Predictors of long-term symptom burden and quality of life in patients hospitalised with chest pain: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the magnitude and predictors of symptom burden (SB) and quality of life (QoL) 3 months after hospital admission for acute chest pain. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Single centre, outpatient follow-up. PARTICIPANTS: 1506 patients. OUTCOMES: Scores reported for general health (RAND-12), angina-related health (Seattle Angina Questionnaire 7 (SAQ-7)) and dyspnoea (Rose Dyspnea Scale) 3 months after hospital admission for chest pain. METHODS: A total of 1506 patients received questionnaires assessing general health (RAND-12), angina-related health (SAQ-7) and dyspnoea (Rose Dyspnea Scale) 3 months after discharge. Univariable and multivariable regression models identified predictors of SB and QoL scores. A mediator analysis identified factors mediating the effect of an unstable angina pectoris (UAP) diagnosis. RESULTS: 774 (52%) responded. Discharge diagnoses were non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) (14.2%), UAP (17.1%), non-coronary cardiac disease (6.6%), non-cardiac disease (6.3%) and non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) (55.6%). NSTEMI had the most favourable, and UAP patients the least favourable SAQ-7 scores (median SAQ7-summary; 88 vs 75, p<0.001). NCCP patients reported persisting chest pain in 50% and dyspnoea in 33% of cases. After adjusting for confounders, revascularisation predicted better QoL scores, while UAP, current smoking and hypertension predicted worse outcome. NSTEMI and UAP patients who were revascularised reported higher scores (p<0.05) in SAQ-7-QL, SAQ7-PL, SAQ7-summary (NSTEMI) and all SAQ-7 domains (UAP). Revascularisation altered the unstandardised beta value (>±10%) of an UAP diagnosis for all SAQ-7 and RAND-12 outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NSTEMI reported the most favourable outcome 3 months after hospitalisation for chest pain. Patients with other diseases, in particular UAP patients, reported lower scores. Revascularised NSTEMI and UAP patients reported higher QoL scores compared with patients receiving conservative treatment. Revascularisation mediated all outcomes in UAP patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02620202.

A somnolent woman in her fifties with acute circulatory failure. / En somnolent kvinne i 50-årene med akutt sirkulasjonssvikt.

BACKGROUND: A woman in her fifties was admitted to hospital with decreased awareness and circulatory failure. She had been treated with left atrial cryoablation a few weeks before admission and had been cardioverted a few days after the procedure because of relapse of atrial fibrillation. CASE PRESENTATION: On admission, the patient had systolic blood pressure of 80 mm Hg and an ECG with broad QRS-complexes at 380 ms. We suspected intoxication and she was intubated to administer activated charcoal after gastric lavage. She was cardiovascularly unstable and in need of intravenous infusion of noradrenaline and adrenaline. Further investigations at her home suggested that she had poisoned herself with 4-5 g flecainide, 0.3 g oxazepam and 0.5 g meclizine. After administration of 500 mmol sodium bicarbonate and 5 mmol calcium chloride, the QRS complexes narrowed temporarily. On day 2, due to sustained bradycardia and hypotension despite receiving adrenergic medications, a temporary pacemaker was implanted, leading to improved heart rate and blood pressure. She experienced several complications including hypertensive pulmonary oedema, atrial fibrillation, extensively prolonged QT interval because of polypharmacy and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. She was discharged from the hospital in good health on day 17. At a follow-up visit at the outpatient clinic 12 weeks later, cardiac function had normalised. The QT interval was now normal; however, there were persistent T-wave inversions in leads I, aVL and V4-6. INTERPRETATION: Flecainide blocks sodium channels in cardiomyocytes. Intoxication with flecainide is rare, with mortality rates of about 10 %. Sodium bicarbonate in larger doses has been reported to stabilise patients with flecainide intoxication due to modification of the binding of flecainide to sodium receptors in cardiomyocytes, and due to alkalisation which makes flecainide detach from sodium receptors. Our patient had a temporary effect with narrowing of QRS complexes after receiving sodium bicarbonate. She also showed a beneficial effect from implantation of a temporary pacemaker, although earlier case reports have described problems with high thresholds and capture failure.

A novel geriatric assessment frailty score predicts 2-year mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

AIMS: Established surgical scores have limitations in delineating risk among candidates for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Assessment of frailty might help to estimate the mortality risk and identify patients likely to benefit from treatment. The aim of the study was to develop a frailty score to guide the decision for TAVI. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a prospective observational study in patients ≥70 years referred for TAVI during 2011-15. A Heart Team had declined the patients for open heart surgery due to high risk but accepted them for TAVI. Prior to the procedure, a geriatric assessment (GA) was performed. Based on this, an 8-element frailty score with a 0-9 (least frail-most frail) scale was developed. A total of 142 patients, 54% women, mean age 83 (standard deviation 4) years, with severe and symptomatic aortic stenosis were assessed. All-cause 2 year mortality was 11%. The novel GA frailty score predicted 2-year mortality in Cox analyses, also when adjusted for age, gender, and logistic EuroSCORE [hazard ratio (HR) 1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-2.42, P < 0.001]. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that a GA frailty score cut-off at ≥4 predicted 2-year mortality with a specificity of 80% (95% CI: 73-86%) and a sensitivity of 60% (95% CI: 36-80%). The area under the curve was 0.81 (95% CI 0.71-0.90). CONCLUSION: A novel 8-element GA frailty score identified gradations in survival in patients declined for open heart surgery. Patients with higher GA frailty scores had significantly higher 2-year mortality after TAVI.

Should patients who use illicit drugs be offered a second heart-valve replacement?

Intravenous drug users (IVDUs) have an elevated risk of contracting infectious endocarditis. Most of them have good effect from medical treatment, but some will need valve replacement. Until a few years ago, our hospital withheld valve surgery if patients with intravenous drug dependency and infectious endocarditis came to need a second valve replacement. However, there are no consensus guidelines for treatment of this group of patients, and a dearth of data on the effects and benefits of interventions. Using a method of ethical analysis, we here discuss whether it is appropriate to offer valve surgery to drug users for a second time.