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The integration of nonfungible tokens (NFTs) in health care, particularly in cardiovascular medicine, represents a disruptive shift toward enhancing the security and interconnection of electronic health data around the patient. NFTs, unique digital certificates stored on a blockchain network, bind various sources of health data to their owner (the patient) and delineate the access rights for stakeholders (providers, researchers) using smart contracts. Data sources might include electronic medical records from different hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, test centres, and mHealth devices. Accordingly, patients and their providers benefit from seamless visibility of diagnoses, medications, electrocardiograms, imaging, home blood pressure logs, and artificial intelligence-enabled insights from these aggregated data. Rather than being stored on proprietary servers, data are encrypted and stored on decentralized networks with a unified point of access and immutable proof of ownership, making them more robust to theft or tampering. As custodians of their NFTs, patients are incentivized to actively partake in their health monitoring and self-driven research that aligns with their needs using innovative marketplaces that allow them to browse studies, document their informed consent, and monetize their contributions. Furthermore, they are empowered to educate themselves and seek care across siloes in traditional settings or virtual platforms such as the metaverse, where NFTs serve as digital passports. Despite these exciting prospects, adoption within the health care sector remains in its infancy, with ethical and technical limitations still being addressed. In this article we explore the multifaceted applications and key players in the field, and outline use-cases for patient-centred cardiovascular care featuring NFTs.
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Importance: Osteosarcopenia is an emerging geriatric syndrome characterized by age-related deterioration in muscle and bone. Despite the established relevance of frailty and sarcopenia among older adults undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), osteosarcopenia has yet to be investigated in this setting. Objective: To determine the association between osteosarcopenia and adverse outcomes following TAVR. Design, Setting, and Participants: This is a post hoc analysis of the Frailty in Aortic Valve Replacement (FRAILTY-AVR) prospective multicenter cohort study and McGill extension that enrolled patients aged 70 years or older undergoing TAVR from 2012 through 2022. FRAILTY-AVR was conducted at 14 centers in Canada, the United States, and France between 2012 and 2016, and patients at the McGill University-affiliated center in Montreal, Québec, Canada, were enrolled on an ongoing basis up to 2022. Exposure: Osteosarcopenia as measured on computed tomography (CT) scans prior to TAVR. Main Outcomes and Measures: Clinically indicated CT scans acquired prior to TAVR were analyzed to quantify psoas muscle area (PMA) and vertebral bone density (VBD). Osteosarcopenia was defined as a combination of low PMA and low VBD according to published cutoffs. The primary outcome was 1-year all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were 30-day mortality, hospital length of stay, disposition, and worsening disability. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for potential confounders. Results: Of the 605 patients (271 [45%] female) in this study, 437 (72%) were octogenarian; the mean (SD) age was 82.6 (6.2) years. Mean (SD) PMA was 22.1 (4.5) cm2 in men and 15.4 (3.5) cm2 in women. Mean (SD) VBD was 104.8 (35.5) Hounsfield units (HU) in men and 98.8 (34.1) HU in women. Ninety-one patients (15%) met the criteria for osteosarcopenia and had higher rates of frailty, fractures, and malnutrition at baseline. One-year mortality was highest in patients with osteosarcopenia (29 patients [32%]) followed by those with low PMA alone (18 patients [14%]), low VBD alone (16 patients [11%]), and normal bone and muscle status (21 patients [9%]) (P < .001). Osteosarcopenia, but not low VBD or PMA alone, was independently associated with 1-year mortality (odds ratio [OR], 3.18; 95% CI, 1.54-6.57) and 1-year worsening disability (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.19-3.74). The association persisted in sensitivity analyses adjusting for the Essential Frailty Toolset, Clinical Frailty Scale, and geriatric conditions such as malnutrition and disability. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that osteosarcopenia detected using clinical CT scans could be used to identify frail patients with a 3-fold increase in 1-year mortality following TAVR. This opportunistic method for osteosarcopenia assessment could be used to improve risk prediction, support decision-making, and trigger rehabilitation interventions in older adults.
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Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica , Sarcopenia , Reemplazo de la Válvula Aórtica Transcatéter , Humanos , Masculino , Femenino , Sarcopenia/epidemiología , Sarcopenia/complicaciones , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Anciano , Estudios Prospectivos , Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica/cirugía , Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica/complicaciones , Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica/mortalidad , Fragilidad/complicaciones , Tomografía Computarizada por Rayos X , Densidad Ósea , Músculos Psoas/diagnóstico por imagen , Canadá/epidemiología , Francia/epidemiología , Anciano Frágil , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Calcific aortic stenosis can be considered a model for geriatric cardiovascular conditions due to a confluence of factors. The remarkable technological development of transcatheter aortic valve replacement was studied initially on older adult populations with prohibitive or high-risk for surgical valve replacement. Through these trials, the cardiovascular community has recognized that stratification of these chronologically older adults can be improved incrementally by invoking the concept of frailty and other geriatric risks. Given the complexity of the aging process, stratification by chronological age should only be the initial step but is no longer sufficient to optimally quantify cardiovascular and noncardiovascular risk. In this review, we employ a geriatric cardiology lens to focus on the diagnosis and the comprehensive management of aortic stenosis in older adults to enhance shared decision-making with patients and their families and optimize patient-centered outcomes. Finally, we highlight knowledge gaps that are critical for future areas of study.
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BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic (2-dimensional echocardiography) thresholds indicating disease or impaired functional status compared with normal physiological aging in individuals aged ≥65 years are not clearly defined. In the present study, we sought to establish standard values for 2-dimensional echocardiography parameters related to chamber size and function in older adults without cardiopulmonary or cardiometabolic conditions. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of 3032 individuals who underwent 2-dimensional echocardiography at exam 6 in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis), 608 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria of healthy aging, with normative values defined as the mean ± 1.96 standard deviation and compared across sex and race and ethnicity. Functional status measures included NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), 6-minute walk distance, and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire. Prognostic performance using MESA cutoffs was compared with established guideline cutoffs using time-to-event analysis. RESULTS: The normative aging cohort (69.5±7.0 years, 46.2% male, 47.5% White) had lower NT-proBNP, higher 6-minute walk distance, and higher (better) Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire summary values. Women had significantly smaller chamber sizes and better biventricular systolic function. White participants had the largest chamber dimensions, whereas Chinese participants had the smallest, even after adjustment for body size. Current guidelines identified 81.6% of healthy older adults in MESA as having cardiac abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Among a large, diverse group of healthy older adults, we found significant differences in cardiac structure and function by sex and race/ethnicity, which may signal sex-specific cardiac remodeling with advancing age. It is crucial for existing guidelines to consider the observed and clinically significant differences in cardiac structure and function associated with healthy aging. Our study highlights that existing guidelines, which grade abnormalities in echocardiographic cardiac chamber size and function based on younger individuals, may not adequately address the anticipated changes associated with normal aging.
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Fragmentos de Péptidos , Humanos , Femenino , Masculino , Anciano , Estudios Transversales , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Fragmentos de Péptidos/sangre , Función Ventricular Izquierda/fisiología , Péptido Natriurético Encefálico/sangre , Valores de Referencia , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , Aterosclerosis/etnología , Aterosclerosis/fisiopatología , Aterosclerosis/diagnóstico por imagen , Factores de Edad , Ecocardiografía/métodos , Ventrículos Cardíacos/diagnóstico por imagen , Ventrículos Cardíacos/fisiopatología , Función Ventricular Derecha/fisiología , Prueba de Paso , Valor Predictivo de las Pruebas , Envejecimiento Saludable/etnología , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Normalization of echocardiographic chamber measurements for body surface area may result in misclassification of individuals with obesity or sarcopenia. Normalization for alternative measures of body size may be preferable, but there remains a dearth of information on their normative values and association with cardiovascular function metrics. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 3032 individuals underwent comprehensive 2-dimensional echocardiography at Exam 6 in MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). In the subgroup of 608 individuals free of cardiopulmonary disease (69.5±7.0 years, 46% male, 48% White, 17% Chinese, 15% Black, 21% Hispanic), normative values were derived for left and right cardiac chamber measurements across a variety of ratiometric (body surface area, body mass index, height) and allometric (height1.6, height2.7) scaling parameters. Normative upper and lower reference values were provided for each scaling parameter stratified across age groups, sex, and race or ethnicity. Among scaling parameters, body surface area and height were associated with the least variability across race and ethnicity categories and height2.7 was associated with the least variability across sex categories. CONCLUSIONS: In this diverse cohort of community-dwelling older adults, we provide normative values for common echocardiographic parameters across a variety of indexation methods.
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Aterosclerosis , Ventrículos Cardíacos , Humanos , Masculino , Anciano , Femenino , Valores de Referencia , Ecocardiografía/métodos , Etnicidad , Aterosclerosis/diagnóstico por imagenAsunto(s)
Enfermedades Cardiovasculares , Fragilidad , Humanos , Anciano , Envejecimiento , Anciano FrágilRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) reference values are relied upon to accurately diagnose left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) pathologies. To date, reference values have been derived from modest sample sizes with limited patient diversity and attention to 1 but not both commonly used tracing techniques for papillary muscles and trabeculations. We sought to overcome these limitations by meta-analyzing normal reference values for CMR parameters stemming from multiple countries, vendors, analysts, and patient populations. METHODS: We comprehensively extracted published and unpublished data from studies reporting CMR parameters in healthy adults. A steady-state free-precession short-axis stack at 1.5T or 3T was used to trace either counting the papillary muscles and trabeculations in the LV volume or mass. We used a novel Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis model to derive the pooled lower and upper reference values for each CMR parameter. Our model accounted for the expected differences between tracing techniques by including informative prior distributions from a large external data set. RESULTS: A total of 254 studies from 25 different countries were systematically reviewed, representing 12 812 healthy adults, of which 52 were meta-analyzed. For LV parameters counting papillary muscles and trabeculations in the LV volume, pooled normative reference ranges in men and women, respectively, were as follows: LV ejection fraction of 52% to 73% and 54% to 75%, LV end-diastolic volume index of 60 to 109 and 56 to 96 mL/m2, LV end-systolic volume index of 18 to 45 and 16 to 38 mL/m2, and LV mass index of 41 to 76 and 33 to 57 g/m2. For LV parameters counting papillary muscles and trabeculations in the LV mass, pooled normative reference ranges in men and women, respectively, were as follows: LV ejection fraction of 57% to 74% and 57% to 75%, LV end-diastolic volume index of 60 to 97 and 55 to 88 mL/m2, LV end-systolic volume index of 18 to 37 and 15 to 34 mL/m2, and LV mass index of 50 to 83 and 38 to 65 g/m2. For RV parameters, pooled normative reference ranges in men and women, respectively, were as follows: RV ejection fraction of 47% to 68% and 49% to 71%, RV end-diastolic volume index of 64 to 115 and 57 to 99 mL/m2, RV end-systolic volume index of 23 to 52 and 18 to 42 mL/m2, and RV mass index of 14 to 29 and 13 to 25 g/m2. CONCLUSIONS: Our Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis provides normative reference values for CMR parameters of LV and RV size, systolic function, and mass, encompassing both tracing techniques across a diverse multinational sample of healthy men and women.
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Ventrículos Cardíacos , Función Ventricular Izquierda , Adulto , Masculino , Humanos , Femenino , Valores de Referencia , Teorema de Bayes , Ventrículos Cardíacos/diagnóstico por imagen , Volumen Sistólico , Músculos Papilares , Espectroscopía de Resonancia Magnética , Imagen por Resonancia Cinemagnética , Reproducibilidad de los ResultadosRESUMEN
Despite the high procedural success of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), 2 out of 5 older adults report poor physical performance and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the ensuing months, particularly those with frailty. There has yet to be a trial examining the synergistic effects of exercise and protein supplementation to counteract frailty and improve patient-centred outcomes following TAVR. The PERFORM-TAVR trial is a multicentre parallel-group randomised clinical trial that is enrolling 200 frail older adults ≥ 70 years of age undergoing TAVR. Patients will be randomly allocated to 1 of 2 treatment groups: standard-of-care lifestyle education (control group) or protein-rich oral nutritional supplement for 4 weeks before TAVR with the addition of home-based supervised exercise sessions for 12 weeks after TAVR (intervention group). The primary outcome will be physical performance as measured by a blinded observer using the Short Physical Performance Battery at 3 months. Secondary outcomes at 3, 6, and 12 months will include HRQOL, as measured by the Short-Form 36 Physical and Mental Component summary scores, and a composite safety end point. The PERFORM-TAVR trial is testing a novel frailty intervention in older adults undergoing TAVR to optimise recovery and downstream HRQOL. This represents a potential paradigm shift that highlights the value of assessing and treating patients' frailty in parallel with their underlying heart valve disease. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03522454.
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Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica , Fragilidad , Reemplazo de la Válvula Aórtica Transcatéter , Anciano , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Válvula Aórtica/cirugía , Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica/cirugía , Fragilidad/complicaciones , Fragilidad/prevención & control , Calidad de Vida , Factores de Riesgo , Reemplazo de la Válvula Aórtica Transcatéter/efectos adversos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Distributed computations facilitate multi-institutional data analysis while avoiding the costs and complexity of data pooling. Existing approaches lack crucial features, such as built-in medical standards and terminologies, no-code data visualizations, explicit disclosure control mechanisms, and support for basic statistical computations, in addition to gradient-based optimization capabilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe the development of the Collaborative Data Analysis (CODA) platform, and the design choices undertaken to address the key needs identified during our survey of stakeholders. We use a public dataset (MIMIC-IV) to demonstrate end-to-end multi-modal FL using CODA. We assessed the technical feasibility of deploying the CODA platform at 9 hospitals in Canada, describe implementation challenges, and evaluate its scalability on large patient populations. RESULTS: The CODA platform was designed, developed, and deployed between January 2020 and January 2023. Software code, documentation, and technical documents were released under an open-source license. Multi-modal federated averaging is illustrated using the MIMIC-IV and MIMIC-CXR datasets. To date, 8 out of the 9 participating sites have successfully deployed the platform, with a total enrolment of >1M patients. Mapping data from legacy systems to FHIR was the biggest barrier to implementation. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The CODA platform was developed and successfully deployed in a public healthcare setting in Canada, with heterogeneous information technology systems and capabilities. Ongoing efforts will use the platform to develop and prospectively validate models for risk assessment, proactive monitoring, and resource usage. Further work will also make tools available to facilitate migration from legacy formats to FHIR and DICOM.
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Instituciones de Salud , Programas Informáticos , Humanos , Atención a la Salud , Aprendizaje Automático , CanadáRESUMEN
Frailty is increasingly recognized as a salient condition in patients with heart failure (HF) as previous studies have determined that frailty is highly prevalent and prognostically significant, particularly in those with advanced HF. Definitions of frailty have included a variety of domains, including physical performance, sarcopenia, disability, comorbidity, and cognitive and psychological impairments, many of which are common in advanced HF. Multiple groups have recently recommended incorporating frailty assessments into clinical practice and research studies, indicating the need to standardize the definition and measurement of frailty in advanced HF. Therefore, the purpose of this consensus statement is to provide an integrated perspective on the definition of frailty in advanced HF and to generate a consensus on how to assess and manage frailty. We convened a group of HF clinicians and researchers who have expertise in frailty and related geriatric conditions in HF, and we focused on the patient with advanced HF. Herein, we provide an overview of frailty and how it has been applied in advanced HF (including potential mechanisms), present a definition of frailty, generate suggested assessments of frailty, provide guidance to differentiate frailty and related terms, and describe the assessment and management in advanced HF, including with surgical and nonsurgical interventions. We conclude by outlining critical evidence gaps, areas for future research, and clinical implementation.
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Background: Echocardiographic (2DE) thresholds indicating disease or impaired functional status compared to normal physiologic aging in individuals ≥ 65 years are not clearly defined. In the present study, we sought to establish standard values for 2DE parameters related to chamber size and function in older adults without cardiopulmonary or cardiometabolic conditions. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 3032 individuals who underwent 2DE at Exam 6 in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), 608 participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria, with normative values defined as the mean value ± 1.96 standard deviations and compared across sex and race/ethnicity. Functional status measures included NT-proBNP, 6-minute walk distance [6MWD], and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire [KCCQ]. Prognostic performance using MESA cutoffs was compared to established guideline cutoffs using time-to-event analysis. Results: Participants meeting our inclusion criteria (69.5 ± 7.0 years, 46.2% male, 47.5% White) had lower NT-proBNP, higher 6MWD, and higher (better) KCCQ summary values. Women had significantly smaller chamber sizes and better biventricular systolic function. White participants had the largest chamber dimensions, while Chinese participants had the smallest, even after adjustment for body size. Current guidelines identified 81.6% of healthy older adults in MESA as having cardiac abnormalities. Conclusions: Among a large, diverse group of healthy older adults, we found significant differences in cardiac structure and function across sexes and races/ethnicities, which may signal sex-specific cardiac remodeling with advancing age. It is crucial for existing guidelines to consider the observed and clinically significant differences in cardiac structure and function associated with healthy aging. Our study highlights that existing guidelines, which grade abnormalities in echocardiographic cardiac chamber size and function based on younger individuals, may not adequately address the anticipated changes associated with normal aging.
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OBJECTIVES: Assessment of frailty prior to aortic valve intervention is recommended in European and North American valvular heart disease guidelines. However, there is a lack of consensus on how it is best measured. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is a well-validated measure of frailty that is relatively quick to calculate. This meta-analysis sought to examine whether the CFS predicts mortality and morbidity following either transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). METHODS: Nine electronic databases were searched systematically for data on clinical outcomes post-TAVI/SAVR, where patients had undergone preoperative frailty assessment using the CFS. The primary endpoint was 12-month mortality. TAVI and SAVR data were assessed and reported separately. For each individual study, the incidence of adverse outcomes was extracted according to a CFS score of 5-9 (ie, frail) versus 1-4 (ie, non-frail), with meta-analysis performed using a random effects model. RESULTS: Of 2612 records screened, nine were included in the review (five TAVI, three SAVR and one which included both interventions). Among 4923 TAVI patients, meta-analysis showed 12-month mortality rates of 19.1% for the frail cohort versus 9.8% for the non-frail cohort (RR 2.53 (1.63 to 3.95), p<0.001, I2=83%). For the smaller cohort of SAVR patients (n=454), mortality rates were 20.3% versus 3.9% for the frail and non-frail cohorts, respectively (RR 5.08 (2.31 to 11.15), p<0.001, I2=5%). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty, as determined by the CFS, was associated with an increased mortality risk in the 12 months following either TAVI or SAVR. These data would support its use in the preoperative assessment of elderly patients undergoing aortic valve interventions.
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Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica , Fragilidad , Reemplazo de la Válvula Aórtica Transcatéter , Humanos , Anciano , Válvula Aórtica/diagnóstico por imagen , Válvula Aórtica/cirugía , Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica/diagnóstico , Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica/cirugía , Estenosis de la Válvula Aórtica/etiología , Fragilidad/diagnóstico , Factores de Riesgo , Reemplazo de la Válvula Aórtica Transcatéter/efectos adversosRESUMEN
Predicting COVID-19 severity is difficult, and the biological pathways involved are not fully understood. To approach this problem, we measured 4701 circulating human protein abundances in two independent cohorts totaling 986 individuals. We then trained prediction models including protein abundances and clinical risk factors to predict COVID-19 severity in 417 subjects and tested these models in a separate cohort of 569 individuals. For severe COVID-19, a baseline model including age and sex provided an area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) of 65% in the test cohort. Selecting 92 proteins from the 4701 unique protein abundances improved the AUC to 88% in the training cohort, which remained relatively stable in the testing cohort at 86%, suggesting good generalizability. Proteins selected from different COVID-19 severity were enriched for cytokine and cytokine receptors, but more than half of the enriched pathways were not immune-related. Taken together, these findings suggest that circulating proteins measured at early stages of disease progression are reasonably accurate predictors of COVID-19 severity. Further research is needed to understand how to incorporate protein measurement into clinical care.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , COVID-19/diagnóstico , Proteínas , Factores de Riesgo , Progresión de la Enfermedad , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
Background Frailty is prevalent in older adults with heart failure and is associated with poor outcomes; however, there remains uncertainty on how to measure frailty in clinical practice. Methods and Results A multicentric prospective cohort study was assembled at 4 heart failure clinics to compare the prognostic value of 3 physical frailty scales in ambulatory patients with heart failure. Outcomes were all-cause death or hospitalization and health-related quality of life using the 36-Item Short Form survey questionnaire (SF-36) at 3 months. Multivariable regression was adjusted for age, sex, Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure score, and baseline SF-36 score. The cohort included 215 patients (mean age 77.6 years). All 3 frailty scales were independently associated with death or hospitalization at 3 months; the adjusted odds ratios standardized per 1 SD worsening of the Short Physical Performance Battery; Fried, and strength, assistance with walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls scales were 1.67 (95% CI, 1.09-2.55), 1.60 (95% CI, 1.04-2.46), and 1.55 (95% CI, 1.03-2.35), respectively, with C statistics of 0.77 to 0.78. All 3 frailty scales were independently associated with worsening SF-36 scores, especially the Short Physical Performance Battery, for which 1 SD worsening of frailty translated to a decrement of -5.86 (-8.55 to -3.17) and -5.51 (-7.82 to -3.21) points in the Physical Component Score and Mental Component Score. Conclusions All 3 physical frailty scales were associated with death, hospitalization, and reduced health-related quality of life in ambulatory patients with heart failure. Questionnaire or performance-based physical frailty scales can be used to offer prognostic value and a therapeutic target in this vulnerable population. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03887351.
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Fragilidad , Insuficiencia Cardíaca , Humanos , Anciano , Fragilidad/diagnóstico , Fragilidad/complicaciones , Calidad de Vida , Estudios Prospectivos , Insuficiencia Cardíaca/tratamiento farmacológico , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
Obesity is a major risk factor for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) severity; however, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. As obesity influences the plasma proteome, we sought to identify circulating proteins mediating the effects of obesity on COVID-19 severity in humans. Here, we screened 4,907 plasma proteins to identify proteins influenced by body mass index using Mendelian randomization. This yielded 1,216 proteins, whose effect on COVID-19 severity was assessed, again using Mendelian randomization. We found that an s.d. increase in nephronectin (NPNT) was associated with increased odds of critically ill COVID-19 (OR = 1.71, P = 1.63 × 10-10). The effect was driven by an NPNT splice isoform. Mediation analyses supported NPNT as a mediator. In single-cell RNA-sequencing, NPNT was expressed in alveolar cells and fibroblasts of the lung in individuals who died of COVID-19. Finally, decreasing body fat mass and increasing fat-free mass were found to lower NPNT levels. These findings provide actionable insights into how obesity influences COVID-19 severity.
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COVID-19 , Obesidad , Proteoma , Humanos , COVID-19/genética , Análisis de la Aleatorización Mendeliana , Obesidad/complicaciones , Obesidad/genéticaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Hospitalization for cardiovascular disease (CVD) may be complicated by hospital-acquired disability (HAD) and subsequently poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). While frailty has been shown to be a risk factor, it has yet to be studied as a therapeutic target to improve outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This trial sought to determine the effects of an in-hospital multicomponent intervention targeting physical weakness, cognitive impairment, malnutrition, and anemia on patient-centered outcomes compared to usual care. METHODS: A single-center parallel-group randomized clinical trial was conducted in older patients with acute CVD and evidence of frailty or pre-frailty as measured by the Essential Frailty Toolset (EFT). Patients were randomized to usual care or a multicomponent intervention. Outcomes were HRQOL (EQ-5D-5L score) and disability (Older Americans Resources and Services score) at 30 days post-discharge and mood disturbances (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) at discharge. RESULTS: The trial cohort consisted of 142 patients with a mean age of 79.5 years and 55% females. The primary diagnosis was heart failure in 29%, valvular heart disease in 28%, ischemic heart disease in 14%, arrhythmia in 11%, and other CVDs in 18%. The intervention improved HRQOL scores (coefficient 0.08; 95% CI 0.01, 0.15; p = 0.03) and mood scores (coefficient -1.95; 95% CI -3.82, -0.09; p = 0.04) but not disability scores (coefficient 0.18; 95% CI -1.44, 1.81; p = 0.82). There were no intervention-related adverse events. CONCLUSION: In frail older patients hospitalized for acute CVDs, an in-hospital multicomponent intervention targeted to frailty was safe and led to modest yet clinically meaningful improvements in HRQOL and mental well-being. The downstream impact of these effects on event-free survival and functional status remains to be evaluated in future research, as does the generalizability to other healthcare systems. CLINICAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04291690.
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Fragilidad , Insuficiencia Cardíaca , Femenino , Anciano , Humanos , Masculino , Anciano Frágil/psicología , Fragilidad/complicaciones , Fragilidad/terapia , Fragilidad/psicología , Calidad de Vida/psicología , Cuidados Posteriores , Alta del PacienteRESUMEN
Background: This study sought to compare characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) after being referred to a heart team (HT), to those of patients referred directly for SAVR. Methods: An analysis of patients who underwent SAVR from 2015 to 2020 was conducted. Patients were categorized into 3 groups, as follows: (i) H-HT: patients referred to the HT from 2015 to 2017 (historical cohort); (ii) C-HT: patients referred to the HT from 2018 to 2020 (contemporary cohort); and (iii) No-HT: patients referred directly to cardiac surgery from 2018 to 2020. Two subanalyses were performed: H-HT vs C-HT patients, and C-HT vs No-HT patients. The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital mortality, prolonged intubation, reoperation, sternal wound infection, and stroke. Results: This study consisted of 288 patients, distributed as follows: H-HT (n = 45); C-HT (n = 51); and No-HT (n = 192). The mean ages of H-HT, C-HT, and No-HT patients was 76.3 ± 6.9 years, 73.3 ± 7.6 years, and 69.6 ± 9.7 years, respectively (P = 0.0001). H-HT, C-HT, and No-HT patients had average Society of Thoracic Surgeons scores of 4.8 ± 2.2, 3.2 ± 1.6, and 4.2 ± 2 (P = 0.002), respectively. The composite outcome rate was more than 5 times higher among H-HT patients compared to that among the C-HT patients (20.0 vs 3.9%, P = 0.02), and was numerically higher in No-HT compared to C-HT patients (13.0 vs 3.9%, P = 0.07). Conclusions: Referral to an HT appears to be primarily driven by higher chronological age rather than overall risk profile. Patients assessed by the HT prior to undergoing SAVR have a low incidence of complications, comparable to that among patients referred directly to cardiac surgery.
Contexte: Cette étude visait à comparer les caractéristiques et le devenir de patients ayant subi une chirurgie de remplacement valvulaire aortique après avoir été orientés vers une équipe de cardiologie (EC) à ceux de patients orientés directement en chirurgie cardiaque pour une chirurgie de remplacement valvulaire aortique. Méthodologie: Une analyse portant sur les patients ayant subi une chirurgie de remplacement valvulaire aortique de 2015 à 2020 a été effectuée. Les patients ont été divisés en trois groupes, à savoir : i) CH-POEC : patients orientés vers une EC de 2015 à 2017 (cohorte historique); ii) CC-POEC : patients orientés vers une EC de 2018 à 2020 (cohorte contemporaine); iii) PODC : patients orientés directement en chirurgie cardiaque de 2018 à 2020. Deux sous-analyses ont été effectuées : CH-POEC vs CC-POEC, et CC-POEC vs PODC. Le paramètre d'évaluation principal était composite. Il comprenait la mortalité hospitalière, l'intubation prolongée, la réopération, l'infection de la plaie sternale et l'accident vasculaire cérébral. Résultats: L'étude regroupait 288 patients, répartis comme suit : CH-POEC, n = 45; CC-POEC, n = 51; PODC, n = 192. L'âge moyen dans les groupes CH-POEC, CC-POEC et PODC était respectivement de 76,3 ± 6,9 ans, 73,3 ± 7,6 ans et 69,6 ± 9,7 ans (P = 0,0001). Les groupes CH-POEC, CC-POEC et PODC présentaient des indices STS (Society of Thoracic Surgeons) moyens de 4,8 ± 2,2, 3,2 ± 1,6 et 4,2 ± 2 (P = 0,002), respectivement. Le taux composite d'événements au sein du groupe CH-POEC était plus de cinq fois supérieur à celui noté dans le groupe CC-POEC (20,0 vs 3,9 %, P = 0,02). Il était aussi plus élevé au sein du groupe PODC comparativement au groupe CC-POEC (13,0 vs 3,9 %, P = 0,07). Conclusions: Le principal motif d'orientation vers une EC semble être un âge chronologique avancé plutôt que le profil de risque global. Chez les patients qui sont évalués par une EC avant de subir une chirurgie de remplacement valvulaire aortique, l'incidence de complications est faible et comparable à celle observée chez les patients orientés directement en chirurgie cardiaque.
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AIMS: Frailty is disproportionately prevalent in cardiovascular disease patients and exacerbated during hospital admissions, heightening the risk for adverse events and functional decline. Using the Essential Frailty Toolset (EFT) to target physical weakness, cognitive impairment, malnourishment, and anaemia, we tested a multicomponent targeted intervention to de-frail older adults with acute cardiovascular conditions during their hospital admission. METHODS AND RESULTS: The TARGET-EFT trial was a single-center randomized clinical trial at the Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Canada. We compared a multicomponent de-frailing intervention with usual clinical care. Intervention group patients received exercise, cognitive stimulation, protein supplementation, and iron replacement, as required. In this study, the primary outcome was frailty, as assessed by the SPPB score (Short Physical Performance Battery) at discharge, and the secondary outcome was the SARC-F score (Strength, Assistance walking, Rising from chair, Climbing, Falls) assessed 30 days later. The analysis consisted of 135 patients (mean age of 79.3 years; 54% female) who survived and completed the frailty assessments.Compared with control patients, intervention group patients had a 1.52-point superior SPPB score and a 0.74-point superior SARC-F score. Subgroup analysis suggested that patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction may have attenuated benefits, and that patients who underwent invasive cardiac procedures had the greatest benefits from the intervention. CONCLUSION: We achieved our objective of de-frailing older cardiac inpatients on a short-term basis by improving their physical performance and functioning using a pragmatic multicomponent intervention. This could have positive impacts on their clinical outcomes and ability to maintain independent living in the future. ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY: The multicomponent intervention targeted to the deficits of vulnerable older adults hospitalized with acute cardiovascular diseases successfully de-frailed them on a short-term basis, which can have positive implications on their post-discharge health outcomes.
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Fragilidad , Humanos , Femenino , Anciano , Masculino , Fragilidad/complicaciones , Cuidados Posteriores , Volumen Sistólico , Alta del Paciente , Función Ventricular IzquierdaRESUMEN
Background: Current guidelines recommend concomitant repair of certain non-severe cases of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, but the prognostic relevance and postsurgical impact of the TR remain uncertain. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic impact of functional TR in patients undergoing diverse cardiac surgeries and to examine the effect-modifying role of patient characteristics in patients in whom TR confers a greater risk of adverse outcomes. Methods: Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass, aortic, and mitral valve surgery were included. Patients with severe TR, organic tricuspid valve pathology, undergoing tricuspid valve surgery or without a recent preoperative echocardiogram were excluded. Clinical variables were extracted from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. An independent cohort was used for external validation. Results: Of 2,119 patients (mean age 67.4 years; 29% females), TR severity was moderate in 185 (9%), mild in 636 (30%), trivial in 1,126 (53%), and absent in 172 (8%). There were 238 deaths during the median follow-up period of 2.6 years. After adjusting for relevant factors, moderate TR was found to be independently associated with mid-term mortality (HR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.22-5.47) and with in-hospital mortality or major morbidity (OR: 3.18; 95% CI: 1.37-7.42). The association between TR and mortality was apparent when preoperative pulmonary artery systolic pressure was <40 mm Hg but not ≥40 mm Hg (P for interaction = 0.036). Conclusions: In this diverse cohort of contemporary cardiac surgery patients, moderate functional TR was associated with increased mortality and major morbidity, particularly in the absence of pulmonary hypertension.
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BACKGROUND: Global circumferential strain (GCS) and global radial strain (GRS) are reduced with cytotoxic chemotherapy. There are limited data on the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) myocarditis on GCS and GRS. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to detail the role of GCS and GRS in ICI myocarditis. METHODS: In this retrospective study, GCS and GRS from 75 cases of patients with ICI myocarditis and 50 ICI-treated patients without myocarditis (controls) were compared. Pre-ICI GCS and GRS were available for 12 cases and 50 controls. Measurements were performed in a core laboratory blinded to group and time. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were defined as a composite of cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest, complete heart block, and cardiac death. RESULTS: Cases and controls were similar in age (66 ± 15 years vs 63 ± 12 years; P = 0.20), sex (male: 73% vs 61%; P = 0.20) and cancer type (P = 0.08). Pre-ICI GCS and GRS were also similar (GCS: 22.6% ± 3.4% vs 23.5% ± 3.8%; P = 0.14; GRS: 45.5% ± 6.2% vs 43.6% ± 8.8%; P = 0.24). Overall, 56% (n = 42) of patients with myocarditis presented with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). GCS and GRS were lower in myocarditis compared with on-ICI controls (GCS: 17.5% ± 4.2% vs 23.6% ± 3.0%; P < 0.001; GRS: 28.6% ± 6.7% vs 47.0% ± 7.4%; P < 0.001). Over a median follow-up of 30 days, 28 cardiovascular events occurred. A GCS (HR: 4.9 [95% CI: 1.6-15.0]; P = 0.005) and GRS (HR: 3.9 [95% CI: 1.4-10.8]; P = 0.008) below the median was associated with an increased event rate. In receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, GCS (AUC: 0.80 [95% CI: 0.70-0.91]) and GRS (AUC: 0.76 [95% CI: 0.64-0.88]) showed better performance than cardiac troponin T (cTnT) (AUC: 0.70 [95% CI: 0.58-0.82]), LVEF (AUC: 0.69 [95% CI: 0.56-0.81]), and age (AUC: 0.54 [95% CI: 0.40-0.68]). Net reclassification index and integrated discrimination improvement demonstrated incremental prognostic utility of GRS over LVEF (P = 0.04) and GCS over cTnT (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: GCS and GRS are lower in ICI myocarditis, and the magnitude of reduction has prognostic significance.