricuspid valve regurgitation associated with permanent leads in patients undergoing cardiac rhythm device implantation: Background, rationale, and design.

Given the increasing numbers of cardiac device implantations worldwide, it is important to determine whether permanent endocardial leads across the tricuspid valve can promote tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Virtually all current data is retrospective, and indicates a signal of TR being increased after permanent lead implantation. However, the precise incidence of moderate or greater TR post-procedure, the exact mechanisms (mechanical, traumatic, functional), and the hemodynamic burden and clinical effects of this putative increase in TR, remain uncertain. We have therefore designed a multicenter, international, prospective study of 300 consecutive patients (recruitment completed, baseline data presented) who will undergo echocardiography and clinical assessment prior to, and at 1-year post device insertion. This prospective study will help determine whether cardiac device-associated TR is real, what are its potential mechanisms, and whether it has an important clinical impact on cardiac device patients.

Management of risk factors among ambulatory patients at high cardiovascular risk in Canada: a follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Limited longitudinal data are available on attainment of guideline-recommended treatment targets among ambulatory patients at high risk for cardiovascular events. METHODS: The Vascular Protection registry and the Guidelines Oriented Approach to Lipid Lowering registry recruited 8056 ambulatory patients at high risk for, or with established cardiovascular disease; follow-up was not protocol-mandated. We stratified the study population according to the availability of 6-month follow-up data into 2 groups, and compared their clinical characteristics, medication profile, and attainment of contemporaneous guideline-recommended blood pressure (BP) and lipid targets both at enrollment and at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 8056 patients, only 5371 (66.7%) patients had 6-month follow-up, who had significant increases in the use of statins and antihypertensive medications at 6 months compared with at enrollment (all P < 0.001). Compared with at time of enrollment, more patients attained the BP target (45.3% vs 42.3%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target (62.8% vs 45.8%), and both targets (29.7% vs 21.6%) at 6-month follow-up (all P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, independent predictors of attainment of BP target included history of coronary artery disease and heart failure (all P ≤ 0.001). On the other hand, advanced age, diabetes, coronary artery disease, previous coronary revascularization, and use of statin therapy were independently associated with achievement of LDL-C target (all P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Most (> 50%) patients without 6-month follow-up did not attain guideline-recommended BP and LDL-C targets at enrollment. Although BP and lipid control improved at 6 months among patients with follow-up, most still failed to achieve optimal BP and lipid targets. Effective ongoing quality improvement measures and follow-up are warranted.

Management patterns of non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes in relation to prior coronary revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Contemporary guidelines support an early invasive strategy for non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients who had prior coronary revascularization. However, little is known about the management pattern of these patients in "real world." METHODS: We analyzed 3 consecutive Canadian registries (ACS I, ACS II, and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events [GRACE]/expanded-GRACE) that recruited 12,483 NSTE-ACS patients from June 1999 to December 2007. We stratified the study population according to prior coronary revascularization status into 4 groups and compared their clinical characteristics, in-hospital use of medications, and cardiac procedures. RESULTS: Of the 12,483 NSTE-ACS patients, 71.2% had no prior revascularization, 14.2% had percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) only, 9.5% had coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) only, and 5% had both PCI and CABG. Compared to their counterparts without prior revascularization, patients with previous PCI and/or CABG were more likely to be male, to have diabetes, myocardial infarction, and heart failure but less likely to have ST-segment deviation or positive cardiac biomarker on presentation. Early use of evidence-based medications was higher among patients with previous PCI only and lower among patients with previous CABG only. After adjusting for possible confounders including GRACE risk score, prior PCI was independently associated with in-hospital use of cardiac catheterization (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 95% CI 1.04-1.34, P = .008). In contrast, previous CABG was an independent negative predictor (adjusted OR .77, 95% CI 0.68-0.87, P < .001). There was no significant interaction (P = .93) between previous PCI and CABG. CONCLUSIONS: The NSTE-ACS patients with previous PCI were more likely to be treated invasively. Conversely, patients with prior CABG less frequently received invasive therapy. Future studies should determine the appropriateness of this treatment discrepancy.