Left ventricular recovery after total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting versus conventional coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: We compared total arterial revascularization (TAR) versus conventional revascularization (CR) in terms of left ventricular function recovery in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 162 consecutive patients with multivessel CAD and reduced LVEF who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting at our institution between January 2013 and July 2022. We assessed left ventricular function by transthoracic echocardiography at admission, before discharge, and at follow-up of 3, 6, and 12 months, using LVEF, global longitudinal peak strain, end-diastolic volume index, and end-systolic volume index. We also evaluated mitral valve regurgitation and graft patency rate at 1 year. RESULTS: The TAR group had a significantly higher increase in LVEF and global longitudinal peak strain, and a significantly lower decrease in end-diastolic volume index and end-systolic volume index than the CR group at 6 and 12 months after surgery. The TAR group also had a significantly lower degree of mitral valve regurgitation than the CR group at all-time points within 12 months after surgery. The TAR group had a significantly higher graft patency rate than the CR group at 12 months. There was no significant difference in hospital mortality or repeat revascularization between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: TAR was associated with better recovery of left ventricular function than CR in patients with multivessel CAD and reduced LVEF. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings in this high-risk population.

Inpatient cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cancer affected by viral influenza infection.

BACKGROUND: Influenza disproportionately affects individuals with underlying comorbidities. Long-term follow-up studies have shown that patients with cancer with influenza have higher mortality. However, very little is known about the in-hospital mortality and cardiovascular outcomes of influenza infection in cancer hospitalisations. METHODS: We compared the in-hospital mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cancer with and without influenza by screening the National Inpatient Sample from 2015 to 2017. A total of 9 443 421 hospitalisations with any cancer were identified, out of which 14 634 had influenza while 9 252 007 did not. A two-level hierarchical multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, race, hospital type and relevant comorbidities was performed. RESULTS: The group with cancer and influenza had higher in-hospital mortality (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.003 to 1.16; p=0.04), acute coronary syndromes (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.57 to 1.93; p<0.0001), atrial fibrillation (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.29; p<0.0001) and acute heart failure (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.32 to 1.51; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Patients with cancer affected by influenza have higher in-hospital mortality and a higher prevalence of acute coronary syndrome, atrial fibrillation and acute heart failure.

Inpatient cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cancer affected by viral influenza infection.

BACKGROUND: Influenza disproportionately affects individuals with underlying comorbidities. Long-term follow-up studies have shown that patients with cancer with influenza have higher mortality. However, very little is known about the in-hospital mortality and cardiovascular outcomes of influenza infection in cancer hospitalisations. METHODS: We compared the in-hospital mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cancer with and without influenza by screening the National Inpatient Sample from 2015 to 2017. A total of 9 443 421 hospitalisations with any cancer were identified, out of which 14 634 had influenza while 9 252 007 did not. A two-level hierarchical multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, race, hospital type and relevant comorbidities was performed. RESULTS: The group with cancer and influenza had higher in-hospital mortality (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.003 to 1.16; p=0.04), acute coronary syndromes (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.57 to 1.93; p<0.0001), atrial fibrillation (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.29; p<0.0001) and acute heart failure (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.32 to 1.51; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Patients with cancer affected by influenza have higher in-hospital mortality and a higher prevalence of acute coronary syndrome, atrial fibrillation and acute heart failure.

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO): a new attractive target to decrease cardiovascular risk.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the greatest disease burdens and takes the lives of many each year. There are many risk factors both modifiable and non-modifiable which contribute to the onset and progression of the disease. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in recent years has been found to have a correlation with CVD onset. Those with increased levels of the metabolite have a markedly increased risk of future development of cardiometabolic disorders.This literature review aimed to critique past studies undertaken to find a consensus of the significance of the interrelationship between TMAO and cardiovascular risk. A definite link between TMAO levels and a CVD outcome was found. The majority of the literature stated the relationship with evidence; however, there is still some uncertainty as to why and how the correlation occurs. Further study needs to be done to further dissect and understand the relationship between TMAO and CVD risk.

Relationship between hyperglycaemia at admission and prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The optimal threshold of hyperglycaemia at admission for identifying high-risk individuals in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and its impact on clinical prognosis are still unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 2027 patients with AMI admitted from June 2001 to December 2012 in the 'Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III' database. The significant cut-off values of admission blood glucose (Glucose_0) for predicting hospital mortality in patients with AMI with and without diabetes were obtained from the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, then patients were assigned to hyperglycaemia and non-hyperglycaemia groups based on corresponding cut-off values. The primary endpoints were the hospital and 1-year mortality. RESULTS: Among 2027 patients, death occurred in 311 patients (15.3%). According to the ROC curve, the significant cut-off values of Glucose_0 to predict hospital mortality were 224.5 and 139.5 mg/dL in patients with diabetes and without diabetes, respectively. The crude hospital and 1-year mortality of the hyperglycaemia subgroup were higher than the corresponding non-hyperglycaemia group (p< 0.01). After adjustment, regardless of the state of diabetes, hyperglycaemia at admission was related to significantly increased hospital mortality in patients with AMI. For patients with AMI without diabetes, hyperglycaemia at admission was positively correlated with the increase of 1-year mortality (HR, 1.47; 95% CI 1.18 to 1.82; p=0.001). Nevertheless, this trend disappeared in those with diabetes (HR, 1.35; 95% CI 0.93 to 1.95; p=0.113). CONCLUSION: Hyperglycaemia at admission was an independent predictor for mortality during hospitalisation and at 1-year in patients with AMI, especially in patients without diabetes.

COVID-19 and the burning issue of drug interaction: never forget the ECG.

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), has been rapidly escalating, becoming a relevant threat to global health. Being a recent virus outbreak, there are still no available therapeutic regimens that have been approved in large randomised trials and so patients are currently being treated with multiple drugs. This raises concerns regarding drug interaction and their implication in arrhythmic burden. In fact, two of the actually used drugs against SARS-CoV2, such as chloroquine and the combination lopinavir/ritonavir, might determine a QT (the time from the start of the Q wave to the end of the T wave) interval prolongation and they show several interactions with antiarrhythmic drugs and antipsychotic medications, making them prone to an increased risk of developing arrhythmias. This brief review focuses the attention on the most relevant drug interactions involving the currently used COVID-19 medications and their possible association with cardiac rhythm disorders, taking into account also pre-existing condition and precipitating factors that might additionally increase this risk. Furthermore, based on the available evidence and based on the knowledge of drug interaction, we propose a quick and simple algorithm that might help both cardiologists and non-cardiologists in the management of the arrhythmic risk before and during the treatment with the specific drugs used against SARS-CoV2.

Diagnosing, fast and slow.

Diagnostic error is increasingly recognised as a source of significant morbidity and mortality in medicine. In this article, we will attempt to address several questions relating to clinical decision making; How do we decide on a diagnosis? Why do we so often get it wrong? Can we improve our critical faculties?We begin by describing a clinical vignette in which a medical error occurred and resulted in an adverse outcome for a patient. This case leads us to the concepts of heuristic thinking and cognitive bias. We then discuss how this is relevant to our current clinical paradigm, examples of heuristic thinking and potential mechanisms to mitigate bias.The aim of this article is to increase awareness of the role that cognitive bias and heuristic thinking play in medical decision making. We hope to motivate clinicians to reflect on their own patterns of thinking with an overall aim of improving patient care.

Improved clinical outcome with biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents compared to durable polymer drug-eluting stents for primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Studies comparing the clinical outcomes of second-generation biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents (BP-DES) and second-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DP-DES) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with follow-up duration of more than 1 year are still limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the 2-year clinical outcome of BP-DES with second-generation DP-DES in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study in patients with STEMI, the primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as recurrent myocardial infarction, total repeat revascularisation and cardiac death. The secondary endpoint was stent thrombosis (ST) defined as definite, probable or possible. RESULTS: A total of 400 patients were analysed (197 BP-DES groups and 203 DP-DES groups). BP-DES were independently associated with lower incidence of MACE (adjusted HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.91, p=0.005) and ST (adjusted HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.73, p<0.016) within 2 years of follow-up. Subgroup analysis of MACE individual components showed that BP-DES were associated with lower cardiac deaths (HR 0.35; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.94; p<0.001) compared to DP-DES, but not recurrent myocardial infarction and total repeat revascularisation. CONCLUSIONS: BP-DES were associated with better clinical outcomes compared to second-generation DP-DES in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI.

Relative Fat Mass Index can be solution for obesity paradox in coronary artery disease severity prediction calculated by SYNTAX Score.

BACKGROUND: The relation between body mass index (BMI) and coronary artery disease (CAD) extension remains controversial. A new score was developed to estimate body fat percentage (BFP) known as Relative Fat Mass (RFM) Index. This study aimed to evaluate the value of RFM Index in predicting the severity of the CAD, compared with other anthropometric measurements. METHODS: A total of 325 patients with chronic CAD were investigated. RFM, BFP, BMI and other anthropometric characteristics of patients were measured before angiography. CAD severity was determined by SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with TAXus and cardiac surgery trial (SYNTAX) Score. The association between SYNTAX Score and variables was evaluated using linear regression models. In order to compare the model performance, R-squared (R2), Akaike's information criterion, Bayesian information criterion and root mean square error were used. RESULTS: Univariate linear regression outcome variable, SYNTAX was used to determine whether there was any relationship between variables. Independent variables were included in the multivariable linear logistic regression models. The analysis showed that in model 1, RFM (ß coefficient: 2.31 (0.90 to 3.71), p=0.001)), diabetes mellitus (ß coefficient: 3.72 (1.67 to 3.76), p=0.004)), haemoglobin (ß coefficient: -2.12 (-3.70 to -0.53), p=0.03) and age (ß coefficient: 1.83 (0.29 to 3.37), p=0.02)) were statistically significant. The adjusted R2 values in model 1 were higher than model 2 (BFP) and model 3 (BMI) (0.155, 0.137 and 0.130, respectively), and χ2 values of RFM were higher than BFP and BMI (10.5, 3.4 and 1.0, respectively). CONCLUSION: RFM Index is a more reliable and compatible marker of obesity in showing the severity of CAD compared to BMI.

Novel electrocardiography parameter for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in acute ischaemic stroke patients: P wave peak time.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to investigate the usefulness of P wave peak time (PWPT), a novel ECG parameter, in patients who were diagnosed with acute ischaemic stroke (IS) and had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) on Holter monitoring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we included 90 consecutive patients with acute IS who were admitted to our hospital between January 2017 and July 2019. PWPT was described as the time from the beginning of the P wave to its peak, and it was measured from leads DII and VI. The PAF diagnosis was confirmed if it was detected on the ECG during palpitation or in rhythm during the Holter recordings. RESULTS: In this study, 34 (37.7%) patients with acute IS were diagnosed with PAF. In multivariate analyses, the independent predictors of PAF were age, PWPT in lead VI and PWPT in lead DII (OR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.56; p<0.001). A receiver operating curve analysis demonstrated that area under the curve values for PWPT in lead DII for PAF were 0.88 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.95, p<0.001). The cut-off value for PWPT in lead DII in predicting PAF was 68.5 ms with a sensitivity of 82.4% and a specificity of 75.0%. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a significant relationship between PWPT in lead DII and PAF among patients with acute IS.

Efficacy and safety of low dose ticagrelor in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Our aim was to examine clinical trials, provide guidance to practitioners and estimate the efficacy and safety of two agents by comparing low dose ticagrelor with standard dose clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndrome. We systematically looked through Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Wanfang data and CNKI for trials comparing low dose ticagrelor with standard dose clopidogrel for the treatment of patients with ACS since the database was created. The primary endpoint for efficacy was the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). The primary endpoint for safety was the rate of major bleeding events. We also evaluated platelet function between low dose ticagrelor and standard dose clopidogrel in ACS patients. From 6744 articles, 16 studies including 1629 patients met the inclusion criteria. In contrast with standard dose clopidogrel, low dose ticagrelor significantly reduced MACEs (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.26, 0.58) and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.01). No difference was noted for major bleeding events (OR 1.16, 95% CI 0.43, 3.08) between the two agents (p=0.77). In addition, low dose ticagrelor showed lower platelet aggregation rate than clopidogrel (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.68, 95% CI -0.83 to 0.53) (p<0.01). Platelet reaction units for low dose ticagrelor were much lower than those for standard dose clopidogrel (SMD -2.46, 95% CI -2.85 to -2.07) (p<0.01). In comparison with standard dose clopidogrel, low dose ticagrelor significantly lowered the incidence of MACEs, improved left ventricular ejection fraction, decreased left ventricular end diastolic dimension and did not expand the risk of major bleeding events or minor or minimal bleeding events in ACS patients with a considerable safety and efficacy profile. In addition, low dose ticagrelor was associated with dramatically lower platelet aggregation compared with standard dose clopidogrel.

An overview of GLP-1 agonists and recent cardiovascular outcomes trials.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are emerging as an important therapy to consider for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) given this class of treatment's ability to reduce glycated haemoglobin and their associated weight loss and low risk for hypoglycaemia. Additionally, seven cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs) have been performed in the past 4 years using lixisenatide, liraglutide, semaglutide, exenatide, albiglutide, dulaglutide and oral semaglutide. All have found non-inferiority for cardiovascular outcomes, with many finding superiority of these drugs. These findings have transformed our guidelines on pharmacological treatment of T2D. This review article will discuss GLP-1 RA therapy, review the seven CVOTs reported to date and discuss the implications on current guidelines and therapies going forward.

Anti-inflammatory effect of colchicine on organ damage during the perioperative period of cardiac surgery: a study protocol for a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: The systemic inflammatory response syndrome during the perioperative period of cardiac surgery can lead to serious postoperative complications and significantly increase the hospital mortality rate. Colchicine, a widely used traditional anti-inflammatory drug, has good clinical value in cardiovascular anti-inflammatory therapy. Our preliminary single-centre study had confirmed the protective value of colchicine in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. For this multicentre investigation, we aim to further validate the anti-inflammatory and organ-protective effects of low-dose colchicine during the perioperative period in a low-risk population. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 768 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery will be enrolled from eight heart centres in China. The participants will be randomly assigned to two groups: the colchicine group will receive low-dose colchicine (0.5 mg once-a-day dosing regimen (QD) orally for 3 days before the surgery and 0.5 mg dosing frequency of every other day (QOD) continuously for 10 days after the surgery), whereas the placebo group will be given starch tablets for the same time and dosage. Primary endpoints are the occurrence of postoperative inflammatory diseases, including postoperative atrial fibrillation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, preoperative myocardial injury and post-pericardiotomy syndrome. Secondary endpoints included laboratory tests on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10, intensive care unit data, APACHE II score, Murray lung injury score, medication-related gastrointestinal reactions, 30-day and 90-day all-cause mortality, surgical data, chest radiograph on postoperative days 1, 2 and 3, and chest CT within 14 days after surgery. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This research has received approval from the Medical Ethics Committee of Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical College (approval number 2023-366-01). The study findings will be made available by publishing them in an open access journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06118034).

Which factors affect post-transfer gaps in follow-up care? A qualitative study of the insights of healthcare providers in Sweden and Belgium.

BACKGROUND: Young people with congenital heart disease (CHD) are frequently affected by discontinued follow-up when transferring from paediatric to adult care. Identified predictors for discontinuation include mostly patient-related factors, and further knowledge of hospital and healthcare system factors is needed. AIM: This study aims to explore patient-related, hospital-related and healthcare system-related factors affecting continued follow-up care after transfer, as perceived and experienced by paediatric cardiology and adult CHD (ACHD) healthcare providers (HCPs) in Sweden and Belgium. METHODS: This descriptive qualitative study included individual interviews with cardiologists, nurses and administrative staff, subjected to qualitative content analysis. A total of 30 HCPs from 13 specialist care outpatient clinics at 8 different centres in Sweden and Belgium were interviewed. HCPs were included if they had direct contact with patients and had at least 1 year of work experience. FINDINGS: The findings illuminate three main categories of factors perceived by HCPs to affect continued follow-up care after transfer, including 'care structure', 'care processes' and 'patient characteristics and circumstances'. Success was described as multifactorial, emphasising processes and structures of care, with a focus on collaboration, organisation, joint responsibility, resources, care relationships and transitional care interventions. Few differences appeared between paediatric and ACHD HCPs and between Swedish and Belgian HCPs. CONCLUSION: HCPs perceived factors on patient, hospital and healthcare system levels to influence continued follow-up. Process-related and structure-related aspects of care were perceived as more influential than individual patient characteristics. Hence, future research on discontinued follow-up care should focus on process-related and structure-related aspects of care delivery.