Phase 2 Trial of Baxdrostat for Treatment-Resistant Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Aldosterone synthase controls the synthesis of aldosterone and has been a pharmacologic target for the treatment of hypertension for several decades. Selective inhibition of aldosterone synthase is essential but difficult to achieve because cortisol synthesis is catalyzed by another enzyme that shares 93% sequence similarity with aldosterone synthase. In preclinical and phase 1 studies, baxdrostat had 100:1 selectivity for enzyme inhibition, and baxdrostat at several dose levels reduced plasma aldosterone levels but not cortisol levels. METHODS: In this multicenter, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned patients who had treatment-resistant hypertension, with blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg or higher, and who were receiving stable doses of at least three antihypertensive agents, including a diuretic, to receive baxdrostat (0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg) once daily for 12 weeks or placebo. The primary end point was the change in systolic blood pressure from baseline to week 12 in each baxdrostat group as compared with the placebo group. RESULTS: A total of 248 patients completed the trial. Dose-dependent changes in systolic blood pressure of -20.3 mm Hg, -17.5 mm Hg, -12.1 mm Hg, and -9.4 mm Hg were observed in the 2-mg, 1-mg, 0.5-mg, and placebo groups, respectively. The difference in the change in systolic blood pressure between the 2-mg group and the placebo group was -11.0 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI], -16.4 to -5.5; P<0.001), and the difference in this change between the 1-mg group and the placebo group was -8.1 mm Hg (95% CI, -13.5 to -2.8; P = 0.003). No deaths occurred during the trial, no serious adverse events were attributed by the investigators to baxdrostat, and there were no instances of adrenocortical insufficiency. Baxdrostat-related increases in the potassium level to 6.0 mmol per liter or greater occurred in 2 patients, but these increases did not recur after withdrawal and reinitiation of the drug. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with treatment-resistant hypertension who received baxdrostat had dose-related reductions in blood pressure. (Funded by CinCor Pharma; BrigHTN ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04519658.).

Catalyst-free anti-Markovnikov hydroamination and hydrothiolation of vinyl heteroarenes in aqueous medium: an improved process towards centhaquine.

Catalyst-free hydroamination and hydrothiolation of alkenes have been achieved in an aqueous medium. The anti-Markovnikov addition works efficiently in suspended water at room temperature and allows straightforward access to centhaquine, a drug used for the management of hypovolemic shocks in critically ill patients, and its derivatives. Various primary and secondary amines, thiols, and hydrazides were successfully reacted with a number of heteroaryl/aryl-alkenes. The scalability of the process has been demonstrated by synthesizing centhaquine at a 19.65 g scale. A comparative analysis of the present process with previous approaches has been provided on the basis of green chemistry metrics.

Regioselective Synthesis of Phenanthridines via Pd(II)-Catalyzed Annulative C(sp2)-H Activation.

A robust synthesis of phenanthridines has been described via Pd(II)-catalyzed domino C(sp2)-H activation/N-arylation using oxime esters with aryl acyl peroxides in a highly regioselective manner. This protocol is compatible with acetophenone as well as benzophenone-derived oxime esters and allows modular construction of functionalized phenanthridines with wide tolerance of electronic functionality. Further transformations were conducted to synthesize key building blocks, and control experiments were performed to understand the plausible reaction mechanism.

Do 'Surgeon Champions' and High-Volume Surgeons Have Lower Rates of Periprosthetic Femur Fracture? Perspective From a State-Wide Quality Improvement Registry.

BACKGROUND: Recently, a state-wide registry identified fracture as a major cause of total hip arthroplasty revision. There were 52.8% of revisions occurring within 6 months (fracture leading cause). Registry sites have a 'surgeon champion' who acts as liaison and advocate. This study evaluated the effect of surgeon volume and role of 'surgeon champion' on fracture rates. METHODS: There were 95,948 cases from 2012 to 2019 queried with peri-implant femoral fractures identified (within 6 months). Funnel plots were generated to compare individual surgeon-specific fracture rates. Surgeons who had a fracture rate below the confidence interval were labeled 'green' (lower than mean), within were 'yellow' (no difference), and above were 'red' (significantly higher). RESULTS: For all surgeons, 19.6% were red, 72.1% yellow, and 8.3% green. There were 17.2% 'surgeon champions' and 6.2% 'nonchampions' that were green (P = .01), while 20.7 and 19.3% were red (P = .82). There was a significant association between volume and performance (P < .01). No surgeons in the lower two quartiles (<84; 84 to 180 cases), while 4 and 29% of higher-volume surgeons (181 to 404; >404 cases) were green. There was no statistical difference in red status by volume (P = .53). CONCLUSION: 'Surgeon champions' and high-volume surgeons were more likely to be high performers but not less likely to be low performers. Active involvement in quality improvement and/or high volume was associated with better outcomes but did not impart complication immunity. 'Green' surgeons should mentor colleagues to help reduce fractures by re-evaluating modifiable factors. Analyzing outcomes to promote quality and decrease complications is paramount.

Why Do Patients Choose Skilled Nursing Facilities After Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty?

BACKGROUND: Current research indicates that total joint arthroplasty patients who are discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have higher complication rates as compared to home. Many factors like age, sex, race, Medicare status, and past medical history have been shown to influence discharge destination. The present study sought to gather patient-indicated reasons for SNF discharge and identify potentially modifiable factors influencing the decision. METHODS: Primary total joint arthroplasty patients were asked to complete surveys at their presurgical and 2-week postsurgical follow-up appointments. The surveys included home access and social support questions as well as patient-reported outcome measures: Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement and Information System, Risk Assessment and Prediction Tool, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement, or Hip dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement. RESULTS: Of 765 patients who met inclusion criteria, 3.9% were discharged to an SNF and these were more frequently post-THA, women, older, Black, and persons living alone. Regression analyses indicated that lower Risk Assessment and Prediction Tool score, higher age, no caregiver presence, and Black race were significantly associated with SNF discharge. Patients discharged to an SNF most commonly reported social concerns rather than medical or home access concerns as the main factor for SNF discharge. CONCLUSIONS: While age and sex are nonmodifiable factors, the availability of a caregiver and social support represents an important modifiable factor in regard to discharge destination. Dedicated attention during the preoperative planning period may help augment social support and avoid unnecessary discharges to SNFs.

Efficacy of TurmiZn, a Metallic Complex of Curcuminoids-Tetrahydrocurcumin and Zinc on Bioavailability, Antioxidant, and Cytokine Modulation Capability.

Complexes of curcumin with metals have shown much-improved stability, solubility, antioxidant capability, and efficacy when compared to curcumin. The present research investigates the relative bioavailability, antioxidant, and ability to inhibit inflammatory cytokine production of a curcuminoid metal chelation complex of tetrahydrocurcumin-zinc-curcuminoid termed TurmiZn. In vitro uptake assay using pig intestinal epithelial cells showed that TurmiZn has an ~3-fold increase (p ≤ 0.01) in uptake compared to curcumin and a ~2-fold increase (p ≤ 0.01) over tetrahydrocurcumin (THC). In a chicken model, an oral 1-g dose of TurmiZn showed a ~2.5-fold increase of a specific metabolite peak compared to curcumin (p = 0.004) and a ~3-fold increase compared to THC (p = 0.001). Oral doses (5 g/Kg) of TurmiZn in rats also showed the presence of curcumin and THC metabolites in plasma, indicating bioavailability across cell membranes in animals. Determination of the antioxidant activity by a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging assay indicated that TurmiZn was about 13x better (p ≤ 0.0001) than curcumin and about 4X better (p ≤ 0.0001) than THC, in reducing free radicals. In vitro experiments further showed significant (p ≤ 0.01) reductions of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL) IL-6, IL-8, IL-15, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, while showing a significant (p ≤ 0.01) increase of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in dog kidney cells. In vivo cytokine modulations were also observed when TurmiZn was fed for 6 weeks to newborn chickens. TurmiZn reduced IL-1 and IL-6, but significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.01) IL-10 levels while there was a concurrent significant (p = 0.02) increase in interferon gamma compared to controls. Overall, these results indicate that TurmiZn has better bioavailability and antioxidant capability than curcumin or THC and has the ability to significantly modulate cytokine levels. Thus, TurmiZn could be an excellent candidate for a novel ingredient that can be incorporated into food and supplements to help overall health during the aging process.

Regioselective Synthesis of Functionalized Pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-3,6(2H,4H)-diones via Tandem Post-Ugi Cyclization and Gold(I)-Catalyzed Annulation.

A convenient synthesis of less explored pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-3,6(2H,4H)-diones is described in two steps from Ugi adducts. The method involves acid-mediated cyclization of Ugi adducts to form dihydropyrazinones followed by gold(I)-catalyzed regioselective annulation. The generality of the transformation was established by reacting a variety of substituted dihydropyrazinones under the optimized reaction conditions to form densely functionalized pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-3,6(2H,4H)-diones in good-to-excellent yields. It was also observed some of the acetone-derived Ugi adducts furnish 7-acyl-pyrroloimidazolones as a byproduct during TFA-mediated cyclization via alkyne-carbonyl metathesis and condensation.

Copper-Catalyzed Oxidative [3 + 2]-Annulation of Quinoxalin-2(1H)-one with Oxime Esters toward Functionalized Pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalin-4(5H)-ones as Opioid Receptor Modulators.

Pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalin-4(5H)-one derivatives as novel opioid receptor modulators have been synthesized via copper-catalyzed oxidative [3 + 2]-annulation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-one and oxime-O-acetates. This hydrazine-free C-C and N-N bond formation strategy starts with the generation of C2N1 synthon using oxime acetate, which reacts in a [3 + 2] manner with quinoxalin-2(1H)-one, followed by oxidative aromatization. The synthesized compounds were tested against opioid receptors, of which eight compounds exhibited an antagonistic effect with EC50 < 5 µM at various opioid receptors. Molecular docking studies were performed to identify the binding of active pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinoxalin-4(5H)-one ligands with hKOR protein. Docking results indicated that compounds 3d and 3g participate in hydrogen bonding with the hydroxyl group of T111 of the active site pocket residue.

Framework for Digital Health Phenotypes in Heart Failure: From Wearable Devices to New Sensor Technologies.

Consider these 2 scenarios: Two individuals with heart failure (HF) have recently established with your clinic and followed for medical management and risk stratification. One is a 62-year-old man with nonischemic cardiomyopathy due to viral myocarditis, an ejection fraction (EF) of 40%, occasional rate-limiting dyspnea, and comorbidities of atrial fibrillation and hypertension. The other is a 75-year-old woman with ischemic cardiomyopathy, an EF of 35%, a prior hospitalization 6 months ago, and persistent symptoms of edema and orthopnea. Both have expressed interest in remote patient monitoring (RPM) with wearable and digital health devices that are commercially available such as a smartwatch-ECG, weight scales, and blood pressure monitoring technologies. While there is enthusiasm from both patients and their clinical teams to engage in a technology-driven approach to care, important questions arise such as "What are the patient requirements for participation in digital health programs?", "Can we anticipate improvements in HF status and lower the risk of future HF events including hospitalizations?", "Do the same type of devices in different patients provide accurate information on physiologic changes toward individualized risk assessments?", and "What are the systematic approaches to integrate digital health workflows and datasets from RPM into clinical HF programs?". Given the importance of such questions, embracing new technologies, as a core competency of a modern health care system requires a deeper understanding of how effective digital health programs can be designed to meet the needs of patients and their clinical teams. In this review, we propose a new framework of "Digital Phenotypes in HF" for how new devices and sensors and their respective datasets can be used to guide treatment and to predict disease trajectories within the heterogeneity of HF. Our objectives are to generate a systematic approach to evaluate digital health devices as they relate to the next phase of RPM in HF, to critically analyze the literature, and to apply the lessons learned from digital devices through present-day, real-world evidence examples.

Practices of Referring Patients to Advanced Heart Failure Centers.

BACKGROUND: Therapies for advanced heart failure (AHF) improve the likelihood of survival in a growing population of patients with stage D heart failure (HF). Successful implementation of these therapies is dependent upon timely and appropriate referrals to AHF centers. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients referred to 9 AHF centers for evaluation for AHF therapies. Patients' demographics, referring providers' characteristics, referral circumstances, and evaluation outcomes were collected. RESULTS: The majority of referrals (n = 515) were male (73.4%), and a majority of those were in the advanced state of the disease: very low left ventricular ejection fraction (<20% in 51.5%); 59.4% inpatient; and high risk Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profiles (74.5% profile 1-3). HF cardiologists (49.1%) were the most common originating referral source; the least common (4.9%) were electrophysiologists. Common clinical triggers for referral included worsening HF (30.0%), inotrope dependence (19.6%), hospitalization (19.4%), and cardiogenic shock (17.8%). Most commonly, AHF therapies were not offered because patients were too sick (38.0%-45.1%) or for psychosocial reasons (20.3%-28.6%). Compared to non-HF cardiologists, patients referred by HF cardiologists were offered an AHF therapy more often (66.8% vs 58.4%, P = 0.0489). Of those not offered any AHF therapy, 28.4% received home inotropic therapy, and 14.5% were referred to hospice. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter review of AHF referrals, HF cardiologists referred the most patients despite being a relatively small proportion of the overall clinician population. Late referral was prevalent in this high-risk patient population and correlates with worsened outcomes, suggesting a significant need for broad clinician education regarding the benefits, triggers and appropriate timing of referral to AHF centers for optimal patient outcomes.

Metal-Curcumin Complexes in Therapeutics: An Approach to Enhance Pharmacological Effects of Curcumin.

Curcumin, an active component of the rhizome turmeric, has gained much attention as a plant-based compound with pleiotropic pharmacological properties. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory activities. However, the health-promoting utility of curcumin is constrained due to its hydrophobic nature, water insolubility, poor bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and systemic elimination. Therefore, an innovative stride was taken, and complexes of metals with curcumin have been synthesized. Curcumin usually reacts with metals through the ß-diketone moiety to generate metal-curcumin complexes. It is well established that curcumin strongly chelates several metal ions, including boron, cobalt, copper, gallium, gadolinium, gold, lanthanum, manganese, nickel, iron, palladium, platinum, ruthenium, silver, vanadium, and zinc. In this review, the pharmacological, chemopreventive, and therapeutic activities of metal-curcumin complexes are discussed. Metal-curcumin complexes increase the solubility, cellular uptake, and bioavailability and improve the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects of curcumin. Metal-curcumin complexes have also demonstrated efficacy against various chronic diseases, including cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. These biological activities of metal-curcumin complexes were associated with the modulation of inflammatory mediators, transcription factors, protein kinases, antiapoptotic proteins, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzymes. In addition, metal-curcumin complexes have shown usefulness in biological imaging and radioimaging. The future use of metal-curcumin complexes may represent a new approach in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

A manifesto of collaborative longitudinal cardiovascular care in heart failure.

In this document, we outline the challenges faced by patients and clinicians in heart failure, specifically centered around the needed coordination of care among the various subspecialties within cardiovascular medicine. We call for a more organized and collaborative effort among clinicians in primary care, general cardiology, electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac imaging, and heart failure-all caring for mutual patients. Care is contextualized within the framework of two phases: a cardiomyopathy phase and an advanced heart failure phase, each of which lends to different considerations in therapy. Ultimately multidisciplinary coordinated care within cardiovascular medicine may lead to greater patient and clinician satisfaction as well as improved outcomes, but this remains to be investigated.

A Comparative Synthetic Strategy Perspective on α-Amino Acid- and Non-Amino Acid-Derived Synthons towards Total Syntheses of Selected Natural Macrolides.

Macrocyclic alkaloids (macrolides) and cyclopeptides have an immense range of applications in drug discovery research because of their natural abundance and potential biological and physicochemical properties. Presently, more than 100 approved drugs or clinical drug candidates contain macrocyclic scaffolds as the biologically active component. This review provides an interesting perspective about the use of amino acid-derived chiral pools versus other methods derived from miscellaneous synthons towards the total synthesis of non-peptidic macrolides. The synthetic routes and the key strategies involved in the total syntheses of ten natural macrolides have been discussed. Both the amino acid-derived and non-amino acid-derived synthetic routes have been illustrated to present a comparative study between the two approaches.

[3 + 2]-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Aldehyde-Tethered Alkynamides and Trimethylsilyl Amino Esters: A Gateway to Uniquely Functionalized Polycyclic N-Heterocycles via Post-Ugi Functionalization.

An efficient method for the generation of uniquely functionalized pyrrolo-pyrrolizinones, pyrido-pyrrolizinones, and azepino-pyrrolizinones via [3 + 2]-dipolar cycloaddition is described. The method involves the synthesis of tethered alkynamides using Ugi condensation and oxidation that were subsequently subjected to a dipolar cycloaddition reaction with trimethylsilyl amino esters. Further transformations to demonstrate the utility of these scaffolds were also investigated.

Construction of Highly Functionalized Piperazinones via Post-Ugi Cyclization and Diastereoselective Nucleophilic Addition.

A novel method for the generation of uniquely functionalized piperazinones by utilizing post-Ugi functionalization is described. The method involves an Ugi reaction with aminoacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal, followed by acid-mediated cyclization to generate the iminium precursor that was subjected to nucleophilic addition in a diastereoselective manner. The method was also employed to synthesize trans-dragmacidine C and praziquantel-like molecules.

Green synthesis of enantiopure quinoxaline alcohols using Daucus carota.

Green chemistry comprises a new approach in the synthesis of biologically active compounds using biocatalysts, thus diminishing the hazards for human health and environmental pollution. Asymmetric bioreduction is one of the most widely employed strategies in chemoenzymatic synthesis to produce enantiomerically pure chiral alcohols. The present study highlights the use biocatalyst Daucus carota for selective bioreduction of quinoxaline ketones 1a-6a to their corresponding optically pure alcohols 1b-6b in high yields (up to 84%) and good enantioselectivity (up to 98%). The absolute configuration of the chiral product (R)-1-(3-methyl 7-nitroquinoxalin-2-yl) ethan-1-ol 2b was confirmed by X-ray crystallography studies. The chiral R-configuration of the products obtained was confirmed by absolute configuration studies and was assigned following anti-Prelogs rule. Quinoxaline pharmacophores form a part of well-known potent drug molecules; hence, the chiral products were studied for determination of their molecular properties using SwissADME property analyser. All the chiral products show no Lipinski rule violations and are expected to have good oral bioavailability. As per the molecular properties prediction studies, the compound 6b (R)-1-(6,7-dichloro-3- methylquinoxalin-2-yl) ethanol is observed to show the best physicochemical properties to be a good lead molecule. Thus, the sustainable methodology was developed, and it confirms the synthesis of novel quinoxaline chiral alcohols in a simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly condition using D carota.

Iron Transport Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol Succinate in Animal Health and Diseases.

Gut health is the starting place for maintaining the overall health of an animal. Strategies to maintain gut health are, thus, an important part in achieving the goal of improving animal health. A new strategy to do this involves two molecules: the iron transport protein ovotransferrin (IT) and α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (TPGS), which result in the novel formulation of ITPGS. These molecules help reduce gut pathogens, while enhancing the absorption and bioavailability of therapeutic drugs, phytomedicines, and nanomedicines. This, in turn, helps to maintain normal health in animals. Maintaining the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in its normal condition is key for successful absorption and efficacy of any nutrient. A compromised GIT, due to an imbalance (dysbiosis) in the GIT microbiome, can lead to an impaired GI barrier system with impaired absorption and overall health of the animal. The molecules in ITPGS may address the issue of poor absorption by keeping the GI system healthy by maintaining the normal microbiome and improving the absorption of nutrients through multiple mechanisms involving antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial activities. The ITPGS technology can allow the dose of active pharmaceutical or herbal medicine to be significantly reduced in order to attain equal or better efficacy. With complimentary actions between IT and TPGS, ITPGS presents a novel approach to increase the bioavailability of drugs, phytoconstituents, nutrients, and nanomedicines by enhanced transport to the tissues at the site of action, while reducing gut pathogen load. The ITPGS approach appears to be a novel strategy for maintaining the health of animals by manipulation of microbiota.

Improvement in Depression and Physical Health Following Total Joint Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a common co-morbid condition seen in arthroplasty patients. Pain and depression have been understood to influence one another, which may explain why this patient group experiences higher rates of depression than the general population. Arthroplasty can relieve pain and improve function, which may thereby initiate an improvement in the patient's depressive symptoms. METHODS: This retrospective study examined physical and mental domain outcomes of Short Form-36 health-related quality of life questionnaire among 146 patients who underwent primary hip or knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis at a single institution during 2001-2004. These patients were classified into "depressed/anxious" and "non-depressed" groups based on their pre-operative mental component summary (MCS), with MCS < 42 defining depression. MCS and the subscales from the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey form expected to be influenced by arthroplasty, Physical Function, Pain, and Role Physical were examined at 3 months and 1 year post-operative. RESULTS: At 1 year, 66.7% of the "depressed/anxious" group reported MCS > 42, suggesting improvement of their depressive symptoms. Both groups reported similar improvements in their 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey subscale scores for Pain and Physical Function. However, the depressed group's scores were lower than the non-depressed group's at all time points. CONCLUSION: Arthroplasty significantly improved Physical Function and Pain in depressed patients, while their depressive symptoms improved. This improvement may be in response to the resolution of physical symptoms and represents an additional benefit to this elective surgery. Further studies, in larger populations, are needed to establish patient characteristics associated with non-resolution of depressive symptoms and the role of mental health interventions to optimize outcomes for hip and knee arthroplasty patients.

The Air Sac Primordium of Drosophila: A Model for Invasive Development.

The acquisition of invasive properties preceding tumor metastasis is critical for cancer progression. This phenomenon may result from mutagenic disruption of typical cell function, but recent evidence suggests that cancer cells frequently co-opt normal developmental programs to facilitate invasion as well. The signaling cascades that have been implicated present an obstacle to identifying effective therapeutic targets because of their complex nature and modulatory capacity through crosstalk with other pathways. Substantial efforts have been made to study invasive behavior during organogenesis in several organisms, but another model found in Drosophilamelanogaster has not been thoroughly explored. The air sac primordium (ASP) appears to be a suitable candidate for investigating the genes and morphogens required for invasion due to the distinct overlap in the events that occur during its normal growth and the development of metastatic tumor cells. Among these events are the conversion of larval cells in the trachea into a population of mitotically active cells, reduced cell⁻cell contact along the leading edge of the ASP, and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that surrounds the structure. Here, we summarize the development of ASPs and invasive behavior observed therein.

Left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral outperforms ejection fraction and Doppler-derived cardiac output for predicting outcomes in a select advanced heart failure cohort.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral (LVOT VTI) is a measure of cardiac systolic function and cardiac output. Heart failure patients with low cardiac output are known to have poor cardiovascular outcomes. Thus, extremely low LVOT VTI may predict heart failure patients at highest risk for mortality. METHODS: Patients with heart failure and extremely low LVOT VTI were identified from a single-center database. Baseline characteristics and heart failure related clinical outcomes (death, LVAD) were obtained at 12 months. Correlation between clinical endpoints and the following variables were analyzed: ejection fraction (EF), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), NYHA class, renal function, Doppler cardiac output (CO), and LVOT VTI. RESULTS: Study cohort consisted of 100 patients. At the 12-month follow up period, 30 events (28 deaths, 2 LVADs) were identified. Occurrence of death and LVAD implantation was statistically associated with a lower LVOT VTI (p = 0.039) but not EF (p = 0.169) or CO (p = 0.217). In multivariate analysis, LVOT VTI (p = 0.003) remained statistically significant, other significant variables were age (p = 0.033) and PASP (p = 0.022). Survival analysis by LVOT VTI tertile demonstrated an unadjusted hazard ratio of 4.755 (CI 1.576-14.348, p = 0.006) for combined LVAD and mortality at one year. CONCLUSIONS: Extremely low LVOT VTI strongly predicts adverse outcomes and identifies patients who may benefit most from advanced heart failure therapies.